The Columbus Blue Jackets are confident of defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Best of 5 Stanley Cup qualifying series, and players aren’t considering the possibility that Columbus will be number 1 in the second phase of the 2020 NHL wins draft lottery, captain Nick Foligno said.
“This doesn’t fly for me. We play to win the Stanley Cup,” said a striker Foligno told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio on Sunday. “”[The No. 1 pick is] where the work of management comes into play; They want to make their job difficult, and I don’t think any of us want to be the first choice in the overall standings. Being in this position, in which my team creates the first draft overall, is not a position I would ever want to be in during my career. When we come back, we come back to win. “
Number 1 in the 2020 NHL draft was assigned to a placeholder team in the first phase of the lottery on Friday, one of the eight teams that dropped out of qualification. Each of the eight players has a 12.5 percent chance of winning the top choice in a second draw before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
“It’s crazy how it turned out, but I don’t see anything other than winning a cup,” said Foligno. “I feel that our team has a great chance of being healthy over the course of our season, of having a chance of doing a run, and it could be everyone’s game because of the situation. They don’t.” Get lots of cracks at the trophy, so do everything you can for this occasion. “
Number 1 should be striker Alexis Lafreniere, a two-time Canadian Hockey League player of the year who was number 1 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters.
Columbus, who was 33-22-15 (.579 points percent) before the NHL paused the season on March 12 due to concerns about the corona virus, is number 9 in the Eastern Conference Qualifiers. Toronto (36-25-9, .579) is seed number 8.
Foligno said it was essential for the Blue Jackets to control the pace against the Maple Leafs, who scored 57 goals more than them in the regular season (237-180). Columbus allowed 39 fewer goals than Toronto (222-183).
“They are a very dangerous offensive team and if they feel good they can really make you pay,” he said. “It is important for us to understand who we are and to play. When we do that, we compete with everyone in the league. It is not so much about them, it is about us. Certainly respect them, but also respect them our own game and knowledge If we play a persistent, disciplined style of play, we can give everyone a fit. “
A launch date and hub cities – one for the 12 Eastern teams, one for the 12 Western teams – for the 24-team tournament in the NHL Return to Play schedule have not been announced.
The Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs are among the 16 teams that play in the qualification series and have the chance to become number 1, including the Arizona Coyotes, the Calgary Flames, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers. Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
The four best teams at each conference play a round robin to determine the sowing of the playoffs.
.
