Top Line: What's wrong with the Bruins; a great King; wretched Rangers; more
P.K. Subban and the Canadiens have smothered David Krejci and his linemates. (Francois Lacasse/Getty Images)
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• What's wrong with the Boston Bruins? Start with the struggles of the team's inconsistent top line.
• Tuukka Rask deserves his share of the blame, too. The likely Vezina Trophy winner hasn't looked the part in this series, posting an .874 save percentage. He needs to be much, much better.
• The Canadiens are leading this series because they're playing a harder game than the Bruins. Who knew they had it in 'em?
• Not sure who deserves your EA Sports NHL 15 cover vote? The Canadiens have come up with a list of 76 reasons to support P.K. Subban.
• Jack Todd makes the case that Subban is the transcendent player of our times.
• All those hacks and whacks and heavy hits and cheap shots that opponents have been laying on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty? Just a sign of respect for the player who arguably has been the best so far in this postseason.
• They're gassed. They're not scoring. But the biggest problem the New York Rangers are facing is that they just don't have an answer for Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh's top line.
• Maybe Martin St. Louis did the Rangers a long-term favor by turning in the worst playoff performance of his career last night.
• Michael Traikos makes the case that Rick Nash has replaced Joe Thornton as the NHL's preeminent postseason disappointment. Not exactly the sort of legacy that paves one's way into the Hall of Fame there, Ricky.
• Even in Pittsburgh, the story isn't the resurgence of Marc-Andre Fleury or Paul Martin's remarkable play to carry an undermanned defense. It's all about how wretched the Rangers have been. And how the Pens are doing the league a favor by putting them down.
• If you haven't seen Evgeni Malkin's opening goal from last night, you'll want to check it out. If you have, you know you want to see it again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag9_Odmm0sg&cmpid=nhl-twt
• The decision to sign Zach Parise and Ryan Suter didn't simply change the Minnesota Wild. It benefited the entire community. At least that's what owner Craig Leipold says.
• If we're seeing the end of Ilya Bryzgalov's time in the NHL, we're seeing the end of personality in hockey.
• No one in Chicago's camp is sweating that Game 3 loss to the Wild. Overcoming hurdles is nothing new for this experienced Blackhawks side.
• Eric Duhatschek says the Ron Hextall who was chosen to manage the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday is a much different man than many fans remember.
• Sam Carchidi kindly regards the results of Paul Holmgren's tenure in Philadelphia as "mixed." Holmgren enjoyed some team success, but he'll always be remembered for his misguided long-term signings.
• The St. Louis Blues yesterday made the smart call on coach Ken Hitchcock.
• Nathan MacKinnon, Alex Ovechkin and Tim Thomas highlight Stephen Whyno's list of 10 players to watch at the World Championships.
• Here's an interesting addition to the back of Team Canada's practice jerseys for the World Championships. I've been saying for years that the time has come to bring this minor hockey staple to the pros. Maybe this is the first step toward that happening.
• A deep playoff run for the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins is providing a glimpse into the future for Red Wings fans. Yeah, it looks pretty good.
• Ken Tasker vs. Trevor Senn. What a beauty.