Top Line: Canadiens off life support; Blackhawks livin' on the edge; more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRIiIWB0qo
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• The Montreal Canadiens have room to breathe after Alex Galchenyuk's unlikely OT goal brought them back from the brink of disaster in the Eastern Conference Final. OK, so who had their money on a rookie delivering with his chin in the first 90 seconds of overtime?
• Here's Jack Todd on the Canadiens and a spring of resurgence in Montreal. Because hockey is never just hockey in that city.
• It's P.K. Subban's world. We're just lucky to live in it.
• The Rangerscould have put the Canadiens on life support on Thursday night, but their inability to capitalize on their chances left the Habs breathing on their own and thinking of heading home with their series tied up.
• This is a reminder of what big-game New York can sound like. Loud, vibrant, alive...but it wasn't supposed to end like this.
• We may have seen the last of Daniel "Car Bomb" Carcillo in these playoffs after New York's edgy forward took a whack at linesman Scott Driscoll last night. The suspension could be 10 games, or more.
• The Rangers are plenty steamed after an ex-teammate laid a devastating hit on Derek Stepan. I thought it looked like shoulder-to-chest at first. An interference penalty, no doubt, but not a head shot.
• And then I got this look, which makes me think a suspension is coming for Prust:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzgllPEhls
• Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr didn't make a hoped-for return to the ice on Thursday, which suggests that he won't be available for Game 3 in Los Angeles.
• Jeff Carter is making a huge impact on the play of youngsters Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Or is it the other way around?
• The Chicago Blackhawkslive on the edge, can’t stand prosperity and thrive on responding to adversity. Their fans had just better get used to it.
• Duncan Keith says the Blackhawks have missed the presence of Andrew Shaw. Will the pesky winger finally make his series debut in Game 3?
• It sounds like Wayne Gretzky is no longer in the running to become the next GM of the Washington Capitals. Ray Shero has to be the favorite for the gig, but keep an eye on Don Sweeney. What the Caps really ought to do is hire Alex Ovechkin's mom. Maybe she can slap some sense into him.
• A glut of goalies battling for a handful of jobs means it'll be a buyer's market this summer for teams looking to add a netminder.
• The San Jose Sharksaren't planning on taking part in the free-agent frenzy this summer, but that doesn't mean they won't be looking to shake up their roster.
• Jim Jamieson has a list of free agents he'd like to see in Vancouver and a list of those he wouldn't.
• The Penguins could be short a couple of key players when next season opens.
• The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait another year to cash in the final chip gained in the Thomas Vanek trade.