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Maple Leafs may make lineup switch for Game 6

DraftKings Nation

The Toronto Maple Leafs missed out on their first of three opportunities to send the Tampa Bay Lightning home for an early summer in last night’s Game 5 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Tampa Bay rebounded from an early deficit on the scoreboard with three straight tallies and held on for what would eventually be a 4-2 triumph, sending the series back to Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena for Game 6. 

The Maple Leafs underwent a lineup change with the suspension of feisty forward Michael Bunting for elbowing Tampa’s Erik Cernak in the head midway through Game 1; Bunting was banned for three games, while Cernak has yet to return to action. Bunting was essentially replaced in the lineup by rookie Matthew Knies, who has played very well in his first NHL postseason. 

However, it sounds as though Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe could be considering re-inserting Bunting into the lineup based on comments that he made earlier today.

“He’d bring energy,” Keefe said of Bunting. “In both how he plays and also the fact he hasn’t played. As the series goes on, it weighs on everybody, the grind that it is. So having a guy who hasn’t played (since Game 1) come in can give us a boost.” 

Bunting appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Leafs this season, scoring 23 goals while adding 26 assists. Game 6 between the Lightning and Maple Leafs will be tomorrow night starting at 7:00 PM EST. 

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Report: Flames could ditch Darryl Sutter!

Sportsnet

It’s been no secret that there was rift between several Calgary Flames players and old school head coach Darryl Sutter this season, and it spilled over into more than one public back and forth. Of course, the most notable examples came from forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, both of whom are first player players under Sutter’s defense-first system. It wasn’t exactly surprising to see their offensive numbers considerably dropping as they get used to a new playing style.

And despite the fact that Sutter had recently inked a multi-year contract, it now appears as though there’s a chance he could be on the way out of town. Take a look at what Evan Renaerts had to say on Twitter earlier this afternoon: 

“Calgary #Flames will likely go a different direction next year and buy out #Sutter (regardless that he signed for 2 more years at $4M per) . Players have shared on exit interviews their concerns is being reported. Hard to see flames buying him out but may have no other choice. Only time will tell.”

Sutter and the rest of the Flames missed the postseason, further fueling speculation of a chance behind the bench in favor of a more modern-thinking head coach. 

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Ottawa Senators could soon have new ownership

The Mirror

Get ready Senators fans, because it looks as though the franchise is about to have a new ownership group led by Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group led by real estate mogul Christopher Bratty. The bid is worth a reported $1 billion, which would set the new record for the largest franchise sale in NHL history. 

According to a report from The Ottawa Sun:

”League sources told Postmedia Friday the Markham-based group, led by Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds and real estate magnate Christopher Bratty, is prepared to bid more than $1 billion (all figures U.S.) to buy the Senators and the Canadian Tire Centre.”

As Postmedia reported Sunday, New York-based banker Galatioto Sports Partners, who has been hired by the Melnyk family to sell the team, has set May 15 as the deadline for final binding bids.”

Reynolds himself attended many home Senators games this season, and has also held meetings with the the National Capital Commission as well as Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe. 

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Fleury shares sad update on his future after being eliminated in Game 6.

NHL

The Minnesota Wild were eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention on Friday night, and although there will be plenty of discussion about how things went down in this series, we’ll table that discussion for another time. That’s because on Friday night, following the Wild’s elimination at the hands of the Dallas Stars, many fans were openly wondering about the future of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury remains under contract with the Wild for the 2023-24 NHL season, having signed a two year deal with the Wild in the summer of 2022, but is coming off a rather underwhelming season by his standards. Fleury was just OK during the regular season with a 2.85 goals against average and a .908 save percentage, but even those underwhelming numbers fell off a cliff come the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Fleury recorded a brutal 7.00 goals against average and a .774 save percentage in his lone start in Game 2, and although he would appear once more in relief of Filip Gustavsson he finished the 2023 playoffs with a 5.48 goals against average and a .811 save percentage.

On Friday, following the conclusion of Game 6 and his team’s outster from the playoffs, Fleury appeared to admit that all of this had taken a toll on him when he openly spoke about the end of his career in the NHL.

“That might be it,” said Fleury of playing out the final year of his contract.

It’s not hard to see why such a poor season would take a toll on a proud Stanley Cup champion like Fleury, but hopefully a more successful campaign in the 2023-24 season will leave the usually jovial netminder feeling rejuvenated.

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Jim Montgomery hints at major change for Game 7

NBC Sports

For the second straight game, the Boston Bruins have been unable to punch their ticket to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their opponent in the Florida Panthers absolutely refuse to lay down, and have forced what just about everyone prior to the beginning of the series never thought was possible – a Game 7.

It was gritty forward Matthew Tkachuk who vowed after his overtime game winning goal in Game 5 at TD Garden that he and his teammates would be back for a winner-take-all Game 7, and his prediction has come to pass. Tkachuk scored two more goals and added an assist in what was an absolutely wild affair tonight at FLA Live Arena, a 7-5 final score to ensure that this series will be going the distance. 

The Bruins, who won an NHL-record 65 games during the regular season, looked rattled multiple times over the course of the game. Goaltender Linus Ullmark followed up his brutal giveaway in overtime of the previous game with another sorely subpar performance between the pipes, allowing six goals. 

Head coach Jim Montgomery admitted after the game that he considered pulling Ullmark in favor of backup Jeremy Swayman, and also hinted that it could be the latter who gets the nod in net on Sunday.

A Vezina Trophy candidate for his spectacular record during the regular season, Ullmark hasn’t been able to replicate the performance that saw him rack up 40 wins and a goals against average below that of two. 

“I felt good throughout the game…unfortunately, I couldn’t make that extra save today,” Ullmark explained in the dressing room after. “We’ve been trying to have the mindset throughout the season of closing the series, and we specifically did it during the season. We have one more opportunity on Sunday to get it.” 

The start time for Game 7 at TD Garden has yet to be announced. Who will get the start in goal for Boston? Who should it be? 

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David Pastrnak scores the FILTHIEST goal of the 2023 postseason

Twitter

With moves like this, it’s easy to see why Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak scored 61 goals during the 2022-23 NHL regular season. 

Pastrnak tied tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers with an absolutely insane between the legs move that beat goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the short side: 

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Paul Maurice spills beans on secret Panthers team ritual

ESPN

The Florida Panthers were able to stave off elimination, defeating the Boston Bruins in a stunning overtime Game 5 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Needless to say, it’s the 65-win Bruins who now have the pressure on them to put away the team that not many believed would even take a single game from them. 

Head coach Paul Maurice also recently related a rather interesting story about a ritual that his team has prior to overtime games, and it apparently came in handy as Matthew Tkachuk potted the game-winning tally.

“You walk in and your whole team’s naked because they’re taking off their underwear and putting on dry underwear,” said Maurice when asked to describe any unusual tram rituals he’s come across over the years. “Like, that’s kind of strange.”

Hey, whatever works right? 

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Sheldon Keefe publicly calls out Pat Maroon

The Tampa Bay Times

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are heading back to Amalie Arena for Game 6 tomorrow night, as the Leafs were unable to deliver the knockout blow to the Bolts in last night’s Game 5 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series. 

And as there has been throughout this series, there was some extreme animosity between the two sides that culminated in a melee on the ice. The latest example started as the seconds ticked down on the second period; Lightning forward Pat Maroon delivered a crushing hit on veteran defenseman Mark Giordano, who was clearly shaken up. Leafs players attempted to get at Maroon to avenge their teammate, and the former was more than willing to stand up for himself. However, the on-ice officials would have none of it. 

By the time it was said and done, Giordano needed assistance back to the dressing room, while Maroon would be assessed a two-minute minor penalty for roughing. Giordano would later return to the game in the third period.

Not surprisingly, one figure who did not like the hit was Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was already sour at Maroon for his rough play earlier in the series. 

“In terms of the hit itself, anytime there’s hits in the numbers you’re concerned with it,” Keefe said. “There’s been a few of those from that player in particular in this series. When you see a player smash his head off the glass, that’s a tough look.”

However, the panel on TNT did not agree with Keefe, saying that his crushing check on the half wall was just a good example of tough playoff hockey. 

”I don’t get it, I think it was a bad call,” Colby Armstrong exclaimed. ”What is going on?”

Paul Bissonnette, a noted Leafs fan who had drawn criticism for his openly rooting for the team earlier in the week, agreed with Armstrong.

”I thought it was soft,” he said of Maroon being called. “That’s playoff hockey through and through.”

”The ref’s right there! I don’t get it. It’s driving me nuts,” Armstrong said.

Which side are you on in this argument? 

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Connor Hellebuyck sounds off on his future with the Jets.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Winnipeg Jets had their season come to a disappointing end on Thursday when they fell to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, doing so in just 5 games.

Many believe that the early exit for the Jets could mark the end of an era in Winnipeg, especially after fiery comments from Jets head coach Rick Bowness following the Jets’ elimination in Game 5. In fact, Bowness’ comments about his own players were so harsh that National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman was compelled to say that this current core of the Jets has in fact come to an end.

“If there was any question that it meant the end of this particular core, I think that eliminates it,” said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “I think that ends the question, if there was any doubt.”

It’s one thing to hear these kind of comments from an NHL insider, but it is another matter entirely when members of that very same core also start hinting at a future outside of Winnipeg.

On Saturday, Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made comments that left a great many questions about his future as a member of the Winnipeg Jets. If the Jets are intending to move towards a rebuild, it sounds like Hellebuyck doesn’t intend to be a part of that situation.

“I’m not interested in a rebuild. I just want to compete…” said Hellebuyck on Saturday.

Hellebuyck also added that he wants to win a Stanley Cup, and is cognizant of how much time he has left in his NHL career.

“My main goal is to win a Stanley Cup… I’m starting to run out of time,” admitted Hellebuyck.

As per Murat Ates of The Athletic, Hellebuyck also confirmed that he has not had any discussions about an extension with the Jets as he is set to head into the final year of his current deal.

Hellebuyck had another strong performance in the regular season with a 2.49 goals against average and a .920 save percentage over 64 appearances for the Jets, and he would almost certainly be one of the most highly sought after commodities as either a free agent a year from now or as a potential trade candidate prior to then.

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Devils fan choked unconscious after assaulting Rangers fan.

The opening round series between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers is starting to heat up considerably now that the Devils have punched back and even taken the lead in this series, and unfortunately that can mean things getting a little too emotional at times.

This week we were treated to an example of that when a conflict between a pair of opposing fans was caught on video. In the video we can see what is at first a verbal confrontation between a fan wearing a Devils jersey and another fan wearing a Rangers jersey. Although we don’t know the source of the conflict it’s probably fair to say that the fact that the two people involved were rooting for different teams probably played some factor, but it appears to be the Devils fan that escalates things to the point of violence.

In the video we can see the Devils fan slap the drink in the hand of the Rangers fan, resulting in the Rangers fan grabbing the Devils fan around the neck and quickly putting him to sleep with a chokehold. In something of an ironic twist of fate, the Devils fan spills his own beer everywhere, including on himself, as he falls limp the floor.

The Devils fan had plenty of opportunity to avoid the conflict, including a woman repeatedly trying to pull him away, but instead ended up flat on his back in front of thousands of people both live in attendance and now on the internet as well.

If you’re going to attend a Stanley Cup playoff game this season, don’t be this guy.