Before we get to NHL news and notes, a few Islanders links:
Enjoy this highlight reel for Vezina finalist Ilya Sorokin.
Offseason analysis from Andrew Gross: The management. [Newsday]
What was it like to suffer through the ups and mostly downs of being a diehard Whalers fan? A special Weird Islanders episode. [LHH]
Elsewhere
Depending on how things go with three series at 3-2, the entire first round of the NHL playoffs could be completed Friday night. The Canadiens, Sabres and Knights have the Lightning, Bruins
and Mammoth on the ropes, respectively.
No matter how those series go, they won’t prompt the postseason reckoning that has no begun for the disappointing Oilers, the stuck-between-era Penguins, and the Sisyphusian Stars, who once again entered the playoffs with a top-contending squad hobbled by injuries.
To the post-mortems:
- The Oilers lost to the Ducks, a team that can’t play defense and thus should not be able to knock off anyone in the postseason. How has it come to this for Edmonton, with the Connor McDoomsday Clock ticking? [Athletic | TSN]
- The Penguins, eliminated by the Flyers, had a surprising season but with nothing to show for it, stuck in their nostalgia-and-rebuild-resistance mode. [Athletic]
- “Was this Jamie Benn’s last game as a Dallas Star? If so, it ended with Glen Gulutzan giving him a chance to do one last bit of heroism. Instead, Benn ended the night by losing a puck under extreme pressure, with sticks battering his body high and low until he went down to a knee, unable to stay on his feet under the onslaught.” [Stars Thoughts]
- The Wild broke the curse and knocked off the Stars with another great performance from Quinn Hughes, who was on the ice for 10 goals for and one against in the series. [Athletic]
- Mikko Rantanen, the guy who ended Alex Romanov’s season with a dangerous hit from behind but just isn’t that kind of player, was fined for crosschecking Kirill Kaprizov in the face. [TSN]
- Someone has let it be known that the Leafs asked the Lightning for permission to talk to GM Julien BriseBois, and of course were rejected. [Sportsnet]
No matter what happens in the three series on Friday night, the second round begins Saturday with the Hurricanes hosting the Flyers.
