Truth & Rumors > NHL

06:29 PM ET 05.19 | The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently ahead in their series against the Ottawa Senators 2-0, which is a far cry from how things went for them in the first round of the playoffs. In their series against the New York Islanders, the Pens went through six games and a pair of goalies before finally figuring things out, or so it seems. Tomas Vokoun replaced long time netminder Marc Andre-Fleury midway through the series against the Isles and so far the Penguins haven't lost a game. But while the resurgence of Sidney Crosby is making headlines, especially after his hat trick in Game 2, the real key to the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup may be the pads and skills of their netminder Tomas Vokoun. Look back at all the great runs made by teams in the postseason and you'll see the correlation between winning and excellent netminding. Vokoun isn't considered one of hockey's elite goalies but those seem to be crafted in the postseason when stopping the puck counts more than it ever has before. Guys like Jean Sebastian-Gigure and more notably Jonathan Quick have crated legacies out of masterful netminding performances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which bodes well for Vokoun and the Pens.

Fansided

> Comment

06:29 PM ET 05.19 | Jonathan Toews isn't happy that the Chicago Blackhawks got obliterated by the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, and he's taking his rage out on the game officials. Following Chicago's 4-1 embarrassment, Toews met with the media and voiced his displeasure over the way the game was officiated when it came to how rough the Wings were. But before you jump on Toews about not being "manly" enough to handle some physical hockey, his complaints are being strategically placed to get more calls to go Chicago's way. Phil Jackson was a master at doing this while with the Los Angeles Lakers and other have followed suit in getting inside the official's head before a game in order to swing calls their way. Chicago got blasted on Saturday in more than one way, and regardless of whether or not calls come their way in Game 4, they need to find a way to power through the bruising play of the Red Wings defense.

Fansided

> Comment

10:03 AM ET 05.19 | File this one away for the July 5 opening of the free agent market: If there's one guy on that Capitals club the Rangers have come to respect over the course of their annual playoff confrontations, that would be Matt Hendricks, the jagged-edged center who kills penalties and fits the Black-and-Blueshirt mold. Hendricks, who turns 32 next month, will be coming off a contract under which he earned $825,000 per. Expect the Rangers to put in a call when the market opens.

New York Post

> Comment

10:58 AM ET 05.19 | Player agent Wade Arnott will be significant in the Leafs off-season plans, no matter what happens. He represents Tyler Bozak, David Clarkson and Phil Kessel, who may be worth re-signing long-term after July. Kessel, by the way, despite his oddness, loves playing in Toronto. He likes the hockey buzz, even if he doesn't care to take part in all of it. He's happy to stay a Leaf if they're happy to keep him. That part we don't know yet.

Toronto Sun

> Comment

09:59 AM ET 05.19 | Long Island is neither Brooklyn's to promise nor a particularly good idea, if you want to know the truth about the Bruce Ratner/Brett Yormark plan to schedule six Islanders games a season at a remodeled, downsized Coliseum once the club makes the move to Barclays. The concept is being sold as a romance novel, yet, as is typical in these sorts of things, the plan isn't really novel at all. It is about real estate. The Rangers/MSG already have approved the Islanders' move to Brooklyn, as was required under the NHL constitution. There is no reason at all to believe they would green-light this hopscotch back to the Island for a half-dozen games, with their approval again required by the league. Unless Ratner is going to pledge to ante up the difference in revenue between a full house in Brooklyn and one in a downsized Coliseum, it stretches credulity to believe the NHL and NHLPA would allow six games to be played in an arena with a capacity of 13,000.

New York Post

> Comment