Morning Playoff Notes (Jun 8)

The 2018 NHL playoffs came to a triumphant end for the Washington Capitals, as they were not going to roll over on the road and wait until they got back home to win the title.  No, they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in their own building, 4-3, taking the series and the championship in five games.

Game 5 was entertaining, as the speed was up, the goals in the 2nd period were coming fast and furiously and there was a great back and forth all night.  No score after one, but when the buzzer sounded after the middle frame, it was 3-2 for the Golden Knights, looking to stay alive for at least one more game.  But it wasn't to be, as Devante Smith-Pelly tied the game, just before the 10-minute mark of the 3rd period and Lars Eller scooped up a loose puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury to put the Capitals ahead for good.

Alex Ovechkin, getting the monkey off his back, took home the Conn Smythe Trophy, as the playoffs MVP and more importantly, the Capitals finally have their first championship in their franchise history.

The tallies are all into the system, the numbers have been audited and the results are now official.  The lesser of the two evil twins, Tony, comes away with a big win in the playoff hockey pool, finishing with 289 points, only 11 points better than Buddy the Dog.  Tony's team was adequately filled with players through the entire playoff run, getting through the opening round with all 24 of his players and that meant that he would be good for the rest of the playoffs.  Tony comes away with a $230 1st place prize and that will go straight into his weekend fund!

The hockey pool MVP for the playoffs was goaltender Braden Holtby, he finished atop of the scoring standings with his 16 wins, 2 shutouts and 1 assist for 37 points, that last win pulling him ahead of his counterpart on the other side of the rink. 

Well done, Tony... thanks to everyone for playing!  We'll see you this fall at the draft!

Goalie Announcements (May 7)

Braden Holtby versus Marc-Andre Fleury
Okay, I may have forgotten about the 8-ball and when it was necessary, when I said that there were going to be no more goalie posts. This, of course, is more of a preview post, but the goalies are a good way to get there, so we'll keep moving in that direction.

Braden Holtby and the Capitals are going back to the scene of the crime, seen above, trying to clinch the franchise's first Stanley Cup, so we can all start our summers off before too long.

Golden Knights' keeper Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't been able to work the same kind of magic that we've seen in the first few rounds of these playoffs, but the Capitals have been hungrier than the Knights and it has shown, stretching out the defense in front of Fleury and there has been very little that Fleury could actually do in those three losses, since he has been beaten by a myriad of great shots.

Things were getting awfully testy near the end of Game 4, so it will be interesting to see if Vegas can channel some of that inner-frustration and translate it back into some of their high-flying ways, as they now sit behind the 8-ball in this series.  They'll need to find something, including some scoring from their top line, which has been too quiet in these first few games.

Let the theatrics begin!

Morning Playoff Notes (Jun 5)

Ahead of Game 4 on Monday night, there was one lineup change for the Golden Knights, as Tomas Tatar was inserted back into the lineup, while David Perron came out once again, this time as a healthy scratch.  Would that be enough for Vegas to come back and tie up this series?

Early on, the Golden Knights had themselves a great big push to try and breakthrough Braden Holtby, dominating the opening half of the 1st period, but failed back-to-back power plays took some of the steam out of their charge and then a failed penalty kill of their own, near the midway point, moved the momentum from their side to the Capitals, thanks to a T.J. Oshie marker.

The Capitals took advantage of two more Vegas turnovers before the end of the 1st period and then made good on a silly penalty taken by Ryan Reaves in the 2nd period and by the end of the middle frame, the Capitals held a 4-0 lead and were ready to coast to victory in the 3rd.

Vegas was able to snap the shutout bid in the 3rd period, as they managed to put a couple past Holtby, bringing it back to a 2-goal game, but the Capitals were not to be undone, adding a couple more before the final buzzer and finishing the game with a 6-2 win.

It was the Evgeny Kuznetsov show again on Monday night, as the Russian picked up 4 assists in the victory, followed closely by Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom, each having 3-point nights as well.  Non-pool forward Devante Smith-Pelly scored the 3-0 goal in the 1st period, which ended up being the winner, stealing the bonus point from the pool.  Holtby made 28 saves for the victory, rounding out the notable players in the pool for Game 4. 

The series now shifts back to Vegas for Game 5, where the Golden Knights will be behind the 8-ball for the first time in these playoffs and they'll fight to stay alive for at least one more game.  Game 5 doesn't go until Thursday night, another extra night of rest or these guys, by the look of things.

Buddy overtook Brenda for the Finals lead in points, while Kevin isn't too far behind.  These three teams all eclipsed the 20-point mark in this final round and they've all gained some ground on Tony's 1st place team, but surely it isn't quite enough to have our leader worry too much.  The Capitals have been an excellent road team in these playoffs and have an excellent chance to finish this series right away.  That would probably be ideal for Tony right about now.

Morning Playoff Notes (Jun 3)

Well, if Evgeny Kuznetsov is playing hurt, you wouldn't have really known it last night, as the 26-year old Russian came up huge for the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  Kuznetsov got the play started that helped the Capitals open the scoring in the 2nd period, getting a helper on Alex Ovechkin's 1-0 goal and then he sniped one far post on Marc-Andre Fleury, putting the Capitals up 2-0 midway through the frame and his side never really looked back.

Kuznetsov finished with the eventual winner, giving him a 3-point night and more importantly, the Capitals won 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.  Also notable, Braden Holtby only had to make 21 saves for the win, as the Caps did a great job keeping the Vegas offense down to a minimum, really smothering their attacks and turning them back the other way.

Game 4 will go on Monday night, another 6pm MT start.  It will certainly be interesting to see whether or not Vegas has an answer for this Washington team in their building.

Brenda and Buddy are the two teams really slugging it out at the top of the standings... for the finals, as Brenda leads the dog by 1 point, 14-13, through three games in this series.  Kevin and Benson are not too far behind either, sitting at 12 points in the round, making it into a pretty decent race.

Overall, you ask?  It's still Tony.  His lead is still 20 points. 

Morning Playoff Notes (May 31)

By the score line alone, you can tell that both the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights were looking to tighten things up and special teams did play a huge role in Game 2, but possibly none bigger than the Capitals penalty kill in the 3rd period.

With Washington up 3-2 in the final frame, their penalty kill was put under duress, with both Tom Wilson and Lars Eller in the box, giving the Golden Knights a two man advantage, which was killed magnificently, with Braden Holtby standing tall and leading the troops.

Holtby had to be great in Game 2 and he was, making 37 saves for the eventual victory, including a 10-bell save with less than three minutes to go, keeping the Golden Knights at bay in their own barn.  The 3-2 score stood up to be the final and this series now heads back to Washington for the weekend, tied at 1-1.

Brooks Orpik was credited with the eventual winning goal, scored in the 2nd period, giving him a 2-point night, while Lars Eller had himself another great night, picking up a goal and 2 assists, while Andre Burakovsky also had a pair of assists to be notable in this game.

Injury news in this one, as the Capitals lost the services of one of their top scoring forwards early on, as Evgeny Kuznetsov left in the 1st period with an upper-body injury, after taking a big hit from Brayden McNabb.  There was no update on his condition after the game, but we're keeping a close eye on this one.

Brenda's team continues to lead in the Cup Finals with 13 points through two games, with big props going to the Orpik winner in this one, giving her team another bonus point and her team is now 2 points out of 2nd place, not that it would do her much good in the end.  The pool isn't paying for 2nd place.

Tony's team is holding steady in 1st place, as it gave up those early points gained in Game 1, but still holds a 20-point advantage over Neil's side.

Goalie Announcements (May 30)

Braden Holtby versus Marc-Andre Fleury
Well, needless to say, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals was not a goaltending showcase, by any stretch of the imagination.  Neither Holtby or Fleury had much help, as shooting and passing lanes were not closed down by their defense, but the Golden Knights got the best of the Capitals in the opening game, in a 6-4 victory, and I wouldn't hesitate to think that tonight's Game 2 will be much different.

I am expecting the jitters to be out of the system of both teams and both goalies and they'll be really looking to close each other down tonight, likely trying to push through on special teams. 

The goaltending match-up between Holtby and Fleury is quite a small battle in this year's hockey pool, 1st place Tony has Fleury, 3rd place Buddy has Holtby and 7th place Thor has Fleury as well... that's it!  Only three pool teams have goalies in this series.  It's almost not even worth writing about anymore.  In fact, this will likely be the last goalie post of the year, barring a change of personnel in any one of the following games for whatever reason.

Morning Playoff Notes (May 29)

It took a long stretch of days to finally get here and then getting through the theatrics of the Vegas pregame display, we finally had ourselves Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and what a cracking game it was!

The Capitals and Golden Knights went toe-to-toe and slugged it out like it was the heavyweight fight that Michael Buffer usually kicks off.  It took a few minutes to really get going, but once Colin Miller got the Knights on the board, we were really in for a treat.

The Caps scored a pair of quick goals to take a quick lead, but before the 1st period was out, William Karlsson tallied late in the frame and we went to the break tied 2-2.  Reilly Smith and John Carlson exchanged goals in the 2nd period, which saw it's share of great skating and physical play, and the two teams headed into the 3rd tied 3-3.  Tom Wilson gave the Capitals an early 3rd period lead, but Vegas' tough guy Ryan Reaves tied it up, just over a minute later.

The two sides traded chances back and forth early on in that 3rd period, but midway through, non-pool forward Tomas Nosek broke through with a one-timer tap-in for the Knights to take the lead and they went on to lock the game down.  Marc-Andre Fleury only had to make 9 saves in the 3rd period (24 in total), Nosek added an empty-netter and the game finished 6-4 for the home team, giving them a 1-0 series lead.

If your team isn't in this final, then all you would be hoping for is some good hockey to watch and we got that in spades in Game 1.

For the hockey pool, the victorious Golden Knights didn't offer a great deal in notable players, except for Fleury getting the win Reilly Smith getting a goal and an assist and Deryk Engelland got his first 2 points of the playoffs with a couple of helpers.  On the Washington side, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie both came away with 2 points in the loss and were instrumental in keeping this game as tight as it was.

Game 2 goes on Wednesday night, another 6pm MT start in Vegas.

Brenda's team had the best start to the Finals, picking up 8 points in Game 1, which was good enough to see her team move up to 4th place, ahead of Antonio's team.  Tony's leading team also had a good night, picking up 7 points on opening night and his team now has a 23-point lead atop of the standings, as the gap gets larger and larger.

Cup Finals Pool Preview

I'd feel it would be a shame if there wasn't some kind of pool preview to the Stanley Cup Finals, which get started tomorrow night.  I mean, we've come this far and we've watched a lot of hockey already this year, so why not finish the season off right?

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights have defied the odds and the Washington Capitals have exorcised their own playoff demons and now they have both landed in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, both teams looking for their first championship.

Both teams runs have certainly made the hockey pool interesting this year, as there were some teams that were putting a little bit of money down on the new guys and hoping that Alex Ovechkin would inch ever closer to his first Stanley Cup and if you guessed correctly, you're a much better prognosticator than I.

Five teams finished the first three rounds of the playoffs with all six possible players left on their roster, while another five teams had five players and two with four players.  The Capitals are the favourites in the pool, taking the selection count, 48-38, but that hasn't mattered at all to the Golden Knights, as they have mowed through all their underdog match-ups to this point.

The most popular players in this series are T.J. Oshie and Andre Burakovsky of the Capitals, each taken seven times and there are a handful of players taken six times as well, so there are a number of unique picks throughout.  Only Colin Miller of the Golden Knights is the only player among the 24 still in the pool to not have a single selection from our 23 teams.

So, most importantly... is there actually a race to have in the hockey pool?  Well, not really.  Tony has run away with the lead, thanks to some great picks through the first three rounds and he has all six possible players left, giving him quite the cushion to the finish.  Only Neil and Buddy have an outside, long, long, long shot at catching him, but it is very improbable.  Here's what we're looking at:

Box #	Tony	Neil	Buddy
6		Erik Haula	Erik Haula
7			Tomas Tatar
10	Deryk Engelland	Deryk Engelland
11	Shea Theodore		Shea Theodore
12	Marc-Andre Fleury
15			Nicklas Backstrom
16	T.J. Oshie		T.J. Oshie
19		Andre Burakovsky
21	Matt Niskanen
22	Dmitry Orlov	Dmitry Orlov
23		Brooks Orpik
24			Braden Holtby

Buddy will start the Finals with a 27-point deficit to make up and his team may have the best shot at Tony, if Braden Holtby can continue his current shutout streak, that would be another 16 points right there, assuming Vegas doesn't score a goal in four games.  Then Nicklas Backstrom would have to be the catalyst of the Washington offense and then Buddy will have a shot at it.

With all of that being said, it looks like it's a cake walk to the finish for Tony.

Noon Playoff Notes (May 24)

The Washington Capitals are off to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Leading by example and guiding the way was Alex Ovechkin, who got the Capitals on the board in 1:02 of the 1st period and his team never looked back.  Andre Burakovsky scored his first couple goals of the playoffs in the 2nd period and Nicklas Backstrom added one more in the 3rd period to add salt to the wounds of the Lightning, as the Capitals came away with a 4-0 victory to move on. 

Braden Holtby continued his run of hot goaltending with a 29-save shutout, leading all Capitals players in pool points on the night, while Ovechkin got the bonus point for the game-winner. 

The Lightning were the favourite of the two teams in the East Final, which means 66 more selections are eliminated from active duty in the hockey pool, leaving only 48 picks on the other side.  Andrei Vasilevskiy was one of the more popular players in the pool, taken 13 times, he'll finish the playoffs with 22 points, the best player on the team in the pool.

With the Conference Finals now complete, the players have been audited and we see that Tony continues to lead, but he's being chased down by Buddy the Dog, who rode that huge effort from the Capitals, all the way into 3rd place.  Our top three looks like Tony in 1st with 275 points, Neil in at 255 points and then Buddy at 251 points, so there is a fair sized gap, too big to really overcome with only six players left on your hockey pool teams... unless you're Neil and you have five.

It could be worse though... you could be like Clayton and have no players in the Finals.

We'll preview the Cup Finals on the blog in the next couple of days, as the Golden Knights and Capitals begin on Monday night.

Goalie Announcements (May 23)

Braden Holtby versus Andrei Vasilevskiy
Are you ready for another Game 7?  I sure hope the Capitals and Lightning are ready, because no one wants a dud of a series climax, am I right?

The goaltending match-up is all set and of course, there are no changes... it's Holtby versus Vasilevskiy and both of these keepers are going to be under the microscope.

You can really flip a coin on this one, especially since home-ice hasn't meant much in this series, both goalies have lost twice at home, but Vasilevskiy did win Game 5 at home, so he does have one in the bag.

It's a 6pm MT start tonight, lots of time to get to go on a beer run and tune in... unless you're playing softball tonight (d'oh!)

Morning Playoff Notes (May 22)

No boots necessary on Tuesday morning... we're going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals!

The Washington Capitals didn't want to let their season end prematurely and who can blame them?  They have already overcome the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2nd round, so why stop there?  The Caps put on a punishing performance, physical from the drop of the puck, out-hitting the Lightning 39-19 on the night, which helped them gain the edge in the more important aspects of the game.

T.J. Oshie scored on the power play in the 2nd period to open up the scoring in the game and the crunch was definitely on, as the Lightning did press, but the Capitals stifled them mightily.  A goal midway through the 3rd period from the Devante Smith-Pelly began to put the game out of reach for the Lightning and then Oshie salted it away with an empty-netter to finish it all off.

Braden Holtby did what he had to do, he needed to stand tall in this one and he did, making 24 saves for his first shutout of the playoffs and a 4-point night in the pool, good for only one team in the pool.  Oshie scored a pair, including the winner for a 3-point night, just fine for his seven selections, while Nicklas Backstrom also chimed in with a couple of assists, which was good for a few teams there too.

Game 7 will go on Wednesday night, a 6pm MT start.

Buddy's team is having the best Conference Finals of the bunch in the pool this year, picking up 46 points through the two series, thus far. Thor isn't too far behind with 44 points from his team and Kristy's team is at 43 points.  Buddy can thank all three notable Capitals from last night's game for his jump up in the standings, having Backstrom, Oshie and Holtby finally paid off in the same game.

Still, Tony's team is surviving just fine.  His team had Oshie's 3 points as well, but he's really hoping for a Lightning win, so he can have both goalies in the Stanley Cup Finals.  His team would be the only one to have both goalies   Tony's lead is now up to 22 points, as his team now sits at 275 with one more game left in the east.

Goalie Announcements (May 21)

Andrei Vasilevskiy versus Braden Holtby
We've had one 8-ball game go the way of the boot this weekend, can the Tampa Bay Lightning make it two tonight?

That will be the task for Andrei Vasilevskiy, as he has been very good in these playoffs, going 11-4 so far.  His numbers haven't been overly stellar, but the biggest difference between Vasilevskiy and some of the goalies that have already been eliminated is that he has been able to make some of the key saves at key times.  This is what has propelled him and his team to where they are right now.

On the other side, Braden Holtby got a late start to these playoffs, up until Game 3, which started a 3-game losing streak and now his team is on the verge of dropping a series, after being up 2-0 early on.  Holtby has been shelled for 10 goals in the last three games and he really needs to step up and stand on his head tonight or else it's curtains for him and the Caps. 

The Lightning were the favourites in the Eastern Conference this year and so far, they have been worthy of the title.  A finish to the series tonight would ensure a good break to heal up those battle wounds from the first three series, but you know, a Game 7 would keep everyone sharp too.

It's a 6pm MT start tonight, should be a gooder!

Morning Playoff Notes (May 21)

In spectacular fashion and record time, the Vegas Golden Knights dispatched of the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of their Western Conference Finals series on Sunday afternoon, winning 2-1 in Winnipeg, breaking the hearts of many.

Ryan Reaves, a non-pool forward, ended up scoring the winning goal in the 2nd period of the game, tipping a point shot from Luca Sbisa and breaking a 1-1 deadlock at the time, and then the Golden Knights locked down the game, limiting the Jets in their chances to tie it up.  Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for the victory and he'll lead the way into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 5 was not a good one for the hockey pool, because besides Fleury's 2 points for the win, the only other point that was picked up was the Josh Morrissey goal that tied the game in the 1st period, his was the only other point on the day.

So, now starts the long wait for next season for the Jets.  The most popular team in the hockey pool has now been ousted, dropping 67 picks in total from competition and leaving only 38 Vegas picks for the Cup Finals.  Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck each finished their playoff runs with 22 points each in the pool, while Mark Scheifele wasn't too far behind at 21 points.

Well, the road to the money is now paved in cake for Tony's team.  It's a 19-point lead, Tony's team is one of five teams to have all nine possible players left on his roster and the next closest team to his in that regard is all the way down in 7th place, Thor's team, which is 30 points back.  Now, it might be just a matter of what kind of cake Tony would like to walk on to get to his $230 prize.

Goalie Announcements (May 20)

Marc-Andre Fleury versus Connor Hellebuyck
The clock hasn't struck midnight yet on this Cinderella story, as the Vegas Golden Knights have the Winnipeg Jets right where they want them, heading into Game 5 tonight... right behind the 8-ball.

The Western Conference Finals shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 5, which is an afternoon start today, 1pm MT on CBC, and the Jets are in a win or go home state, so desperation has to be high.  The Jets have leaned on Connor Hellebuyck all playoffs and he has come up big, with a couple of notable exceptions, but if there is ever a time to make up for some of those poor outings, it would be now.

At the other side, the calm and cool Marc-Andre Fleury has been absolutely dynamite for the Golden Knights, unflappable and amazing at times.  The experience factor has to be playing a huge part in the success, both individually and among his teammates and if they can close out this series on the road, they will get an extra few days to rest up for the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's no easy task for either side today, with so much on the line, so we'll see who gets out of the gates first and who, eventually, has the will to push their way through.

Morning Playoff Notes (May 20)

Well, if there was a script for this Eastern Conference Finals, through four games, the Tampa Bay Lightning certainly didn't like what they were seeing, so they crumpled up the script and threw it out the window.  The home teams hadn't won a game in this series through the first four and it was acting more like a disadvantage... until Game 5, that is.

The Lightning struck 19 seconds into the game, likely before some people even made it to their seats in the building, and whatever game plan that the Capitals may have had for that game, was also scratched and they had to go back to the drawing board.  Still, the Lightning continued to pour it on, adding one more in the 1st, scoring again 33 seconds into the 2nd period, taking any regrouping away from the Capitals, that they may have gained at the break.  Once up 3-0, it was time for the Lightning to shut it down.

It was a tall task to try and shut down this Capitals offense and frankly, the Lightning were doing so well holding onto the puck, that giving the Caps their chances were only going to result in some offense, Washington is too good of a team not to.  As expected, the Capitals got one before the 2nd intermission, making it a 2-goal game into the 3rd.  Credit to the Lightning though, they did manage to hold on and withstand a full-on barrage, but Alex Ovechkin made it a 3-2 game with 1:36 to go, but it wasn't quite enough.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves and the Lightning took Game 5, 3-2, and the series is now in their favour, 3-2 as well.

It wasn't a great game for the hockey pool, the Bolts keeper was the only notable player in the game, as non-pool forward Ryan Callahan scored the winner and added an assist for a 3-point game (if he was in the pool) and that was it.

Caps forward Andre Burakovsky was pulled out of the lineup as a healthy scratch in this one, his ice-time hasn't been all that great in this series and Washington was hoping that Alex Chiasson would provide more of a spark.

Game 6 goes on Monday night, a 6pm MT start.

Afternoon Playoff Notes (May 19)

Uh-oh, Jets fans! There's trouble brewing in the Western Conference Finals!

Reilly Smith scored with less than seven minutes to go in the 3rd period to snap a 2-2 tie, capitalizing on a turnover at the Vegas blueline, skating back the other way and snapping a high wrister over Connor Hellebuyck and it broke the hearts of the Winnipeg players, as they couldn't quite make that last goal up to tie it.  The Golden Knights took Game 4, 3-2, and now have a 3-1 series lead, as the two teams head back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Sunday.

Smith added an assist to his game-winner for a 3-point night in the pool, great news for the six teams that picked him up in the hockey pool.  Marc-Andre Fleury stood tall once again, making 35 saves, including 11 big stops in the 3rd period for the win and they were the only two players to be notable in the pool.

As for game notes, Nikolaj Ehlers returned to the Jets lineup after missing Game 3 and David Perron also returned to the lineup for Vegas after missing a couple of games, both were down with an illness.  It's unclear what the Jets will do to combat this Vegas team at home, but they're now behind the 8-ball in a must-win situation.

Game 5 goes Sunday afternoon at 1pm MT.

Morning Playoff Notes (May 18)

Nicklas Backstrom returned from his hand injury, dressing for the Capitals for the first time in four games, as they tried to put the Lightning behind the 8-ball with the first home win of this series.  The resiliency of the Lightning, however, was the determining factor of this game, as the Capitals had their chances to put Game 4 away in their favour, but came up a little bit short.

The Capitals got off to a quick start with a Dmitry Orlov goal, less than five minutes in, but the Lightning were having nothing with that, as Brayden Point scored 1:10 afterwards and Steven Stamkos scored three minutes later and the away team had a 2-1 lead heading into the first break.  Evgeny Kuznetsov was able to tie the game in the 2nd period and it was a brand new game heading into the 3rd.

The 3rd period was a great battle, no one really wanting to give up space and it was a very good back-and-forth, where the goalies were standing tall.  But just when the Capitals thought they had killed a 3rd period penalty, Alex Killorn shoveled in a loose puck at the side of the net, six seconds after the penalty expired and the Lightning broke through, not long after the midway point of the final frame and then it was lock down time.  The Bolts added an empty-netter just before the buzzer and that was your final, 4-2, another away team win.

There's no home-ice advantage, thus far, in the Eastern Conference Finals and this series heads back to Tampa Bay for Game 5, which will be played on Saturday night and the series now becomes a best-of-three.

Killorn with the bonus point, Point also tallied an assist and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves for the win, all picking up a pair of points each.  If those were your three Lightning players, you were certainly in luck.

Heading into the weekend, Tony's team holds a more comfortable 14-point lead on Neil's team, which had some gains with Vegas' recent success in the last couple of games, but Neil's team can't seem to gain any ground, despite having some good match-ups in both the Conference Finals.  I think Neil's best shot at the money will be if Winnipeg can come back on Vegas and Tampa sneaking through past Washington.  Otherwise, it could truly be curtains.

Morning Playoff Notes (May 17)

The Western Conference Finals shifted to Vegas on Wednesday night and both the Jets and the Golden Knights had some lineup news ahead of Game 3. The Jets were without Nikolaj Ehlers, their Box 4 forward, as he was sitting out with an undisclosed injury, missing the morning skate ahead of the game as well. David Perron's healthy scratch in Game 2 was actually an undisclosed injury of his own and it kept him out of Game 3, but no real update to speak of.

The Golden Knights made good use of their momentum from Game 2 in Winnipeg to score 35 seconds into Game 3, thanks to Jonathan Marchessault and it got the Jets on their heels right away.  The Jets were not able to respond on the scoresheet until the 2nd period, but the Knights were again, quick to respond, 12 seconds later, on a James Neal goal.  Vegas added another goal before the period was out, leading 3-1 after two, but Mark Scheifele scored his second goal of the game, 18 seconds into the period, but the Golden Knights were able to hang on, adding a Marchessault empty-netter to seal it, 4-2.

Alex Tuch stole the game-winning bonus point from the pool, but Marc-Andre Fleury added an assist to his 33-save win for a 3-point night and Neal also added an assist for a 2-point night.  Blake Wheeler added a pair of assists in the loss, gaining notable status.