NHL stars Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid going home after qualifying round upsets
When you invite extra teams to the party, anything can happen.
The NHL expanded the postseason field to 24 teams in a bid to make up for the fact that the regular season had to be cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
And continuing the trend of NHL playoff upsets, the No. 12-seeded Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, who wouldn't have made the playoffs under normal circumstances, are advancing after victories in the qualifying round.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers are out, leaving stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid and likely MVP Leon Draisaitl sitting home when the first round starts next week.
“It’s a 3-of-5 (series). Anything can happen," Crosby told reporters. "We did some good things, but did we do enough? No, give them credit. They played pretty well.”
QUEST FOR THE STANLEY CUP: NHL schedule, results for qualifying round, round-robin play
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The Penguins were the biggest shock because they managed to get healthier during the four-month break with the return of Jake Guentzel from injury. But they were stymied by goalie Carey Price and then by a strong defensive effort in Game 4.
"We knew if it's going to be a 24-team playoff, everybody's going to have a chance," said Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the winning goal for Montreal. "We showed up at camp ready to play."
The Blackhawks and Oilers played a run-and-gun series and while McDavid, Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins combined for 23 points. Edmonton also made mistakes. They took a too many men on the ice penalty with two minutes left in Game 4.
"We made some critical mistakes at the wrong time and they went in the back of our net. ... It's frustrating because we expected better," Oilers coach Dave Tippett told reporters.
Of course, the NHL will still have plenty of star power in the playoffs because Alex Ovechkin, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, plus the defending champion St. Louis Blues earned byes during the qualifying round.
Price and the Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have advanced. And Auston Matthews and John Tavares remained alive after leading the Toronto Maple Leafs back from a third-period, three-goal deficit to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime and force a Game 5 Sunday.
McDavid and Draisaitl are young and will have chances to win titles, but Crosby turned 33 on Friday and Malkin is 34. The Penguins were swept in the first round last year.
But Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is confident that this team remains elite.
“At some point, everyone’s window closes," he told reporters. "You can argue that with any team in the league, but I strongly believe that this group has a lot of elite hockey.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoffs: Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid out after upsets
