"The Dangler" (my nickname for him, was doing live coverage of the Leafs/Habs game while watching the game via YouTube.

Here is his reaction to the Montreal OT goal. You can watch the full game with him by scrolling back about 3 hours.

First the OT game winning goal, below are the game highlights.

Two possible elimination games tonight. The Montreal Canadiens are in Toronto to face the Leafs and must win to extend the series to 6 games.

The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road to play the Nashville Predators and with a win tonight, they will win the series 4-2.

NEW YORK (May 27, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin this weekend.

Game 1 of the Second Round series between the MassMutual East Division New York Islanders and Boston Bruins is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 29, in Boston.

Game 1 of the Second Round series between the Honda West Division Colorado Avalanche and the winner of Friday’s First Round Game 7 between the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights is set for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 30, in Denver.

Both games will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian broadcast information for the games as well as the complete 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round schedule will be announced when available.

If necessary, starting times and national broadcast information for additional First Round games will be announced following tonight’s games.

Just short of 3 1/2 minutes long.

from Ken Dryden at The Washington Post,

It was an awful sight. The play during a first-round game of the Stanley Cup playoffs last week seemed routine — Toronto Maple Leafs center and captain John Tavares was checked by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot. But as Tavares fell, Montreal’s Corey Perry, speeding toward the play, jumped to avoid Tavares but instead struck him hard with a knee to the head.

Everyone instantly knew it was bad. Every player, every coach, everyone watching at home. The Toronto arena, empty of fans, somehow got even quieter. No one could do anything but wait, in fear and hope, as medical personnel attended to Tavares.

The players’ somber reaction to the injury seemed so respectful, so right. How would these teams — historic rivals facing each other in the playoffs for the first time in 42 years — now get back to playing? Then came the answer. The Leafs’ Nick Foligno, by word or gesture, said to Perry, the player who had accidentally injured his teammate: Let’s go. They dropped their gloves and the fight began.

It was so wrong. So tone-deaf to the moment and to both teams’ initial response.

The Code.

continued

NEW YORK (May 27, 2021) – Owen Power (Mississauga, Ont.), a 6’ 6” defenseman from the University of Michigan, ranks No. 1 among North American skaters for the 2021 NHL Draft as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau today released its final rankings. Power is one of three players from the University of Michigan to be ranked among the top six, alongside No. 3 center Kent Johnson (Port Moody, B.C.) and No. 6 center Matthew Beniers (Hingham, Mass.). No NCAA team has ever had three players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft in the same year.

“For the University of Michigan, this season was a once in a lifetime occurrence where three of the best prospects in the NHL Draft class competed on the same team,” said NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. “Each plays a different position and style, and all contributed as freshmen. Credit to Coach Mel Pearson for placing them in leadership roles to contribute and develop at the NCAA level. He helped guide them to be the best they could be.”

Rounding out the top-five North American skaters are No. 2 Mason McTavish (Carp, Ont.), a center for Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League who played on loan with Olten of the Swiss second division in 2020-21; No. 4 Luke Hughes (Manchester, N.H.), a defenseman from Team USA’s Under-18 National Team Development Program and the brother of recent high-end selections Quinn Hughes (No. 7 by VAN in 2018) and Jack Hughes (No. 1 by NJD in 2019); and No. 5 Dylan Guenther (Edmonton, Alta.), a forward from Edmonton of the Western Hockey League.

Islanders/Penguins, Lightning/Panthers and Islanders/Golden Knights are up first, followed by more of the same teams, highlighting the goalies is below.

ffrom Michael Traikos of the National Post,

What the Foster Hewitt is happening?

Toronto and Montreal had not played each other in the playoffs since 1979. And the thinking was that the time apart would add fuel to a fire that has been burning for more than four decades.

We expected raw emotion, pent-up passion and bad blood. Hatred. More than anything, we expected a close-fought, seven-game series that would take us back to the glory days of Bower and Keon and Dryden and Lafleur, back when the two Original Six franchises divided the country’s fandom.

Instead, with the Leafs leading the Habs 3-1 in a one-sided series that already feels like it’s over, the hockey has been kind of boring and uneventful.

There have been no overtimes. No stirring comebacks. Aside from the nasty — and accidental — knee to the head that John Tavares received in the series opener, there’s been no bloodshed or anything resembling hatred.

Honestly, we waited 42 years for this?

continued

from Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentnel,

It was a good series, a fun series — a season in a series, really. Game 1′s thriller was a reason to fall in love with hockey. Down 2-0, if the Panthers continued quickly out the door they’d have squandered all the good edge and positive energy of their regular season.

Even pulling to within 2-1, there were lingering questions about what it all meant. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was benched, then returned — and then was benched again in Game 4. He’s never played like the goalie with the NHL’s richest contract.

That money looked to weigh down the offseason, and maybe the next season or two, with five years left on a $70 million deal.

And then Game 5 happened.

Rookie Spencer Knight’s performance didn’t just make Bobrovsky’s story a secondary concern — one more for General Manager Bill Zito to solve this offseason than anything else. If possible. If someone wants to take that contract.

As it is, Knight became the future of the franchise. It seems crazy to anoint him that after he’s only played six NHL games. But sometimes you know. Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson needed two weeks of summer practice to make a fifth-round pick in Zach Thomas his middle linebacker and cut the veteran Jack Del Rio. Jack McKeon took one September of Miguel Cabrera and said, “He’s in the lineup for as long as I’m here.”

Knight looks to be that guy.

more

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

In a lot of ways, these Islanders remind me of the 1960s Maple Leafs. Well, except for those four Stanley Cups within six years, that is. Or at least so far, wink, wink.

Those Toronto teams were not only built for the playoffs, they were better in the postseason than during the regular season. A top seed only once in their four championship seasons, their unique slow-it-down, tight-checking approach to the 70-game regular season prepared them perfectly for the playoffs.

And so it is on the Island, where the precepts of both executive-in-chief Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz do not bend to serve the flavor of the day. From Day 1, it’s all about grinding, being responsible without the puck and taking hits to make plays. It is about playing a demanding style under which a straight line is the shortest distance taken between two points.

It is about playing playoff hockey from beginning to end.

The Islanders are a quarter of the way to their first Cup since 1983 following their first Coliseum closeout of a series since 1993’s six-game, first-round victory over Washington ended with Pierre Turgeon taking that dishonorable hit from Dale Hunter that likely doused the team’s Cup hopes.

continued

from Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal,

Consistency is most always a valued trait in sports, but not this kind: The Knights on Friday head to Game 7 of a playoff series for the third time in as many seasons after losing all of a 3-1 advantage.

It’s the Minnesota Wild who rallied back this time, the capper a 3-0 victory in Game 6 on Wednesday of this divisional playoff at Xcel Energy Center.

It means the series will be decided in T-Mobile Arena, which will host a Game 7 for the first time....

“It’s a new year and (the past) doesn’t really matter,” Knights forward Reilly Smith said. “It’s an opportunity to come out in your home arena with all your fans excited and full of emotion.”

Feeling things out. Waiting for the other to make a critical mistake. Call it whatever you want, the Knights and Wild spent an opening two periods Wednesday playing as if whichever scored first would immediately be declared the winner.

It was a Game 6 with Game 7 nerves.

read on and below watch the game highlights plus another goalie interference call...

Is it just me or have you noticed more bitterness, more complaints, more of anything negative about our game? I find it astonishing what people are complaining about. Refs, video reviews, game times the color of sweaters, even negative views of those who bring us the game, the play-by-play and analysts folks.

Oh wait, it happens every year and will continue to happen every year. It's just not in our little hokey world, it is everywhere, Check out the big boys like CNN, then go to Fox News, it's the complete opposite. I have decided it's not me, it is them, every one of them.

I am going to trust my mind, my judgement, my everything. I'd rather discuss a high risk merchant processor for US company than read something that is trying to sway me instead of inform me.

from Emly Sadler of Sportsnet,

Questions will be asked about the core: can it stay together, sustainably, for another run? Since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the club has won just a single playoff series.

But front of mind for many right now, in the wake of Wednesday's disheartening loss, will be goaltending. Once boasting the kind of depth organizations dream of, the team chose Matt Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury with Vegas calling a few years ago, then went with Jarry over Murray last off-season. Jarry’s under contract for two more seasons at $3.5 million per; DeSmith, one more at $1.25 million.

While his regular season numbers weren’t as strong as last year’s, which ultimately won him the starting gig, Jarry put up respectable stats worthy of a No. 1 behind a strong offensive team through most of 2020-21. But he now finishes the post-season with a stat line that tells a drastically different story: 3.18 goals against average, .888 save percentage through six games in his first full playoff series against the Islanders, a team not exactly known for scoring.

With the core at the age and stage that it is, top-tier goaltending was the most obvious missing piece this spring. With new management at the helm, where does that factor in? Time for a young netminder to develop isn't the kind of luxury this group has if they're to turn around and make another run. How Pittsburgh tackles its crease will be the biggest key as we shift focus from looking back on this season that was to looking ahead to what the next could be.

more and a look at all the games played on Wednesday...

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

“We need to score more goals and improve offensively,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “That’s easier said than done. The biggest part of that is having players who have the ability to produce.

“I’m hopeful our younger players can generate a little more offense. With the players that have been here for a while, I expect them to score more than they did this year.”

The improvement must come mostly from within the organization. The Red Wings will look to sign a couple of free-agent forwards, preferably right-handed shooters, but that market surely will be thin when it opens on July 28.

The list of potential unrestricted free-agent forwards with offensive ability includes Alex Ovechkin (Washington), Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad (Colorado), Taylor Hall and David Krejci (Boston), Mike Hoffman and Jaden Schwartz (St. Louis), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton), Blake Coleman (Tampa Bay) and Zach Hyman (Toronto).

Several are expected to re-sign with their current club. Those that don’t might not be inclined to move from a strong team, in many cases, to a rebuilding club.

read on

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

THREE HARD LAPS

* It was a clean sweep for the home teams on Wednesday as the Islanders, Lightning and Wild each claimed wins in front of a combined 23,592 fans. New York and Tampa Bay each advanced to the Second Round, while Minnesota forced Game 7.

* The first Game 7 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be played Friday at 9 p.m. ET in Las Vegas when the Golden Knights host the Wild (NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS).

* Two more series are on the line tonight as the Maple Leafs look to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in more than 17 years, while the Hurricanes eye a spot in the Second Round for the second time in three seasons.

The Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 to advance to round 2 where they will play the winner of Carolina/Nashville.

added 11:08pm, Highlights first, handshakes below.

next up, the Boston Bruins.

The Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 tonight to win the series 4-2.

added 9:35pm, handshakes and highlights are below.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild need a win tonight to force a game 7.

As always, feel free to discuss the games tonight and the full schedule is below.

from Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal,

Ken Holland took to Zoom for an expansive, dare I say rambling press conference on Wednesday morning to discuss the demise of the 2021 version of the Edmonton Oilers he manages, and to respond to reporters’ questions as to how he plans to improve his club going forward.

65 minutes later, after many variations on the theme of “I’ve lived it, I’ve done it” and reminiscences of his long years of experience in Detroit, the two most interesting items to these ears were the two questions he answered most directly. So let’s start there.

Holland mentioned the names of his pending unrestricted free agents on a number of occasions, but was most forthcoming on the future of the oldest of them. When asked if he intended to bring back his 39-year-old netminder, he answered in a single syllable, “Yes”, and it didn’t take more than a few seconds before he made it crystal clear: “Yes I do want to re-sign Mike Smith“....

Another Oiler who was singled out by Holland in the presser was forward Devin Shore. When Stauffer asked about him specifically, Holland praised the player’s versatility, ability to play either centre or wing or to wait his turn in the press box without creating waves. Invited to camp on a Professional Tryout, Shore earned a one-year contract at NHL minimum, cleared waivers a couple of times, but became something close to a full time player down the stretch, primarily as a bottom six LW, bringing physicality and penalty killing to the mix. While his path to making the team superficially resembles that of Alex Chiasson a couple of years ago, presumably a Shore extension would come a whole lot cheaper. He is a restricted free agent for one thing, and he didn’t have a career season in the manner that Chiasson did in 2018-19....

Otherwise, Holland spoke in generalities rather than specifics, returning to some takes time and time again. His initial comment was that he is “obviously disappointed, any time you don’t win the Stanley Cup, you’re disappointed… I was proud of our guys, lots of positive steps made this year. The pain that we’re feeling today is a good thing, it means we were good enough to have aspirations to go on a playoff run.”

more

“I promise you, with the people I’ve worked with over the course of my career, I don’t think you’re going to tell Andy Van Hellemond, Don Koharski or Kerry Fraser how to referee a hockey game,” said Hall of Fame referee Paul Stewart, a fourth-generation official. “They just look at you like pffft.

“I didn’t give a shit. I did the job based on what my feelings were. In many senses, I felt the players played for me. If you’re going to officiate and be at the top level of your game, you can’t allow this type of outside influence to taint your thinking. You have to gauge it by how you are and who you are.”

-Paul Stewart, former NHL referee

“At a stoppage of play, I would go to the benches to both coaches and say, ‘Obviously you’ve taken way too much advantage of my generosity and I’m embarrassed, but I’m now going to lay the hammer down. I prefer you to control your guys before I have to. But I’m going to grab one player in the scrum — it might be your guy or their guy. Control your guys or I will.”

“If I said something, you can take it to the bank, I was going to do it. The guys that are really successful are when they step on the ice and players know they mean business. When they tell them something, they follow through. It’s not an idle threat.”

-Kerry Fraser, former NHL referee

Joe Smith of The Athletic has much more ($$$)

from TSN,

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday he believes the team's Stanley Cup window is still open, despite a second straight early exit from the postseason.

The Blues were swept in four games by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of this year's playoffs, after being eliminated in six games in the opening round by the Vancouver Canucks last year.

Now two years removed from the team's first ever Stanley Cup championship in 2019, Armstrong said he sees at least two more years of the Blues being a contender.

"When we brought in the players a couple years ago, we thought we had a 5-year window (to win the Cup)," Armstrong said. "This was Year 3 of it.

"I still think it’s open."

continued

How about all 13 from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

via Turner Sports press release,

The NHL is coming to Turner Sports’ networks and platforms later this year and the first additions to the roster of studio and game commentators are in place. Turner Sports and Wayne Gretzky have reached a multi-year agreement for “The Great One” to offer studio analysis during key moments of the NHL regular season and throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Additionally, veteran play-by-play commentator Kenny Albert and analyst Eddie Olczyk will call live games for Turner Sports throughout the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, airing on TNT and TBS.

“The world’s best hockey league is coming to Turner Sports later this year and the exciting additions of Wayne, Kenny and Eddie will jumpstart our NHL coverage with some of the best and biggest talents in the sport,” said Tara August, Senior Vice President of Talent Relations and Special Projects, Turner Sports. “Their incomparable experiences within the game and unparalleled depth of knowledge will bring a distinct dimension to our game and studio coverage. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Turner Sports family.”

from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,

And then there was one.

Not since the spring of 2004 have the Maple Leafs won a playoff series.

With a 4-0 victory in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, the Leafs are on the brink of changing that narrative.

One more win in the best-of-seven will do it, as the Leafs have taken a firm grip with a 3-1 series lead versus their Original Six rivals and head home full of confidence for Game 5 on Thursday....

“Scoring, defending, checking, all the way through the lineup, the guys dug down,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “These back to backs are tough. I thought a lot of guys were actually better (Tuesday) than (Monday). There were a lot of great efforts all the way through.”

Toronto most recently won a playoff series 17 years ago, when it beat Ottawa in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal. The Leafs then lost in the conference semis to Philadelphia, and since then, have lost their past five series, including the qualifier last August against Columbus.

A win by Toronto on Thursday — or in Game 6 or 7 — and the Leafs will meet the Winnipeg Jets in the second round.

read on

Watch the highligts below.