Top Line: Patrick Kane, Blackhawks force Game 7; Rangers lie in wait
Patrick Kane (88) added to his already impressive playoff resume with two goals in Game 6. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• They started the game in a fog and fell behind twice but the Blackhawks refused to go quietly in Game 6. And now a return to the Cup Final is there to be had at the United Center in Game 7.
• Talk about clutch: Patrick Kane is the first player to do this since 1992.
• The Kings will have to become the first team to survive three Game 7s if they hope to make it to the Stanley Cup Final.
• This was fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRBw4cuDCH0
• There was plenty of joy in New York to see that series go seven. It means more time off for the Rangers and one more chance for the survivor out West to sustain a bit of a beating.
• The Rangers have a chance to set an NHL playoff record over the next two weeks. But in order to do that, they'll have to be sharp when the Final gets underway next Wednesday.
• You won't believe the secondary market price for tickets to Games 3 and 4 at MSG.
• No, wait ... they just went higher.
• With several key decisions to be made, the clock is loudly ticking for Pittsburgh's GM search. Could the frontrunner actually be TV analyst Pierre McGuire?
• Even Roberto Luongo has tired of the EA Sports cover vote madness.
• Sean Gordon says that Montreal GM Marc Bergevin needs to get up off his wallet and dig deep for P.K. Subban's next contract this summer. It's going to take something north of $7.5 million per year to get the entertainer to sign long term.
• Saturday is Bike Test Day for the prospects attending this weekend's NHL Scouting Combine. Say a prayer for them, and for the volunteers assigned to clean up the stomach contents they'll leave behind.
• One draft prospect is relying on time spent with Team Canada to prepare him for rigors that lie ahead.
• The pressure is on new head coach Peter Laviolette to make a strong first impression Sunday when he makes his Nashville debut. And then, you know, when the season starts.
• Looks like the Minnesota Wildhave made a decision regarding the future of coach Mike Yeo.