THN S1 Ep40: Conference Finals, Games 1-3

THN Episode 40 Show Notes Music by Bensound at http://www.bensound.com Rangers highlights courtesy of MSG Network.  Bruins highlights courtesy of NESN.  Hurricanes highlights courtesy of Fox Sports Carolinas.  Other highlights and clips courtesy of NBC, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, and the National Hockey League.   Opening Headlines: We are down to the final 4 in the NHL Playoffs. We’ll get you caught up on both conference final series in the third round. The World Championships are under way. We’ll get you caught up on what’s happened thus far. With fewer games in the NHL playoffs to talk about, we have more time to look at other levels of hockey. This week, we will get you up to date on the AHL and CHL playoffs.   Break: Where we are: We are now on The Hockey Writers Podcast Channel! thehockeywriters.com @TheHockeyWriter #THW Itunes Stitcher Soundcloud iHeartRadio TuneIn Google Play Music fm Spreaker? Android/Apple apps RSS: http://thehockeynuts.libsyn.com/rss Our Web Site: http://www.thehockeynuts.com How to support the show: This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce.  So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it.  For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies.  In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider).  Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us.  In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page.  Coming soon: Seatgeek.com Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program.  For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.  Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following: Share our show with other hockey fans you know. If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings. Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there. Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages. Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience. Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know!  All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.   How to get in touch with us: Twitter: Wayne: @waynehallee9 Steve: @sball504man Email: [email protected] Voicemail: 919-960-1718 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thehockeynuts/ Youtube Channel: http://www.thehockeynuts.com/youtube (Don’t forget to like and subscribe!) Live streaming!!! We now stream to 3 places at once! Youtube: https://www.thehockeynuts.com/youtube Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehockeynuts/ Twitch:  https://www.twitch.tv/thisoldnoob     Final Standings: https://www.nhl.com/standings   NHL Playoffs! https://www.nhl.com/stanley-cup-playoffs   Penguins (2) vs. Senators (2) Senators lead 2-1 |  Series Coverage Gm 1 Sat, May 13   Ottawa 2     Pittsburgh 1 (OT) Senators lead 1-0 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 2 Mon, May 15   Pittsburgh 1     Ottawa 0 Series tied 1-1 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 3 Wed, May 17   Ottawa 5     Pittsburgh 1 Senators lead 2-1 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 4 Fri, May 19   Pittsburgh @   Ottawa 8:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 5 Sun, May 21   Ottawa @   Pittsburgh 3:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 6* Tue, May 23   Pittsburgh @   Ottawa 8:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 7* Thu, May 25   Ottawa @   Pittsburgh 8:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL * If necessary Ducks (1) vs. Predators (WC2) Predators lead 2-1 |  Series Coverage Gm 1 Fri, May 12   Nashville 3     Anaheim 2 (OT) Predators lead 1-0 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 2 Sun, May 14   Anaheim 5     Nashville 3 Series tied 1-1 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 3 Tue, May 16   Nashville 2     Anaheim 1 Predators lead 2-1 RECAP GAMECENTER WATCH Gm 4 Thu, May 18   Anaheim @   Nashville 8:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 5 Sat, May 20   Nashville @   Anaheim 7:15 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 6* Mon, May 22   Anaheim @   Nashville 8:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL Gm 7* Wed, May 24   Nashville @   Anaheim 9:00 PM ET|, CBC, TVAS PREVIEW TICKETS BUY/SELL * If necessary                               Other News:   Transactions All Transactions: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/transactions More College and Junior players joining the pro ranks. http://www.eliteprospects.com/?status=league&view;=&leagueid;=7   05/12/2017  Andrei Mironov (D) Dynamo Moskva Colorado Avalanche    05/12/2017  Jesper Bratt (F) AIK New Jersey Devils    05/15/2017  Sami Niku (D) JYP Winnipeg Jets    05/15/2017  Victor Ejdsell (F) HV71 Nashville Predators    05/15/2017  Taylor Raddysh (F) Erie Otters Tampa Bay Lightning    05/16/2017  Mario Kempe (F) Vityaz Podolsk Arizona Coyotes    05/16/2017  Calle Rosén (D) Växjö Lakers HC Toronto Maple Leafs    05/16/2017  Andreas Borgman (D) HV71 Toronto Maple Leafs    05/17/2017  Dylan Wells (G) Peterborough Petes Edmonton Oilers    05/17/2017  Josh Mahura (D) Regina Pats Anaheim Ducks    05/18/2017  John Nyberg (D) Frölunda HC Dallas Stars            The San Jose Sharks signed forwardsMelker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi on Friday.  Karlsson signed a three-year contract, and Donskoi signed a two-year contract. Financial terms were not released, but TSN reported Karlsson's contract is worth $6 million (average annual value of $2 million) and Donskoi's is worth $3.8 million (average annual value of $1.9 million).  Each could have become a restricted free agent.  Karlsson, 26, had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) and was plus-7 in 67 games with the Sharks this season. He tied for fifth on the Sharks in goals, tied for first with two shorthanded goals, and ranked third among San Jose forwards with 59 blocked shots.  Donskoi, 25, who was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round (No. 99) of the 2010 NHL Draft, had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 61 games this season, and has 53 points (17 goals, 36 assists) in 137 games with San Jose.  In a way, goaltenderBen Bishop is coming home after signing a six-year, $29.5 million contract with the Dallas Stars on Friday.  During the 2004-05 season, Bishop, who is from Denver, played for Texas of the North American Hockey League and attended Frisco High School, less than 3 miles from the Stars practice facility.  "It had a lot to do with it, to be honest," Bishop said Friday. "Now it's about going where you think you have a chance to win and a good city, and Dallas has both of that. Having a familiarity with the city and actually playing there with the Tornado before and knowing how good of a city it is and how good the fans are, it made it an easy decision to want to sign there."  Bishop, 30, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. HIs contract is worth $4.92 million annually.  He is 148-80-25 in 270 NHL games with the Lightning, Kings, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues and had a .910 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average in 39 games this season. He has a .919 save percentage, 2.32 GAA and 19 shutouts in his NHL career and twice has finished in the top three in Vezina Trophy voting (second in 2015-16; third in 2013-14).  Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen were the Stars goaltenders last season. Lehtonen was 22-25-7 with a 2.85 goals-against average and .902 save percentage, and Niemi was 12-12-4 with a 3.30 GAA and .892 save percentage.  The Stars will have to move or buy out one of the goalies in the offseason, and likely will expose them in the NHL Expansion Draft that will supply the Vegas Golden Knights with their players. Injuries Edmonton Oilers defensemanAndrej Sekera will miss the start of next season because of a torn ACL, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Tuesday.  Sekera, 30, is expected to have surgery Thursday and will need 6-9 months to recover.  Sekera was injured in the first period of Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round after a hit into the boards by Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf. The Oilers were eliminated by the Ducks in seven games.  Sekera had three points (one goal, two assists) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games and was fifth on the Oilers with an average ice time of 21:10 per game. He had 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 80 regular-season games.  Milestones/Records/Honors/Deaths: David Poile of the Nashville Predators, Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Senators and Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers were named finalists for the NHL General Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday.  Voting was conducted among general managers, a panel of League executives, and print and broadcast media following the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The winner will be announced at the 2017 NHL Awards at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 21 (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN).  Suspensions/Fines:     NHL Debuts: http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2017_debut.html   Other Interesting Stories: The Vegas Golden Knights announced Tuesday that the Chicago Wolves will be their American Hockey League affiliate next season. The expansion Golden Knights, who begin play next season, will replace the St. Louis Blues as the Wolves' NHL affiliate in 2017-18. The Wolves had been the affiliate of the Blues since the 2013-14 season.  "American Hockey League affiliates play a significant role in the success of all NHL clubs and are we are proud to have the Chicago Wolves as our first in team history," Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said.     Vegas sent its first signed player, forward Reid Duke, to Chicago after his junior season with Brandon of the Western Hockey League ended. He signed a professional tryout April 7 but didn't get into a game.  Chicago had been the St. Louis Blues AHL affiliate, but that relationship will not continue. The Blues, however, will help stock the Wolves roster, although those players won't be allowed to play for the Golden Knights. St. Louis will not have their own AHL affiliate this season, and will assign its prospects to various organizations.  "Part of my comfort level is my relationship with (Vegas GM) George McPhee," St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said Tuesday. "He and I have talked extensively on the benefits of this relationship… I think it's a really competitive advantage for Vegas and us to join forces. We can input some of our better prospects into their environment."  The next step in Vegas building its roster will be at the NHL Expansion Draft. The other 30 NHL teams must submit their list of protected players by 5 p.m. ET on June 17. The list of players protected and made available by each NHL team will be released publicly June 18. The Hockeynuts.com Power Rankings: https://www.nhl.com/standings Team (last week) Nashville (15) Pittsburgh (5) Anaheim (4) Ottawa (14)   Edmonton (11) Washington (1) NY Rangers (3) St Louis (12) Chicago (2) Minnesota (6) Columbus (9) San Jose (7) Boston (8) Montreal (10) Toronto (16) Calgary (13) NY Islanders (17) Tampa Bay (18) Philadelphia (19) Winnipeg (20) Carolina (21) Los Angeles (22) Florida (23) Dallas (24) Detroit (25) Buffalo (26) New Jersey (27) Arizona (28) Vancouver (29) Colorado (30) Las Vegas (31)     World Championships:   http://www.iihfworlds2017.com/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_IIHF_World_Championship_rosters   Run Through 5/21.  Hosted in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France.  Medal round in Cologne   (# of NHL Players) GROUP A RUS - Russia (6, rest are KHL) USA - USA (18) SWE - Sweden (16, 4 Canes) SVK - Slovakia GER - Germany (3) LAT - Latvia (1) DEN - Denmark (1) ITA - Italy AccorHotels ArenaGroupB GROUP B CAN - Canada (22) FIN - Finland (7) CZE - Czech Republic (2) SUI - Switzerland (2) BLR - Belarus NOR - Norway (1) FRA - France (3) SLO - Slovenia     Preliminary Round (FINAL STANDINGS) R Team GP W OTW OTL L GF:GA PTS Group A 1 USA 7 6 0 0 1 31:14 18 2 RUS 7 5 1 0 1 35:10 17 3 SWE 7 5 0 1 1 29:13 16 4 GER 7 2 2 1 2 20:23 11 5 LAT 7 3 0 1 3 14:18 10 6 DEN 7 1 2 0 4 13:22 7 7 SVK 7 0 1 2 4 12:28 4 8 ITA 7 0 0 1 6 6:32 1 Group B 1 CAN 7 6 0 1 0 32:10 19 2 SUI 7 3 2 2 0 22:14 15 3 CZE 7 3 2 0 2 23:14 13 4 FIN 7 2 2 1 2 20:22 11 5 FRA 7 2 2 0 3 23:19 10 6 NOR 7 2 0 2 3 13:19 8 7 BLR 7 2 0 1 4 15:27 7 8 SLO 7 0 0 1 6 13:36 1     Medal Round Schedule:   57         18 May, Thu16:15 GMT+2QF        LANXESS arena               USA 0 vs FIN 2     9:15a ET 58         18 May, Thu16:15 GMT+2QF        AccorHotels Arena           RUS 3 vs CZE 0     9:15a ET 59         18 May, Thu20:15 GMT+2QF        LANXESS arena               CAN 2 vs GER 1    1:15p ET 60         18 May, Thu20:15 GMT+2QF        AccorHotels Arena           SUI 1 vs SWE 3     1:15p ET 61         20 May, Sat15:15 GMT+2SF         LANXESS arena                    CAN vs RUS          8:15a ET 62         20 May, Sat19:15 GMT+2SF         LANXESS arena                    SWE vs FIN           12:15p ET 63         21 May, Sun16:15 GMT+2BMG      LANXESS arena                    vs                   9:15a ET 64         21 May, Sun20:45 GMT+2GMG      LANXESS arena                    vs                   1:15p ET         CHL Playoffs:  https://www.nhl.com/news/2017-memorial-cup-hockey-tournament-preview/c-289484104 WHL: http://whl.ca/bracket (Final:  Regina Pats 2 vs Seattle Thunderbirds 4) OHL: http://ontariohockeyleague.com/bracket (Final: Erie Otters 4 vs Mississauga Steelheads 1) QMJHL: http://theqmjhl.ca/bracket (Final: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 0 vs Saint John Sea Dogs 4) Memorial Cup Host: Windsor Spitfires Memorial Cup: Schedule: http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/game-schedule/ AHL Calder Cup Playoffs: Theahl.com Bracket: http://theahl.com/stats/playoffs/56 Western Final: Grand Rapids (DET) vs. San Jose (SJ) Eastern Final: Providence (BOS) vs Syracuse (TB) ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs: Bracket: http://www.echl.com/playoffs   All European Leagues are in their playoffs or are just starting their playoffs.  We’ll get you league winners as they come in.  We’ll be covering the following: Swedish Hockey League (Champion: HV71 Jonkoping) Finland SM-liiga (Champion:  Tappara Tampere) France (Champion: Rouen) Denmark (Esbjerg) Switzerland National League A (playoff underway) Slovakian Extraleague (playoff underway) Deutsche Eishockey League (Germany) (EHC Munchen) Czech Republic League (Champion:  Brno Kometa) Austrian League (Vienna)  British Elite Ice Hockey League (Cardiff) United States Hockey League (playoff underway) Other Minor Pro Leagues in North America Southern Professional Hockey League (Champion: Macon Mayhem over Peoria Rivermen 2-0) Federal Hockey League (Champion: Danville Dashers over Berlin River Drivers 3-2)   KHL Minute: KHL:  http://en.khl.ru/   A look at the standings:  http://en.khl.ru/standings/     Picks of the week: Steve: Justin Trudeau urges Canadians to root for Ottawa!   Wayne:  Patrick Kane's support for the United States military apparently is first class.  The Chicago Blackhawks forward gave up his first-class seat on a recent flight, allowing a uniformed serviceman to move up from coach and sit in his spot instead.  American Airlines flight attendant Teri Truss, who described the interaction on Twitter with a picture with Kane, said he approached her before takeoff to offer to switch seats with the military member.  "He said 'there's a soldier on this flight,'" Truss told WBBM in Chicago. "He said 'I would like for him to sit up front, and I would like to give him my first-class seat, and I'll go to the back,' and I said 'are you sure?' He said yes, and I was like 'perfect, great opportunity.'"  Truss, who is from Columbus, Ohio, told the radio station the serviceman appreciated the gesture and went back to thank Kane during the flight. He said the Blackhawks forward "was awesome."      Honorable mention:  3 famous this day…  1. Bruins comeback 2. Klima 3. O.R.R.     Listener Feedback     Close the show   Next Week’s scheduled stream: Wed., 5/24 6:30 PM   Topics for Next Week: Where we are: We are now on The Hockey Writers Podcast Channel! thehockeywriters.com @TheHockeyWriter #THW Itunes Stitcher Soundcloud iHeartRadio TuneIn Google Play Music fm Spreaker? Android/Apple apps RSS: http://thehockeynuts.libsyn.com/rss Our Web Site: http://www.thehockeynuts.com How to support the show: This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce.  So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it.  For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies.  In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider).  Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us.  In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page.  Coming soon: Seatgeek.com Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program.  For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.  Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following: Share our show with other hockey fans you know. If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings. Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there. Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages. Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience. Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know!  All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.   How to get in touch with us: Twitter: Wayne: @waynehallee9 Steve: @sball504man Email: [email protected] Voicemail: 919-960-1718 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thehockeynuts/ Youtube Channel: http://www.thehockeynuts.com/youtube (Don’t forget to like and subscribe!) Live streaming!!! We now stream to 3 places at once! Youtube: https://www.thehockeynuts.com/youtube Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehockeynuts/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thisoldnoob