It's hard to imagine that the NHL's oldest rivals have gone 42 years without facing each other in a playoff series. The rapid growth of NHL expansion combined with the two teams playing in separate conferences for a while have factored into the wait, so it's ironic that they've been brought back together in a pandemic. For the first time since 1979, the Canadiens and Maple Leafs are facing each other in a playoff series. Bring on the nostalgia.

Game 1 was a tough pill to swallow for the Leafs in more ways than one. Not only did they lose the game 2-1, but also John Tavares had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after taking a hit from Ben Chiarot, then accidentally colliding with Corey Perry's knee. Tavares was transported to hospital afterward, where he will stay overnight to remain under observation. The good news is that he is "conscious and is communicating well", according to Elliotte Friedman. His status for Game 2 is very much in doubt, although his overall well-being is what's most important here.

The Maple Leafs and Canadiens showed their support for John Tavares after a scary collision in Toronto.

Tavares gave the thumbs up as he was being stretchered off. pic.twitter.com/1OpiVLXmOu

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 21, 2021

I know this the Scotiabank Centre is still an arena with no fans, but I've never heard an arena go as dead silent as it did after this happened. Let's hope for the best here, whether you love or loathe the Leafs.

With no Tavares, the top line logged a ton of minutes for the Leafs. Mitch Marner at 27:23, Zach Hyman at 24:37, and Auston Matthews at 23:57. Their icetime will be something to watch in Game 2, especially if Tavares is out.

The Tavares injury overshadowed returns of both Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher from injuries. Price in particular was outstanding, stopping 35 of 36 shots to pick up the W. Any worries about Price being rusty after last playing a month ago should be put to bed. Playoff Price is even better than regular-season Price, as he has a lifetime 1.92 GAA in the postseason, including a sub-2.00 GAA in each of the last five playoffs the Habs have been in.

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A former Leaf is in some hot water with the league again, which is the type of situation that Leafs fans no doubt remember from past playoff woes. Nazem Kadri was offered an in-person hearing for his hit to the head of Justin Faulk during Game 2 on Wednesday. Given the severity of the hit and his suspension history, Kadri could be suspended for at least five games. Kadri is probably done for the St. Louis series, with a possible return for Colorado's next series. I say that because I'm about 95 percent sure Colorado will win this series.

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The Panthers/Lightning game was a crazy one. Down 2-0 in the series entering Game 3, the Panthers scored two first-period goals. Then the Lightning scored three consecutive goals in the first half of the second period to take a 3-2 lead, then eventually finishing the period with a 5-3 lead. Then the Panthers scored two goals in the third period to force a 5-5 tie and overtime. That is where Ryan Lomberg scored the sudden-death winner to put Florida back into this series.

OT THRILLER 😺

Ryan Lomberg is the hero for the @FlaPanthers! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/c9JyDvb1yX

— NHL (@NHL) May 21, 2021

The Lightning had a 28-0 record when leading after two periods, so the fact that they coughed up their two-goal lead should be considered a surprise. This series appears to be a great matchup with players to watch on both sides, so it would be a shame if it were to be over quickly.

After he posted a quality start in Game 2 (2 GA, 28 SA), Chris Driedger was given the nod again in Game 3 over the more expensive Sergei Bobrovsky. Driedger wasn't nearly as strong in this game, allowing five goals on 22 shots over two periods before getting pulled for Bobrovsky to start the third period. I'm guessing Bob and his $10 million cap hit will be back between the pipes for Game 4.

In an attempt to tighten their D, the Panthers healthy scratched Keith Yandle for Game 3. Remember this had been rumored to start the season, but it never materialized and Yandle played all 56 games to keep his consecutive games streak intact at 922. This missed game does not impact the streak, which is now only 42 behind all-time leader Doug Jarvis. Yandle's absence meant that Brandon Montour logged the most power-play minutes of any Panthers defenseman, although the Panthers used five forwards on the first unit at one point.

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The Penguins/Islanders Game 3 was also a back-and-forth affair. The Penguins carried a two-goal lead into the third period before the Islanders tied the game just under six minutes into the period. After the teams swapped goals again, Brandon Tanev put the game away for good with less than five minutes in regulation to give the Penguins a 5-4 win and 2-1 series lead.

Playoff pool sleeper alert: Jeff Carter has found new life since joining the Penguins. Before the Kings traded him, Carter scored 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 40 games. After the trade, Carter finished the regular season with 11 points (including nine goals) in just 14 games. He's kept his foot on the pedal in the playoffs, recording points in all three playoff games, including a goal in Game 2 and two goals in Game 3. So that's a total of 12 goals in 17 games with his new team. With all the top-level scoring in Pittsburgh, you might be surprised to learn that Carter logged the most icetime of all forwards in Game 3 (nearly 20 minutes). Carter is under contract for another season with Pittsburgh, in case you're wondering about his status for next season.

After missing the first two games of the series, Evgeni Malkin returned to action for Game 3. Despite playing just 12 minutes, he logged two primary assists.

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One more game with momentum swings. The Wild stormed out to a 2-0 lead before the first period was half over. In fact, the game would have been 3-0 Minny had Vegas not successfully challenged a goal for offside. However, Vegas poured it on in the final two periods to come away with a 5-2 win and a 2-1 series lead. And I mean poured it on, as the Golden Knights outshot the Wild 36-9 over the final two periods.

After sputtering through much of the regular season, Reilly Smith finished the regular season hot with nine points over his last seven games. He scored a goal and an assist in Game 3, giving him three points in three playoff games.

Marcus Johansson left Game 3 after colliding with the post on a rush to the net, where it looked like he stepped on the puck. According to Dean Evason, Johansson's injury doesn't look good.

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The Canucks haven't formally announced anything, but reports have surfaced that the team is working with Travis Green on an extension. Canucks fans have been a lot more interested in the news off the ice than on the team's remaining games with Calgary this week. A Green extension would be great news for Canucks fans discouraged with the recent reports that GM Jim Benning would be retained for next season.

For those wondering why a GM with seven years of mostly mediocre results would be retained, money is a clear factor. With no revenue coming in from ticket sales, the owner doesn't want to pay someone to not work for him. In addition, the time needed to hire a new GM could slow negotiations with Green, who is highly regarded and could easily find a job with another team. Canucks fans: Can you more easily swallow the news of Benning staying if it means Green also stays?

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Some interesting tidbits from Calgary's year-end press conferences on Thursday:

Johnny Gaudreau has stated he is interested in signing a long-term deal with the Flames. He's been discussed in trade rumors for the past couple seasons after the Flames have fallen short of expectations. Johnny Hockey has just one year remaining on his contract, so it will be interesting to watch whether he is extended during the summer.

GM Brad Treliving was noncommittal as to whether Mark Giordano would be protected for the expansion draft. Giordano is now 37 years old and was not always used on Calgary's first-unit power play. His fantasy value appears to be on the decline after his 2018-19 Norris Trophy win.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, or to reach out to me, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding