from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Smart for the NHL to schedule Vancouver games in the afternoon to get its elongated season over. Not smart to schedule both playoff series in Canada with back-to-back games without a day off in the first round. They should have found a way around that … Hall of Famer Jimmy Rutherford is in demand and a number of NHL teams have asked about his availability. The team that needs leadership help more than any other: The forever-confused Buffalo Sabres.

- Ottawa’s D.J. Smith will not win the coach of the year award in the NHL — he may not even be a finalist — but what a tremendous job he did with the Senators this season under challenging circumstances.

- Playoffs always come down to your best players being your best players. Rielly should be one of the Leafs’ best players and leaders. He needs to start the playoffs at a much higher level than he ended the regular season.

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