NEW YORK (June 3, 2022) – Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is the 2021-22 recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” The award was presented by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) to honor the late Bill Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited those qualities. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of an on-ice injury. Price made his 2021-22 debut for the Canadiens, his 15th season in Montreal, on April 15, lifting the entire organization. “There’s just a presence when you have a guy like that in the dressing room. I know his calmness, his preparation, his work ethic. Sometimes Carey doesn’t need to speak to lead. And I feel that," head coach Martin St. Louis told The Athletic. The franchise's all-time leader for games and wins by a goaltender, the 34-year-old had undergone knee surgery in July 2021 following the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final. He also spent time away from the team while voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. "This is definitely tough," Price said, "but I've always been a fighter and I've always been a clawer so I'm not giving up. So I'm going to continue to do my best to prepare for next season." A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner. Other finalists for this year’s honor were Zdeno Chara of the New York Islanders and Kevin Hayes of the Philadelphia Flyers. For more on the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, including a list of past winners, click here. Breakdown of the voting is below.

via the NHL PR department, LIGHTNING LOOK TO STRIKE EVEN, RANGERS AIM TO KEEP ROLLING AT HOME After falling to New York in Game 1, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning will look to bounce back Friday at Madison Square Garden while the Rangers aim to extend their home winning streak to eight contests.' * Tampa Bay has gone on to win a Conference Finals/Stanley Cup Semifinals series after dropping Game 1 twice in franchise history – the Lightning did so in 2015 versus the Rangers and in 2021 against the Islanders. Tampa Bay owns an all-time record of 15-5 in the game immediately following a loss during a Conference Finals/Stanley Cup Semifinals, including a perfect 5-0 mark since 2020. * The Rangers, whose only loss at Madison Square Garden during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs was a triple-overtime defeat in Game 1 of the First Round, will look to extend their franchise-record postseason home winning streak and become the first team with a run of eight or more contests since the Kings in 2013 (8-0). Mika Zibanejad (5-6—11 in 8 GP) and Adam Fox (3-8—11 in 8 GP) have each amassed a team-leading 11 points at Madison Square Garden this postseason, with the latter finding the score sheet in all eight home games contested by the Rangers.

from Dan Rosen of NHL.com, The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to extend one of the most impressive streaks in the NHL by winning their 18th straight game following a loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The Rangers won Game 1, 6-2, at the Garden on Wednesday. But Tampa Bay has not lost back-to-back games in the playoffs since getting swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round in 2019, going 17-0 in games following a loss since 2020. "We as a group are pretty good as self-correcting and guys, they take losses personal," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Thursday. "[Wednesday] night especially, as deep as we are right now and kind of the way the score got out of hand, it affects the guys. But I give them credit, they self-correct. They know what works for us and what doesn't and clearly saw what didn't work for us [Wednesday] night. I can't guarantee the result, obviously, but I expect better from us." The Rangers are ahead in a best-of-7 series for the first time this postseason. They were down 1-0 and later 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before coming back to win in seven games. They were down 2-0 and 3-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round but responded to win that series in seven games, too. continued

from Arthur Staple of The Athletic, Jacob Trouba has left a lot of soreness in his wake this postseason. Angry Penguins and Hurricanes fans. Sidney Crosby missing a game and a half after what was deemed an accidental high hit in Game 5 of the opening round, changing the course of that series. Hurricanes rookie Seth Jarvis saying he was still “in a fog” Thursday at Carolina’s breakup day, three days after Trouba threw what was also deemed a legal hit — but one that left Jarvis concussed and, in the immediate aftermath, left the Hurricanes on a penalty kill in Game 7 when they took a too-many-men minor as Jarvis tried woozily to crawl to the bench. Much of this hasn’t gone over very well in the 2020s NHL, where we have to reconcile increased attention on the long-term effects of head injuries with a sport that is still physical and can legally still be violent, especially in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. But as Trouba rides the edge of how much damage the league allows a player to inflict, he’s also drawn the admiration of a couple of the biggest hitters of the 1990s and 2000s. continued

NEW YORK (June 3, 2022) – Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian has been fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram during Game 2 of the Western Conference Final in Denver on Thursday, June 2, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 9:38 of the third period. Kassian was assessed a minor penalty for interference. Watch below.

Just south of 4 minutes to watch.  

from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, The Avalanche, now 10-2 in the postseason, is two victories from the Stanley Cup Final and six wins from euphoria. A Canadian center and a goalie from the Czech Republic led the Avs to a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night at Ball Arena. Nazem Kadri’s three assists on Colorado’s three-goal blitz in a span of 2:04 and Pavel Francouz’s 24-save shutout carried the Avs to a dominating 4-0 victory over the highly explosive Edmonton Oilers.... “We definitely cleaned some things up,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Start to finish, more disciplined and stronger as the game went on in our checking game. Guys just really committed to it.”... “We shut them down. I think that was what our group needed,” said Avs defenseman Josh Manson, who scored the second goal. “We talked about it in between (periods) and how we wanted to accomplish it. And so it was good to go and get that result.” read on from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, On the night that Calgary Flames curmudgeonly head coach Darryl Sutter was awarded the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, we offer you this: For the Edmonton Oilers, will this Western Conference Final simply be a waste of eight days? “It’s a series, right? This is how it goes,” countered even-keeled winger Zach Hyman after a 4-0 loss Thursday. “There are momentum swings. It’s a rollercoaster. They defended home ice, so we have an opportunity to go back, feed off our crowd and get the momentum back.” continued Game highlights are below.

Will update when working again. added 9:37pm, All clear.

Can Edmonton get some goaltending and can they stop the Colorado offense? If not, they travel home down 0-2. Darcy Kuemper won't play tonight for the Avs, Pavel Francouz starts in goal

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, - It’s hard to say how long everyone is willing to wait, but several coaching sources said things are gummed up while Barry Trotz’s future unfolds. Trotz has informed interested teams he won’t rush, making sure his next NHL stop is best for him and his family. It’s difficult to predict a timeline. What’s also difficult to predict is how long some of his pursuers wait before asking another date to prom. Some teams aren’t in a huge hurry, as there are a lot of good candidates and not all are available as of yet. Several of them have begun interviewing other potential hires, but I’m not sure anyone is close. I do believe Winnipeg is very, very serious about Trotz, to the point I’m not convinced they’ve done detailed interviews with anyone else. He’s also believed to have communicated with Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia and Vegas. - Florida’s decision is getting closer, but I’d be lying if I said I knew 100 per cent where this is going. I’d be wary of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. - Had heard San Jose talked to agent Allain Roy about its GM opening. He wouldn’t confirm or deny, but said, “My goal is to be the top agent for the next 20 years.” Rangers assistant GM Ryan Martin is also on the radar there. - Strange things happen, but I don’t think anyone’s expecting David Perron to hit the free-agent market. - Per Ron MacLean, this is the first Final Four since 1980 where every team has a number-one pick on its roster. Colorado and Edmonton have two: Erik Johnson (2006, by St. Louis) and Nathan MacKinnon (2013) for the Avalanche; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011) and Connor McDavid (2015) for the Oilers. The Rangers have Alexis Lafreniere (2020) and Tampa, Steven Stamkos (2008). Forty-two years ago, it was Gilbert Perreault (1970, Buffalo); Denis Potvin (1973, Islanders); Mel Bridgman (1975, Philadelphia); and Bobby Smith (1978, Minnesota). more Thoughts

#NYR head coach Gerard Gallant on the possibility of going up 2-0 in the ECF against the Lightning: "I read that they’re 17-0 in games after a loss. It doesn’t matter to me, it really doesn’t. I mean, they didn’t beat us 17 times. They beat other teams." — Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) June 2, 2022

NEW YORK (June 2, 2022) – Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames is the 2021-22 recipient of the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. Sutter was named on 93 of the 121 ballots, including 54 first-place votes, for 353 voting points. Second-place Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers received 31 first-place votes and 249 voting points, while third-place Gerard Gallant of the New York Rangers was the top selection on 12 ballots in collecting 142 points.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, The June 1 deadline to for signing drafted players came and went and with it, the Detroit Red Wings were crossing three names off their list of prospects. The team apparently was making the decison not to tender contracts to defenseman Alex Cotton, forward Otto Kivenmaki and goaltender Jesper Eliasson. continued

* Nazem Kadri collected three second-period points in a span of 2:04 to join some rare Stanley Cup Playoffs lists and help Colorado claim a 2-0 lead in its Western Conference Final series. * Pavel Francouz, who returned to the Avalanche crease this season after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to injury, foiled the Oilers to record his second career playoff shutout and first since the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers Round Robin. * Rollout for the 2022 NHL Awards continued Thursday, with Flames head coach Darryl Sutter voted winner of the Jack Adams Award. * The Lightning will look to even their Eastern Conference Final series with the Rangers, who are 7-0 in their last seven games at Madison Square Garden.  

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, ...But the other side of that coin is taking a chance with an AHL head coach or an NHL assistant who has never got that look yet. Here’s a look at some of those candidates, in no particular order. Derek Lalonde/Jeff Halpern, Lightning assistant coaches: I think there’s a decent chance NHL clubs start exploring Jon Cooper’s coaching tree soon enough and when you talk to people around the league, many feel both Lalonde and Halpern have earned that chance. Although yet another deep playoff run this spring might take them out of some interview opportunities just based on the calendar. That’s the weird thing about the business sometimes. Lalonde was head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild before joining Cooper’s staff in July 2018. He also coached in the ECHL and USHL; the guy has put in his time to be sure. Halpern, the former NHL forward, joined the organization in 2015-16 in player development and joined Cooper’s coaching staff as an assistant in 2018. And while we’re at it, Lightning assistant coach Rob Zettler, former head coach in AHL Syracuse, is also worth mentioning here. He, too, could get a look as NHL clubs attempt to raid the mighty Lightning. That’s what winning does. Spencer Carbery, Maple Leafs assistant coach: The Leafs hired Carbery last July after he was named AHL head coach of the year with Hershey. I’m told the Washington Capitals were ready to pay him a handsome salary — at least AHL-wise — to keep him, but Carbery chose to join Sheldon Keefe’s staff in Toronto and all he did was coach the Leafs’ power play to No. 1 in the NHL. I don’t know if he will get outside calls this summer or not, but when you talk to people around the league, they say it’s only a matter of time. For example, I wonder if Detroit GM Steve Yzerman comes calling as part of his due diligence in his head coaching search … many more ($$$) names...

from Sportsnet, Tempe city council has voted to continue negotiations over a proposal for a new home for the Arizona Coyotes. The vote, which was 5-2, took place at the end of a marathon eight-hour special session held by the city council for the city, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The vote does not signal an approval of the project, but opens the door for further negotiations and public input. "We are extremely pleased that the Tempe City Council has voted to proceed with negotiations on development of the Tempe Entertainment Distract," the Coyotes said in a statement after the vote. "Having heard all the facts, they have recognized the incredible opportunity that this project represents — not only for the Coyotes but also for the City of Tempe. "We look forward to taking the next steps to turn this exciting vision into a reality." continued

Watch time is 11 1/2 minutes.  

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, Detroit Red Wings defense prospect Donovan Sebrango would have just completed his fourth and final junior season under ordinary circumstances. Instead, he already has 96 games of AHL experience at age 20, accelerating his development. Sebrango took another step this past season, playing in 65 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (one goal, six assists). “Donovan’s best characteristics are his competitiveness and his work ethic,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said after the season. “I think that with those two things, he’s got a great future ahead of him. But he has to make sure that this summer is huge for him in strength training. “He’s still a young kid, but at the end of the day, once the puck is dropped, they don’t check birth certificates. You’re competing, whether you’re 19 or 20 or you’re 30 or 31, you’re playing on the same sheet. (Age) is no excuse. He’s got to realize that. He’s going to be better served for being in these situations.” continued from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

* The trio of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko continued to put up points in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and guided the Rangers to victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. * Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox also found the score sheet and each reached the 20-point mark this postseason – a feat only six other Rangers players have accomplished in a single playoff year.  * The 2022 Conference Finals marks the third time in NHL history, and first in 54 years (1968 SF), that both Game 1s of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ final four each featured eight or more combined goals. * After a 14-goal affair in Game 1, the Avalanche and Oilers will hit the ice once again in the Western Conference Final as Cale Makar and Leon Draisaitl look to continue their recent strings of success.  

from Luke Fox pf Sportsnet,  New York Rangers fans needn't look any further than across at the opposing bench to be reminded how an impactful third line can swing a series or — heck, why not dream? — a Stanley Cup run. Yes, the young, cheap trio of Alexis Lafrenière (age 20), Filip Chytil (22), and Kaapo Kakko (20) is growing into the not-so-secret weapon that the Tampa Bay Lightning’s heralded Blake Coleman–Yanni Gourde–Barclay Goodrow triumvirate became during the defending champs’ two-year reign. Tilt the ice. Check hard. Supply great bang for a reasonable buck. And pop up on the scoreboard. "That’s why we’re still here. We’re getting scoring from that line," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant told reporters Wednesday, the night his club decisively swiped Game 1 by a score of 6-2. "If you’re going to advance deep in the playoffs, you need scoring from everybody. And those kids really stepped it up and played good hockey. No doubt." continued Game highlights are below.

from Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, The Lightning have been here before, as recently as a month ago following their lopsided playoff-opening loss to the Maple Leafs. Everyone wondered whether that was the beginning of the end of their Stanley Cup reign, but the Lightning have shown since they have plenty of life left. But how will it end against the Rangers? The Lightning’s 6-2 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final Wednesday night was concerning. After spending the previous six games showing off their defensive mojo, the Lightning didn’t have it in their first game following a nine-day layoff after their second-round sweep of the Panthers. “Too many turnovers, and execution wasn’t there, and we have to respond,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We’ve been in this position before. And I’m confident our group is going to have a much better effort next game.” continued

A series filled with excellent goalies, excellent defensemen but only one team has excellent forwards who have experienced the playoff pressure. Many are saying the Lightning will run out of gas at some point during the playoffs but I don't see that. The Rangers need to knock out the champs, do they have enough to do just that?

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic with some talk on available coaches. Barry Trotz- It’s been well publicized that he met with Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already. The Jets have put on the full-court press to bring the Manitoba native home. I believe he’s also spoken to varying degrees with Philadelphia, Vegas and Detroit. Travis Green- I feel like Dallas, Detroit or Vegas would be good spots for Green. What would appeal to me as an owner or GM of those teams is that experience in a crazy Canadian market like Vancouver has Green pretty much able to handle any kind of location now. LeBrun also mentioned... Jeff Blashill-  “I would say unequivocally I’m a better coach today than I was seven years ago just because of the experience that I was able to gain through lots of different circumstances in Detroit,” Blashill told The Athletic this week. “I think when you go through the types of years that we went through, you either grow and, if you choose to, you can grow a lot. “And I certainly felt like, and I feel today, that I gained a lot of knowledge through those experiences. So, I’m excited to see what the future holds, excited to see what opportunities are available. I love coaching. I love having an impact on teams, an impact on players. Just look forward to whatever the next opportunity is.” I believe a few teams have put Blashill on their radar, perhaps not top of list, but I think he’s going to hear from some of them. more coaches...

from Joe Smitgh of The Athletic, “Game on.” That’s exactly what Andrei Vasilevskiy said he thought after watching the Rangers beat the Hurricanes in Game 7 Monday night. It’s also the approach as Vasilevskiy heads into the highly-anticipated showdown with Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, the likely Vezina Trophy winner, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, which begins Wednesday. Vasilevskiy is the standard-bearer, one of the best all time when it comes to the playoffs. “He’s the best goalie in the world right now,” Shesterkin said. “It will be a battle.” Vasilevskiy has been the main trump card, the equalizer as the Lightning go for a historic three-peat. How Shesterkin performs will go a long way in determining whether the Rangers can end Tampa Bay’s reign. “He’s the only guy going that can stand toe to toe with (Vasilevskiy),” said Ray Ferraro, the former NHLer and current analyst for ESPN. “He’s incredible. He’s so fast. He reads the play well. Even with all these acrobatic saves he makes, most of the time the puck hits him in the chest. He’s in position all the time. He handles the puck really well. continued (paid)

A bit over five minutes to watch.  

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, The Detroit Red Wings have decisions to make about who may play for their Grand Rapids Griffins farm team next season.  Detroit fans certainly understand that goalie Sebastian Cossa is ticketed for Grand Rapids. Defenseman Albert Johansson could end up there, although the Red Wings and their fans hope he is playing in Detroit. But other personnel decisions are less obvious. Will the Red Wings make a qualifying offer to Chase Pearson? How about goalie Victor Brattstrom? Riley Barber isn’t signed yet. Will he get re-signed? Under American Hockey League rules,  teams can only use six veteran players in every game.  To qualify as a veteran, a player must play in 261 or more games in the NHL, AHL and European Elite Leagues and be least 25 years old. AHL teams may dress no more than six veterans each game, not including goalies. continued

from Michael Traikos of the National Post, When Adam Fox took a drop pass from Alexis Lafreniere and buried it for the first goal in a second-round series-clinching win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, it was yet another example of the youth movement that has helped propel the New York Rangers to the doorstep of the Stanley Cup final. As they keep proving over and over again, the kids are all right — if not drastically underpaid. Fox, who leads all defencemen in the playoffs with 18 points in 14 games, is 24 years old. Lafreniere, who has two goals and seven points, is only 20. Five others on the Rangers are 24 or younger. That’s another way of saying that the window on winning is far from closing for a team that only two years ago landed the No. 1 overall pick in Lafreniere. But from a purely financial perspective, New York’s chances of winning may never be as open as it is right now. After all, aside from their collective ages, the numbers worth paying attention to when it comes to the Rangers are the ones that are preceded by a dollar sign. continued

MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Wednesday that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with head coach Martin St-Louis (2022-23 to 2024-25). St-Louis officially becomes the 32nd head coach in franchise history. St-Louis, 46, was named interim head coach on February 9, 2022, taking over from Dominique Ducharme. Under his leadership, the Canadiens posted a 14-19-4 record. "We are happy to officially appoint Martin as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens," said general manager Kent Hughes. "Martin is a proven leader, a great communicator with a deep understanding of and passion for the game of hockey. His arrival brought a renewed energy to our group, and we look forward to him returning behind the bench to continue guiding our team for the foreseeable future."

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, This was fun. Just not the kind of fun the Edmonton Oilers were hoping to have. This was Space Mountain without a seatbelt, a New York cab ride with a blindfold on, a trip down the backside at Lake Louise on a toboggan, as the Oilers faced off in the Colorado zone with 90 seconds left, their goalie pulled in a 7-6 game. It was great theatre — legendary! — that ended in an 8-6 Colorado victory. There, we’ve said it. But here’s the stark reality, folks: When the game was in the balance, the Edmonton Oilers could not defend the Colorado Avalanche, they could not skate with the Colorado Avalanche, and they could not keep the puck out of their net against this Avalanche team that the Oilers caught up to only after the score effects set in. The Oilers got their heinies kicked here, good and proper, on their first trip to a Western Conference Final since 2006. But there is an alternate reality: Edmonton lost Game 1 against Los Angles and Calgary earlier this spring, and won both of those series. Of course, that means nothing on this stage. continued

from Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, “Greed — for lack of a better word — is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit …” You’re a Rangers fan, flush with the kind of success that’s only been a rumor (or a visitor to Long Island) these past few years. You have spent a month on pins and needles, enduring two seven-game gauntlets, the first of which ended in overtime glory, the second in a bludgeoning of a team formerly unchallenged on home ice. You are grateful for the run, gleeful for the ride. But you also approve every word — every syllable — of Gordon Gekko’s treatise on more, more, more, always wanting more. This isn’t your first Stanley Cup dance. You know there’s nothing quite like the obstacle course hockey players put themselves through to determine who gets to pass the Cup around come summer, so you also know something else: The job isn’t close to being done. The job, in fact, is only half done. continued

* The highly-anticipated series opener between the Avalanche and Oilers lived up to the hype as the teams combined for 14 goals – the most in a Conference Finals game in 37 years – with at least three goals in every period, a 7-3 lead reduced to 7-6 in the third period and 25 players finding the score sheet. * Cale Makar factored on three of Colorado’s franchise-record tying eight goals to register his fourth three-point outing in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Only two defensemen in NHL history have notched more in a single postseason. * The Oilers duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continued to pile up the points this postseason, joining elite company in the process and the latter adding yet another NHL-first to his 2022 playoff resume. * A pair of Norris Trophy winners will take to the ice for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final when Adam Fox and the Rangers host Victor Hedman and the Lightning.   

If you like goals, watch the 8-6 win. If you like defense, move on.  

This is your place to discuss the game tonight or anything NHL related. Many expect a high scoring series and it should be an enjoyable one to watch featuring Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Jakub Vrana scored 21 goals in his first 37 games as a Red Wing player over two seasons.  That’s a  pace of 45.9 goals per an 82-game season. The Red Wings aren’t expecting that many goals. They would be happy if Vrana was a consistent goal scorer in the 25-plus range every season. His release is quick enough to be a premium scorer and he can launch his rocket in heavy traffic. “He’s as good a goal-scorer as I’ve been around,” former Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “And I’ve been around some great, great players. The new NHL coach will undoubtedly change Detroit’s line combinations. All we know for sure is that Vrana will be in the top six and likely will be on the top power play unit. Vrana has been with the team for parts of two seasons, but fans and teammates don’t know yet what it’s like to have him for a full season. There was plenty of discussion among fans last season about whether the season would have been different had he been healthy all year. “Just the way he can turn a nothing play into something,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “… He’s a true sniper. It’s nice to have that. He seems to really like playing at home and that’s big for our team….He wants to prove something for his team and league.” more

from TSN, The NHL's Western Conference Final begins Tuesday night in Denver as the Colorado Avalanche host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1.  This seven-game series will feature tremendous firepower, highlighted by arguably the two most exciting players in the game today in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Not to mention the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar.  "It's going to be exciting," Avs general manager Joe Sakic told the media on Monday. "They got some world class players there. Two of the best in the game. So do we. Both teams have great depth up and down the lineup that have gotten contributions. I just think for the league, if you're a fan of the game you're going to enjoy this series."  The stats give hockey fans plenty of reasons to be excited as well.  For the first time in 34 years, and just the fifth time in history, a final-four matchup in the Stanley Cup playoffs will feature two teams with a goals-per-game average of 4.3 or higher. Colorado sits at 4.3 while the Oilers are scoring 4.33 goals per game this spring in the playoffs.  This year's Western Final also marks the first time in Stanley Cup playoffs history that a series will feature the top four active skaters on the career playoff points-per-game list with a minimum of 30 games played.  continued