Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit for the PHT Morning Skate? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.
• On Spencer Knight‘s stunning playoff debut: “Knight didn’t just do what the starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and Driedger couldn’t this series. He won over the skeptics and the curious over a rookie thrust in this spot — and the Lightning by the time it was over, too.” [Sun-Sentinel]
• Rod Brind’Amour on the Canes’ mood after the OT loss in Game 4: “It’s a tough way to lose when you give everything like that. I feel like the guys felt like the ice was tilted in our favor, but it just didn’t work out. But you have to move on, whether we won or lost. We’ve done this all year.” [Canes Country]
• Another hot goalie is threatening to send the Penguins out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. [Tribune-Review]
• Oliver Wahlstrom is considered “day-to-day” after a scary crash into the boards during Game 5. [NY Hockey Now]
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 First Round schedule, TV info]
• A lack of consistency prevented the Golden Knights from ending their series with the Wild Monday night. [Las Vegas Sun]
• “Through the first three games of the series, the Oilers had led for 50:48, while Winnipeg held the lead for 10:46. It was one of the many cruel statistics floating around this series — shots, scoring chances, all kinds of analytics — that had the Oilers wondering how on earth they were trailing 3-0 in the series?” [Sportsnet]
• The 2021 IIHF World Championship may be lacking star power, but it’s not without a handful of upsets. [The Hockey News]
• For example, Canada is now 0-3 after dropping a game to Germany. [ESPN]
• An early look at what the lineup for the budding 2021-22 LA Kings might look like. [Mayor’s Manor]
• Who’s leading the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy race so far? [NBC Sports Edge]
More NHL news
NHL Playoff Buzzer: Oilers eliminated in triple OT; Also double OT on Monday Sorokin, Islanders exploit Penguins mistakes to win Game 5 in double OT What is next for Capitals after another First Round exit?
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy
PHT Morning Skate: Knight’s playoff debut; Conn Smythe favorites originally appeared on NBCSports.com