*Monday night playoff highlights. The return of the playoffs to downtown Toronto did not disappoint. Looked like more people at the outdoor viewing party than at the Devils‘ Cup parade. Shame the team didn’t deliver.
*Does Scoracek repeat this season’s incredible performance? (BSH)
*A lot of people seem to think the Islanders aren’t getting the respect the deserve during this first round series. (Backhand Shelf)
*Superstitions get a little crazy during playoffs. I once watched an entire game with all of my fingers crossed. Also wore the same shirt for the entirety of the 2010 run. Good times; I love this game. (St. Louis Game Time)
*Meltzer updates us on the Worlds and takes a look at the new goalie the Phantoms just got. (Hockeybuzz)
*Paul Holmgren is…well, he’s not great at cap management. (Flyers Faithful)
*Hey look they’re talking about the goalies again. (CSN Philly)
*The results of Philly.com’s Flyers Stay or Go survey are predictable. Guess which goalie wins! (Philly.com)
*Gus is kind of a big deal for the Swedes. (IIHF)
*The Kings and Ducks will play an outdoor game at Dodger Stadium. That’ll be fun for the ice making crew. (SB Nation)
*This Canucks fan cancels his pizza order for the most reasonable of reasons. (Puck Daddy)
*Wayne Simmonds goes up against FrankenMalkin in the NHL14 cover vote. I think we all know what we have to do. (Philly.com)
*Sam Donnellon says that we should blame the Flyers’ Cup drought on Snider’s impatience, lack of foresight, and constant rebuilding. (Philly.com)
*Remember when we said it’s not fair to judge moves in hindsight? Let’s remind ourselves that before Donnellon decided that impatience was a problem, he said he admired the Richards/Carter/Bryzgalov moves (Philly.com), and a year later he still thought they helped the team (Philly.com). This preacher of patience and long-term vision said we should judge Bob on his first playoff run (Philly.com) and called for Leighton to replace Bryzgalov in last year’s playoffs (Philly.com). So bear that in mind when he criticizes Snider for impatience and lack of foresight today.
*Important last-minute addition: Barrett Jackman’s face. Just watch it. (SB Nation)
