from Joe Warmngton o the Toronto Sun, Grapes on a comeback to Hockey Night in Canada? While “I do miss Coach’s Corner and going down there on Saturday nights,” it’s unlikely because “the truth is people are afraid of me.” He said with today’s TV, “you have to get along with people, and you say the right thing,” and “I don’t.” That’s why so many people watched. What Cherry brought has not been replaced. People in sports bars don’t turn up the volume anymore during the first intermission. Grapes on possibility of he and Ron MacLean patching things up? Cherry said while he doesn’t harbour any animosity, “I don’t think I could ever forget, though. I don’t think we will ever be friends again.” more, including the state of the Leafs...

via the NHL Pr Department, 328 – Number of goals scored in the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Only four opening rounds in NHL history have featured more: 1988 Division Semifinals (370), 1992 Division Semifinals (358), 1991 Division Semifinals (335) and 1995 Conference Quarterfinals (333). 51 – Games in the 2022 First Round, tied with the 1991 Division Semifinals (51) for the second most in a round trailing only the 1992 Division Semifinals (54). 37 – Percentage of games in which the winning team overcame a deficit. There were five multi-goal comeback wins and one three-goal comeback win. Only four opening rounds in the past 26 years witnessed more multi-goal comeback wins: 2014 First Round (10), 2017 First Round (9), 2020 First Round (7) and 2013 Conference Quarterfinals (6).

* The Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs starts Tuesday as the Lightning-Panthers and Blues-Avalanche open their second head-to-head series in as many years. * Jonathan Huberdeau and Nikita Kucherov combined for 21 points in the last “Sunshine State” series, while standout performers from the 2022 First Round Carter Verhaeghe and Nicholas Paul will meet again in the playoffs after squaring off at the junior level nearly a decade ago. * Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar look to lead Colorado to its eighth straight postseason win against St. Louis, while former Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly can match the Blues franchise record for longest playoff goal streak. * Wednesday will feature the Rangers-Hurricanes opening the first best-of-seven series between the franchises as well as the Oilers-Flames contesting the first “Battle of Alberta” playoff game in over 31 years.  

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed right wing Pontus Andreasson to a one-year contract.   Andreasson, 23, recently completed his first season with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League, ranking among the SHL’s rookie leaders with 18 goals (2nd), 20 assists (T1st), 38 points (2nd), five power play goals (2nd), 13 power play points (2nd), 22 penalty minutes (2nd), a plus-19 rating (1st), and 15:30 average time on ice (6th). The 5-foot-10, 183-pound forward also recorded 13 points (8-5-13) in 13 postseason contests, helping Lulea reach the SHL playoff finals.

And so am I.  My mind needs to get away from hockey for a night, my body needs a comfy recliner. See you in the morning unless we have breaking news tonight.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, This is eight seasons for Shanahan on the job, with his hand-picked general manager Kyle Dubas and the GM’s hand-picked coach Sheldon Keefe. In sports, that’s a lifetime on the job. In those eight seasons, six of them in the playoffs, one of them bottoming out which brought them, Auston Matthews, they are one of just five teams in the NHL to not have won a playoff series in that time. Toronto. New Jersey, Detroit. Los Angeles. Seattle. This is the company the Leafs now find themselves among. New Jersey won a bunch of Stanley Cups years ago. The Red Wings had an amazing run of championships and near championships. The Kings won two just before Shanahan was hired. As also-ran go, the Leafs are in their own territory.... A team with an owner would be firing somebody this week because that’s what owners tend to do. They act emotionally. They hear fans. They don’t always do the right thing. And sometimes an owner says to his president, you have to fire your general manager, and the president says no. And the owner counters with, okay, then I’m firing you. And maybe the owner is firing the GM. And maybe that means the coach is going too. The difficulty in all this is that Shanahan has positioned the Leafs to succeed, except when it matters most. Dubas has done some fine work, only the teams he has built haven’t won a thing. Keefe has an amazing regular-season record as coach, but a .421 record in the post-season. more

Hearing Peter DeBoer out in Vegas — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 16, 2022 added 12:05pm, VEGAS (May 16, 2022) - Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced today, May 16, changes to the team's coaching staff: Pete DeBoer has been relieved of his coaching duties. "We would like to thank Pete DeBoer for his commitment to the Vegas Golden Knights over the past three seasons," said Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon. "Since joining the organization, Pete and his staff have guided us through some of the most unique and challenging circumstances we've witnessed since our franchise entered the NHL. After lengthy discussions over the last two weeks, we believe that a new coach will put us in the best position to succeed next season."

from Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Penguins have been the gold standard for the NHL over the past decade and half, but it seems like that run is over now and it is time to retool. There is a new ownership group and it seems eager to put its own front office in place. That probably means the end for Brian Burke as team president and perhaps even the end of Ron Hextall’s run as general manager. Those two things may not happen, but it sure seems like they are on the table. Mike Sullivan appears to be safe for now, but in the volatile world of hockey coaching, who knows? We have seen plenty of Stanley Cup-winning coaches fired in the past, and while Sullivan is one of the best in the business, he hasn’t had his magic touch in the last four playoff series. Malkin, Letang and Bryan Rust are all probably going to be priced out of town, as all three are free agents and will come with a hefty price tag. Maybe one of them takes a hometown discount to stay with the Penguins, but that seems like a long shot. They have all won Stanley Cups, so there is no need for them to go championship hunting and take lesser deals, which is why I expect at least two of them to be gone. The Penguins also have to make decisions about Rickard Rakell, Danton Heinen, Evan Rodrigues, Casey DeSmith, Brian Boyle and Kaspari Kapanen. more

Almost 5 1/2 minutes long.  

#Isles News: The New York Islanders announced today that Lane Lambert has been named Head Coach. — New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 16, 2022

NEW YORK (May 16, 2022) – New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price are the three finalists for the 2021-22 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey,” the National Hockey League announced today. The local chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) submitted nominations for the Masterton Trophy after the conclusion of the regular season and the top three vote-getters were designated as finalists. The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced. Following are the finalists for the Masterton Trophy, in alphabetical order: