Stanley Cup Final
Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
- Detroit played extremely well at five-on-five last night. However, the team needs to solve its penalty killing problems, writes David Shoalts. Mitch Albom believes last night’s game turned when Pittsburgh scored its second goal. Bob Wojnowski thinks the Wings let a great chance slip away. Marian Hossa wasn’t cheered on Tuesday, but it wasn’t as harsh a reception as anticipated. You may see Darren McCarty on television being interviewed but his name won’t be on the Cup if the Wings win this time around, explains Bob Duff.
- The Penguins were due for some bounces to go their way, and they did last night, writes Joe Starkey. Penalty killing has been a problem for Detroit, and the power play has been a strength for Pittsburgh, explains Dave Molinari. After three assists last night, it is fair to say that Evgeni Malkin is making up for his poor performance in last year’s Final. With Game 4 up next, now the series gets serious and it is going to be up to the superstars to decide who wins, explains Mike Prisuta. Marian Hossa wasn’t exactly welcomed back to the Mellon Arena last night.
Teams that are not in the playoffs
- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe has the details of David Krejci’s contract extension. (Writer’s note: I feel like Chiarelli did very well in these negotiations. By maybe even that second year, Krejci could prove to be a very big bargain.)
- The Stars have signed two goalies in their system to one-year, two-way deals.
- With a new owner coming to town, Greg Cote of the Miami Herald says nothing can be worse than the Alan Cohen era. Here are more details on the proposed sale.
- Head shots? What head shots? Read Brian Burke’s take on this situation.
- Pending unrestricted free agent John Madden says there has been no contact between him and the Devils.
- Looking for hints of which way Islanders GM Garth Snow is leaning for the number one pick? Well, he’s not giving any. Meanwhile, here is the latest on the Islanders’ Lighthouse project. (Writer’s note: If you have any questions on either Islanders topic, send it into our mailbag because we are scheduled to have Greg Logan of Newsday on the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show tonight.)
- The renovations scheduled for Madison Square Garden have been pushed back to 2012.
- Former Rangers broadcaster and current Blues executive John Davidson has been selected to receive the Foster Hewwitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. (Writer’s note: He’s done a terrific job in St. Louis but he is definitely missed in the broadcast booth.) “It’s a tad overwhelming,” said Davidson.
- Comcast Cable has come to an agreement with the NHL Network.
- The Lightning have begun the search for a new assistant coach.
- Speaking of the Lightning, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun says Vincent Lecavalier is readily available via trade.
- In Toronto, the Leafs are expecting a visit from highly-coveted free agent netminder Jonas Gustavsson within the next two weeks.
- One of the proposed owners of the Habs, wishes Bob Gainey had waited some time before selecting his new coach.
The Coyotes situation
- Here are a club official’s reasons as to why NHL hockey does not work in Phoenix.
- June 9 is the important date coming up.
- If the Coyotes do move to Hamilton, Balsillie’s group assumes they’d be playing in the Western Conference.
- Apparently Jim Balsillie has 22 letters of reference.
- John Davidson says Balsillie should follow the rules.
- Is Balsillie’s offer not actually $212 million?
- How are the Coyotes going to rebuild the team’s name if they stay in the desert?
AHL Calder Cup Final
- A late goal from Jason Jaffray allowed the Manitoba Moose to split the first two games of the Calder Cup Final with three games in Hershey on the horizon. “That’s the biggest goal I’ve ever scored,” said Jaffray after last night’s contest, in which he scored a hat trick. Cory Schneider was very sharp last night, writes Randy Turner. Alain Vigneault was at the MTS Centre last night to watch the Moose play and talked about his time in Manitoba.
**Remember that tonight is the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show from 7pm to 9pm Central Time. Our guests are: Bob Duff (Windsor Star), Greg Logan (Newsday) and George Richards (Miami Herald).**
