After a scoreless opening period, the Penguins dominated the second scoring four times and taking the wind out of the Bruins' sails. Providence was unable to solve Brad Thiessen as the Penguins goaltender recorded 34 saves for his second shutout in three games during the 5-0 Game 7 victory.

The Penguins became only the third team in AHL history to advance after being down 0-3 in a Calder Cup playoff series. The 1960 Rochester Americans and 1989 Adirondack Red Wings now have company. As does the Boston Bruins organization, who now have had teams blow 3-0 series leads at the NHL and AHL level, as Tim Rosenthal pointed out. (Wayne Whittaker also brings up the fact that poor Trent Whitfield was on the Bruins team that gave up a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010.)

Games 1 and 2 were dominated by the Bruins, with 8-5 and 4-2 victories. They took Game 3 in overtime 2-1, but beginning with Game 4, it was Brad Thiessen time. The Penguins netminder took control and slowed the Bruins’ offense over the next three games making 31, 30 and 46 saves, respectively, forcing a seventh and deciding game, even after getting jumped by Graham Mink in Game 5 during a brawl.

Thiessen's shutout in Game 7 improved his already ridiculous stats. He leads all goaltenders with a 0.89 goals against average and a .970 save-percentage; he's also stopped 196 of 202 shots he's faced in seven starts. So, yeah, Thiessen's in some sort of zone right now.

The Penguins will now face the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference Final beginning Saturday night.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Via TSN’s SportsCentre, these were deemed the Top 10 Pavel Datsyuk goals of all-time, which is a bit like trying to narrow down the 10 best entrees ever served by Thomas Keller.

A few thoughts:

• Datsyuk owns the Nashville Predators. Just owns’em.

• We like to pretend that Datsyuk’s “change-up” goal in the shootout against Antti Niemi and the Chicago Blackhawks was a subversive satire about the shootout.

• We’re not sure what's more embarrassing for the goaltender on No. 1 that he got completely bamboozled, or that it happened in a Mooterus jersey.

• We’re sure in no way that this video was a response to Glenn Healy’s claim that Datsyuk doesn’t have “god-blessed talent” on rival CBC. Nope. No way.

Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis didn’t mince words during his postseason press conference, calling the team’s 2012-13 campaign a “terrible season” after their ouster at the hands of the San Jose Sharks in Round 1.

"We’re going to have to reinvent ourselves and do things differently in order to be successful. The macro look at this team is that changes have to be made,” said Gillis.

On Wednesday, changes were made: According to Louis Jean of TVA, head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown were all fired by Gillis in a massive house cleaning for the franchise.

It was later confirmed by the Canucks:

“We have made the very difficult decision to relieve Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown of their coaching duties today,” said Canucks President and General Manager, Michael D. Gillis. “Alain, Rick and Newell worked tirelessly to lead this team to great on-ice success. I am personally grateful to each of them and their families for their commitment to the Canucks and the city of Vancouver and wish them continued success in future.”

Vigneault coached the Canucks from 2006-2013, winning 313 games. He captured the Jack Adams in 2006-07, and coached Vancouver to the playoffs in six of those seasons, including that Stanley Cup Final loss to the Boston Bruins in seven games.

But he guided the team to back-to-back first-round playoff losses over the last two seasons, as the Canucks were humbled by both the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. Vancouver’s offense went stone cold in both series.

The Canucks were viewed as a Stanley Cup contender in both seasons; they didn’t come close either time, and Vigneault was reportedly shown the door.

There are likely as many fans who called for the head of Gillis as called for the head of AV. The notion of total regime change for Vancouver probably didn’t make sense to ownership, who see the window still open for this edition of the Canucks to win. But the mismanagement by Gills – being too focused on the blue line, adding offensive pieces that didn't pan out – is as much a factor in Vancouver’s underwhelming results as anything the coach did.

But it’s Vigneault who was always going to pay the price for that. He won’t be out of work long, with both the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche openings a possibility for his next move. And what about a Chicago Wolves reunion with Craig MacTavish in Edmonton, if the Oilers decided to make a change?

As for the Canucks: If they’re “win now,” and one assumes they are, could the next move be former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff? What about Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins, who is now allowed to listen to offers with the AHL team’s season over? Would they turn to Guy Boucher, recently dropped by the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Here's an idea: Perhaps it's time to add the Canucks to the Dave Tippett Watch, if the veteran coach doesn't remain with the Phoenix Coyotes?

And hey, if the Canucks ever decide to upgrade the GM spot: Don Maloney. Just sayin'.

The bottom line: Roberto Luongo outlasted Alain Vigneault in Vancouver.

Who saw that coming?

• Alex Ovechkin got his KHL medal for Dynamo Moscow's Gagarin Cup win. And you said he never wins anything. Wait, what's that? He left the team before they won? Well. Still. [Dmitry Chesnokov]

• The NHL's most stylish men. Yes, Henrik Lundqvist is on the list. [Sharp]

• Sidney Crosby was nearly killed by a mozza stick. [Sportsnet]

• Nick Cotsonika on Paul MacLean's "fun" approach to coaching. [Yahoo!]

• Meet Tim Thompson, the guy who makes CBC's awesome playoff hockey montages. [National Post]

• Stephen Walkom, Game 3's referee, coached Mario Lemieux's daughter. Is this a conflict of interest? I highly doubt it. Have you ever coached a bunch of kids? By the end, you hate them all and you hate their parents for making them. Or maybe that was just my experience. [Senshot]

• Speaking of officiating conspiracies, the New York Rangers' last penalty call at home came in Game 4 versus the Washington Capitals. [CSNNE]

• Elliotte Friedman's 30 thoughts, which includes this wild notion: "Conspiracy Theory: Sharks GM Doug Wilson wasn't going to trade Dan Boyle at the April 3 deadline, but he wanted Boyle -- and his other veterans -- to think he might. There's been a lot written and said about Extreme Makeover: San Jose edition, but the more I look back at it, it's not just about increasing Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski's roles. He wanted Boyle and Joe Thornton, among others, to believe, 'If this doesn't work, I'm next.'" [CBC]

• Cory Conacher comes out for the Senators in Game 4, and Mark Stone draws in. [Senators Extra]

• Vancouver resident Jay Adams spends a year as a Florida Panthers season-ticket holder. Sounds, uh, great. [Cave Mag]

• The Vancouver Canucks have been awarded over $800,000 after winning a suit filed against Canon for a sponsorship deal gone awry. [Vancouver Sun]

• Speaking of the Canucks, three young forwards Thomas Drance thinks they should target. [Canucks Army]

• The AHL's Toronto Marlies, otherwise known as the baby Leafs, blew a 3-1 third period lead last night to be eliminated from the postseason. Solidarity. [AHL]

• The Chicago Blackhawks are making some friends at NBC with their ratings. [Sherman Report]

• Wherein Chris Neil and Brooks Orpik argue over a hit. [Ottawa Sun]

• Would the Dallas Stars consider trading Loui Eriksson? [Defending Big D]

• Might Ray Emery get a start soon? [Blackhawk Up]

• The Nashville Predators have hired Phil Housley as an assistant coach. [Smashville 24/7]

• Analyzing Sean Couturier's offensive woes in 2013. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Finally, Colin McDonald boosts for teammate John Tavares for the NHL 14 cover, because his living situation depends on it:

“The goals they got were scramble goals,” he said after the 4-1 loss, in which the Penguins tallied two power-play goals. “We've got to be stronger in front of our net."

Stronger, the Senators have been: They’ve shut down the best power-play unit still playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (27 percent conversion rate) to the tune of one goal in their last 12 chances. Ottawa's penalty kill went 6-for-6 in Game 3, and has gone 9-for-9 overall. That included a 5-on-3 kill against the Penguins in the second period, during which they only had two shots.

Oh, yeah: There was also the matter of that Daniel Alfredsson shorthanded goal that knotted Game 3 with 29 seconds left. That too.

Again, this is a Senators team stifling a Penguins power play that has slightly fewer stars than “This Is The End.” The kind of all-star unit you’d compile through trades, create-a-player and waiver wire chicanery on a hockey video game.

Can the Senators keep the kill going in Wednesday night’s Game 4?

Ottawa has the ninth best PK in the postseason (82.9 percent) after leading the NHL in shorthanded effectiveness in the regular season (88.0 percent on 167 times shorthanded).

The rocks defensively for the Ottawa shorthanded unit have been Marc Methot and Chris Phillips, the only two Sens averaging over 3 minutes per game on the PK.

But other than those two, the Sens share the wealth: They have nine players that are averaging over a minute per game on the penalty kill through eight games this postseason. Among them: Kyle Turris (2:11 on average) and Alfredsson (2:00).

Goalie Craig Anderson’s numbers shorthanded weren’t stellar in the regular season or through the seven games of the playoffs, but he did make 12 saves shorthanded in his 49-save series-salvaging victory in Game 3.

What’s been the key against an all-star Penguins power play that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Jarome Iginla, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz, among others?

Via NHL.com, Methot said:

"We've struggled the last couple of games against them," Methot said. "We wanted to be a lot more aggressive, I don't know if we were, but it seemed like we had more success tonight.

"It discourages a team when they don't get things going early, especially when you have a talented group like that."

The Penguins, who would be up 3-0 right now had the power-play not failed them in Game 3, are expected to add Jussi Jokinen to the man advantage unit for Game 4. So there’s a new challenge for Ottawa.

But the most effective penalty kill is, of course, not having to kill a penalty. As Coach Paul MacLean said: “They have some very good players they can put out there. Taking six minor penalties in a game isn't going to be very successful for us.”

It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star: Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy and Jesse Cohen of All The Kings Men, a Los Angeles Kings podcast, join Wysh as he rolls solo.

• Is this the end of John Tortorella?

• The Dustin Penner No-Goal in Game 4 for the Kings.

• The Kings Twitter feed fiasco.

• Previewing Game 4 between the Pens and Sens.

Question of the Day: It's GOING POSTAL! Ask us ... OK, ask Wysh anything. Email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

For his sake, it’s good to see that fortune has apparently extended to the offseason.

According to Sport.cz, Voracek “mishandled” his Ferrari on Wednesday morning in Kladno of his native Czech Republic and crashed into a tree.

According to Sporttovni Noviny, Voracek “was driving too fast for a truck that wanted to turn and did not stop in time” and that the “luxury car then crashed into the left side of the truck, drove off the road, where it hit a power line pole and tree."

Damage to the car is estimated at $147,715 US.

Voracek was given a breathalyzer test on-site, but told Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly:

"All good bud. No injuries, no alcohol."

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren released the following statement:

“I spoke with Jake this morning. He was involved in a car accident in the Czech Republic. Although his car did suffer damage, there were no injuries. Jake is fine.”

As The Phanatic notes, anytime you hear “car crash” and “Flyers” it immediately conjures some disturbing history. Glad to hear Jake is OK.

But c’mon, we all know the guy’s legacy as he announces his retirement on Wednesday. It’s two-fold. First, and perhaps foremost, it’s this indelible soundbyte in 2010 in which he questions a reporter about his expertise:

“Are you asking me or are you telling me?” and “So you’re an expert?” and “You saw the replay?” have entered into the NHL lexicon. It’s like the “Who’s on First?” for puckheads.

The other legacy: The suspensions, and his reaction to them.

Sutton was an early poster boy for Brendan Shanahan’s Department of Player Safety, getting suspended for 13 games total in Shanny’s first year as sheriff: Five for a headshot on Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and eight for another hit to the head on Alexei Ponikarovsky of the Carolina Hurricanes.

He was also one of the first players to speak out against the NHL’s crackdown on certain types of hits. As he told the Edmonton Journal:

"This will be hard because my style of play is to be on my toes, playing physically," said Sutton. "You may see more hits with my back and my butt than my shoulders and my elbow. Seems to be the only way you're not suspended anymore."

"Those guys have to calm down, it's nuts. Everybody does. You can almost dissect every hit and see a guy leaving his feet or there's contact to the head. Guys are always leaning (with the puck). It can look like an elbow, but it's not. The media shows it 1,000 times."

After two seasons of the Department of Player Safety and Rule 48, do you read Sutton’s comments in a different light?

Here’s the full release from the NHLPA on Sutton’s retirement:

Andy Sutton officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League (NHL) today, following a 15-year career.

As a result of the physical game he played as a defenceman, he endured 12 surgeries for various injuries that caused him to miss a number of games in his career. Notwithstanding, Sutton played in 676 NHL games for seven different NHL teams. He registered 1,134 hits, 1,164 blocked shots and 1,185 penalty minutes, while also scoring 38 goals and 112 assists for 150 points in his career.

“My NHL career enabled me to not only play the game I love, but to also be a part of something that so many kids dream about growing up,” said Andy Sutton. “Throughout my 15 years in the league, I have played for some exceptional hockey teams and have met quality people and friends along the way. None of what I accomplished on the ice would have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, friends, teammates and fans who made playing hockey even more enjoyable.”

He was always known for his resiliency, toughness and steady play. At 6’6”, 245 lbs., Sutton was a hulking, stay-at-home defenceman who was not afraid to sacrifice his body to make a play or save a goal. His dependable play was valued by each team he played for, evident in his average ice-time of 17:42 during the regular season in his career.

“Having played with Andy, I can say that his leadership and character both on the ice and in the dressing room were extremely valuable to me as a young a player in the league,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers centre. “He taught me a lot about what it takes to play at this level, and he was a great teammate.”

Sutton’s career in the NHL began with the San Jose Sharks in 1998-99, before he went on to play with the Minnesota Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and finally the Edmonton Oilers where he finished his career.

Prior to reaching the NHL, he played 121 games in four seasons with Michigan Tech, which included an outstanding senior season in 1997-98 when he scored 40 points in 38 games and was named to the All-WCHA Second Team. While developing his on-ice game in college, Sutton also earned a degree in engineering.

Sutton signed with the San Jose Sharks in 1998 and played in his first NHL game on October 20, 1998. After spending the following season with the Sharks, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on June 11, 2000. Sutton played 69 games in 2000-01 in Minnesota, while leading the Wild in hits (123) and ranking second in penalty minutes (131). On January 22, 2002, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers where he played for the better part of the next five years.

In the 2003-04 season with the Thrashers, he set career highs in power play goals (7), shots (102) and average ice-time (23:34), while leading all Atlanta defencemen in goals (8) and accumulating a five-game points streak in March of that year. Sutton played for GCK and ZSC in Switzerland during the 2004-05 lockout. In the 2005-06 season, he led the team in penalty minutes (144) and blocked shots (195) – fourth most in the league – while tying a personal best in goals (8) and also registering career highs in games played (76) and points (25), along with plus-minus (+13) which was tops among all Thrashers defencemen. In 2006-07, as part of the first and only Thrashers team in franchise history to make the playoffs, Sutton ranked 19^th in the NHL in blocked shots (162) and he played in 55 regular season games and all four playoff games.

He played three seasons on Long Island after signing with the New York Islanders in the summer of 2007. In 2007-08, he finished second on the team in penalty minutes (86). In 2008-09, he played in his 500^th career game (November 17, 2008 vs. Vancouver). In the 2009-10 season, which he split between the Islanders and Ottawa Senators, he ranked second in the league in blocked shots (204) and eighth among all defenceman in hits (197). In the six playoff games he played for the Senators, he averaged more than 23 minutes of ice-time. In 2010-11, after signing as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, he finished fifth on the team in blocked shots (87) and first in plus-minus on the road (+6), and made another playoff appearance.

On July 1, 2011, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Sutton was a solid contributor in Edmonton in 2011-12, registering 10 points, a plus-minus rating of +5, 112 hits, 95 blocked shots and 80 penalty minutes in 52 games. While under contract with the Oilers for 2012-13, he was forced to sit out the entire season due to a knee injury.

“I had the pleasure of working with Andy in Edmonton. In the season he played for us, not only did he accept his role on the team, but what he was doing in helping bring our young kids along, and the person he was, was really influential on our group. We’re grateful to Andy for that,” said Ralph Krueger, Edmonton Oilers head coach. “He always showed great character, stayed a gentleman in the process, and he gave us a good effort in his final season. We were sorry to lose him for this past season and it’s really too bad he couldn’t have played. I wish him all the best.”

Andy resides in California with his wife Natalie and daughter Kseniya. He is in the process of licensing the seven technology patents for bodily protection systems that he has been working on for the past few years.

At the time, I found the notion absurd: Two years removed from winning the Richards Derby, one year after he had 15 points in 20 playoff games for the Rangers, and a slow start means the Blueshirts jettison what was to be a major pillar of a championship foundation?

Then came Richards’ finish to the regular season: 11 points in 6 games, including a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres. I kept hearing terms like “empty points” to describe that effort, but on paper Richards looked like he was rounding into postseason form.

And then the postseason hit, and that paper was crumbled up and tossed in the trash.

As Rangers fans flail about trying to diagnose how this team could be down 0-3 to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Brad Richards’ name glows like a neon sign on Broadway. He’s arguably the biggest bust of the 2013 postseason on an individual basis; a pathetic shell of a formerly clutch player who’s been reduced to a $60-million fourth liner.

Turns out Larry Brooks’ speculation may become a necessity.

Remove that run at the end, and Richards’ regular season was just as dreary as his postseason: 23 points in 40 games for a 0.58 points per game average. Even factoring in those 11 points at season’s end, Richards finished with the lowest points per game average of his NHL career, spanning back to 2000-01.

The 33-year-old former Conn Smythe winner has one goal and zero assists in 10 games for the Rangers in the playoffs. Steve Eminger has outscored him. Dan Girardi has outscored him. Arron Asham had outscored him. His faceoffs are at 47.9 percent, which is down from last postseason as well.

The Rangers’ struggles on the power play are now legendary: 2 for 38, for a 5.3 percent conversion rate. And while you can’t pin those struggles on just one player, we submit the following for your disapproval: Brad Richards, second on the Rangers in power-play scoring in the regular season (9 points, tied with Rick Nash) hasn’t tallied a point on the man advantage in the postseason despite playing 3:47 per night, second only to Nash.

Richards is still seeing the ice on the power play. The rest of the game, not so much.

After skating 23 shifts and 18:23 in Game 5 against the Washington capitals, Richards’ ice time was sliced to 9:34 in Game 6; it was 11:12 in Game 7; in the first three games against the Bruins, Richards has played 12:57, 10:34 and then 8:10 in Game 3, when Coach John Tortorella had him benched in the third period.

Sixty-million dollars over nine years. Benched in the most important game of the Rangers’ season.

As Larry Brooks wrote on Sunday:

Tortorella said, “Yes,” the Rangers need more out of Richards and, “Yes,” Richards can provide that even in his unprecedented role as a fourth-line center making cameo appearances.

But probably not. Probably the only way for Richards to contribute is to be given a bigger role, but the cold, hard truth is he has done nothing to earn it this year. Tortorella gives credit where credit is due, but you can’t win games flashing credit cards.

So here we are, with Richards on the bench, his limited assignment by now almost an afterthought.

So what to do with that $60-million Fourth Liner? The structure of his 9-year deal would indicate the Rangers assumed he'd hit the wall around 2017, when his salary drops to $1 million. But this apparent decline is ahead of schedule.

Joe Delessio of Sports on Earth offered his assessment:

Richards isn't producing at an acceptable rate any longer. This isn't a judgment based on the small sample size of the 2013 playoffs, or even just the 2013 season. It's based on the unfortunate trend of the last few years. Some seasons may still be better than others for Richards, and a bounce-back year, under more standard circumstances than this shortened 2013 season, isn't out of the question. But there's no denying that Richards is heading in the wrong direction with seven years remaining on his contract. And seven years is an eternity in sports.

The Rangers have the option, if they can make it work under the cap, of postponing a decision on Richards until after the 2013-14 season, at which point they'd again be allowed to use the last of their so-called compliance buyouts. Doing so would give Richards a chance to bounce back from his ugly 2013 season -- but it'll take more than one year for Richards to prove that the last few seasons haven't been the beginning a downward trend. And the Rangers don't have that kind of time to evaluate him.

In fairness to Richards, there could be a reason why this season has gone off the rails: #LockoutProblems.

He didn’t play during the lockout, opting instead to take part in the CBA talks on behalf of the NHLPA and help to organize charity events to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Noble causes, both of them – but not exactly the kind of skills-honing that was going on for other veteran NHL players during the work stoppage.

He had a dismal stretch from mid-February into March, and the Rangers’ record during that stretch was just as underwhelming. While other struggling players who stayed home during the lockout eventually found their game – Milan Lucic of the Bruins, for example – Richards couldn’t find any consistency.

Who knows? Maybe with a proper offseason and a full training camp, Richards can return with some semblance of playing like Brad Richards again.

Or, perhaps, playing 8:10 in the season’s most important game is a sign that Richards’ time with the Rangers is also running short.

For Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night, the Kings had a guest-tweeter on the @LAKings feed in Kevin Ryder, one half of the Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ in LA. He was snarky. He was sorta witty. But in one instance, he went too far for the Kings:

Yeah, sexual assault jokes aren’t everyone’s particular brand of whimsy.

David Rogers of Puck Drunk Love offered this indictment:

It's one thing to be snarky and a bit edgy. It's another to use what boils down to a rape joke on an NHL team's Twitter account. Though Ryder is responsible for the Tweet itself, those behind LA's account and marketing team are responsible for allowing him to use it in the first place. We're not sure who thought it was a good idea or how the idea was approved, but here we are. If you go and look through Ryder's work, this isn't exactly a surprising outcome.

The apologies and clarifications were fast and furious after the tweet.

The Kings hastily deleted the Ryder Tweet and wrote:

We apologize for the tweets that came from a guest of our organization. They were inappropriate and do not reflect the LA Kings.

— LA Kings (@LAKings) May 22, 2013

Ryder himself offered this on Tuesday night:

(1 of 2) My apology. I made a poor choice in the wording of my tweet. I wish I had used different words. If you were hurt by me, I'm sorry. — Kevin Ryder(@thekevinryder) May 22, 2013

(2 of 2) I get angry when groups like Deadspin see it as kindling to make a fire for themselves. That's worse than my choice of words.

— Kevin Ryder(@thekevinryder) May 22, 2013

Both Deadspin and The Sporting News characterized the tweet as a “rape joke”, which is why you saw the Kings apologize for the tweet within a half hour of its posting.

This is one of those times when context and delivery are essential for humor. Louis CK can talk about the most vile, repugnant aspects of the human condition on stage and it’s accepted because we expect to hear that on stage. Kevin Ryder tweets a sexual assault joke on the official feed of an NHL team during a playoff game and … well, you read the apologies.

You’ll hear worse in the cheap seats at a hockey game, but none of those adorable drunks were writing to 250,000 followers on a game night like Ryder was.

The Kings knew what they were getting into, however:

.@thekevinryder is taking over @lakings for the 2nd period.... we've made a huge mistake.

— LA Kings (@LAKings) May 22, 2013

s/t AJ Strong for the pix

No. 1 Star: Daniel Paille, Boston Bruins

The catalyst for the Bruins’ dominating fourth line in Game 3, Paille set up Johnny Boychuk for the tying goal and then scored the game-winner on a funky bounce to give Boston a 2-1 win over the Rangers and a 3-0 series lead.

No. 2 Star: Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks goalie stopped 22 shots, including 13 in the third period, to backstop San Jose to a 2-1 Game 4 win and a 2-2 series split with the Los Angeles Kings.

No. 3 Star: Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks forward scored the game-winning goal on a tip-in of a Dan Boyle shot, his fifth of the playoffs. Couture scored consecutive game-winning power-play goals vs. the Kings.

Honorable mention: Mike Richards had the Kings’ goal. Brent Burns scored for the Sharks in the first period. … Taylor Pyatt had the Rangers’ goal. Tuukka Rask made 23 saves for the Bruins. … Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves in the loss for New York. … Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for the Kings. ... This Burns hit on Brad Richardson was something to behold:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 3. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks; 4. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 5. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 6. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators. 8. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 9. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 10. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings.

Dishonorable mention: The Bruins didn’t receive a power play in Game 3, the second time a visiting team went a full game at MSG without earning one this postseason. … The Kings were burned by a quick whistle. … The Boston/New York game features several uncalled high-sticks, never more evident than on this “mutual high sticking” play.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Ouch. Tough break for the Kings there, especially with the Sharks holding a two-goal lead at that point.

Please join us next post for another Great Moment in 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Officiating …

The trio factored in on both Bruins goals in their 2-1 Game 3 victory over the Rangers at MSG on Tuesday night, as Boston took a 3-0 lead in the series and can eliminate the Rangers on Thursday night.

"They were working hard, and they've scored some big goals for us in the playoffs. I have confidence in that line," said Coach Claude Julien. "You utilize them because they're good, not because you have to."

Entering the third period, Rangers held a 1-0 lead in the third period on a Taylor Pyatt goal at 3:53 of the second. But a Henrik Lundqvist turnover led to a few golden chances for the fourth line, until Paille found Johnny Boychuk for a blast just inside the blueline that beat Lundqvist and tied the game at 3:10.

Boston took the lead for good on a strange sequence later in the period.

After Thornton won an offensive zone faceoff, the Bruins fired two shots on the Rangers’ goal. A third shot from Campbell deflected off of bodies in front of Lundqvist, with the puck flying up and over the Rangers goalie onto the goal-line. It landed squarely and then rolled away from the goal, in one of the postseason’s oddest moments.

Lest one believe the Hockey Gods favored the Rangers on this play, Paille was able to skate around the cage unchecked and knock the loose puck in for the 2-1 lead. The Rangers pulled their goalie, but were unable to mount much against Tuukka Rask (23 saves).

Outside of his stick-handling blunder, Lundqvist was masterful in Game 3, stopping 32 shots. It’s his first loss in his last six Game 3s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Once again, it was the Rangers squandering a stellar effort from their netminder.

No points for Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin in a must-win Game 3. Brad Richards played 8 minutes and has 7 years left on his $60 million contract.

The insult to that injury for the Rangers: While their star players were silent, it was the blue-collar Bruins that led them to victory.

The fourth-liners. The grunts. The guys who sacrifice their body and do what it takes to win.

The guys John Tortorella loves to coach, whom he watched defeat the players he actually does coach, pushing this conference finalist in 2012 to the brink of elimination in 2013.

When Scuderi was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he mistakenly told a reporter that he was “the piece of the puzzle” for the team.

Not “a piece,” but “THE piece.” Which obviously was a point of hilarity for a locker room that included Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“The Piece” stuck as a nickname for Scuderi – along with the more hockey-linguistic “Scuds” – because he’s been an essential one for two Stanley Cup-winning teams. He logged big minutes and played stout defense for the 2009 Penguins; last season for the Kings, he played 30 shifts a game and finished with a plus-9 in 20 games en route to the Cup.

This season, Scuderi is second on the Kings in ice time (28:08 on average) to defensive partner Drew Doughty (28:08). He leads the team with 23 blocked shots – his forte – and had six in the Game 3 loss.

It’s what he does, and has been doing for years.

“I’ve been playing the same ugly but effective game since I was 18. If you pulled up college video of me, you’d be seeing me doing the same exact thing,” Scuderi, 34, told LAKings.com.

“Although I know I’m the oldest guy here, it’s not something I think about or dwell on. I just try to enjoy myself and play the game hard and try to be a good leader for everyone else.”

How’s his leadership? As captain Dustin Brown told LA Kings Insider:

“It’s all in the way he plays. He does all the right things at the right times. He sacrifices his body. It’s those types of things, and he’s never looking for any recognition. He just goes about his business, just kind of undercover…if you don’t notice him, he’s having a really good game.”

Scuderi becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, as his 4-year deal with the Kings ends. He’s a valuable piece to the Kings’ championship-caliber roster; but will someone else ante up more for “The Piece” in the offseason?

They were down 0-2 to the Washington Capitals this season and back in 2011. Last postseason, in their run to the conference finals, the Rangers were 1-1 against the Ottawa Senators, Capitals and New Jersey Devils heading into the third game.

What happened in Game 3 in each of those series?

Henrik Lundqvist happened, that’s what. The Rangers goalie is 5-0 in his last five Game 3 appearances, with the Rangers going on to win three of those series.

He’s the King of Thirds: Lundqvist has a 1.01 goals-against average in his last five Game 3’s with a .966 save percentage and two shutouts, facing 177 shots – much better than his career average playoff numbers.

So yeah, the Rangers are in good hands. But the question isn’t about Lundqvist’s hands entering Game 3.

He landed awkwardly when trying to cover a rebound of a Daniel Paille shot in the third period of Game 2, with word arriving after the game that Lundqvist injured his shoulder on the play.

From the Bergen Record, Hank provided an update:

Lundqvist’s shoulder did not appear to bother him at all during Monday’s practice. At one point, he stretched out and fully extended his left arm along the ice to make a save on Rick Nash.

He said skipping practice Monday was not an option he considered. "Everybody’s sore," Lundqvist said. "It’s the playoffs. You can’t just sit out [because] it’s hurting a little bit. It happens and you just have to make sure you do the right things to keep it good."

Lundqvist has been outplayed by Tuukka Rask in this series after having one of the best 7-game stretches of his career in the win against the Capitals. Game 3 has been very good to him, for sure; but can the Rangers generate enough offense so that another clutch effort from the King in a Game 3 isn’t squandered?

• Via Wayne B., here's how you take finger hockey to the next level. [Think Geek]

• If Patrick Roy is set to become the next head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, according to his brother, no deal is currently in place, writes Adrian Dater. [Denver Post]

• Joe Haggerty on why the Boston Bruins and Matt Bartkowski are happy that Jarome Iginla deal never worked out. [CSNNE]

• Why John Tortorella's words always have a deeper meaning behind them. "Remember the "shut yer yap" command to then-Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock when Tortorella's Lightning faced Philadelphia in the 2004 Eastern Conference final en route to that franchise's only Stanley Cup? The story around the NHL is that Tortorella walked into that news conference knowing he would say something of that ilk, regardless of the questioning." [Bergen Record]

• San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan hinted that he may opt to use seven defensemen in Game 4 Tuesday night. Jason Demers would sub in for an injured Martin Havlat. [Mercury News]

• Roy MacGregor on what Craig Anderson brings to the Senators. [The Globe & Mail]

• Darryl Sutter on why the LA Kings flew back home between Games 3 and 4: "Just our own practice facility. You know, what are we going to do up there for two days? Really? You know what, if we had all stayed up there for two days, we’d have been bored last night and today, right? Because you’re basically just sitting around the hotel and there’s nothing to do." [LA Kings Insider]

• Jarome Iginla has 10 points in 9 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this postseason. But it's time to move him to right wing. [Tribune Review]

• On the Washington sports media's affinity for hating on the Capitals: "In the wake of yet another disappointing conclusion to the season, what we’re getting in the stead of honest assessments of the team from informed parties are sensationalist diatribes derived from the paltry nuggets of information that rise above the rest because of their headline value." [Japers Rink]

• The NBA and NHL playoffs are moving along. As we get closer to the Stanley Cup Final, who are the TV networks rooting for? [Wall Street Journal]

• The AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins stormed back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 with a 2-1 overtime win against the Providence Bruins Monday night. The Penguins will look to make history on Wednesday night. [Citizens' Voice]

• Jeff Angus ranks the top 50 players in terms of their trade value. Where do you think Alex Ovechkin landed? [Angus Certified]

• Which players from non-playoff teams should you keep an eye on for next season? [Dobber Hockey]

• Neat little site with various scoreboard drawings from NHL rinks. [Scoreboards, Ices & More]

• Finally, via Buzzing the Net, here's Max Domi pulling off a move his old man could only dream of doing:

It's a Monday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star: Joe Haggerty of CSN New England joins us to talk Bruins vs. Rangers Game 3.

• Recapping the Red Wings' win over the Blackhawks.

• The Andrew Shaw no-goal and the tinfoil hat reaction from Red Wings fans.

• Should referees have to answer for their calls after a game?

• Previewing Game 4 between the Sharks and Kings.

Question of the Day: Who is the most paranoid fan base in the NHL and why? Email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski and @jeffmarek.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

Pavel Datsyuk tries his darnedest to succeed despite his obvious shortcomings.

Survey 100 puckheads, Family Feud-style, about who the most talented hockey player on the planet is, and it's a safe bet that Pavel Datsyuk is going to be on the board. Hell, there's a pretty good chance that he'd be the number one answer.

The man is a wizard. There are wizards, I imagine, who see him do what he does and think, "Damn, that's some next-level crap."

In other words, it would be tough to look at a guy like Datsyuk and say the reason for his success is a work ethic that makes up up for a lack of talent.

Tough, but not impossible. Here's what CBC's Glenn Healy had to say Monday night:

"When you look at a guy like Datsyuk, not all the God-blessed talent in the world, but he is a hard worker..."

This is quite the thing to say.

Now, Healy is certainly correct that Datsyuk is a hard worker. But as for that first part... I, and we'll assume anybody else that has seen Pavel Datsyuk -- who spawned the adjective Datsyukian, basically defined as "insanely skilled", and scored this goal later that same evening -- would respectfully beg to differ.

Unless, perhaps, Healy simply sees the distribution of talent a little like the distribution of wealth. If so, I guess you could argue that Datsyuk is hockey's version of a fatcat. The 1%, as it were. He doesn't have all the God-blessed talent in the world -- just most of it. But there's still a pittance remaining for the rest of us.

Or maybe Healy thinks Pavel Datsyuk is Justin Abdelkader.

How does one come to a conclusion like this? I'll show you how.

Consider this goal, where Datsyuk slices through all five Nashville Predators. It's fine and all, but you know what I don't see here? A simple pass.

That's probably because Datsyuk isn't talented enough to make one. Luckily, he's able to overcome his ineptitude as a passer by working hard all the way up the ice. Thank goodness for his tireless ethic.

And here's a compilation of every Pavel Datsyuk shootout attempt for the last eight years:

I mean, yeah, he's all right, I guess, but he didn't score on all of them. Good thing he works so hard.

And speaking of not scoring, Datsyuk may have put Logan Couture on his ass with this dangle, but he didn't produce a goal.

Woe betide his lack of skill.

For further evidence, here's a lengthier compilation of Datsyuk's stickhandles. Note that not every one of them results in a goal.

If only God hadn't been so stingy with the talent.

Anyway. Join us tomorrow when Healy says Zdeno Chara may not have a lot of natural height...

Among the safe include members of the Edmonton Oilers' AHL club, the Oklahoma City Barons. The Barons practice facility is in Moore, where the damage destroyed two elementary schools and left a 20 mile-wide area of destruction. Most of the players, according to general manager Bill Scott, don't live near the area that was hit the hardest and the Barons' offices are downtown.

One player, however, who was nearest to those affected was Alex Plante, a defenseman who's been living with a family in Moore since suffering a broken jaw last month.

From Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun:

“I’d come downtown for a dentist appointment and the family I was staying with in Moore, who adopted three Downs Syndrome kids, managed to get the kids out of their school before the lockdowns.

“I told them to drive to our arena. That’s where we’re told to go. The underground parking garage at the Cox Convention Centre has a storm shelter.

...

"Our team has been fortunate that until now we’ve never had to experience a tornado. When you get here, you hear a lot about the one on May 3, 1999 in Moore. That was the big one. But they say this is three times that size.

“I haven’t seen anything yet,” Plante said of the devastation. “I don’t want to. Your heart just goes out to everybody.”

When Plante spoke with Jones, he and the family hadn't been able to get back to their house to see if there was any damage.

The Barons are currently waiting to see who they will play in the Western Conference Final, where they will host Games 3 and 4 tentatively scheduled for May 29 and 31.

If you'd like to help the people of Oklahoma, there are a number of places to go, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Report: Patrick Roy is the next Colorado Avalanche coach
• Red Wings frustrate Blackhawks in Game 3, take 2-1 series lead
• Overtime results in windfall for Buffalo Wild Wings waitress

Via reader Jenni comes this bro-tastic bro-dacious Jersey Bro, bro:

Seen at a Charlotte Checkers game, this guy was REALLY proud of his "BROVECHKIN" jersey, and asked me to take a picture of him (and the Nutcracker) with his own camera as well.

I can assure you, the Checkers were NOT playing the AHL affiliate of the Capitals... so that too, is a foul, in my opinion!

Your opinion is correct. This is a Russian nesting doll of Fouls.

(Also, it speaks to the power of the Foul that we didn’t even notice the albino cousin of Cookie Puss holding a bag of peanuts next to him.)

We were curious if “Brovechkin” was an actual thing, and not just Mike Green’s daily greeting to his captain. We discovered it has an Urban Dictionary entry:

“a bro who has dirty swag.”

That bro should probably find a Laundromat.

Anyhoo, there’s also “Brovechkin” gear available on sites like Bros Like These Shirts, in case you absolutely have the need to call attention to what a wide bro-cabulary you have. Vomit.

(Coming Up: A George Parros mustache Foul; a hideous Tampa sweater; Toronto Maple Leafs Tribute jersey; Detroit Red Wings hate Frankenjersey; another Caps Foul; Revisionist Sweaters; and a rather crude ‘69’ jersey.)

And here … we … go.

Vincent sends in this rather clever Anaheim Ducks Jersey Foul, as a fan simply placed a George Parros mustache where his nameplate would go.

This is actually a new category for us: The Symbolic Name Jersey.

We’re not sure whether to Pass of Fail it, to be honest, because it borders on being a Tribute Jersey to a beloved player. And we’re interested in seeing other symbols used for NHL players. Like a loaded slice of pizza for Brodeur. Or a severed head for Raffi Torres…

Via Habermac, this Chicago Blackhawks’ FrankenJersey is really atrocious, from the spacing of the words to the fact that it incorporates the black sweater rather than the Greatest Jersey In The History Of The NHL.

That said, we hope he enjoyed his flatbread grilled chicken sandwich at Wendy’s. A little hard to eat but mighty tasty, that one.

A New Jersey Devils fan cuts to the chase on former captain Zach Parise, and his decision to sign with the Minnesota Wild. Either that or he [expletive] hates Bobby Butler. Via Ron L.

Via Gray Wilcox, here’s a pre-trade deadline Foul from the Dallas Stars:

Ribeiro to Jagr? Points for creativity?

Totally. Turning the ‘63’ into a ‘68’ with tape? DIY goodness, and a nice Dead To Me Sweater as well.

Via Chris Gonsalves, this Toronto Maple Leafs Dead To Me Sweater turns a Luke Schenn relic into a James vanRiemsdyk tribute in a clunky, awkward, phonetically challenged way.

From the Capital of Jersey Fouls, Jesse Hightower writes:

Hate to rat out my own fanbase, but some are getting on my nerves lately for more than one reason.

The worst part about this Karl Alzner/John Carlson FrankenJersey is that the duo is no longer even paired together. They’ll need a “GREENZNER” jersey next season.

As you know, the Tampa Bay Lightning give their season ticket holders the customized jersey of their liking. This has led to some horrible decisions. Like this one, via Alexis Boucher of Sons of Andreychuk:

I was on the plaza before the Bolts/Hurricanes game on 3/16, enjoying a $2 beers when I saw this monstrosity. Her hair blocks it a bit, but the top reads "A Woman Divided". Then vertically has Pouliot 67 and Hedman 77. Blue name plates on the old black jersey. Vertical text. My head nearly exploded.

We can only assume the exploding head was a result of her retinas simultaneously being destroyed at nuclear meltdown temperatures.

These jerseys were worn by Boomer Esiason and his son to the New York Rangers’ Game 2 vs. the Boston Bruins. Before you get all nutty on the Foul stuff here, give a read:

Oops here are the jerseys for game 2 and beyond we'll auction them off at the end of the series for BostonStrong! twitter.com/7BOOMERESIASON…

— Boomer Esiason (@7BOOMERESIASON) May 18, 2013

OK, charity and a worthy cause trump the supreme Foul-ish nature of putting over Boston on a NY sweater.

Barely.

And finally …

Sigh. Via Kevin:

Check out this beauty of a sweater spotted at the Texas Brahmas v. Missouri Mavericks CHL game in Fort Worth.

Just in case you needed a reminder as to why the ‘69’ jersey is a cancerous lesion on the buttocks of hockey fandom …

It appears the next Avalanche coach might be born out of that same nostalgia.

Patrick Roy, the co-owner/GM/head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will be the next coach of the Avalanche, as his brother told Adrian Dater of the Denver Post on Monday.

Via Dater:

"They're discussing the final details of an arrangement. Colorado is going to be very happy. Patrick is looking for a new challenge," said Stephane Roy, the younger brother of his famous sibling.

The Avalanche would not confirm a deal is in place. Patrick Roy could not be reached for comment, and neither could Avalanche vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic.

Stephane Roy, who played briefly in the NHL, posted on his Facebook page Monday night, "For all my friends I'd like you to know before the official news spreads that my older brother will be the new coach of the Colorado Avalanch(sic)."

Patrick Roy was traded to the Avalanche in 1995 after a contentious split from the Montreal Canadiens. He would win 262 games from 1995-2003, along with two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe in 2001.

He was previously offered the head coaching gig for the Avalanche in 2009, before the team fired Tony Granato and hired Joe Sacco. He turned down the job, citing “family reasons.”

Sakic wouldn’t confirm nor deny Roy was a candidate this week in a radio interview with 104.3 The Fan, but said:

“I love Patrick. He was probably the greatest goalie that ever played. There’s a guy who was a winner. That’s all he wanted to do. I know he’s done a tremendous job with his junior team in Quebec and for sure he’s a guy that you would consider, yeah.”

Is he the right man for the Avs?

Some will see this as another shameless nostalgia trip by a franchise that needs to recapture the confidence and excitement of the fans. But Roy is a well-respected junior coach -- albeit a controversial one -- with no less than Scotty Bowman having endorsed him as a future NHL coach.

If nothing else, the Avalanche would have an immediate personality transplant.

It used to be “Patrick Roy and the Avs”; it would be again.

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Oklahoma tornado hits close to home for AHL's Barons
• Red Wings frustrate Blackhawks in Game 3, take 2-1 series lead
• Overtime results in windfall for Buffalo Wild Wings waitress

For the second straight game, Howard was able to withstand the Chicago Blackhawks' attack, though he was a little busier in Game 3. Making 39 saves, Howard backstopped the Red Wings to a 3-1 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. One of his biggest saves was early in the third period when Patrick Sharp came in on a breakaway:

No. 2 Star: Drew Miller, Detroit Red Wings

Miller was part of the 1-2 punch Detroit gave Chicago in the second period as his goal put the Red Wings up 2-0 and came 31 second after Gustav Nyquist opened the scoring. Miller was also credited with four blocked shots.

No. 3 Star: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Datsyuk's goal gave Detroit a 3-1 lead and came two minutes after Patrick Kane cut the lead to one and a minute after Andrew Shaw's goal was waived off.

Detroit has won nine straight games in which Datsyuk has scored a goal.

Honorable mention: The Blackhawks killed off all five Detroit power plays. They've yet to allow a power play goal through their first eight playoff games ... Detroit won 37 of 66 faceoffs.

Did You Know? "Mike Babcock won his 77th postseason game, matching Quenneville for the most among active coaches and trailing Pat Burns by one victory for 8th place on the NHL's all-time list." (AP)

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 3. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators. 7. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 8. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 9. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 10. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings.

Dishonorable mention: Corey Crawford has allowed seven goals his last two starts. He'd allowed eight total in his last six starts entering Game 3 ... Should Andrew Shaw's goal have counted?

First, it was the referees. Now, it's the play of the Detroit Red Wings, who took a 2-1 series lead with a 3-1 victory Monday night. Just take a look at the penalties called in the third period -- all five on Chicago. Detroit did their part, killing off four Blackhawks power plays and putting the game out of reach in the second period.

The Red Wings took the game by the neck midway through the second period and never let go. Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. Nyquist's goal was a thing of beauty:

In the third period, the Blackhawks woke up after a questionable hit from behind by Niklas Hjalmarsson left Johan Franzen down on the ice, and Patrick Kane scored on the ensuing rush. Just over a minute later, Andrew Shaw's goal was waived off for goaltender interference and the momentum swung back in the Red Wings' favor for good.

Jimmy Howard (39 saves) was again solid and the Red Wings continued to receive contributions from their depth, a reason why teams succeed this time of year.

While the Blackhawks will need to quickly move past Game 3, the Red Wings -- halfway to the Western Conference Final -- know there's still work to be done and their next two wins will be the toughest to come by.

"We won tonight, but we've got to be back at it on Thursday," Patrick Eaves told NBCSN's Pierre McGuire afterward.

"Let's be honest, we haven't done anything yet," said Mike Babcock.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Andrew Shaw thought the Blackhawks had knotted the game, moments after Patrick Kane scored to cut the Detroit Red Wings’ lead to 2-1. But a split-second after the puck bounced past Jimmy Howard and over the goal line, referee Brad Watson waived off the score on account of goalie interference.

Watch it again. If there’s any interference, it’s minimal, and occurs after Jakub Kindl bumps Shaw deeper into the crease. It’s close to being a complete phantom call, wiping away a goal and changing the momentum in the game – Pavel Datsyuk made it 3-1 Detroit just over a minute later.

The rule, via the NHL rule book:

69.1 Interference on the Goalkeeper - This rule is based on the premise that an attacking player’s position, whether inside or outside the crease, should not, by itself, determine whether a goal should be allowed or disallowed. In other words, goals scored while attacking players are standing in the crease may, in appropriate circumstances be allowed. Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease. Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact. The rule will be enforced exclusively in accordance with the on-ice judgment of the Referee(s), and not by means of video replay or review.

... If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.

What made the call even a bit more specious: The Kane goal was scored with Johan Franzen down in the Wings’ attacking zone after a cross-check from behind by Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, which was un-penalized. Was this a makeup call? Hooray for "game management!"

We’ve banged this drum more frequently and fervently than Dave Grohl recording “Nevermind”, but once more with feeling: There’s absolutely no reason why goalie interference isn’t a reviewable play via a coaches’ challenge.

Unless your reason is that referees’ blown calls will be made more obvious through this check and balance from the War Room. Because they would be, and rightfully so, because sometimes they steal goals from a team due to their incompetence. Whether that's the case here is your call.

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

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• Oklahoma tornado hits close to home for AHL's Barons
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The road to the Stanley Cup is fraught with peril, and much of that peril happens in and around the mouth.

Hockey players earned the gap-toothed stereotype fair and square, so it's never all that surprising when a player takes a puck, glove or stick to the mouth and loses a few teeth in the process -- but this postseason has been off the charts. The Montreal Canadiens/Ottawa Senators series alone stole seven teeth from the mouths of four players.

And it didn't end there. Players have been losing teeth all over the place. It's almost too much to keep track of.

But we have to try, friends. We must. And with that in mind, we introduce NHL tooth watch, our running tally of who's losing teeth and how many they're losing.

Total Teeth Lost this postseason: 16

And here are the incidents that got us to where we are:

BRENT BURNS - May 16

Brent Burns came into the 2013 season looking pretty close to homeless, and after taking a punch to the face at the bottom of a scrum late in Game 2 of the Sharks' series with the Kings, he looked even moreso. He lost two teeth in the fracas.

But hey, it could have been worse. Heck, it has been worse for Burns. He lost four teeth after taking a helmet to the face in December of 2010.

Teeth lost: 2

***

JOHN MOORE - May 16

The New York Rangers' defenceman lost 6 teeth -- 4 upper and 2 lower -- in Game 1 of the Rangers' series with the Boston Bruins after taking a puck to the face.

His quote, just prior to playing Game 2 like nothing had happened: "It feels fine."

Teeth lost: 6

***

DEREK STEPAN - May 12

At the end of Game 6 between the Rangers and the Washington Capitals, Stepan was involved in a minor scuffle with a number of other Rangers and Caps. The fight had no winner, but Stepan was the big loser: he lost one tooth.

Teeth lost: 1

JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU - May 5

Pageau's first playoff goal was unforgettable for a number of reasons. It turned out to be one of three he would score on the night, for one thing. For another, he traded a tooth for it. Just as he shot the puck, P.K. Subban's stick caught him in the mouth.

Pageau celebrated the goal by spitting out blood and enamel. Welcome to the playoffs, kid.

Teeth lost: 1

***

CAREY PRICE - May 3

One night after his opponent at the other end, Craig Anderson, lost a tooth, Price accidentally one-upped the Senators' netminder by losing two.

When Jarred Tinordi fell headlong through the crease, his skate caught the Canadiens' goalie in the mouth, chipping two teeth. In a moment of sheer badassery, Price casually skated over to his trainer and handed the teeth to him:

Teeth lost: 2

***

CRAIG ANDERSON - May 2

Anderson took a shot to the mask in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals between his Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. The force of the shot was enough to knock one of his front teeth out.

Anderson was all smiles after the game, which gave us plenty of opportunity to see where the tooth used to be.

Teeth lost: 1

***

LARS ELLER - May 2

Eller was hit by Senators' defenceman Eric Gryba after taking a breakout pass midway through the second. Gryba was suspended 2 games for the hit. Eller suffered considerably more, with a concussion, a broken nose, and what sounds like three lost teeth.

Teeth lost: 3

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Report: Patrick Roy is the next Colorado Avalanche coach
• Oklahoma tornado hits close to home for AHL's Barons
• Jimmy Howard’s 39 saves help Red Wings take series lead over Blackhawks

In one half of the bracket, it’s Marty Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils against Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings; on the other half, it’s New York Islanders star John Tavares against Columbus Blue Jackets Vezina favorite Sergei Bobrovsky.

Datsyuk barely beat Joffrey Lupul in the quarterfinals. Tavares ousted Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers. Brodeur beat out James van Riemsdyk, while Bobrovsky eliminated Taylor Hall.

Were we to wager on the final two: Datsyuk vs. Bobrovsky. Although an all-goalie final would be aces.

Fans can vote an unlimited number of times at NHL.com/CoverVote. The round closes on May 26 at 11:59pm ET. This year fans can double their voting power by using these player specific hashtags on “Twitter Vote Thursdays.” Each player specific hashtag used on Twitter on Thursdays will be counted as two official votes. Fans can join the conversation about the cover vote every day by using #NHL14CoverVote on Twitter and Instagram.

Finally, here's a ramble screed about how the NHL 14 vote is fixed.

Paging Mr. Mulder ... Mr. Fox Mulder.

The Red Wings return home for Game 3 on Monday night. Except it’s the Blackhawks that have owned their house for the last four seasons.

“It’s a fun place to play. There’s a lot of history here,” said winger Patrick Kane on Monday.

Here’s the history for the Hawks in Detroit’s home barn: 9-1-1 in their last 11 visits dating back to Oct. 9, 2009. That’s the last regulation win the Red Wings had at home against Chicago, after defeating them three times in the 2009 Western Conference Final.

Chicago has scored 33 goals in that 11-game span to Detroit’s 19. But the games were mostly well contested: The Blackhawks had three shootout wins and an overtime victory, while Detroit added an overtime win of its own.

So why do the Blackhawks play so well in Detroit (outside of our working theory, which is that Patrick Sharp stays beautiful through octopus gunk facial treatments)?

Great Ice

Joe Louis Arena is always mentioned among the best in the NHL when it comes to quality of ice.

Kane said that plays right to the Blackhawks’ strengths, with the speed and skills they have up front.

“You’re not really worried about looking down at the puck, or the puck rolling on you,” he said.

Lively Boards

Coach Joel Quenneville cited the “lively boards” at the Joe being something the Blackhawks use to their advantage. From the Freep:

“There’s an awareness,” Quenneville said. “We’ve been in their building a lot of times and we’ve seen what the puck is capable of doing. Whether there’s the unpredictability of their end boards or side board, there’s almost a spring to the puck. It’s a livelier game in certain areas and an awareness on both sides of the puck is something we have to be ready for.”

As he indicated, it’s a two-way street: The Blackhawks can use to boards to their advantage, while understanding what a weapon they can be the Wings.

The Measuring Stick

It’s the Detroit Red Wings. It’s the measuring stick of all measuring sticks for the Western Conference, with or without Nicklas Lidstrom on that blue line. As Quenneville said, a visit to Joe Louis means a mandatory top effort from the road team.

“It’s always an important game. It’s always a tough building in the past to pick up points, and you had to play your best,” he said, citing Chicago’s 7-1 win during the regular season as perhaps their best effort of the season.

“That’s kind of the pace we have to expect from each other.”

The Blackhawks Are a Pretty Darn Good Road Team

Chicago was 18-4-2 on the road this season, after being just a .500 team away from home in 2011-12. Patrick Kane led the NHL with 30 points on the road. Jonathan Toews has scored more away points than home points in each of the last four seasons, and was an NHL best plus-21 on the road this season.

So the Blackhawks have done well away from home this season.

And they’ve been anything but humble guests at the Joe for the last four seasons.

“It’s just a great place to play hockey,” said Kane.

Perhaps the Stanley Cup Playoffs have you feeling flush. Or stopped up. Perhaps you’re bowled over from a steady stream of action, or a swirl of emotion that you can’t just seem to put a lid on. Fear not, fellow puckheads: The Hockey Toilet is your throne of games …

Currently available for $17 on eBay, this “Unique Ice Hockey Design Acrylic Resin Oval Toilet Seat” is exactly as we just described it. It’s a standard round toilet seat that fits all manufacturers round and oval commodes.

It features a seemingly ancient (given the equipment) game scene in which a goalie appears to be looking through the net on his hands and knees at an offensive player (in an old Team USA jersey perhaps?) with the puck. This is not a traditional butterfly, that’s for sure.

But what makes this crapper unique? How is this any different from a custom-made NHL toilet cover like this Red Wings one? Behold the seat:

Yes, you poop in the goal. Pretty much on the goalie. All of those nights when that sieve lost the game for your team? Scatological vengeance is yours. (“Scatological Vengeance”, incidentally, being the best punk band name never used.)

OK, so it’s not a $5,300 Maple Leafs Gardens toilet. But you try finding a Unique Ice Hockey Design Acrylic Resin Oval Toilet Seat for less than $17, buster.

• Wondering how Daniel Alfredsson was so open for the game-tying goal last night? The photo above pretty much explains it, but here's a full breakdown. [Pensburgh]

• Good news for Boston: Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden are back at practice. [Boston]

• The Buffalo Sabres have signed up for another year of John Scott. [Sabres]

• Led by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Sweden took home the gold medal at the World Hockey Championships. They celebrated with a bunch of gold helmets. [PITB]

• With the gold medal, Sweden moved from fourth to first the IIHF's world ranking. And Switzerland moved up to seventh. [IIHF]

• Viktor Stalberg and Michal Handzus will be in the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3. [Chicago Tribune]

• AHL president David Andrews thinks NBC should mention the impact his league has had on the Bruins' young defensive guns. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

• Speaking of the AHL and the Providence Bruins, the league has announced that Graham Mink has been suspended 2 games for the match penalty he earned in this brawl. [AHL]

• Are the Washington Capitals losers or chokers? According to the data: chokers. [Washington Post]

• There weren't a whole lot of positives for the Sabres this year, but the play of Kevin Porter was one of them. [Rant Sports]

• Wojtek Wolski heads to the KHL. [Dmitry Chesnokov]

• The Anaheim Ducks have signed William Karlsson to his ELC. [Ducks]

• Ales Hemsky's days as an Oiler are numbered. [Edmonton Journal]

• Handing out some alternative awards, such as the best sitter for the guy that served the most penalties for teammates. [On the Forecheck]

• Gary Bettman does an interview on CNBC, and explains why you should buy a hockey team. [CNBC]

• Vote for Joffrey Lupul for the NHL 14 cover, or this could be your groin. NSFW for language.

Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators, Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks are the three finalists for the award, which is presented to “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season,” the National Hockey League announced today.

According to the NHL:

“Mark Messier solicits suggestions from club and League personnel and NHL fans to compile a list of potential candidates. However, the selection of the three finalists and ultimate winner is Messier’s alone.”

We’re rather enamored with the idea that Mark Messier has a lemonade stand-like booth outside of NHL regular-season games with a handwritten “ASK ME ABOUT MY LEADERSHIP AWARD” sign above it. Typical conversation goes like this:

MESS: “So who is your pick for the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season?”

FAN: “I think Ryan Callahan might be one the Rangers' greatest captains and leaders.”

MESS: [Laughs dismissively] Yeah, I supposed he's OK ... if you like guys that have never guaranteed a victory in the Eastern Conference Finals and on his way to breaking a 54-year curse to bring the Stanley Cup to New York. Also, not bald enough, sorry. NEXT!”

Who wins this Mess?

Why Daniel Alfredsson Deserves The Mess

Via the NHL:

Alfredsson, the NHL’s longest-serving active captain, leads the Senators in numerous categories, including games played, goals, assists and points. He has taken a leadership role off of the ice as well, working with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and the Sens Foundation. Alfredsson has supported the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa for the past 10 seasons, purchasing tickets and suites for club members to attend Senators games and serving as title sponsor of Ringside for Youth, the club’s primary fundraising event during the season. Since 2008, he also has been the spokesperson and champion for the Royal’s “You Know Who I Am” campaign, leading the way to help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. In addition, Alfredsson has supported the Royal’s “Do It for Daron” campaign to assist in raising the profile of youth mental health issues.

Alfie’s off-ice credentials for this award are really inspiring, but so is the way he helped keep the team on track during a season of injury adversity. He’s bridged the gap between the vets and the young players for the last two seasons. A captain worthy of the ‘C’.

Why Dustin Brown Deserves The Mess

The NHL says:

Brown has spent his entire nine-year NHL career with the Kings, serving as their captain for the past five seasons. He was selected as the Kings’ Most Popular Player this season and is known for his physical playing style, which consistently places him among the League leaders in hits. Capitalizing on his aggressive style of play to help others, Brown makes a $50 donation for each hit he delivers to his opponents – a contribution he has made since the 2008-09 season. Those benefiting from this charitable initiative include the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and KABOOM!, a relationship that has raised $60,000 and culminated with a special playground built in Carson, Calif., in September 2010.

If Brown played in Minnesota, he’d be flat broke based on the number of phantom hits he’d be credited for making. But we digress – Brown deserves a ton of credit for his leadership by example and in the room during the push for the Cup last postseason. Also, he embarrasses the Canucks, much like Messier did.

Why Jonathan Toews Deserves The Mess

The NHL says...

Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks in 2008 when he was just 20-years-old, making him the third-youngest captain in NHL history at the time. While his leadership on the ice is undisputed, his role off the ice with various children’s charitable causes makes him an undeniable role model to fans. In his spare time, Toews volunteers to grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and visits with patients at the local children’s hospital and Chicago’s Misericordia. Last fall, he returned home to join the Winnipeg Patrolmen Hockey Club and other NHL players for the “Goals for Dreams Hockey Challenge,” which helped raise $80,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Dream Factory, a charity that grants dreams for critically and chronically ill children.

Odd they didn’t include his greatest charity case, Patrick Kane …

Without question, a player that personifies everything one wants out of a captain in the NHL, even when he’s whining about the officiating.

Who Should Win The Mess?

Alfredsson. For all the adulation Paul MacLean receives for keeping the Senators in line during adversity, shouldn’t the captain get a pat on the back as well?

Who Will Win The Mess?

Toews, because he inexplicably hasn’t won it yet despite being the best captain in the NHL.

This was the case for Catherine Farish from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Originally from Boston, she moved south because her husband is a sergeant in the Marine Corps. She's also a big Boston Bruins fan. Working Sunday night at a local Buffalo Wild Wings during the Pittsburgh Penguins/Ottawa Senators double overtime game, she encountered a customer who would end up making her day.

Here's Catherine:

Last night during my shift this young man came in alone and sat at my table. He was quiet, but friendly and very easy to take care of, he came in to watch the Penguins/Senators game. As we all know it went into double overtime, so he was there from beginning at 7pm to the very end around 11:45. After I congratulated him on the Senators win, I stepped away and during that time he left and when I returned to clean off his table, I picked up his credit card receipt (pictured below) It absolutely made my night and even though I may be a Bruins fan, completely restores my faith in humanity. It was such a kind gesture. Hope this brightens your day!! Thanks for reading!

What she found was a $50.33 tip and this message:

(The "KCCO" stands for "Keep Calm and Chive On", a reference to the recently revived "Keep Calm and Carry On".)

Farish added that the generous customer said he was born in Ohio and raised to dislike all things Pittsburgh (Browns fan, perhaps?). We wish could have seen his reaction after Colin Greening's goal Sunday night.

Related NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related NHL coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Senators breath new life into series with double OT thriller over Penguins
• Stop complaining about NHL officiating
• Bruins batter Henrik Lundqvist in Game 2 win over Rangers

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Little did he know he would be calling it in a dramatically different way when an on-ice official was accidentally injured.

In the first period of a game between the Newcastle North Stars and Melbourne Ice on Sunday, linesman Casper Russelhuber was crunched by two players, receiving an accidental spin-kick from Chris Frank of the Ice that lacerated his index finger.

Along with the sliced digit, he suffered a mild concussion. You can see the injury at the 53-second mark here:

The game needed a replacement official.

They found one in the commentary booth.

According to The Age, White had experience as a referee in lower levels of hockey. He also had his gear with him, as he was due to play in a “reserves match” after the game. Alas, he didn’t have an officials’ uniform that fit, so he “borrowed” one from a half-conscious linesman.

Yes, they stripped a concussed man of his clothes and gave it to a hockey announcer. Such is life in the AIHL.

From the Age:

The result wasn't a snug fit for White, who says he looked like something out of "South Central LA" in the bigger man's outfit.

ATC boss James Morgan said the commentary crew was highly amused by White's “baggy pant” look, and hoped he would trip over his pants whilst on screen.

White said the players were also amused by his promotion, - “it's all on you to get in there”, chided Ice star Matt Armstrong - but they remained supportive. White says he made one or two errors, but was satisfied overall with his performance. But that was after an "adrenalin dump" when he first stepped on to the ice.

“I suddenly got out there and realised 'oh [crap] there's 2000 people here, I'm on TV. this is my first AIHL game ever and the home team is down 2-0!'”

The North Stars defeated the Ice, 2-0. White had this to say after the game:

Went from @aihl commentator to linesman in the same game yesterday, madness! Thanks @themelbourneice @newnorthstars for kudos #twojobsinone

— Stephen White (@StephenWhite83) May 19, 2013

White is a national commentator for Fox Sports Australia’s coverage of the AIHL, so this is a bit like Doc Emrick putting on the zebra stripes. But could you imagine this happening on a local level in the NHL, given our sport’s proud legacy of homer announcers?

Could Jack Edwards call an icing on the Bruins? Would Sidney Crosby ever be offside if Paul Steigerwald had the whistle? Would Chico Resch officiate the game while double-fisting Premio Sausage sandwiches?

s/t Reddit

I spoke with Grabovski about the Leafs’ playoff run; whether Game 7 was his worst loss of his career; his season under coach Randy Carlyle; his Datsyukian goal attempt; his incident with Max Pacioretty; and what the future holds.

Q. Let’s start with a couple of thoughts about the season.

GRABOVSKI: “The season turned to be positive overall. I wouldn’t say it was the best one for me or very successful, but it was certainly interesting, I gained a lot of experience.”

Yet it ended in a big disappointment. If you were asked to describe what happened in a few words, what would you say?

“I would say… You know, it is so difficult to describe it, very difficult to talk about it. It left a very bad feeling. But it was still an experience. It showed that as a team we are not yet ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. At the same time, we are almost there.”

Did you learn something new about the team during the playoffs?

“Yes, I would certainly say we learned a lot about ourselves. To me personally, I learned that the game is completely different in the playoffs. It is on a different level. The pressure you are under is also very different. We learned that we should be aiming higher, that it is so much more interesting to play in the playoffs, that there is that motivation. We as a team learned that we can certainly lay at that level. And I think the main thing we lacked is experience being in the playoffs as a team.”

Experience to close out a game?

“Exactly. We didn’t have enough experience to finish off the last game when we were up two goals. Maybe we can add to that we lacked some experience playing at home in the playoffs. Because when we lost that game at home in overtime, Boston really pushed us to our own net and held us there, and we didn’t couldn’t sustain that. But this is all experience that we came out with this season.”

Would you call the loss in Game 7 the worst in your career?

“I wouldn’t. I think the worst was when we [Team Belarus] lost to Latvia in the qualifier [for the Olympic games]. This loss to Boston was an experience that is valuable to everyone, something we will learn from a great deal.”

You mentioned earlier that the Leafs are close to the level of being a contender, or how far?

“How far? I think as far as the Bruins were from winning the Cup when I played against them for Montreal [in 2008] (Ed. The Bruins won the Cup three years later). I think our team will grow and add more year after year. And if we keep the core, the roster we had this season, I think it is fair to say Toronto will be a real contender.”

Coach Carlyle was using you inconsistently this season, sometimes as a shutdown center, sometimes not. Was it difficult for you to adjust to the changes and inconsistencies?

“It was an experience I gained that will certainly help me in the future, in the playoffs. And the playoffs showed that the season was the one I can count as a good one, even though I was not as productive, I enjoyed my game. I hope I am going to show progress in every role that the coach will use me in. Although I would really like to play more offence. I think this is my main strength with everything else, like the games against the Bruins, is an addition.”

How different were the coaching styles of Wilson and Carlyle?

“Yes, I think so. Wilson is more of a European type coach, if you can say that. Carlyle is a pure Canadian coach.”

Could you elaborate?

“Carlyle’ style is about power hockey, fast hockey, no mistakes in the neutral zone. A more rational type of hockey.”

What were you told during the exit interview before the team went on the summer break?

“I was told that I had a good season. What more could have been said? Everyone was very upset after that loss. But at the same time everyone is very determined, everyone is already thinking about the next season. I was told to get ready for the next season.”

What was the best moment of the season for you?

“The playoffs for sure. Even though for me personally it was without goals, without the positive plus/minus rating, the layoff games were the one of the highlights of my professional career.”

Could you talk about the trick you tried in the game against the Bruins, trying to bat the puck into the goal?

“Actually, I was trying to do something else, and I couldn’t get it done. I threw the puck in the air too far. My dad kept telling me to try to throw the puck behind the goaltender from behind the net. But I threw it too high too hard. Next time I will try to do it differently. I hope I will score then. My dad gave it to me after this attempt. He said ‘That’s not how I showed it! You were supposed to throw it behind the goaltender, not above him.’ I think it is a positive that I had this thought in my head. I think it showed that I am really enjoying hockey, that it brings me great satisfaction. I really enjoyed playoff hockey.”

I thought you took it out of Datsyuk’s playbook.

“I think playing with Pavel for CSKA in the KHL this season influenced me a lot. Just talking to him and watching him play will inspire you and give you ideas.”

What was it like playing in the KHL this season?

“In my opinion the time I spent there was great. It was a very good experience. I got to play with guys like Alex Radulov, Yakov Rylov, Sergei Shirokov and it was a pleasure. Pavel Datsyuk, of course. And if the season hadn’t started in the NHL, I think we would have competed for the highest honors with that team. The team chemistry was great, which had a lot to do with Sergei Fedorov, who is the general manager there. Fedorov helped me a lot to settle down. I liked the city [Moscow] as well. It’s a pity that it ended in January because it would have been nice to finish the season. But I don’t regret anything. Experience comes from everywhere. Besides, you can’t overlook the relationships with other people that developed and stayed. Thanks to the club for letting me play during the lockout, and to make some money, of course.”

What about the incident with Max Pacioretty?

“The incident? It wasn’t that much. He was choking me and I bit him. Don’t stick your hands where you shouldn’t. To be honest with you he was choking me pretty hard, to the point where I really couldn’t breathe. And I couldn’t pull his hand away at all. I tried to hit him with my other hand, but I couldn’t because he was choking me. There was nothing left to do but bite him.”

You like to set goals and make plans for an upcoming season. Have you done so for the next?

“It is too early to say at this time. After the loss such as the one we experienced, all you want to do is to get away and get some rest. It was a tough season, and you just want to recover, calm down and make decisions with a cool head. At this time I don’t want to think about that, I just want to spend time with my family, get some rest, and forget about hockey for a bit, although you’re still drawn to hockey because of the playoffs. You watch the playoffs to try and learn something. You inadvertently follow how the team you lost to is doing. And if Boston wins the Cup it will feel good, because you played against this team, the eventual winner.”

Give us your predictions for the playoffs.

“That would be really tough to do, because it is so difficult at this stage to single one team out. But I think Chicago and Los Angeles look really good. Los Angeles beat St. Louis, a very good team. The Blues were 2-0 up in the series, and Los Angeles still won. I think Los Angeles will be the contender [from the West]. Although you can never count Detroit out. And in the East, I think it’s Boston and Pittsburgh.”

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No one is ever going to be totally happy with the ways in which the NHL's referees or officials make their decisions. We can all agree on that.

If there's a game in which neither team is whistled for a penalty, both will likely complain that the refs missed calls on the other. If there's a game in which both teams receive 10 power plays, both will complain that the referees were overly harsh in doling out discipline. No one is ever especially happy with calls that go in between those two extremes, either, because unless you win, you aren't happy. And sometimes, even when you do win, you aren't happy.

It's tough to know what, exactly, brought all this to a head in these playoffs. Alex Ovechkin complaining about a league-wide conspiracy in Game 6 after the end of Game 7; Jonathan Toews stamping his feet when his team got clobbered on home ice by its archrival; Sidney Crosby saying the league needs to institute video review for puck-over-the-glass calls; Jonathan Quick abusing officials because the Kings gave the Sharks a two-man advantage in overtime.

Doesn't it strike anyone as being a bit much?

No one likes to lose in October, let alone in the second round of the playoffs, and you might even say that the refs have made a bit of a spectacle of themselves in the last few games. The best thing a ref can do, the old saying goes, is not be noticeable, and things have admittedly gotten a bit out of hand in some instances.

But nonetheless, can you imagine the eye-rolling or outright mockery in Chicago if Henrik Zetterberg had said the same things Toews did after they got creamed in Game 1? Or the uproar if Ryan Callahan of the lionized New York Rangers had complained about a conspiracy to push the series longer? Or the furor if Joe Thornton had done what Quick did after the Sharks gave up a similar late-game 5-on-3 advantage that allowed the Kings to tie Game 1?

What it boils down to is being a sore loser.

It's extremely rare for guys celebrating a 3-1 win to say, "Well, we thought the refs were being a little too generous with us but we'll take it," but boy do the tissues come out when things bounce the other way. Media members covering the final month of the postseason might want to bring their galoshes to the rink as a precautionary measure.

It's times like these you wish the league came down as hard on players complaining about the officials as they do for coaches; Toews and Ovechkin can make a stink but John Tortorella has to pay a $30,000 fine after what he said about the Winter Classic, or $20,000 for saying the Penguins are an "arrogant organization" after Brooks Orpik ran Derek Stepan without punishment.

Why are coaches held to a different standard? Aren't they essentially doing the same thing: Bringing what the league would argue is undue scrutiny to its officials who it would argue are just doing their jobs to what it would argue is the best of their abilities?

Again, it must be said that no ref goes into these games looking to screw the Blackhawks or Kings or anyone else, and the finger-pointing only serves as a means of distracting from the fact that these teams put themselves in the situations in question.

It would be nice if the league would crack down on these guys so this kind of pointless whining stops before it gets any worse. It's one thing to do it in a game, I understand, and that's why you can almost forgive Jonathan Quick for his misdeeds; but when it's spilling over into postgame scrums, there's no need for it.

A quick fine of a few thousand dollars here and there might get them to blame an inability to put more than a goal on the board in 60 or more minutes of hockey on something other than officiating.

It's embarrassing that these otherwise extremely respected players, Toews in particular being routinely painted as this stoic figure who approaches everything in this sport The Right Way, have to resort to this type of petulant whining because their teams didn't win.

Maybe it's to be expected, but if we're going to say these guys are held to a certain standard, then it's time for all involved to start acting like it.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Bruce Boudreau kind of put it out there that the Ducks would have been a little better off with a longer training camp but it's like, c'mon man you finished second in the West despite all the percentages saying you had no business being there. Get ready for a huge step back. "Better start next year?" You went 13-2-1 in your first 16 games. How much better can you do with that roster?

Boston Bruins: The Rangers might want to learn to defend this Bergeron/Marchand play because they're sure not doing themselves any favors by standing around with their hands in their pockets every time the Bruins run it.

Buffalo Sabres: Can you believe no one who had anything to do with a 12th-place team that allowed more goals than it scored was nominated for an award? I sure can't!

Calgary Flames: So the Flames have to re-sign TJ Brodie, one of their best defensemen, this summer. It's going to be very exciting to see how Jay Feaster messes this one up, for sure.

Carolina Hurricanes: "It's not Eric Staal's fault for getting his knee blown out," is the thrust of this Luke DeCock column. His next one will be, "Grass is pretty green if you think about it."

Chicago Blackhawks: This was just about the only thing the Blackhawks did right on Saturday afternoon but wow this shot was something special.

Colorado Avalanche: The company that owns the Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Rapids also just bought the Outdoor Channel, which makes me wistful for the days that I could watch deer hunting before and after every NHL game.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Johansen was good for the Blue Jackets in the second half (5-5-10 in 28 during March and February after 0-2-2 in 12 in January and February), but then only had one point in five games in the AHL playoffs. Is this kid a bust or what? I've never heard of sample size, by the way.

Dallas Stars: Glen Gulutzan is already guest-coaching the Saskatoon Blades in the Memorial Cup, which doesn't seem all that fair to me.

Detroit Red Wings presented by Amway: Drew Miller might be the Red Wings' secret weapon. After missing a month, he came back, got a bunch of PK time, and helped hold Chicago 0 for 2 on the power play.

Edmonton Oilers: Will the Oilers make Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff compliance buyouts? Probably not and maybe, respectively.

Florida Panthers: The Panthers getting a new scoreboard last week with taxpayer money means that since the arena opened, the team has received some $138.4 million. The amount Broward County has gotten back on that investment? Just $331,206.

Los Angeles Kings: Tyler Toffoli will never score an easier goal in the playoffs in his entire career.

Minnesota Wild: Hey, so, uh… who's gonna be the Wild's goaltender next year? Is there even a really good answer?

Montreal Canadiens: Hmm, the Canadiens have to get bigger you think? What makes you say that?

Nashville Predators: Roman Josi's new contract is a top priority for the Preds, and they're going to really get to work on it now that Worlds are over, and he was named MVP of the tournament.

New Jersey Devils: No one in the free agent forward crop took more shots than David Clarkson's 180. The next-closest guy was Pascal Dupuis at 140. Boy is he gonna look good on the Maple Leafs' top line next year.

New York Islanders: The Isles have two very good prospects — Anders Lee and Scott Mayfield — coming out of college this year, and those dudes basically are the best prospects beginning their pro careers in the organization.

New York Rangers: This Ryan Callahan goal sure was wonderful.

Ottawa Senators: Gotta agree with this: Erik Karlsson has looked awful through three games of this series. I know what he's coming back from but the longer this goes on the more you gotta wonder if he should've come back from it at all this season. Hint: He should not have.

Philadelphia Flyers: The best thing I read this week was Ed Snider taking a shot at Marc-Andre Fleury for "falling apart" in the playoffs. It made me so happy. (But then again he sure made it sound like Steve Mason is going to get a good shot to start in Philly next year, which also made me happy.)

Phoenix Coyotes: Today is Day No. 283 since Jude LaCava of Fox 10 in Arizona said Greg Jamison would have the deal for the Coyotes sewn up within the next five days. And how big is this Rob Klinkhammer contract extension? It got three whole sentences in an AP release.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins' power play went 0 for 6 last night after beginning the playoffs 10 for 31 so clearly it's time to panic in Pittsburgh. Everything has gone off the rails. Might as well just forfeit the rest of the series.

San Jose Sharks: I mean I'm not an NHL coach but I think on the penalty kill in overtime you gotta tell someone to cover Logan Couture or something like this will probably happen more often than not.

St. Louis Blues: The Blues consider Vladimir Tarasenko to be pretty important to the team going forward which, y'know, yeah.

Tampa Bay Lightning: "Will Martin St. Louis be a Hall of Famer?" That's an interesting question. You'd have to think so, right? Six point-a-game seasons, a few more that were close, led the league in scoring twice, won a Stanley Cup. Only 88 points away from 1,000 despite missing two seasons to lockouts and not becoming a regular NHLer until he was 24. I'd say yes, but then I'm not an idiot like the morons who vote on the Hall of Fame.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Famous Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield returned from his mission during Game 7 wearing a Maple Leafs shirt under his space suit, marking the second time in just a few hours that someone rocking that logo crashed back to earth.

Vancouver Canucks: Looks like Keith Ballard is going to be bought out. Yeah, I see that.

Washington Capitals: How funny would it be if the Capitals re-signed Mike Ribeiro long-term? Scale of one to 10? Like a million I think.

Winnipeg Jets: Leave it to the Winnipeg media to try to tie Paul MacLean and Randy Carlyle being ex-Jets into a reason they'd be good assistants for Canada in Sochi. Speaking as an American, I put my full confidence behind Carlyle's candidacy. How 'bout Ondrej Pavelec for player-coach for the Czechs while we're at it?

Play of the Weekend

Real nice play from Valtteri Filppula. Real nice.

Gold Star Award

Torey Krug has two goals in his first two NHL playoff games, and also an assist. He also broke up a partial break before he scored yesterday's goal, on which he kicked the puck through his own legs to himself.

Minus of the Weekend
What the hell happened to the Blackhawks on Saturday? Did they think it was a 7 p.m. start?

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Week
User "kushh" is living up to the name.

Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler, Keith Ballard
for
Josh Harding, Mikko Koivu, Kyle Brodziak, 1st in 2013*

*Canucks keep %10 of Luo and Ballard's contracts (533k and 420k every year)[/quote]

It's the $950,000 cap savings that will really entice Minnesota.

Signoff
Now I know what it's like to be a crack head. I took one hit of real estate and it blew my head off.

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness almost never over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don’t you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

Zack Smith finishes off Matt Niskanen with the stinky leg drop.

No. 1 Star: Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators

Anderson stopped 49 of 50 as the Senators staged a stunning comeback over the Pittsburgh Penguins, tying the game with less than a minute to go and winning it, 2-1, in double overtime.

No. 2 Star: Torey Krug, Boston Bruins

Krug's second postseason game was even better than his first. He had a two-point night in the Bruins 5-2 win, scoring again and picking up an assist. His play on the goal, kicking the puck to his stick then whipping it past Henrik Lundqvist, showed some serious veteran savvy:

No. 3 Star: Colin Greening

Greening was the double overtime hero in Ottawa, banging home a loose puck on his backhand seven minutes into the second extra frame.

Honourable mention: Tuukka Rask made 35 saves and Patrice Bergeron had two assists in the Bruins' win... Daniel Alfredsson's game-tying goal was a pretty big deal. Lovely give-and-go, although I have to wonder how he managed to become so invisible to the Pittsburgh defenders.

Did You Know? Krug became the 4th Bruin to score in his first two playoff games after Cooney Weiland (1929), Don Gallinger (1943), and this Tyler Seguin kid that did it in 2011.

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 3. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 5. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 6. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators. 8. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 9. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 10. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings.

Dishonourable mention: The fact that Daniel Alfredsson was so open on the game-tying goal is insane. Both Malkin and Letang just completely forgot there was ice behind them... John Tortorella, you can't say that on live television!

This one looked over.

The Ottawa Senators were staring a three-game deficit right in the face, down a goal with 90 seconds to go. Then, to make matters worse, Erik Karlsson took a slashing penalty, putting them down a man as well. But the Senators refused to go away, and a minute into the penalty, Daniel Alfredsson sneaked into the Pittsburgh zone, unmarked, and Milan Michalek found him in front of the net. Alfy sealed the deal, as Alfies often do, ending Tomas Vokoun's shutout bid and sending the game into overtimes.

Yes, overtimes. For the first time in the 2013 postseason, it took double OT for this game to produce a winner, and when it did, the Senators were back in the series. At 7:39 of the second overtime, Colin Greening banged home a loose puck to give the Sens a 2-1 victory:

And with that, the legend of the pesky Sens lives on. This team just won't go away. Pittsburgh will be left to wonder if it was their brutally lackadaisical approach to the powerplay late in regulation that cost them the lead, or destiny.

(Probably the former. But the latter makes for a nice narrative, no?)

Even after tying the game up in miraculous fashion, the Senators were nearly dealt the fatal blow numerous times. Pascal Dupuis hit a post in the first overtime. Evgeni Malkin had several terrifying forays into the Senators' end. They even survived another Pittsburgh powerplay in OT number two.

Alfredsson and Greening will get much of the credit for stealing Game 3 -- which is sort of what happens when you get your name on the scoresheet after the 59th minute -- but Craig Anderson was a deserving first star after keeping the game within stealing distance all night. The Senators' netminder stopped 49 of 50 shots in the win.

How close were the Senators to the end? After the game, Greening -- who took a high-stick in the second and was late to the postgame scrum because doctors had to extract the fiberglass that had been sitting in his face for two and a half periods -- looked like he'd just come from Dexter's kill table.

You can't get much closer to death than that. Not many people survive the blood slide moment.

Game 4 goes Wednesday in Ottawa.

Patrice Bergeron streaked into the Rangers' zone, going wide on his man and down the wall. As he neared the goal line, he threw the puck towards the crease, where Dan Girardi was unable to get a stick on it and, much to his chagrin, Brad Marchand was. The smallish winger with the nose for the net redirected it past Henrik Lundqvist for the score.

That's not the Game 1 overtime winner I'm describing, though the similarities are striking. It was the fourth goal in Boston's decisive, 5-2, Game 2 victory over the New York Rangers.

The retread of the Marchand-Bergeron connection aside, these games weren't all that similar. Game 1 was close -- so close it needed extra time; Game 2 was over well before the end of regulation.

Johnny Boychuk scored the eventual game-winner at 12:08 of the second period after Brad Marchand handed him the puck at the top of the zone and the Rangers handed him all the time in the world. He beat Henrik Lundqvist with a laser.

The Rangers' comeback hopes took a major hit just 26 seconds into the final frame, as Marchand and Bergeron hooked up for the goal described above (and showcased below):

Tuukka Rask made 35 saves in the win, and Zdeno Chara once again led the way in icetime, skating 27:02 to help cover for some of Boston's absences on the blueline.

Torey Krug did his part as well. The rookie blueliner was a major factor, scoring the Bruins' opening goal -- his second tally in as many games -- and picking up the primary assist on Gregory Campbell's goal early in the second.

They say a series isn't over until you lose a game at home, so the Rangers can take solace in the fact that this Round 2 affair is not yet done, with the series shifting back to Madison Square Garden for Game 3.

But it's going to take more than home-ice advantage for New York to get back into this series.

They'll need a big, bounceback performance from Henrik Lundqvist, who surrendered five goals on Sunday for the first time since March 9, 2011. They'll also need a major turnaround from defensive stopper Dan Girardi. Normally, he's one of the league's best shutdown blueliners.

This afternoon, he was on the ice for all five goals.

The deficiency has gone from being a drag on the Rangers’ offense to being a boost to the opposition, like during their empty power plays in their Game 1 loss at the Boston Bruins.

So what’s gone wrong for the Rangers, and can it turn around?

1. Carl Hagelin Stinks on the Power Play

As Coach John Tortorella said on Saturday:

Hagelin is the Rangers’ second-leading scorer in the playoffs with five points, but only had one power-play goal in 48 regular-season games, averaging 1:02 TOI per game. So yeah, he sorta stinks.

2. The Rick Nash Problem

Nash had nine power-play points in the regular season, including three goals. He’s yet to score a goal in the playoffs through eight games, and that drought has no doubt affected the power play.

3. The Brad Richards Problem

Arguably a bigger issue than Nash has been Richards’ complete bust of a postseason, as the Rangers’ leader for power-play ice time in the regular season (9 points) has had a hellish postseason of one goal in eight games. He needs to be the catalyst for the Rangers’ power play and hasn’t come close to accomplishing that task.

4. The Loss of Marian Gaborik

In fairness, one of the players the Rangers acquired in the Gaborik traded, Derick Brassard, has two points on the man advantage this postseason. But Gaborik had seven points in 35 games on the power play for the Rangers, following a season in which he had 21 points in 82 games. He struggled mightily for New York before the trade, but there’s no question having that kind of offensive talent on the power play would give opposing teams something else to worry about on the kill.

5. Not Playing The Hot Hands

That's the theory from Blueshirt Banter:

Up until this point, the guys that have been impressing me the most have yet to see an ounce of power play time (with the exception of Derick Brassard, and Derek Stepan). Isn't it about time that John Tortorella and the coaching staff completely clean the slate, and go with the players that are giving the effort out there, and getting things done? Where are guys like Taylor Pyatt, Carl Hagelin, Derek Dorsett, John Moore, Ryan McDonagh, and even Anton Stralman?

I know a lot of you guys will call me crazy for bringing up some of these names, but what is there to lose at this point? Nothing else has seemed to get anything going. At times during these last eight games, the Rangers third and fourth lines have been their best line on the ice, and generating the most chances.

So the Rangers will continue to tweak and tinker with the power play, giving the players added video work to figure the thing out. It’s miraculous they won one round with an ineffective power play; it’s hard to imagine the can win a second with the same ineffectiveness.

Besides being able to have their team advance out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the city of Pittsburgh has also made it possible to turn one of its buildings into a goal light.

A Toronto Maple Leafs fan petition to turn CN Tower into a goal light for each playoff game didn't succeed. In Pittsburgh, however, it took a round, but the top of Gulf Tower will light up red every time the Penguins score in for the rest of the playoffs.

Ian Walsh, an executive with Rugby Realty, who control Gulf Tower, met with the Penguins on Wednesday to discuss another idea when the goal light conversation came up. After figuring out a way to control the lights remotely, the plan was put into place for Game 2 on Friday.

Here's a view from inside CONSOL Energy Center after Brenden Morrow's goal in Game 2:

From the Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

There was no test run, and Crosby's goal early in the first period on Friday night turned the Gulf Tower into a rotating red light for the first time. However, because there was still daylight when Crosby scored around 7:50 p.m., few people noticed.

That was not the case about 30 minutes later when Crosby scored his second goal. A darker sky provided the perfect backdrop for the Gulf Tower to stand out.

During the game, Wareham received word from Penguins employees that fans were posting photos of the rooftop goal-light on Twitter, but even he was surprised how quickly the idea became a success.

The Penguins’ director of event presentation controls the lights via an iPhone and beginning with Sunday night’s Game 3, there will be 20 rotations of the lights for each goal scored, up from 15 used during Game 2.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Both Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton combined for 113 penalty minutes in the game, with the bulk of the total coming after Bruins forward Graham Mink -- who had rolled over him just minutes before -- fell on top of Penguins goalie Brad Theissen after he froze the puck:

What a call by the Penguins voice Tom Grace and a nice warning to the Bruins that Steve MacIntyre lurks. And we have to applaud the arena music person for using the Ultimate Warrior's theme during the brawling.

The two teams weren't done getting at one another. Two minutes later, after Paul Thompson made it 4-0 (8:07 mark of video), Bruins netminder Niklas Svedberg took exception and slashed him in the back of the leg, setting off another round of scrums. Svedberg would get a two two-minute penalties for slashing and roughing.

Mink was given a match penalty for deliberate attempt to injure. According to AHL rules, he's fined $200 and the penalty will be reviewed by the league for supplemental discipline.

"I didn't say anything or do anything. It kind of happened. I'm not sure what provoked it," Thiessen (30 saves) told Jonathan Bombulie of the Citizens' Voice afterward. "Whatever they want to do, my job is still to stop the puck."

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Watch Quick go zebra hunting (with an odd soccer highlight set to “C.O.P.S.” music after the clip):

The Sharks had a 5-on-3 power play to start overtime after Robyn Regehr went off for hooking Tommy Wingels at 19:18 of the third and Trevor Lewis went off for goalie interference for running into Antti Niemi with five seconds left.

That candor earned Quick a game misconduct. As per NHL Rule 23.2, that means Quick is hit with an automatic $200 fine, and could be subject to supplemental discipline although that’s not gonna happen.

Any guesses what he said?

No. 1 Star: Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks netminder made 26 saves and bailed them out on defensive lapses on several occasions, as San Jose defeated the Los Angeles Kings in OT 2-1, to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

No. 2 Star: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings captain assisted on goals by Brendan Smith and Valtteri Filppula, while frustrating Jonathan Toews all game, in Detroit’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The series is tied 1-1.

No. 3 Star: Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks forward scored the OT game-winner at 1:29, on the power play, to give the San Jose the 2-1 win. That came after he was injured in the second period, returning to the game about 15 minutes later.

Honorable mention: Dan Boyle and Tyler Toffoli had the other goals in the Kings/Sharks game. … Jonathan Quick made 38 saves for the Kings. … Patrick Kane scored his first of the playoffs. … Damien Brunner scored his fourth for the Wings. Johan Franzen also netted his fourth. … This Brad Stuart hit was awesome:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 3. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 5. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 6. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 7. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 9. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings; 10. Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks.

Dishonorable mention: The Kings took two penalties in the last minute of regulation to give the Sharks a 5-on-3 power play to start overtime. … Jonathan Quick received a game misconduct at the end of the game. … Dave Bolland was a minus-2 with three minor penalties.

They would give him an even bigger ovation in overtime.

Couture scored the power-play game-winner 1:29 into overtime to give the Sharks a 2-1 victory and to cut the Kings’ lead in the series to 2-1.

The Sharks began overtime on a 5-on-3 power play after Robyn Regehr went off for hooking Tommy Wingels and 19:18 of the third and Trevor Lewis went off for goalie interference for running into Antti Niemi with five seconds left.

After the first power play ended, Couture set up in the slot and received a one-touch pass from Patrick Marleau, burying the puck high past Jonathan Quick for the win and his fourth of the playoffs.

Couture missed about 15 minutes in the second period after a hit by Carter sent him flying into the boards awkwardly. He held his leg as he left the ice. This was after the Sharks lost Scott Hannan and Marty Havlat to injury in the game.

Dan Boyle gave the Sharks the lead early in the power play after Jake Muzzin shot the puck over the glass at 1:30 of the first. Tyler Toffoli of the Kings tied the game at 10:08 after a Sharks turnover.

Niemi was brilliant in making 26 saves, as was Quick in making 38.

Game 4 is Tuesday night at the Shark Tank.

It’s what follows that makes this, perhaps, the biggest train-wreck version of the anthem ever heard at a hockey game:

From the Yahoo! Sports Canada junior hockey blog Buzzing The Net:

The Saskatoon singer, who performs folk and jazz music, started falteringly in front of the large crowd and a Portland team which is not only based in the United States, but also has 10 Americans in its lineup. The rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner seemed to unravel once Normand got to the third line. Then the "whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight" was bowdlerized into "those broad stripes and bright stars... at the dawn's early light." The Credit Union Centre crowd seemed amused initially. Eventually, thousands of Canadians came to the rescue and completed the lyrics.

At one point, Normand appears to just be making noises that sound like words, like when you forget a lyric while singing in your car. It’s the first version of the anthem we’ve ever heard that would have benefited from the singer faking a cough, like Bruce Campbell reading from the Necronomicon in “Army of Darkness.” The only thing missing was her turning to the camera at the end and bellowing "AND HELLO ALL YOU PEOPLE ON YOUTUBE!" before winking.

To her credit, Normand quickly tweeted an apology after the anthem:

I'm embarrassed and deeply sorry. I wish I'd had more time to learn the American anthem. Thanks so much for the crowd's help! #memorialcup

— Alexis Normand (@Alex6Normand) May 19, 2013

Hey, it happens. Although not always that spectacularly. The look on No. 13 Kegan Iverson’s face says it all:

Much more here from Buzzing The Net.

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The return home for Game 3 will give the Ottawa Senators a little bit of a boost as they attempt get back into their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but with a 3-0 hole looming, the club would no doubt welcome a boost to their boost.

It looks like they'll get one of those too. After undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in his back and missing the last four months, Jason Spezza has been medically cleared to play.

He'll be in the Senators' lineup for Game 3. (Double boost!)

"I'm excited to have a chance to play again," Spezza said. "I feel ready to play."

Where he'll play remains to be seen, but Spezza has practiced on the Senators' first line alongside frequent running mate Milan Michalek, so our educated guess would be there.

That makes sense. Down 0-2, the Senators really aren't in a position to ease him into the lineup. Still, the question is what sort of impact he'll be able to have in his first game in 4 months. There's a good chance he'll see a lot of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the latter of whom notched a hat trick in Game 2. These are matchups he needs to win, and that's a lot to ask of anyone, let alone a guy that's played just 5 games this season.

But it's not like Spezza's not capable of it. His last game with the Senators was versus these very Penguins, and while Ottawa lost the decision, 2-1, in a shootout, Spezza was a large part of the reason they came away from that one with a point, finishing well above water in his head-to-head matchups with both of the Penguins' star pivots, and assisting on Ottawa's game-tying goal.

Spezza played the majority of this game matched up with Evgeni Malkin, while Kyle Turris saw the Crosby matchup (as he has for Games 1 and 2, and I'd expect he will in Game 3, Crosby's hat trick notwithstanding).

But when Spezza didn't see Malkin, he saw Crosby, and despite playing the majority of the night versus two of the best centres in the Eastern Conference, Spezza finished the evening with an even-strength Corsi rate (plus/minus for shots attempted, basically) of plus-9. Crosby was a minus-9. Malkin was a minus-6.

Spezza, who is a much better two-way player now than he was the last time the Senators and the Penguins met in the playoffs, also won 11 of 16 faceoffs versus this duo in that game.

If the Senators can return a guy capable of winning these pivotal shifts, their chances of staging a comeback in this series increase exponentially. But after four months on the shelf, one wonders if Spezza can be the player he's capable of being right away.

Game 3 goes Sunday. It totally should have been Saturday, though, which is the 10-year anniversary of Spezza's original playoff debut. That would have been cool.

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Maple Leafs fan pays price for losing bet
• Eric Staal won't need surgery after nasty hit
• Brad Marchand scores OT winner as Bruins top Rangers in Game 1

Among the highlights:

• Karl Alzner asking Derek Dorsett where “they found the aquarium to fit” his head.

• Ryan Getzlaf looking up before a faceoff and yelling to Jonathan Ericsson “You’re not scary!”

• Did Pascal Dupuis call for “a [Mike] Bossy up the wall?”

• Bobby Ryan’s subtle “it’s comin’ Jimmy” to Jimmy Howard as he skates by the crease.

• Erik Karlsson, 2012 Norris Trophy winner, giving P.K. Subban his endorsement in the handshake line for the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.

• And, of course: Daniel Alfredsson leading the cheers in the Sens dressing room.

Good stuff NHL. More of this please.

According to the Hurricanes, an MRI on Staal’s right knee “revealed a third-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL). Surgery will not be required to repair the ligament, and Staal’s rehabilitation should last three months. It is expected that he will be healthy and ready to play to start the 2013-14 season.”

To say it looked a lot worse would be an understatement.

Staal needed to be helped from the ice after writhing in pain for a few minutes following the collision with Edler, the Team Sweden defenseman who was given a 5-minutes major and a game misconduct, and then was suspended for the rest of the tournament.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Sidney Crosby hat trick powers Penguins to big lead
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They gave up 4 goals on 19 chances in a loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, who entered the postseason with the 29th best power play in the NHL. The Hawks had the 27th best PK in the regular season; those struggles continues in the playoffs.

So they remedied that in the offseason, bringing in Los Angeles Kings assistant coach and penalty kill architect Jamie Kompon. After the lockout ended, they converted offensive forwards Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik in special teams defenders.

The results were stunning: The PK provided the backbone for the Blackhawks’ 24-game streak with at least one point earned, and the team gave up the fewest power-play goals in the regular season (18) while finishing with the third-best penalty kill (87.2 percent).

In the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs … well, it’s been perfect: 20 times shorthanded, 20 kills, including a perfect 17-for-17 in Round 1 against the Minnesota Wild (17.9 percent in the regular season.

Niklas Hjalmarsson (3:37 TOI SH per game) and Duncan Keith (3:27) are the primary penalty killing defensemen, with Frolik and Kruger up front. Brent Seabrook and Johnny Oduya typically make up the second unit D-pairing, with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa as the star-studded killers.

Potentially bolstering the unit even more: The return of defensive center Dave Bolland from injury, as he saw time on the PK in the regular season.

Where this all tracks back to, however, is Corey Crawford. He was sixth in the League (.896) in shorthanded save percentage for goalies that have at least 100 shots against.

As is the Blackhawks captain’s way, Jonathan Toews is downplaying the domination. Via MLive:

"We don't become aware of it until you say what you just said," claimed captain Jonathan Toews. "We're not thinking about streaks. When things are going well you keep working hard at it, you don't get satisfied. Keep looking for ways to improve.

That's what we've done with our penalty kill. “We definitely want to stay out of the box against this team because that's how they can gain momentum, by being on the power play. They can create a lot of chances no matter what we do but we know it's an important part of our game against Detroit.”

Chicago was 3-for-3 against the Wings in Game 1, after the Wings scored six power-play goals in 25 chances against the Ducks in Round 1.

Continuing this streak will prove difficult with the amount of firepower on Detroit’s special teams unit, but there’s no denying the PK is one of the reasons the Blackhawks could be Cup bound.

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Alas, Lewis is also the kind of Leafs fan who was willing to make a bet with a coworker at the weekly paper: Chad Saxon, an editor and a massive Boston Bruins fan. So after seeing the Leafs lose Game 7 in embarrassing fashion, Lewis suffered another embarrassment, as per the wager:

Ouch.

From Saxon, via email:

We bet on the series and the punishment was the loser had to wear a sandwich board and stand on the boulevard of our busiest street for half an hour at noon. The winner got to choose what went on the sign.

Obviously it was looking like I was pretty much screwed up until the comeback. Josh, who we had under suicide watch for a couple of days was a good sport and paid off his debt on Friday.

But wait, there’s more:

Writes Saxon:

“We are big supporters of humiliating Leafs fans so we were hoping you could throw this on the blog.”

Well, Josh Lewis – oh, by the way, you can tweet at him here – you boldly accepted your defeat after a valiant effort, much like the Leafs did. And like the Leafs, we hope you learned lesson from this defeat. Like, for example, never betting on the Leafs. Ever.

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

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Crosby recorded his second career postseason hat trick during the Penguins' 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 2. He tallied his first two goals during a three-goal opening period for the Penguins, then completed the trick early in the second period on the power play. Crosby is the fifth player in Penguins franchise history to reach 100 career points in the playoffs.

No. 2 Star: Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Martin continued his stellar play assisting on a pair of goals to give him 15 points in his last 16 games. He's now on 9 points, good enough to be tied for fourth in playoff scoring.

No. 3 Star: Brenden Morrow, Pittsburgh Penguins

Morrow scored his first playoff goal since 2008 by deflecting a Paul Martin shot midway through the second period. That goal would stand as the game winner. Late in the game, as the Penguins were hanging on to their 4-3 lead and time running out, Morrow killed seconds deep in the Senators' zone by protecting the puck along the boards.

Honorable mention: Kris Letang chipped in two assists to give him 9 points in the postseason ... Evgeni Malkin's assist extended his points streak to 9 games including the regular season ... Robin Lehner stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced in relief of Craig Anderson, including this great save on Jarome Iginla:

Did You Know? Ottawa has never won a playoff series after dropping the opening two games. (AP)

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 3. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 5. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 6. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 7. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. 8. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings; 9. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 10. Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks;

Dishonorable mention: Erik Karlsson played just 15:37, his lowest time on-ice of the season. Afterward, Paul MacLean said, "He wasn't one of the best players today, so he didn't play." ... Craig Anderson was pulled after allowing three goals in 21:15, the first time that's happened since March 2012.

Crosby set the tone early on scoring three times within the first 21:15 of the game as Pittsburgh stormed out to a 3-1 lead. The Penguins captain brought the CONSOL Energy Center crowd to its feet during his first goal, which left Erik Karlsson wondering what had just happened:

Craig Anderson's night was finished after Crosby completed his hat trick early in the second period. It was the first time he was pulled since March 2012. His replacement, Robin Lehner, was valiant in relief making 20 saves and keeping the Senators in the game.

Not helping the Senators' cause was the fact they handed six power plays to a Penguins team rolling along at a 36 percent rate with the man advantage entering Friday night, tops in the NHL this postseason. Pittsburgh only cashed in on one -- Crosby's third goal -- but Ottawa was never able to build momentum with the numerous trips to the penalty box.

The series now shifts to Scotiabank Place on Sunday and Tuesday for Games 3 and 4 as the Senators will attempt to slow a Pittsburgh offense averaging 4.13 goals per game. The Penguins outshot Ottawa 41-21 in Game 2, with 11 coming on the power play. As the Senators stressed after Game 1, they cannot have a parade to the penalty box if they're to beat Pittsburgh in this series.

Ottawa also needs a stronger showing from Anderson, who's now allowed seven goals thru the first two games of this series -- the combined total he allowed from Games 2-5 against Montreal in the first round. Jason Spezza's return could give them a boost, but collectively there's still plenty of work to be done.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

NHL video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Maple Leafs fan pays price for losing bet
• Eric Staal won't need surgery after nasty hit
• Brad Marchand scores OT winner as Bruins top Rangers in Game 1

According to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, Torres has decided otherwise and will not challenge the suspension handed down by Brendan Shanahan on Thursday.

Despite Torres' decision, Doug Wilson had a few things to get off his chest about the suspension. Late Friday, the Sharks' general manager released a statement vehemently disagreeing with Shanahan's decision and challenging the wording in Rule 48.1 and how it was applied:

From the Sharks:

The Sharks organization fully supports the NHL in its efforts to remove illegal and dangerous hits from the game but we strongly disagree with the NHL's decision to suspend Raffi Torres.

Upon review of the incident, it is abundantly clear that this was a clean hockey hit. As noted by the NHL, Raffi's initial point of contact was a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on an opponent who was playing the puck. He did not leave his feet or elevate, he kept his shoulder tucked and elbow down at his side, and he was gliding - not skating or charging.

As stated in the NHL's Player Safety video, Rule 48.1 says, "A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted." Thus, with the use of the word "and", this rule clearly states that two elements must occur in order to violate the rule. Raffi absolutely did not target his opponent's head on the play. The call on the ice specifically acknowledged that the head was not targeted and nowhere in the NHL's ruling does it insinuate or suggest that the opponent's head was targeted.

Furthermore, the rule goes on to say: "However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered."

As evidenced in the video, just prior to Torres making contact with the opposing player, that player altered his posture to play a bouncing puck with his hand, placing himself in a vulnerable position.

Comparing the facts of this incident against the actual wording of Rule 48.1, it appears that the NHL has not only made an inappropriate application of this rule but is trying to make an example out of a player who is being judged on past events, one who has changed his game dramatically this season and taken only six minor penalties in 39 games.

We are proud of the work Raffi has put in to successfully adjust his game. Although it's unfortunate that Jarret was injured on the play, we feel this decision is grossly unfair to the Raffi, his teammates and our fans. However, Raffi does not want to be a distraction to his teammates and has decided not to appeal this suspension and we respect that decision.

After Torres changed his ways following the massive suspension a year ago for his hit on Marian Hossa, with this suspension and the spotlight shining very, very brightly on him going forward, how much will this affect his game going forward?

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

While I wouldn't go so far as to say the Ottawa Senators outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 -- it's tough to argue that when they lost by three goals -- the club from Canada's capital did a lot right in the series opener.

They controlled the run of the play for long stretches. They matched the Penguins in goal-scoring output. They pushed the Penguins back with their speed, even making Pittsburgh's trio of big-name deadline acquisitions -- Jarome Iginla, Douglas Murray, and Brenden Morrow -- look slow, as all three saw the ice tilt away from them when they were on it.

But that was at even-strength. Special teams, on the other hand, were a nightmare.

Up and down a man, this was Pittsburgh's game. The Penguins scored two powerplay goals and a shorthanded goal, and that was the difference, quite literally, in a 4-1 Senators loss in in Game 1.

"They have the best power play in the playoffs and you try not to give them those opportunities," Cory Conacher told the Sun after the game. "You want to play hard, physical and you just want to be a little bit smarter."

Smarter would be making sure that Pittsburgh's cavalcade of incredible players isn't gifted any extra space. This team can ice a powerplay consisting of five all-stars. The Senators cannot ice a penalty-kill of similar pedigree. So now you're talking about five all-stars versus four normal guys. Sorry, four normal guys, but my money's on the all-stars.

So what's the plan for the Senators in Game 2? Stay out of the box. Don't let this become a special teams battle -- not when the Penguins can deploy so more special. From the National Post:

We expect to play the same way, pretty straight-forward, physical game, but at the same time stay out of the box," Daniel Alfredsson said.

"We know specialty teams is a big part of their game. They’re strong five on five, but their penalty killing is good and their power play is among the best in the league so it lets us know that we have to be smart.”

Sidenote: can we call a meeting and decide, as a hockey community, on whether we're going to say "special" teams or "specialty" teams? We cannot go on this way. But I digress.

It's probably still too early to say the Senators are in a hole, although they haven't won a series after dropping the first game in a decade. But if they can't stay out of the box in Game 2, it might be too late.

He played 35 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 24 points and counted among the Calder Trophy candidates for most of 2013.

But at the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators in a multi-player deal that had goalie Ben Bishop going back to Tampa. He scored two goals in 12 games, and was no longer in the rookie of the year race.

Yet while the Lightning failed to make the playoff cut, the Senators are a second-round playoff team – and Conacher has been an unsung hero for them.

He has three goals, tied for the team lead for the Senators, while averaging only 11:53 time on ice per game. He scored the game-tying goal with 23 seconds left in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens, before Ottawa won in OT. He helped deliver the knockout blow to the Habs in Game 5 with two goals, including a key one midway through the first period.

That’s also a game where Conacher mixed it up in a third-period scrum, earning 12 of his team-leading 29 penalty minutes for the Sens in the playoffs.

He had six more PIMs in Game 1 of the semifinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, attempting to play the role of an agitator against some of the Pens’ stars.

As he told ESPN.com:

"It's all part of the game. It's playoffs. That's kind of the way I play. I like to be in those dirty areas," Conacher said Wednesday, the day after the Senators were downed 4-1 in the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Pittsburgh.

"I like to kind of [tick] off some of their players and get in their heads, and the fans obviously take note of that sometimes. It's all fun for me and hopefully I can continue to do that."

The Sens expect Conacher will battle throughout the series, as he has throughout his life.

He was born with Type 1 diabetes, which he regulates with a pump near his hip. It has a sensor that allows him to test his levels between periods.

Of course, the greatest aspect about Conacher is also the smallest: His height. Listed at 5-foot-8, he’s one of the most diminutive players remaining in the playoffs.

As Coach Paul MacLean told NHL.com: "His heart is bigger than his size a lot of times.”

• Finland's Antti Pihlstrom was unable to be removed from the glass after celebrating his overtime goal vs. Latvia. He'll miss their game against Sweden. [AP]

• Jason Spezza back for Game 3 on Sunday? It's possible. Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean: "If he's available to us, it's Jason Spezza, we're going to have him in the lineup." [Ottawa Sun]

• Heading into Game 2 on Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings need to give Jimmy Howard some help. [CSN Chicago]

• Despite the impressive Game 1 win, the Chicago Blackhawks can still get better. [Blackhawk Up]

• How many different descriptions did NBC's Mike Emrick use during Game 1 of Blackhawks/Red Wings? 90. Yes. 90! [Awful Announcing]

• How did LA Kings forward Trevor Lewis react after his Game 2 winner against the San Jose Sharks? “I think that was Toff’s play there. He made a great shot off the pad there and I just kinda tapped it in and then almost passed out in the celebration." [Mayor's Manor]

• Remember John Tortorella's high school yearbook photo? Remember "Musky"? Toucher and Rich have gotten to the bottom of some of the unanswered questions from that photo. But now we need to find Musky. [CBS Boston]

• The 2013 Memorial Cup kicks off tonight in Saskatoon. Here's Neate with 11 storylines to follow. [Buzzing the Net]

• Patrice Bergeron is pretty awesome. [Backhand Shelf]

• David Backes' awesomeness continues. Backes and his wife are getting involved in trying to save a dog who was ruled to be euthanized after biting a little girl a year ago. Despite pleas from the girls' family to save the pup, officials are still planning to go thru with it. Enter the Backes', who want to save the dog and bring him to a no-kill shelter. [Riverfront Times, stick-tap Mike A]

• Excuses for Stanley Cup playoff losers: "New Jersey Devils - Never got over the loss of that 29th overall first round pick we forfeited last year, we assume, because man it would have been completely ridiculous for us not to." [Down Goes Brown]

• Part of Bruce Ratner's bid to renovate the Nassau Coliseum includes six New York Islanders games a year after the team has moved to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. An idea like that needs to be approved by the NHL, something Ratner is confident will happen. [Islanders Point Blank]

• Mike Colligan on Pascal Dupuis. [The Hockey Writers]

• The 2017 IIHF World Championships will be co-hosted by Germany and France. [IIHF]

• A look at the top 100 rotisserie hockey players. [Dobber Hockey]

• Finally, Evgeni Malkin was the subject of a question on Jeopardy Wednesday night:

(Ed. Note: Well, here it is. The long gestating Toronto Maple Leafs Eulogy. Usually, we have the fans that hate eliminated teams the most be the ones to remember them fondly. But since the Leafs making the playoffs was such a monumental deal, we decided to go in another direction: Allowing the caustic Leas fans from Pension Plan Puppets to eulogize their own team. Here’s what happens when year of cynicism collides with sudden adoration for a Leafs team that lost in seven to the Bruins.)

By Pension Plan Puppets

Today we say goodbye to the 2012-13 Toronto Maple Leafs.

We come not to mourn their passing, but to celebrate how the 2012-13 Toronto Maple Leafs lived, loved and were led by a great man known as Randolph Robert Carlyle.

The world will long remember these Leafs for their ability to generate quality shots and for limiting their opponents’ quality chances.

Hockey fans, no matter their allegiance, will recall this team for the terror they struck in the hearts of the opposition by playing not one, but two enforcers for a few short minutes each night.

The 2012-13 Leafs will be remembered for changing their culture. They will be, and should be, remembered by the Jack Adams-worthy work of Coach Randy Carlyle.

If Coach Carlyle had to summarize this year’s Leafs in a single word, the word he would choose is “team toughness.”

As team founder Conn Smythe famously said, “if you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you can’t beat ‘em on the ice” and nothing proves team toughness more than mutually agreed upon fights between fourth liners who barely see the ice (look all the way down to players 25 and 26).

The 2012-13 Leafs led the NHL with 44 fighting majors, and, as Coach Carlyle has taught fans everywhere -- teams cannot succeed in the NHL unless you’re willing to drop the mitts almost every night.

Ron Wilson foolishly demoted Colton Orr and, in the wake of that decision, he was fired and the Leafs failed to make the playoffs. Coach Carlyle, on the other hand, wisely iced not one but two face punchers for most of the season. The success of this approach is evident from the emergence of Toronto’s skill players who blossomed under Carlyle’s pugilistic umbrella to the amazing finish to the Leafs’ season.

Phil Kessel enjoyed unprecedented success this year posting a shooting percentage of 12.5% and scoring 1.08 points per game under the newfound protective blanket of Orr and McLaren. Last year, before the culture changed, Kessel’s shooting percentage was a laughable 12.4% and he scored just 1.00 points per game. Kessel was not alone. Nazem Kadri was able to enjoy extremely high quality shots that produced sky-high shooting results thanks to the presence of Orr and McLaren and the protection that they bring.

If you don’t believe it, just check out these highlights of Orr and McLaren punishing a player who so much as looked askance at a Leafs skill player.

The simple fact is: the Leafs play better with two tough guys in the lineup. Playing Frazer McLaren in place of soft, unproductive players like Matt Frattin or Clarke MacArthur is what the Carlyle Leafs are all about -- there’s no one else on the roster who can do what Orr and McLaren can do.

Game 7 – have a look at who was in the press box and who was nailed to the bench. Math nerds said the odds of that outcome was a once in 60 lifetimes event. Guaranteed the Leafs don’t find themselves looking at OT in game seven if Orr and McLaren get more ice time in that series.

The Leafs may wear a Maple Leaf on their chest, but it’s surely no coincidence that one of their longest post-season droughts occurred under an American President and GM who filled the roster with Americans.

Coach Carlyle recognized this deficit and set things right by ensure the Leafs top centre was a good Saskatchewan boy. He went one step further and buried the Belarussian with d-zone starts and defensive wingers. All the coach wanted was more scoring from Grabovski but Grabovski wouldn’t, or couldn’t, deliver.

Coach Carlyle knows that Bozak is the proverbial straw that stirs the delicious drink that is the Leafs first line.

When Bozak was hampered by an injury to his oblique and suffering from a triceps injury that ultimately took him out of the game Coach Carlyle wisely played him more than 20 minutes a night.

Recognizing your best players and putting them in the best situation to succeed is key to helping a team win. Just like taking a time out when the team is under pressure or not playing passively and falling back to protect a slim lead, Coach Carlyle knows what it takes to win and the results are there for everyone to see.

As we look back on the 2012-13 Toronto Maple Leafs, there will be people who like to point out the Leafs’ inability to draft and develop young, contributing players. Luke Schenn was famously rushed into the NHL and has now found success - well, he skates a regular shift in Philly.

Widely derided for his poor rookie season, Jake Gardiner was clearly in over his head with the Leafs. His failures last year were numerous and obvious: he didn't receive a nomination for the Norris, Vezina, Conn Smythe or even the Calder (that annual trophy awarded to the best rookie not from Edmonton). Gardiner's lack of success was another major contributing factor to the Leafs missing playoffs under Ron Wilson.

Coach Carlyle learned from that mistake and developed Jake Gardiner slowly, the right way.

Some people might say that sitting in the press box not playing hockey isn't the best way to develop a player, but those people are wrong and have likely never played or coached in the NHL.

As Detroit fans can assure you, the most important way to develop players is by not letting them play in the NHL. When you don't luck into the Swedish National Team in the 16th round of the draft and players don't wait until they turn 30 before joining your team, you need to take matters into your own hands. That means parking players in the press box until they are a little older; just like opening a package of Peeps that are too chewy and waiting for them to get a little stale. Did we say stale? We meant that those Peeps needed to learn how to play Coach Carlyle hockey by not playing hockey.

Others might say Gardiner joining the Leafs line-up was a major reason why the Leafs pushed their series with Boston to OT in Game 7 (at which point we all blacked out from joy and no one was able to record the result of the game, which is a shame). But those people miss the bigger picture and that’s Coach Carlyle's culture of true accountability. Coach Carlyle has turned this team into a meritocracy.

And everyone knows what a meritocracy is -- if you have talent and make a mistake, you get banished to the press box. If you don’t have talent, but try really hard, it’s all golden. That’s true accountability.

Just as hot, tight, constrictive hockey helmets cause concussions, Carlyle’s approach to accountability created a team that wouldn’t wilt under pressure, a team built on defensive prowess that kept the shots to the outside.

***

A lock-out shortened season when they limped into the playoffs is all it took for this franchise to re-define itself. No longer will the Toronto Maple Leafs be defined by crushing losses, poor player personnel decisions and unmitigated disasters on the ice. Nope, the Carlyle Leafs have finally changed their culture of the franchise.

Team Toughness
Accountability
Great roster decisions
Incredible shot selection
Player development
Burning boats

That’s what the 2013 Toronto Maple Leafs were all about and it’s certainly what they will be remembered for. There’s nothing else to see here.

The previous was written by @67Sound, Chemmy, Julian and Forbes put this together.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Maple Leafs fan pays price for losing bet
• Eric Staal won't need surgery after nasty hit
• Sidney Crosby hat trick powers Penguins to big lead

It's a (gettin' down on) Friday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star: Phil Bourque talks to us about the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Ottawa Senators.

• Recapping the Sharks and Rangers' heartbreaking losses.

• Raffi Torres' suspension.

• GAME SHOW FRIDAY

Question of the Day: Who should win, or should have won, the Jack Adams and why? Email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski and @jeffmarek.

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We imagine it warms Mike Babcock’s heart to see Quenneville get a nomination, being that President’s Trophy winners don’t always get the Jack Adams love. Then again, it’s hard to ignore a coach who guides his team to 24 straight games with at least a point to start the season.

It was a bumper crop for great NHL coaching performances this season, which is bad news for Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders, Mike Yeo of the Minnesota Wild, Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Babcock and especially Michel Therrien of the Montreal Canadiens.

Who takes home the Jack?

Why Bruce Boudreau Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

Boudreau, in his first full season behind the Anaheim bench, led the club to its finest regular season in franchise history, capturing the Pacific Division title and No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a club-record points percentage (.688, 30-12-6). The Ducks made dramatic gains over 2011-12 in several categories, climbing from 25th to third in the overall NHL standings; from 23rd to eighth in average goals-per-game (2.45 to 2.79); from 19th to 11th in average goals-against (2.73 to 2.40); and from 21st to fourth in power-play percentage (16.6% to 21.5%). Boudreau is vying for his second career Jack Adams Award, having captured the trophy in 2007-08 with Washington in his first appearance as a finalist.

There’s no denying that Boudreau’s system and style fit this group of Ducks well, especially in activating their defense as an offensive force. (Hello, career year from Francois Beauchemin.) He used his role players as well as his stars.

Why Paul MacLean Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

MacLean guided the Senators (25-17-6) to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the extended absence of several key players due to injury. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, was limited to 17 games; defenseman Jared Cowen, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, was sidelined for all but seven games; top forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek played in just five and 23 contests, respectively; and starting goaltender Craig Anderson appeared in just 24 games. MacLean led a youthful Senators lineup, which included a League-high 14 rookies making at least one appearance, to the top defensive record in the Eastern Conference (2.08 goals-against per game). He earned his second consecutive berth as a Jack Adams finalist, finishing third as a rookie NHL head coach in 2012.

It’s easy to say that MacLean kept the Senators afloat thanks to stellar goaltending, but then his stellar goaltender was injured too. The job he did in moving pieces around due to injury and still maintaining enough success to make the postseason was unmatched this season. Without question, the most piece of a coaching my a Bug-Eyed Walrus the NHL has ever seen.

Why Joel Quenneville Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

Quenneville's Blackhawks posted a record start to the season by earning a point in each of their first 24 games (21-0-3), smashing the NHL's longest previous season-opening streak of 16 games set by the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07. The club went on to capture the Presidents' Trophy as the League's top regular-season club with a 36-7-5 record for 77 points. The Blackhawks ranked first overall in team defense (2.02 goals-against per game), second in offense (3.10 goals per game) and third in penalty killing (87.2%); posted a 26-2-1 mark when scoring first; and were 26-1-2 when leading after two periods. Quenneville captured the Jack Adams Award in 1999-2000 with St. Louis in his previous appearance as a finalist.

The streak mandated that Coach Q be given a spot in the top three, even if his is the deepest of the three teams represented in the Jack Adams final three.

Who Should Win The Jack Adams

The crime here is Michel Therrien not getting a spot in the final three. He took a team everyone had pegged for the lottery and won a tough division with it, while imprinting his personality on the players to give the team a new one.

Should he have won? No. The award should go to Quenneville, who had the Blackhawks on pace for a 131-point season.

Who Will Win The Jack Adams

MacLean, which is no snub to Quenneville. He guided a team devastated by significant injuries back to the Eastern Conference playoffs, and that’s a slam-dunk for voters. Plus he's sorta well-liked. Therrien, on the other hand ...

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Late in the first period, Staal took a knee-on-knee hit from Swedish defenseman Alex Edler and went down in pain. Edler was kicked out of the game and on Friday the IIHF suspended him for the rest of the tournament.

Once again, here's the hit:

From the IIHF:

After reviewing the video evidence and the respective reports, including the Game Supervisor Report, the Referee Supervisor Report, the verbal medical report and the report from the hearing with the player, the panel has determined that Edler should have been penalized with a match penalty as he was in clear violation of the playing rule 536b (Kneeing).

...

The disciplinary panel deemed Edler’s action as reckless, dangerous and that it was in disregard to the vulnerability of his opponent and for that he must be held accountable.

Edler will miss Sweden's semifinal game against Finland on Saturday and either the bronze or gold medal game on Sunday, depending on the result.

Staal is flying back to Raleigh on Friday and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday to assess the damage.

“It’s unfortunate and hopefully it’s not too serious,” Rutherford told Chip Alexander of the News Observer. “If it is serious, hopefully there will be enough recovery time for him to be ready for next season.

"We’ll just hope for the best.”

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

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