Hockey headlines for May 17, 2021

Monday, May 17, 2021

Lightning strike first vs. Panthers in opening round of playoffs (Tampa Bay Times)
Advantage Wild: Eriksson Ek's overtime goal beats Vegas 1-0 in hard-hitting Game 1 (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
LI's Palmieri scores OT winner as Isles beat Penguins in Game 1 (New York Newsday)
No shortage of drama as Flames top Canucks in an essentially meaningless game (Calgary Sun)
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin out for Game 1 against Islanders (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Price looking sharp as rested Habs prepare for the Leafs (Montreal Gazette)
Perron not at Blues' practice; remains on COVID list (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Nathan MacKinnon returns for Game 1 after missing four of the last five games (Denver Post)
Campbell will start for Leafs in Game 1 against Montreal (Toronto Sun)
Canes coach lifted the Stanley Cup as a player. Now, he wants a chance to do it again (Raleigh News & Observer)
What role would suit Geoff Courtnall if NHL franchise reshaped? (Vancouver Province)
Cam Talbot silences Golden Knights to give Wild early edge (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Penguins drop Game 1 in overtime as Jarry struggles in spotlight (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
From second-period sag to making a point (Vancouver Province)
Offense betrays Golden Knights in overtime loss to Wild (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Physical Wild-Vegas game results in record number of hits (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Lightning-Panthers renew physicality in series opener (Tampa Bay Times)
Ilya Sorokin delivers for Islanders with Semyon Varlamov not yet ready (New York Post)
Even-keeled Joel Eriksson Ek gets excited about overtime winner (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Pageau provides spark with goal and two assists (New York Newsday)
Ryan Reaves’ return sparks physical game between Knights, Wild (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
‘Freddy Hockey’ again scores in Penguins playoff game — this time, for the Penguins (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Trotz's decision to start Sorokin turns out to be the right call (New York Newsday)
Wild veteran Zach Parise watches playoff opener as healthy scratch (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Flames prospect Ruzicka feeling love from home as he logs NHL debut (Calgary Sun)
Lightning fans near and far bring the thunder to Sunrise (Tampa Bay Times)
How much does Stanley Cup playoff experience matter for the Carolina Hurricanes? (Raleigh News & Observer)
Inability to avoid early exits in recent post-seasons will help motivate Maple Leafs (Toronto Sun)
Experience on Jets' side heading into Stanley Cup Playoff series (Edmonton Sun)
Carolina Hurricanes head into playoffs awaiting good news on the blue line yet again (Raleigh News & Observer)
Ilya Samsonov, Evgeny Kuznetsov back on the ice, but Caps have no timetable for their return (Washington Post)
Key players could be on limp (Winnipeg Free Press)
Jets have a Helly of a chance (Winnipeg Free Press)
Craig Anderson’s emergence latest part of Capitals goalie tightrope (Washington Times)
Pekka, Juuse and a Preds playoff run to savor: 'He has been the backbone' (The Tennessean)
Adding a dash of Nash to the Maple Leafs lineup part of playoff recipe for Keefe (Toronto Sun)
No Blue Jackets, but NHL's playoff field still has Columbus ties (Columbus Dispatch)
What will Dylan Strome's role be next season? (Chicago Daily Herald)