A Case of the Mondays: Canucks Eulogies Postponed

Here we go again. The most miserable part of the post-season arrived last night in the form of the Canucks‘ annual advancement to the second round. After firing only eleven shots at Jonathan Quick through two periods and finding themselves trailing the Kings by a score of 2-1, Vancouver capitalized on some fairly atrocious goaltending to engineer a third period comeback. The Canucks tied the game and took a 3-2 lead late in the third period, sealing their victory with an empty netter by Alex Burrows, his first point of the playoffs. Right or wrong, Quick’s poor play and the Kings’ insistence on sticking by him will likely take the majority of the blame for L.A. losing the series. A sad day for the Flames blogosphere, but it will make the Canucks eulogies that much sweeter when they’re finally eliminated; it’s just a shame we have to wait an extra round.

Your weekly dose of news guaranteed to make your Monday just a tad more enjoyable after the jump. 

Three more teams were eliminated from the post-season this past weekend; PPP bids adieu to the

Ottawa Senators

the only way they know how in their eulogy. 

Eliminated Senators Chris Phillips and Jason Spezza will not suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championships [Sportsnet]

Jacques Lemaire has retired from coaching following the Devils‘ first round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, leaving the Devils in search of a new coach for the second straight summer [In Lou We Trust]

With Lemaire's retirement, there are now four coaching vacancies in the NHL. James Mirtle examines fourteen possible candidates to fill them [Globe on Hockey]

Casey Richey of SBN’s Red Wings blog Winging It In Motown scores an interview with the legendary Scotty Bowman.

Speaking of the Wings, a 5-2 loss to the Coyotes yesterday afternoon set the stage for a do-or-die Game Seven showdown in Glendale tomorrow evening [Five For Howling] [Winging It In Motown]

A cool story on Atlanta’s Maxim Afinogenov, the debate over Hossa’s non-suspension, and more in Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts.

As the NHL continues to drag out the announcements of their awards finalists, the Masterton nominees were announced today [Puck Daddy]. 

In preparation for game six in Montreal tonight, Japer’s Rink takes a look at the Capitals unsung heroes of the post season, while the Habs have called up prospect and former Canadian World Junior star P.K. Subban [Habs Eyes On The Prize]

Gabe examines shot location and type at Behind The Net

Were Don Cherry and his intermission ramblings onto something this past Saturday night? [Cult of Hockey] 

Sharks and Flyers fans use the break between series to their advantage and analyze the merits of possible opponents [Fear The Fin] [Broad Street Hockey]

Thomas Vanek is a go for game six in Boston tonight [Die By The Blade] while Marc Savard is doubtful [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

In case you weren’t already aware, Sidney Crosby rules [Puck Daddy]

The Hitmen will face the Tri-City Americans for the WHL Championsip, with the schedule for the series being released today [The World Of Junior Hockey] [Hitmen] 

Defending Memorial Cup champs the Windsor Spitfires completed their comeback from a 3-0 series deficit yesterday with a 4-1 victory in game seven of their series against the Kitchener Rangers. Flames prospects Greg Nemisz and Barrie’s T.J. Brodie will compete for the OHL Championship [OHL]

In other prospect news, the Heat have clawed their way back from a 3-1 hole to tie their series with the Americans at three games a piece after their 5-1 victory in game six yesterday afternoon in which Mikael Backlund collected two more assists to boost his points total to six. After allowing a total of fourteen goals in games three and four, the Heat have allowed only two in their past two games and have a shot at advancing to round two if they can best Rochester on the road tomorrow night [Flames Insider] [Abbotsoford Heat]

Kent addresses the question of Jarome Iginla‘s future with the Flames [FlamesNation]

A brief history of the athletic cup and more at Hit The Post

This spectacular poem won a contest in the National Post, begging the question…Is there anything Leafs fans can't do? [PPP]  

On that note, I will leave you with tonight's playoff schedule:

Game 6: Washington @ Montreal (WSH leads 3-2, 5PM MT & 7ET on TSN)

Game 6: Buffalo @ Boston (BOS leads 3-2, 5PM MT & 7ET on CBC)

Game 6: Chicago @ Nashville (CHI leads 3-2, 7PM MT & 9ET on TSN2) 

Enjoy tonight's games and curse the Canucks in the comments. 

by Hayley Mutch