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Thursday Links, News and Notes: The Play-Ins Might Get Upsetting

Some series are not going as expected

Don’t look now, but both of the 12-seeds are up two games to one in their play-in series. Both the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks posted come-from-behind wins against their fifth seed opponents last night to take hold of their respective series, though how they got there is different. Montreal is relying on Carey Price to keep the games close so the scoring can come through, while Chicago is feasting on Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith to rack up the goals
While upsets are fun... if both of those happen, there is a 25% chance of Lafrenière ending up with either Crosby or McDavid. Not sure which possibility I like less.
The NHL faced it’s first test of the bubble protocols, after Jake Muzzin went to the hospital after a hit-gone-wrong late in Tuesday’s game. First and foremost, Muzzin appears to be okay and has returned to the bubble. But now that he’s back it’s a four day quarantine, no exceptions - which takes him through the end of the series against the Blue Jackets
The OHL has outlined their return-to-play plan for the 2020-21 season. The season start will be pushed to December 1st, and the schedule will be trimmed - but only by four games. The season would wrap up about a month and a half later than normal at the end of April, with the playoffs and the Memorial Cup stretching in to the end of June. One big question left hanging is if cross-border play will be possible by then, with three US-based teams in the league
Major League Baseball is scrambling to get their season back on track. They’re tightening up the Covid protocols that teams need to follow after significant outbreaks on two teams, and a handful of other positive tests around the league, have led to over 10% of the games so far being postponed. Rumours are that the season is at risk of being cancelled if this doesn’t work - though similar rumours were swirling around before the Cardinals outbreak and they’re still going for now
Finally for today, Pageau is still a honey badger/