Today is a big day and I'm not talking about your TPS reports either.
Enjoy your two-day break from all-day nausea? Good. The next week is going to be a doozie.
Game 4 tonight. Chime in here if you don't have tickets and want to meet fellow LHHers for a pub watch in Brooklyn. [Fanpost]
Since you're going to be anxious all day, you might as well start off with some humor. [Fanpost]
Dan and Mike exchanged their hopes and anxieties in good ol' pen pal form in the latest edition of playoff email therapy. [LHH]
Just taking a moment to appreciate what needed to happen for Alan Quine to go from sixth-round AHL end-of-season filler to "actually this guy can be a playoff regular and allow us to move Frans to wing." [LHH]
Which, by the way, Frans is adjusting to just fine. [NY Times]
The final (regular season) power rankings, plus talk of how to adjust the formula for next season. [LHH]
Thomas Hickey and his smiling dad: Digging this. [Newsday]
Can the Isles clear the ol' hurdle of winning two games in a row? [Newsday | Post | Daily News]
Speaking of hurdles, in case you weren't aware it's been 23 years since they last won a playoff series. [Post | Newsday]
But they are plucky despite dealing with injuries. [Canadian Post media]
That includes Thomas Greiss, who's playing because of an injury and running with it. [Sportsnet]
One more on the Barclays crowd for Game 3. [Post]
Talking the playoff series and Michael Dal Colle too. [Isles Buzz podcast]
Jaromir Jagr knows ending his playoff goal drought is just a matter of time, so could announcers stop referring to it please, pretty please? [Sun-Sentinel]
Just a matter of time for the whole line, really. [Miami Herald]
Arctic Ice Hockey's latest podcast touches on the Isles-Panthers series, defense, and Travis Hamonic. [AIH]
In Bridgeport, Ross Johnson got himself a three-game suspension. [CT Post]
In Russia, Ilya Sorokin and CSKA came up short as Metallurg won the title in Game 7. [Puck Daddy]
Brendan Witt is selling (or at least listing) the Montana ranch! [WSJ]
Those Other Series and Stuff
Did Andrew Shaw, among the many stupid things he did in Chicago's loss last night, hurl a homophobic slur at a ref? Lip readers weigh in. [Out Sports]
Corey Crawford attacked a player who was pushed into him and somehow got off with a minor and a power play. [Puck Daddy]
Elsewhere, those one bastards beat those other bastards to take a 2-1 series lead. [TSN]
The Ducks salvaged their series with a Game 3 win in Nashville. [TSN]
And Prodigal Drouin was the hero in Tampa's win. [Puck Daddy]
In a shocking revelation, having zero teams in the playoffs means Canadian TV ratings are down. [THN]
Theory: The NHL should eliminate offensive (and defensive) zone faceoffs. I get the rationale, but no thanks. You? [PPP]
The Coyotes are buying the AHL Springfield Falcons and taking them to Tucson. [Five for Howling]
Paul Bissonnette on how community values help players from his hometown like Cal Clutterbuck and Dan Girardi get to the NHL. [USA Today]