SaucyJack

Surely the world must End soon.

Leafs’ radio analyst may need to administer CPR on his PxP partner.

Matthews…tremendous move! Made the Leafs’ announcer happy…

Long drive today with a late start…so I listened to Maple Leaf radio via SiriusXM for the first two periods. Now back home only to find the ESPN announcers so BORING! (Compared to the Toronto PxP guy, so now I’ve got that synched with my TV video but audio muted. Ha! go leafs…

We’ll have to liven things up, then, eh? Who knew how complicated this was? https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/watchwords-origin-of-the-term-canuck-lies-in-an-unlikely-place Not the first term, meant as disparagement in some cases, to be embraced by the objects of such scorn. As a kid, when Buffalo and Vancouver entered the league, I’d never heard the word pronounced. I’d think or say ‘KAY-nuck’. It was months before I heard the Blackhawks announcers utter ‘cuh-NUCK’. Oh! P.S. The article also explains where ‘Canada’ aka ‘Kanata’ comes from. Who knew? (In USA anyhoo…) P.P.S. KAY-nuks win!

That convention was better for live fans, especially season ticket holders. More color variety over the campaign if the visitors wear their color (“dark”) gear. As a kid, the convention was as now…great for TV viewers when (as for Chicago) only road games were televised, so you saw the different colored jerseys of the opposition. I liked that. So since the days of Orr, Esposito, Beliveau, Howe, Hull, et al, the convention changed (good for Winnipeg White)…then changed back.

I’m aware that ’Winnipeg White’ is a crowd tradition up there…would the NHL allow the Jets players to also don white jerseys (and the visitors dark) against convention? Doesn’t make full sense to me, as it stands.

ESPN announcers emphasized how ineffective Ovechkin was. But I’d say the same for Dylan Strome: I can barely remember them saying his name.

Nice move by Kreider to juuust beat Lindgren’s pads for the 4-1 nightcap goal; makes up for his bad short-handed attempt earlier, I guess. Well, let’s see what young Spencer Carbery pulls out of his Coaching Hat for Game Two on Tuesday Night.

Sean McDonough on ESPN just said it about the young Capitals players on the ice this afternoon: winning the Calder Cup is one thing; the Stanley Cup another…

Horrid shot from Kreider on the glorious Ranger short-handed chance.

If you’d wagered in time, before Washington scored to reduce the lead to 3-1, $10 for Caps to win would have paid $300. (Now, $110)

Panarin is New York’s bread. Who is their butter?

Two Caps defending behind the net instead of one leave Rempe open for the first NYR goal and then bam! another.

Panarin looked ready to pull the trigger on the power play but perhaps bad MSG ice made it bounce off his stick?

Nice to see the shout-outs to Papa and Brother Lindgren in the stands. With Charlie and Ryan opposing each other, their emotional dissonance must be difficult. (But some pride to go with it.)

No doubt; must be low-scoring series for the Washingtonians… …blue-liners Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen remain out. Will need good work from young’un Vincent Iorio and journeyman Dylan McIlrath.

This is the Rangers-Caps bleedin’ thread.

Save us, Saint Charlie With the help of back-checking angels

The honor of bagging the final goal of the season goes to Adrian Kempe of the LA Kings, over Chicago in OT, capping a late comeback that forces a seemingly gargantuan first round playoff matchup between mighty Dallas and defending champs Vegas!

Toronto is surely grateful to be playing anyone other than the Lightning Bolts in round one. (As they were reminded of, just last night ) OK, does that add, or lessen, the pressure on and expectations of the Maple Leafs in this series vs the Bruins?

Call me a Scheduling Nerd (“You’re a bleedin’ schedule nerd!”) but I find it at least somewhat remarkable, here on the last night of the regular season, that there are three contests where a club is making their one and only appearance at their opponent’s rink: - Kraken at Wild - Canucks at Jets - Oilers at Avalanche In each case, the first two games of the season series were played at the other team’s arena. OK, yes…perhaps a full frontal nerdity warning should have been issued at the start of this post.

They were tremendous in April, but for one fatal night where they lost at home to Washington 2-1.