NEW YORK (June 11, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today that it will reveal winners of 2021 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone throughout the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final.

Beginning this Monday, June 14, NBC Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports will announce winners during their pregame or in-game windows for the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Those announcements will be followed by media availabilities with each winner during the first intermission of the respective games.

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are down to the final four teams, the draft order for the first 27 spots has been finalized.

The Wings sat steady in the June 2 draft lottery, getting the sixth pick. But they have a second first-round pick thanks to general manager Steve Yzerman’s trade-deadline deal with the Washington Capitals, and that will be at 22nd.

The first round is July 23.

The spot would have been at 23rd had the Arizona Coyotes not violated combine testing policy in 2019-20; part of the penalty for that was forfeiture of what would have been the 11th pick this year.

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299 seconds to watch.

NEW YORK (June 11, 2021) – Rod Brind'Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes, Dean Evason of the Minnesota Wild and Joel Quenneville of the Florida Panthers are the three finalists for the 2020‑21 Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award after the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winners of the 2021 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone will be revealed during the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

Following are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, in alphabetical order:

1:39 to watch the quick highlights and below view Nathan MacKinnon's post-game remarks.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

As the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated their third trip to the National Hockey League’s final four in the past four years, Dunnville, Ont., native Peter DeBoer — himself a 12th round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1988 — managed to find some Canadian perspective for the anomaly that are the expansion Golden Knights.

“It’s so hard to win,” began DeBoer. “Everybody talks about winning the Stanley Cup. I’m an Ontario guy, I watch the Toronto Maple Leafs closely, I was drafted by the Leafs, always been a fan of the franchise… They haven’t got out of the first round in what? Seventeen years? And that’s a good franchise, well coached.

“What these men here [in Vegas] have accomplished is unreal.”

Ironically, it is the Colorado Avalanche who have taken up residence in Done-ville. They lost Game 6 on Thursday by a 6-3 score, swept in six by Vegas.

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from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,

As the Avalanche team he built again crumbled in the NHL playoffs under the rubble of unfulfilled potential, antsy general manager Joe Sakic had trouble staying in his seat at T-Mobile Arena.

Colorado crapped out in Vegas, losing 6-3 to the Golden Knights here late Thursday.

Hey, Super Joe. We all feel your pain. So pardon me if this is too soon to ask:

How much longer are you going to just stand there as your oh-so-pretty Avs repeatedly fail in their quest for the Stanley Cup because they’re not gritty enough?...

So let’s allow 24 hours of mourning for a team just beautiful enough to break your heart.

Then Sakic needs to look in the mirror and admit major changes need to be made before this group can win a championship....

It starts with the dismissal of coach Jared Bednar. When he needed to make strategic adjustments, Bednar instead tried to shame his players into fighting for every inch of ice. The problem? These Avs are lovers, not fighters. They are pageant material, not championship material....

Goalie Philipp Grubauer deserves a polite golf clap as a Vezina Trophy finalist. But instead of saving the Avalanche’s bacon in Game 6, he threw teammates into the fire. Allowing five goals on 22 shots (not counting the final empty-netter) in an elimination game? That’s simply unacceptable....

And these sweet-skating Avs would win the Ice Capades, but they haven’t learned the most basic rule of playoff hockey: Backcheck. Forecheck. Paycheck.

more

How about some Adrian Dater? (Watch below first then go to his recent tweets)

THREE HARD LAPS

* After the Golden Knights and Avalanche combined for three game-tying tallies, Vegas scored three unanswered goals to advance to the round before the Stanley Cup Final for the third time since joining the NHL in 2017-18.

* The NHL announced the dates, starting times and television information for the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals, with puck drop for Game 1 between the Islanders and Lightning series set for Sunday at AMALIE Arena (3 p.m. ET on NBC, SN, TVAS, CBC).

* Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid were named the three finalists for the 2020-21 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team”.

NEW YORK (June 10, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced the dates, starting times and television information for the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals, featuring the Montreal Canadiens against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the New York Islanders against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Seedings and matchups for the Stanley Cup Semifinals were determined based on regular-season standings. The winner of each best-of-seven Semifinal will advance to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

NBC Sports Group in the U.S. and Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada will provide exclusive national television coverage of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals. All times listed are ET and subject to change.

via Sportsnet,

The Vegas Golden Knights have defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 6-3, winning their best-of-seven series in six games.

With the victory, the Golden Knights have advanced to the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they will play the Montreal Canadiens.

In a game that saw leads established and erased four times heading into the third period, Vegas and Colorado traded scoring punches for the first 40 minutes.

Devon Toews opened the scoring just 23 seconds into the game, capitalizing on a cross-ice feed from Nathan MacKinnon. The Golden Knights notched the next two goals, courtesy Nick Holden and William Karlsson.

The Golden Knights, who were 5-0 when leading after 40 minutes prior to Thursday’s game, held a one-goal lead heading into the third thanks to Alex Pietrangelo’s first goal of the playoffs.

In the final frame, a goal by William Carrier at 8:14 gave Vegas a two-goal insurance marker it wouldn’t relinquish. Max Pacioretty added an empty-netter to close out the Golden Knights’ victory.

Below find the highlights and handshakes.

One game tonight with the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Colorado Avalanche. A win by Vegas will put the in the semi-final round against the Montreal Canadiens.

Watch tonight on NBCSN, CBC, SN and TVAS.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

...Washington was eliminated in five games by Boston, with Mantha contributing two assists and no goals in the five games. His ice time dwindled to a series-low 12:23 seconds in Game 5....

"All the excitement that goes with it, the continuous overtimes," Mantha said. "You don't want to make any mistakes. You're trying to create something offensively. Just playing a couple of games will help out a lot in my future.

"The fact we didn't win was the only (negative). It's fun, exciting, but at the end of the day you're playing to win every playoff series. It didn't go our way and so you look back and you're real disappointed we didn't get to advance."...

"I'm a little disappointed in myself, the way I played," Mantha said. "But hopefully I can come back stronger next season and I'll know what to expect.

"I went some games there at the end of the year when I didn't score any goals. We had couple of games that went into overtime in the series. If you score two goals, maybe you win those games.

"It's so tight out there (on the ice), there's not a lot of room. I just need to create more space for myself in those types of games."

more ($$$)

Just south of three minutes long.

NEW YORK (June 10, 2021) – Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid are the three finalists for the 2020-21 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winners of the 2021 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone will be revealed during the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

Following are the finalists for the Hart Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press on who may be exposed by the Wings for the Seattle expansion draft,

In addition to Panik and Nielsen, that also leaves exposed Vladislav Namestnikov. Yzerman signed him last fall for two years, $4 million, and Namestnikov delivered 17 points and a minus-5 rating in 53 games. If he were to be protected, it would bump Smith off the list, and though Smith has played just 37 career games, he’s shown he can be asset.

Evgeny Svechnikov also will be exposed, but the 2015 first-round pick was on waivers twice this past season, making it clear the team doesn’t view him as part of the rebuild. Also exposed are pending unrestricted free agents including Glendening, Helm, Sam Gagner and Bobby Ryan....

I think there’ll be the biggest debate among Yzerman and his inner circle. Do either of Cholowski, 23 years old, or Lindstrom, 22, get bumped in favor of protecting 27-year-old Troy Stecher? Stecher will help the Wings next season more than either of those two, but odds are that if Lindstrom or Cholowski is exposed, that’s who the Kraken will select.

Cholowski has shown in spurts just how good he can be. He might play 10 years. Stecher won’t. Lindstrom plays a safe, smart game. With Seider — who like Stecher shoots right — poised to join the lineup next season, I’d risk exposing Stecher.

more (paid)

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

He is a maestro conducting an orchestra without regard for the flavor of the day or public opinion. He is Lou Lamoriello, on his third life in the NHL, and he has restored yet another franchise to prominence.

Make no mistake. As much as this is Long Island’s team, as much as this is a team of descendants from arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport, as much as this is a team for the moment, this is Lamoriello’s team and it represents Lamoriello’s vision.

Oh, and that includes his choice of a coach to run his band, it most certainly does. That includes hiring Barry Trotz the way he once hired Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson and Pat Burns two rivers away when Lamoriello turned 16W off the Turnpike into the Exit of Champions.

That includes trading for Andy Greene and Jean-Gabriel Pageau at last year’s trade deadline. That includes acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac this April.

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from Steve Conroy of the Boston Herlad,

THREE HARD LAPS

* Brock Nelson accounted for two of New York’s six goals to boost his career totals in potential series-clinching games and power the Islanders into the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

* New York will face Tampa Bay in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Final, with both clubs set to go head-to-head in front of fans this time around.

* The Golden Knights look to earn a series-clinching win at T-Mobile Arena tonight and reach the final four for the third time in their first four NHL seasons.

The Islanders defeated the Boston Bruins 6-2 and win the series 4-2.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are up next for the NYI. It will be their toughest test yet.

Game highlights will be posted when available.

added 10:07pm, Handshakes are below. added 10:51pm, highlights are below...

Only one game tonight and it is a possible elimination game. The Boston Bruins are on the road to face the New York Islanders and must win to avoid elimination.

Puck drop is at 7:30pm ET and is on NBCSN, CBC, SN and TVAS.

Discuss as the game plays out.

“I thought I was going to be tried to be shut down by Phillip Danault. Instead it was the Department of Player Safety that shut me down. So that definitely sucks.”

-Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets. Emily Sadler of Sportsnet has more.

All highlights, all the time.

NEW YORK (June 9, 2021) – Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche are the three finalists for the 2020-21 James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Norris Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winners of the 2021 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone will be revealed during the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

Following are the finalists for the Norris Trophy, in alphabetical order:

I'm sure the Emperor was going to get to this soon, but I relish the opportunity to beat him to this particular punch. I stayed up last night just in case I had the chance to witness, and listen to, this...

From Mark Kiszla, Denver Post.

There’s no sound sadder in pro sports than joy slowly hissing from a deflated crowd when the home team loses a playoff game in the oh-so-sudden death of overtime. After Golden Knights winger Mark Stone found nothing except open ice between him and Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer and hammered the game-winning goal only 50 seconds into the extra period, it felt like a stake through the hearts of 10,495 spectators in Ball Arena.