A somber and happy Memorial Day to all. On the holiday weekend, we dug into the Pittsburgh Penguins report card and delivered a few grades to the goaltenders, as well as the weighty future implications of those grades. Elsewhere, the Vegas Golden Knights stunned, shocked, and gobsmacked everyone with five unanswered goals and a dandy of a comeback win to claim a 3-0 series lead over the Colorado Avalanche. The Toronto Marlies will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL Eastern Conference Final after Easton Cowan scored a goal with just 12 seconds remaining. And some RFA offer sheet speculation is credibly percolating.
So, a Swede won the Indy 500. I really hated how the race stewards bunched the cars for a one lap shootout with a phantom yellow, but one of the best cars won, which was good enough for me. Social media was abuzz throughout the race–it felt like a lot of people were watching with me this year (instead of just me tweeting into the void), but I also wonder if Felix Rosenqvist’s his pre-race meal included onions, pasta, and ketchup?
And if you turned on the NASCAR race at 6 p.m. I understand if you, like me, had to turn it off for a while. The close-ups of Kyle Busch’s family in emotional distress were a bit too much for me personally, and the lengthy camera isolations simultaneously felt a bit exploitative by ESPN. They weren’t necessary. The poor kid is 11 years old. Zoom out, damnit.
So, let’s do that hockey.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Big personalities, big trades, and a big future. Interestingly, the goalie we graded the highest probably won’t be with the team in the fall. It’s a big report card we dished on the goaltenders and the implications for the Penguins future.
Just 12 seconds left to go. Ouch. The Toronto Marlies and Cleveland Monsters were tied 2-2 late in the third period of their deciding Game 5 until Easton Cowan got a gift in front. A fanned shot glided right to Cowan on the side of the crease for the winner. The fluky goal broke Cleveland hearts, but means it’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Toronto in the ECF.
Here is the ECF schedule and how to buy tickets if you want to make the trip east to Wilkes-Barre, or if you’re headed to Toronto for a day on the lake and a night of hockey.
I’m not sure what I’m doing yet. The games themselves don’t matter as much as the prospects’ performance. I may watch the first couple online. The series format is a 2-3-2.
Maybe a run up to Detroit for the free Indy car practice session Saturday and over to Toronto for the game Monday? That sounds like fun. If you need any hotel recommendations in Toronto or Wilkes-Barre, lemme know.
As for the food, I can help in Toronto. Wilkes-Barre … not so much.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Colorado led 3-0 in the first period, but their heads hung low after allowing five unanswered goals for a 5-3 loss in Game 3, which gives Vegas a 3-0 series lead. Yeah, it’s all but over.
You can also check out Colby Armstrong on Sportsnet breaking down the series.
Colorado Hockey Now: It was a gut punch, a sucker punch, and then a swift kick to the nether regions. As Aarif Deen writes, they just keep finding ways to lose. It’s bleak–really bleak–for the Colorado Avalanche.
I could see Colorado trading away one of their goalies in the offseason. They’ve lost the goalie battle.
Philly Hockey Now: Will James has begun his draft prep with some focus on the Philly Flyers. And since the Flyers have the pick ahead of the Penguins, this applies to the Penguins as well. Will rolls through his top three centers and those who could be in the Flyers’ range in the 2026 NHL Draft.
New Jersey Hockey Now: It is difficult when a team’s heritage sweaters absolutely stink. The Devils’ old green and red don’t exactly fly off the shelves or appear in rap videos. However, more info is leaking about the coming New Jersey Devils remix jersey.
So, is that what we’re doing now? A new alternate sweater every year? That seems like it will shove fans away from them, not toward them. If you’re going to drop a few Benjamins, don’t you want to wear it for more than one year?
Boston Hockey Now: Pavel Zacha on the NHL trade block? He could be a budget option in Kyle Dubas’s chase for a later 20s impact player, yes? Jack Studley writes that the decision isn’t necessarily immediate, but it is looming and the Boston Bruins have to make a choice.
The Athletic ($): I’ve been more focused on dissecting the Penguins’ trade situations, but the Athletic dug into some plausible RFA scenarios that could see players on the move. Of course, it seems every seasons, we lay out RFAs and none move, but this time players such as Mavrik Bourque could be low hanging fruit to steal.
Detroit Hockey Now: Trade targets in the Motor City. Oh, Steve Yzerman has some heavy work ahead because if he were not a franchise legend, he’d likely be on the spit getting roasted. Bob Duff circles THE biggest trade need: centers. And Duffer has some Red Wings trade targets in mind.
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