NEWSLETTER
Last night’s game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights was the kind of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey that creates fans of the game. The back and forth action, hard hits, and desperation saves were all cranked up to 11 in Game Six and the Golden Knights were able to knockout the President’s Trophy winners, taking four-straight games in the process. The 2013 Chicago Blackhawks will remain the last team to win the President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year for at least another season.
• Last night we had Bleacher Nation in the house! Our Bleacher Nation Bears reporter Luis took in Game Six in Vegas last night and reported on the insane atmosphere at the T-Mobile Arena. I was only, like, 99% jealous of him.
One more period. Unless we do overtime. I don’t got nowhere to be until I gotta be at the airport at midnight. Let’s have some fun! pic.twitter.com/sXMeMi2FPo
— Funky Cold Luda (Taylor’s Version) (@lcm1986) June 11, 2021
• The game’s opening goal came just 23 seconds into the contest as Devon Toews got the Avalanche on the board.
• Got to say, seeing the names Saad and Toews on the scoresheet in a Stanley Cup Playoff game sure did bring back some memories and some currently aggravating emotions.
Devon Toews opened the scoring 23 seconds into Game 6, which was the fastest goal by an @Avalanche / Nordiques player from the start of a potential elimination game. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/hkq3OAxXPp pic.twitter.com/Qcx2WJIgPC
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• Nathan MacKinnon registered two assists in the game, his 50th career Stanley Cup Playoff game. Those two helpers moved him into a tie with Mike Bossy with 69 postseason points, the fifth-most in a player’s first 50 postseason games.
Nathan MacKinnon finds himself on a list of Hockey Hall of Famers for the most points in the #StanleyCup Playoffs through 50 games. His totals are the most among active players, besting fellow Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby (24-42—66).#NHLStats: https://t.co/hkq3OAxXPp pic.twitter.com/1TLRUW9QSI
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• Nice.
• While the Avalanche took the 1-0 lead in just 23 seconds, the Golden Knights responded less than. minute late to the the game at 1-1. It would be the last lead the Avalanche held of the 2021 season. Vegas would climb out to 2-1, 3-2, and eventually a 4-3 lead that would serve as the final dagger in the third period on their way to a 6-3 win in Game Six.
• Former St. Louis Blue Captain Alex Pietrangelo tallied an assist and the game-winning 4-3 goal for the Golden Knights, giving him 16 career postseason points in potential series-clinching games. He still trails Duncan Keith on that list, so HA!
Alex Pietrangelo has 16 career points in potential series-clinching games (3-13—16 in 17 GP), which trails only Duncan Keith (5-18—23 in 22 GP) and Kris Letang (6-13—19 in 31 GP) for the most among active defensemen. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/sF2QnaE6jc pic.twitter.com/IskjlZgPY6
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• Only one Vezina Trophy Finalist in this series could move on to the Semifinals and Marc-Andre Fleury, who sat out Vegas’ 7-1 loss in Game One of the series, out-dueled Colorado’s Philipp Grubauer in Games Two through Six, with the only head-to-head loss coming in overtime in Game Two.
• Fleury posted a .913 save-percentage in the second round series against Colorado and has a .910 save-percentage in 12 games in this playoffs. He also earned his 89th career Stanley Cup Playoff win with the victory in Game Six, moving him into fourth all-time in postseason wins. If he and the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final, he will theoretically pass Grant Fuhr for third all-time.
Marc-Andre Fleury backstopped the @GoldenKnights into the #StanleyCup Semifinals and earned the 89th playoff win of his NHL career, surpassing Billy Smith and Ed Belfour for sole possession of fourth place on the League’s all-time list. 🌸#NHLStats: https://t.co/hkq3OAxXPp pic.twitter.com/S6Ihp9FU0v
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• For the Avalanche, a team that looked so poised to finally get through to the third-round and beyond in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where do you go from here? What holes in the armor need to be patched for a team that was so talented across the board? One thing we do know, is that Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t have time for your stupid questions.
lmao pic.twitter.com/ZBRu2n5oiv
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 11, 2021
• No bud, you are not on the right path with that. At all. MacKinnon is one of the most talented players in the league and isn’t in a situation where he has to pull the entire weight of the team,. But that still doesn’t mean he’s not taking three-straight losses. in the second round of the postseason any lighter.
MacKinnon: "I'm going into my ninth year next year and haven't won s*it." #Avalanche
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) June 11, 2021
• Now the Semifinals are set with the Golden Knights advancing passed the Avalanche, they will face the Montreal Canadiens in the Semifinals and the New York Islanders take on the defending Champion Tampa Bay Lightning on the other side of the bracket.
The @GoldenKnights will face the @CanadiensMTL in the #StanleyCup Semifinals, marking the first-ever playoff meeting between the clubs.#NHLStats: https://t.co/sF2QnaE6jc pic.twitter.com/BPqFv1JiaV
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• Talk about new kids on the block, right?
• With the Avalanche losing, none of the Divisional winners this season made it passed the second round and two four-seeds are in the Semifinal with the Canadiens and the Islanders.
The lower seed has won 9 of 12 series so far. The highest the higher seed can finish in these playoffs is .500.
— Steve “Dangle” Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) June 11, 2021
• While they are not the technical “Conference Finals” of a normal Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Semifinal round-winners will still get to touch or not touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and the Prince of Wales Trophy before moving on to the Stanley Cup Final.
The #StanleyCup Semifinals are set.
In addition to a spot in the Stanley Cup Final, the winner of the @GoldenKnights vs. @CanadiensMTL series will claim the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, while the @NYIslanders and @TBLightning will battle for the Prince of Wales Trophy. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/l8tMHf1yaz
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• The Semifinals will begin this weekend on Sunday with the Islanders taking on the Lightning in Tampa Bay for Game One of their series, and the Canadiens and Golden Knights getting underway on Monday night in Las Vegas.
• Find the full broadcast schedule here:
Semifinals schedules: pic.twitter.com/Nd6AbcKbjy
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 11, 2021
• The only game of the Stanley Cup Semifinals that will be on National TV (NBC) in the States is Sunday afternoon’s Game One between the Islanders and Lightning. No primetime games on the big network.
• With that being said, we are sad today, too.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 11, 2021
• In coaching news form the NHL today, the Jack Adams Award Finalists were announced today for NHL coach of the Year.
Rod Brind'Amour (@Canes), Dean Evason (@mnwild) and Joel Quenneville (@FlaPanthers) are the finalists for the 2020-21 Jack Adams Award. https://t.co/OqRZCbKkMk #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/gCxRsyTg6u
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2021
• Hard to argue against these finalists. Personally would love to see Dean Evason win, but also how do you root against Coach Q?
• While there isn’t NHL Playoff hockey today, the ECHL Playoffs continue for the Kelly Cup with the Indy Fuel taking on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the first round.
• Indy last Games One and Two of the series, falling behind 0-2 in the best-of-five opening round.
It's all on the line tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/OxftOpx3uK
— Indy Fuel (@IndyFuel) June 11, 2021
• Game Three is tonight at 6:05 p.m. CT in Greenville, South Carolina.
• In other ECHL news, the league is expanding with the addition of a new team in Quebec next season. Yesterday we found out the new team’s name and logo. The name, Lions, not so crazy. The logo though…
BREAKING NEWS: The new #ECHL team in Trois-Rivières, Quebec will be known as the Lions. pic.twitter.com/uBxMGYhSkc
— ECHL Week (@ECHLWeek) June 10, 2021
• I love it. I would like to think with that logo and a Grey and Blue color scheme, the sweaters will be just as impressive!
• Staying with the Blackhawks organizational news, 11 years ago today was a perfect day for a bus trip downtown…
11 years ago today, the #Blackhawks 2010 #StanleyCup parade heads through the streets of Chicago!
(🎥: @NHLBlackhawks) pic.twitter.com/dcgTVjnOj8— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) June 11, 2021
• The first of three Stanley Cup parades through the streets of Chicago for the Blackhawks in the One Goal dynasty era. Unfortunately, I was not able to get down to the City that day but it was incredible to watch on TV from home. Memories of Patrick Kane shouting “Chicagooooooo,” Duncan Keith’s speech while missing seven teeth, and Kris Versteeg’s rap are etched in my brain forever. I’m just glad they were able to do it twice more and I was able to get to one in 2013. More on that later this month.
• Yesterday, you were all put on alert for some big news when it came to team additions.
👀 Source: Big transaction news expected tomorrow 👀
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) June 10, 2021
• Well, if you missed the news this morning, our team (Team Tirabassi) will be adding a new member just in time for next hockey season…
Team Tirabassi is adding a new skater!
Consider yourselves put on notice @BadgerWHockey (2040) and @NWHL (2044)!
I guess #IsItOctoberYet will have a new meaning this year…#BabyGirlT #GirlDad pic.twitter.com/IPpRoIBnHM
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) June 11, 2021
• Yup, new Girl Dad energy over here! My wife and I are happy to be welcoming our first baby girl this October! Mom and Baby are doing just fine. Dad is doing well, too, but that’s secondary to them. Thank you to everyone for their well wishes, support, and congratulations today and through this process. Cannot wait to meet her!
• That’ll do it for today. TGIF Friday!
