Top Line: Worst of Marc-Andre Fleury; Marchand fuels Bruins; more links
Marc-Andre Fleury has become the poster boy for the underachieving Penguins. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• Marc-Andre Fleury is wearing the goat horns, but last night's OT loss in Columbus was a team effort by the Penguins.
• In honor of his late-game flub, here is a video compilation of Fleury's greatest misses.
• Nick Foligno of the Blue Jackets actually called his OT winner in Game 4.
• Rob Rossi remembers that the Islanders faltered last spring when the narrative changed from "maybe they can upset the Pens" to "they can actually do it." Can the Blue Jackets handle the pressures of a best-of-three series?
• Damien Cox beat me to it: Why a two-goal lead is no longer safe in hockey.
• Brad Marchand is back to being Brad Marchand, and the Bruins are better for it.
• Mike Babcock says Marchand is doing his job and the Red Wings have to ignore him.
• Sounds like Henrik Zetterberg will return for Game 4. The Red Wings desperately need a boost after scoring two goals through the first three games of their series with Boston, but they can't expect their captain to carry them on his surgically repaired back.
• The sooner Matt Cooke follows Patrick Kaleta and Sean Avery into obscurity the better, writes Eric Duhatschek, who calls the Minnesota winger "a clear and present danger." In case you need proof, here's Cooke's rap sheet.
• The troubling thing about Matt Cooke is not that he didn't change. It's that he did.
• Three games down in their series with the Sharks, the Kings need more from their veteran stars in a must-win Game 4 tonight.
• Matt Larkin wonders if the St. Louis Blues are missing three critical pieces that every Stanley Cup contender needs.
• The Blackhawks are feeling invincible again after Patrick Kane evened up their series with his OT winner.
• Here's why Patrick Kane has to look into whether he's scored in overtime before.
• The St. Louis Blues still hold serve in their series with the Hawks, but last night's loss left a mark.
• Adam Proteau dug up a clip from a little-seen indie film featuring a pre-"Mad Men" Jon Hamm talking smack about the Blackhawks. Definitely NSFW, but a great find.
• Here's a great piece by Mike Heika on a moment the fans didn't see at the Dallas-Anaheim game and the type of players who have brought the Stars back to even in their series.
• Their captain is hurt, their goalie is shaken and old demons are at the door for the Anaheim Ducks.
• Frank Seravalli says Flyers fans need to lay off Claude Giroux and points to two players who are more worthy of angst.
• Dave Feschuk calls Ron MacLean's inflammatory comments about a Quebec-born referee another nail in "Hockey Night In Canada's" coffin.
• Is Jordan Eberle a valuable trading chip or a cornerstone around which the young Oilers should be built?