Here’s your fresh open thread for the end of the first round and start of the second round.
/slaps lid “Oh yeah, you can fit so many hot takes in this baby.”
But first,
Jackets updates
The Monsters are still alive! For whatever reason, this five-game series can possibly stretch over three weekends. OK! They split the first two games in Cleveland last weekend, and now will remain in Syracuse for the remaining two or three games.
In Columbus, assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Scott Ford were let go, as was video coach Aron Augustitus. Jared Boll apparently has the longevity of a cockroach, as he will return (as will goalie coach Niklas Backstrom). This will allow Rick Bowness to pick two assistants of his own. Ones who can help the defense and the special teams will be especially important.
Playoff updates
Tonight, we get three possible series-clinchers: Montreal at home against the Lightning, the Sabres on the road at the Bruins, and the Golden Knights at the Mammoth.
The winners of those two Eastern series will face each other. If either goes to Game 7, that will be on Sunday.
The Metro starts the second round on Saturday night, with the Flyers visiting the Hurricanes. Once more, let’s point and laugh at the Penguins losing.
The other set series is the highly anticipated Central showdown of Minnesota and Colorado, after the Wild eliminated the Stars last night.
Anaheim finished off Edmonton last night as well, and await the Vegas/Utah winner. The vibes in Edmonton are not good. They have two years remaining of Connor McDavid, but how do they fix all the holes on the roster, with so many difficult-to-move contracts?