Good morning, PPP! The sun is shining, the birds are singing (maybe) (hopefully), and the Maple Leafs won in regulation last night. They held on in the third to beat the Red Wings 3-2, and you can read Acting the Fulemin's recap here.

Last night was also the 3,000th Maple Leafs game called by Joe Bowen.

While I know there are mixed (to put it politely) views on Bowen around here, we can all agree that listening to him call Auston Matthews' four-goal game is pretty great. Right? Right.

In Case You Missed It

PPPPodcast: Post-Deadline Thoughts - Pension Plan Puppets
The trade deadline has come and gone. How well are the Leafs set up to make the playoffs?

Trading with Vegas: What deals can the Leafs make? - Pension Plan Puppets
Vegas is open for business. Buy some chips and let’s play.

Toronto Maple Leafs legend Olli Jokinen retires - Pension Plan Puppets
What a fun couple of weeks we had together.

Maple Leafs News

Morgan Rielly says Leafs need to boost defensive effort | Toronto Star
'We got away from it. We got into run and gun.'

Matthews, Rielly trying to fast-track Leafs to playoffs - Mike Brophy on hockey - NHL on CBC Sports
Forget "wait 'til next year." Youngsters Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly want to accelerate their team's rebuilding plan by pushing Toronto into the playoffs right now.

Why the next five games are so 'critical' for Maple Leafs - Sportsnet.ca
Due to the NHL's worst current slump, the Toronto Maple Leafs have tumbled out of a playoff spot. The good news? They could pile up some points in the next five games. (Warning for autoplay)

Leafs' Schedule Makes Playoff Push Problematic
The Toronto Maple Leafs are committed to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth. However, a tough schedule to end the season could be the team's biggest obstacle.

News About Less-Fun Teams

Watch: Joshua Ho-Sang scores 1st NHL goal vs. Edmonton Oilers - Lighthouse Hockey
A beauty to tell his grandkids all about.

Down Goes Brown: Who has the league's best (and worst) long-term outlook in goal?
"Goaltending is 75 per cent of your hockey team, unless you don’t have it. Then it’s 100 per cent."

No appetite for rule changes among NHL GMs - The Globe and Mail
They call it "Mike Murphy’s law" around the NHL hockey operations department, and it means that something is bound to go wrong.

Tage Thompson agrees to entry level deal with Blues - St. Louis Game Time
The Blues’ 2016 first rounder will report to Chicago.

Oilers captain-turned coach Doug Weight leads Islanders revival - The Globe and Mail
Since taking over behind the bench, the team’s won 13 of its past 19 games and is back in a playoff position.

From The Branches