Monday was a quiet day on the National Hockey League calendar. There weren’t any playoff games to watch, so fans who needed their fix turned their attention to the World Championship games in Finland. Or they watched baseball. Or maybe went for a nice walk.
Tuesday, however, gets the postseason back in action. At 6 PM CT, the Lightning cross Alligator Alley to take on the Panthers (game is on TNT) in the first Eastern Conference semi-final. The nightcap features the Blues in Denver to face the Avalanche at approx. 8:30 PM CT (also on TNT). We’ll have a preview of the four series coming later today.
• The Blackhawks’ top forward prospect, Lukas Reichel, celebrates his 20th birthday today. The Hawks made Reichel the 17th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft and burned the first year of his entry-level contract this season; he picked up one assist in 11 NHL appearances. He did, however, lead the IceHogs with 57 points in 56 games.
• Chicago’s new front office brain trust met with some media members on Monday and discussed a wide variety of topics. Of note, the Hawks aren’t sprinting to hire a new head coach — and aren’t feeling any pressure with seasoned veterans like Barry Trotz and Pete DeBoer being available and other jobs like Vegas opening up.
Blackhawks in No Hurry to Hire A New Head Coachhttps://t.co/Px3TSaOH8r pic.twitter.com/6HFE2urdMP
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) May 16, 2022
• Former Blackhawks’ first-round pick Kevin Hayes is one of the three finalists for the Bill Masteron Memorial Trophy this year. Hayes battled through a series of injuries this season while dealing with the heart breaking, sudden loss of his brother and former Blackhawks forward Jimmy.
Zdeno Chara (@NYIslanders), Kevin Hayes (@NHLFlyers) and Carey Price (@CanadiensMTL) are the three finalists for the 2021-22 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. https://t.co/RyFW1S9gdA #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/0KxVXUUC3e
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 16, 2022
• The end of the postseason for the Leafs was an emotional one. But nobody deserves to be the victim of violence. On Tuesday morning, the Leafs confirmed that forward Mitch Marner was the carjacked. Marner was unharmed in the incident but that sucks.
We can confirm Mitch Marner was the unfortunate victim of a carjacking in Etobicoke on Monday evening. He was unharmed in the incident and the Club & Mitch are thankful for Toronto Police Services’ support. Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Toronto Police Services.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) May 17, 2022
• USA Hockey’s adventure at the World Championship hit a speed bump on Monday against Finland. The US lost 4-1 with the only goal coming from Alex Galchenyuk. Here’s a look at the standings after Monday’s games:
Here are the standings after day four at 2022 #IIHFWorlds.👀 pic.twitter.com/WA98t2muaL
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 16, 2022
• Willson Contreras made a big noise last night. His 100th career home run was worth four on the scoreboard as the Cubs blew out the Bucs.
Willson Contreras Puts the Cubs Up 8-0 with a First Inning GRAND SLAM! – https://t.co/YMIR3X1v0H (via BN)
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 17, 2022