Opinion Links for week of May 1 to 7, 2022 | Headlinehockey.com

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OPINION

ADAM PROTEAU: Can the Los Angeles Kings Swing the Series? (The Hockey News)
MIKE STEPHENS: Discipline is the Theme in Leafs, Lightning Series (The Hockey News)
STAN FISCHLER: Singing the Third-String Blues (The Hockey News)
LYLE RICHARDSON: Expect the Seattle Kraken To Pursue Free Agent Talent This Summer (The Hockey News)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Showtime Oilers: Edmonton spoils playoff hockey’s return to Hollywood (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: No sense of panic for Flames after Game 2 setback vs. Stars (Sportsnet)
SALIM VALJI: Pressure on Flames forwards to generate more offence (Sportsnet)
KRISTEN SHILTON: How the Calgary Flames' top line continues to ignite their offensive engine (ESPN)
HELENE ELLIOTT: ‘We weren’t any good.’ Kings might need a miracle to win playoff series vs. Oilers (Los Angeles Times)
MARK MADDEN: Goaltending leaves Penguins at grave disadvantage vs. Rangers (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the Ottawa Senators aren't for sale (Ottawa Sun)
BEN FREDERICKSON: If Blues forwards don’t start ruffling Flower’s feathers, this series is over (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: With emotions running high at the Garden, Bruins finally get a lead on Hurricanes, and suddenly it’s a playoff series (Boston Globe)
SEAN KEELER: If Avs felt any “pressure” going into Game 1 of Nashville series, they sure didn’t show it. Neither did Colorado fans. “We’re a force to be reckoned with.” (Denver Post)
ROSIE DiMANNO: Leafs take series lead in Game 3 with a touch of genius and some fourth-line grit (Toronto Star)
JIM SOUHAN: Wild should put goonery aside in favor of skill — and humor (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
JIM ALEXANDER: Kings trail Oilers 2-1, but margin seems larger (Los Angeles Daily News)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Who are the Blues now? Identity crisis following Game 3 and three injuries (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
MIKE CHAMBERS: Smashville is toast. Cale Makar is the jam. If Avalanche “keep working,” Predators will need help from hockey gods to prevent sweep. (Denver Post)
PAT HICKEY: Boosting hockey in Quebec begins with kids and cash (Montreal Gazette)
TERRY JONES: Scoring first the key to winning NHL playoff games (Edmonton Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Likely new matchups on road create opportunity for Rangers’ top line (New York Post)
LANCE HORNBY: Maple Leafs-Lightning series a boost for Bettman (Toronto Sun)
BEN FREDERICKSON: It’s about time someone mentions the positives of all these late-starting Blues playoff games (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
JOHN ROMANO: We have seen the enemy, and darned if it isn’t the Lightning themselves (Tampa Bay Times)
PAUL ZEISE: The Louis Domingue story is destined to end poorly for Penguins (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
DAVE HYDE: Sergei Bobrovsky quiets concerns to carry Florida Panthers in pivotal Game 2 (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
JOHN NIYO: Dylan Larkin could use a lift to ease Red Wings’ wait in rebuild (Detroit News)

ADAM PROTEAU: Colorado Avalanche Are Setting Sights on a Long Run (The Hockey News)
MIKE STEPHENS: The Carolina Hurricanes Look Ready (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Stop Worrying About Central Scouting's Draft Rankings (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Hey, Louis Domingue! No Pressure, Buddy! (The Hockey News)
LYLE RICHARDSON: Will Bruce Boudreau Stick with the Vancouver Canucks? (The Hockey News)
ERIC FRANCIS: With Stars shining defensively, Flames settle for split at home (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Canucks’ whirlwind year saw potential for success among old struggles (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Sit back and enjoy: Connor McDavid is playing the best hockey of his life (Sportsnet)
GREG WYSHYNSKI: 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Why the Lightning's three-peat quest will be so difficult (ESPN)
GENTRY ESTES: Connor Ingram tremendous for Nashville Predators in Game 2. The rest of the team, not so much (The Tennessean)
CHIP SCOGGINS: One break opens floodgates, returns Wild to high gear (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
STEVE SIMMONS: Maple Leafs can't afford garbage play from fourth-line players (Toronto Sun)
NEIL BEST: Resilient Rangers get even with Pens (New York Newsday)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Kirill Kaprizov provides his first big playoff moment for Wild (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
DAVE FESCHUK: These might be the NHL playoffs the Maple Leafs were built for (Toronto Star)
TIM BENZ: Penguins still have a long way to go before they figure out Igor Shesterkin (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
MATT PORTER: What can the Bruins do to get back into their playoff series with the Hurricanes? (Boston Globe)
TERRY JONES: Oilers head to L.A. as a playoff team of substance after 6-0 thrashing of Kings (Edmonton Sun)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Leafs will have to adjust to the officiating to regain their edge on the Lightning (Toronto Star)
BEN FREDERICKSON: Blues battling some no-good, old-fashioned bad luck as series against Wild shifts to home ice (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
LARRY BROOKS: Top guns deliver, but Rangers still need more from stars (New York Post)
JOHN ROMANO: You want the Stanley Cup? You’ve got to take it from these guys (Tampa Bay Times)
LUKE DeCOCK: By any name — Pyotr, Peter — fiery Hurricanes goalie Kochetkov is ‘that kind of guy.’ (Raleigh News & Observer)
GENTRY ESTES: To salvage series, Nashville Predators need more from Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene (The Tennessean)
PHIL MUSHNICK: Replay reviews designed to ‘get it right’ lead to more nonsense (New York Post)

ADAM PROTEAU: What's Next for Bruce Boudreau and Vancouver? (The Hockey News)
MIKE STEPHENS: The Lightning Believe the Answers Lie Within (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Igor Shesterkin's Playoff Debut Was All You Could Ask For (The Hockey News)
LYLE RICHARDSON: Ownership Situation Looms Over The Ottawa Senators' Off-Season Plans (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: Finally, the Oilers deliver the dominant playoff game we’ve been waiting for (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Beefed-up Flames relish the rough and tumble, shrug off Klingberg’s empty threat (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers forward Archibald receives medical exemption, enabling full return to team (Sportsnet)
GREG WYSHYNSKI: Minnesota Wild fans were denied one hat trick, but Kirill Kaprizov delivered another (ESPN)
CATHAL KELLY: Dominant Tampa Bay Lightning provide harsh reality check for Maple Leafs (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: It's a weird time to be a No. 2 goalie in the NHL — and even weirder to be a No. 3 (National Post)
STEVE SIMMONS: Best in the world beat up on Maple Leafs in Game 2 (Toronto Sun)
JOHN SHIPLEY: The Wild were right, and now we’ve got ourselves a series (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
DAVE HYDE: Florida Panthers learn tough lesson in Game 1 — and no franchise has more riding on playoffs (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
LUKE DeCOCK: Hurricanes aren’t just winning, they’re also beating the Bruins at their own game (Raleigh News & Observer)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Categorizing optimism after Blues’ Game 2 loss — and loss of another injured defenseman (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The Lightning were buzz-killers in Game 2 win over the Leafs, rebounding with a vengeance (Toronto Star)
TERRY JONES: Gary Bettman enjoys being back in his Hub City home, Edmonton (Edmonton Sun)
JOE STARKEY: ‘King’ Louis Domingue handled tarantulas, so of course he could handle Madison Square Garden (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
HELENE ELLIOTT: Kings’ feeble power play results in 6-0 loss to Oilers (Los Angeles Times)
MARK KISZLA: Playing with no-quit tenacity, these are not the Avalanche that Matt Duchene bailed on (Denver Post)
CHIP SCOGGINS: One good break opens floodgates, returns Wild offense to high gear (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
TOM TIMMERMANN: A look at the rest of the Blues' first-round outlook (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers will need boost from this defenseman in Game 2 (New York Post)
GENTRY ESTES:Making sense of Nashville Predators' worst playoff fears being realized in disastrous Game 1 (The Tennessean)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Bruins had no answer for speed or aggression of Hurricanes, and other observations (Boston Globe)
CAM TAIT: An earful of legendary Edmonton Oilers play-by-play voices (Edmonton Sun)
DANE MIZUTANI: Wild fans did their part in Game 1. Wild players returned favor in Game 2. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins' stars shined in Game 1, but team's minutemen can't be diminished (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Blues’ O’Reilly, up for King Clancy honor, already wears ‘crown’ — the scar from high stick (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

ADAM PROTEAU: Rangers, Penguins a War of Youth vs. Experience (The Hockey News)
MIKE STEPHENS: The Maple Leafs Will Go as Far as Jack Campbell Takes Them (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Guess They're Calling Penalties In The Playoffs, Eh? (The Hockey News)
ERIC FRANCIS: Matthew Tkachuk shows why he's 'heartbeat' of Flames in punishing Game 1 (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Boudreau's future uncertain after Canucks' Rutherford lays out plan (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: After Game 1 stumble, Oilers must exorcise playoff demons in a hurry (Sportsnet)
ERIC ENGELS: Guy Lafleur's legacy to be carried forward by funeral attendees (Sportsnet)
SALIM VALJI: Klingberg, Andersson fight fuels Flames-Stars series as Calgary ekes out Game 1 victory (TSN)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Expect a big bounce-back game from Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy (National Post)
TIM BENZ: NHL playoff expansion ideas are unnecessary, reward mediocrity (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Jake Muzzin’s contributions to Leafs win over Lightning even more impressive considering what he’s playing through (Toronto Star)
HELENE ELLIOTT: Kings’ Alex Iafallo finds his confidence and scoring touch just in time for playoffs (Los Angeles Times)
NEIL BEST: Even in loss, Rangers return playoff thrills to MSG (New York Newsday)
LA VELLE E. NEAL III: That wasn't the real Wild on Monday night ... was it? (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: Belleville Senators ready for first playoff series in franchise history (Ottawa Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers had no answers for Sidney Crosby (New York Post)
DAVE FESCHUK: The Leafs matched the Lightning punch for punch. Now they’re waiting for a Game 2 counter (Toronto Star)
LUKE DeCOCK: Carolina Hurricanes owner, NHL commissioner push for arena upgrades — and it’s about time (Raleigh News & Observer)
MIKE McINTYRE: Nothing quite like the Stanley Cup playoffs (Winnipeg Free Press)
SEAN KEELER: If Avs felt any “pressure” going into Game 1 of Nashville series, they sure didn’t show it. Neither did Colorado fans. “We’re a force to be reckoned with.” (Denver Post)
MIKE HARRINGTON: The Sabres' culture is transformed, but GM Kevyn Adams has plenty more work to do (Buffalo News)
STU COWAN: Lafleur was a special, irreplaceable friend to Robinson (Montreal Gazette)
MIKE SIELSKI: It’s time for Dave Scott, Chuck Fletcher, and the Flyers to acknowledge their “process” is underway (Philadelphia Inquirer)
TERRY JONES: Will the Edmonton Oilers bounce back for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Playoffs? We'll see (Edmonton Sun)
MATT PORTER: Despite a rout in Game 1, Bruce Cassidy is sticking with Linus Ullmark in goal, as he should (Boston Globe)
NEIL BEST: Rangers return to playoffs as Lundqvist watches (New York Newsday)
SCOTT BILLECK: Jets management silent amid players' deafening screams (Winnipeg Free Press)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Wild should use goalie depth while it can still make a difference (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
ED GRANEY: Pete DeBoer should remain Golden Knights coach (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
STEVE SIMMONS: Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Game 1: It wasn't them, it was us (Toronto Sun)
GEOFF BAKER: Kraken gearing for busy offseason to build off ‘foundation’ they feel was laid (Seattle Times)
PAUL ZEISE: Game 1 proves Penguins' three stars will make sure they are a tough out in playoffs (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
GENTRY ESTES: Nashville Predators lacked everything against Colorado Avalanche, including hope (The Tennessean)
ROD BLACK: I grew up idolizing Guy Lafleur — he was an even better person than I ever imagined (Toronto Star)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: The Blues' Faulk-Krug pairing should unlock some five-on-five offense in Game 2 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
ALAN PERGAMENT: Despite Jeanneret's late-season assist, Sabres' ratings down 10% from year ago (Buffalo News)

IAN KENNEDY: NHL Bloodlines Run Deep in the OHL Draft (The Hockey News)
LYLE RICHARDSON: Detroit Red Wings Facing A Critical Off-Season (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: Smith's awful gaffe looms large as Oilers revert to bad habits in Game 1 (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Canucks coach Boudreau confident he will return: 'I want to be back' (Sportsnet)
SALIM VALJI: Flames’ culture change hits the playoff spotlight starting Tuesday (TSN)
CATHAL KELLY: Even in rout, Toronto Maple Leafs show playoff strain (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Even at his advanced age, Steven Stamkos continues to take his game to new heights (National Post)
SHAWN WINDSOR: Yzerman doesn't want to rush Wings' rebuild, coaching search. But time is ticking (Detroit Free Press)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators turn their sights towards next season (Ottawa Sun)
STU COWAN: Guy Lafleur left a legacy of love toward Canadiens fans (Montreal Gazette)
HELENE ELLIOTT: Kings prevail over Oilers stars in Game 1 of Stanley Cup playoffs opening series (Los Angeles Times)
JOHN SHIPLEY: The NHL’s playoff system stinks (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins' strategy in Game 1 will determine if they have a chance or will get swept (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Nick Foligno joined the Bruins for exactly this moment — the playoffs (Boston Globe)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Blues keep Kaprizov off scoresheet in Game 1; Wild superstar remains key to series (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
JOHN ROMANO: Losing Game 1? No big deal. Losing their mojo? That might hurt the Lightning (Tampa Bay Times)
MARK KISZLA: If Nathan MacKinnon and Gabe Landeskog can’t lead Avs to championship now, will it ever happen? “You don’t get that many cracks at the can.” (Denver Post)
TERRY JONES: Playoff atmosphere back at Rogers Place for Oilers (Edmonton Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers can't rely on this perceived advantage (New York Post)
STEVE SIMMONS: Maple Leafs absolutely blow out Stanley Cup champs in Game 1 (Toronto Sun)
RON COOK: End of the road for Malkin and Letang as Penguins? (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
CHIP SCOGGINS: Blame runs deeper than criticizing Wild's choice in goal (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
ROSIE DiMANNO: Leafs deliver Lightning a Game 1 gut-punch — and take their first steps toward changing the narrative (Toronto Star)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Standing on his head, Blues goalie Husso took ‘W’ in ‘Wild’ and flipped it (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
LUKE DeCOCK: Worth the wait: Antti Raanta makes statement in Hurricanes Stanley Cup Playoff debut (Raleigh News & Observer)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: List of Bruins fixes is short and simple after Game 1 rout: Scoring, scoring, scoring (Boston Globe)
JOHN NIYO: Yzerman has world of options as he embarks on Wings' coaching search (Detroit News)
PAUL FRIESEN: Memo to Chevy — ditch Scheifele, find tough coach, for starters (Winnipeg Sun)
BARRY SVRLUGA: Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek? Caps must pick a goalie and ride him. (Washington Post)
MIKE VACCARO: Playoff nirvana returns to MSG with spotlight belonging to Rangers (New York Post)
EDWARD KEENAN: The Maple Leafs are bound to break my heart. Here’s why I’ll watch the playoffs anyway (Toronto Star)

ADAM PROTEAU: he Futures of Price, Fehr and Detroit Red Wings (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Jaccob Slavin is as Focused as They Come (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: To succeed where others failed (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: As Canucks look to off-season, Horvat, Boeser remind us of human side of sports (Sportsnet)
CATHAL KELLY: After 29 years of failure, is Canadian hockey now defined by losing? (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Stanley Cup first-round series capsules. Get ready for more upsets! (National Post)
STU COWAN: Guy Lafleur was the last of the Canadiens' legends (Montreal Gazette)
CHIP SCOGGINS: Wild finally enters playoffs with high-end scoring threats (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: A tough matchup could turn into a rough matchup for Leafs and Lightning (Toronto Star)
WES GILBERTSON: Will fresh perspective translate to standout performance for Gaudreau? (Calgary Sun)
MIKE HARRINGTON: The goals stopped coming but Dylan Cozens kept pushing and can be a breakout player (Buffalo News)
LARRY BROOKS: Wide-open, flawed NHL playoffs come with one given (New York Post)
STEVE SIMMONS: Lightning will have to conquer long odds to earn its Stanley Cup three-peat (Toronto Sun)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Bruins need to boost their ‘inside game’ to challenge Hurricanes (Boston Globe)
JACK TODD: It can only get better for the Habs after a roller-coaster year (Montreal Gazette)
LUKE DeCOCK: If Hurricanes truly have taken a step forward, Bruins a perfect playoff bellwether (Raleigh News & Observer)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Goalie decision a competitive win-win for Wild, and yet … (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
DANIEL AUSTIN: 5 Areas that could decide Calgary Flames/Dallas Stars series (Calgary Sun)
ROMAN STUBBS: They support Ukraine. So they can’t support Alex Ovechkin. (Washington Post)
ROSIE DiMANNO: Maple Leafs are confident their playoff story will change, despite the opponent (Toronto Star)
JOHN ROMANO: Yes, we love pretty goals but the Lightning need to bring the defense (Tampa Bay Times)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: Pierre Dorion determined help young Senators reach the next level (Ottawa Sun)
HELENE ELLIOTT: The torch remains in Jonathan Quick’s hands as Kings open playoffs against Oilers (Los Angeles Times)
LARRY BROOKS: What Rangers will need most to make noise in the playoffs (New York Post)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Blues’ Kyrou, a bit humbled but hungry, should be X-factor at Wild’s Xcel Energy Center (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
TERRY JONES: Oilers on a roll heading into opening game of Stanley Cup Playoffs (Edmonton Sun)

KEN CAMPBELL: 'Wild Bill' Guerin Goes to Work (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens' Hughes needs clarity on Carey Price's future before off-season overhaul (Sportsnet)
SHAWN WINDSOR: Wings struggled to show fight this year. Yzerman's next coach must fix that (Detroit Free Press)
BOB WOJNOWSKI: Yzerman dismisses Blashill, and more big Red Wings moves beckon (Detroit News)
MIKE HARRINGTON: Sabres carry a good vibe into the offseason but have to keep pushing forward (Buffalo News)
LUKE DeCOCK: Hurricanes experience a postseason vibe shift: From happy participant to apex predator (Raleigh News & Observer)
DAVE POULIN: Why the first round is the most intense time on the NHL calendar (Toronto Star)
STU COWAN: Some big questions for Canadiens GM ahead of next season (Montreal Gazette)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: The Ottawa Senators head into the off-season determined to make the next step (Ottawa Sun)
MATT PORTER: Taking a closer look at the NHL’s 16 playoff teams (Boston Globe)
TERRY JONES: Oilers playoff series brings back memories of Miracle on Manchester (Edmonton Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Devils should take page from Mets leadership to restore success (New York Post)
STEVE SIMMONS: A more mature Mitch Marner should excel in the playoffs for Maple Leafs (Toronto Sun)
RON COOK: David Morehouse's impact on Penguins is underrated (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
DAMIEN COX: You think history is the Leafs’ biggest foe? You’re probably selling the Lightning short (Toronto Star)
MIKE CHAMBERS: Avalanche has significant edge over reeling Predators in first-round playoff series (Denver Post)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Blues goalie Husso ready for his close-up — and that means Kirill Kaprizov close up (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
CHIP SCOGGINS: Talbot or Fleury? Goalie debate shows Wild in good spot (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)