It’s the weekend! There’s playoff hockey going on!

No, not that one. We don’t care about that one anymore. Stop asking about it!

I mean the AHL playoffs! The ECHL playoffs! The OHL and WHL playoffs! Important hockey that still has players important to the Leafs participating!

Let’s start with the Marlies. They’re starting their round two at home against the Cleveland Monsters. Here are the dates:

They’ll be getting stronger thanks to the arrivals of guys like Rosen, Moore, and Hutchison. If you missed round one, the Marlies swept Rochester with big production from Mueller (5 points), Brooks (4 goals), Sandin (4 assists), and Kaskisuo (0.960 sv%). The new arrivals will add a lot of talent and depth to a lineup that’s really coming together.

They might also get some help in the form of Yegor Korshkov, who was sticking around Team Russia to see if he could crack their World Championship. But with the likes of Ovechkin, Gusev, and others eliminated from the NHL playoffs he’s likely not going to make the cut. No guarantees he comes over to the Marlies, but he might!

Now, the ECHL and the Newfoundland Growlers, who started their round two with a 3-2 loss last night. Here’s their schedule:

You should be interested for two reasons: first, their team name and logo are dope and they’re one of the better teams in the league; second, Leafs prospect Semyon Der-Arguchintsev has been playing with them and has two points in their 7 playoff games.

Next, the CHL. There are three teams of interest to Leafs fans still in it:

  • The Guelph Storm won last night to stay alive and bring the series to 3-2. The prospect of interest to us is Fedor Gordeev, who has been used in a shut down role and has 2 points in 16 playoff games.
  • The Prince Albert Raiders won last night to take a 3-2 series lead. Leafs prospect Ian Scott has backstopped them to the conference finals with a 1.83 GAA and a .932 sv%.
  • The Spokane Chiefs are facing elimination, down 3-1 to the Vancouver Giants. Leafs prospect Filip Kral is out with an injury at the moment./

Michael Hutchinson to return to the Marlies | by Katya

Maple Leafs send Trevor Moore to Toronto Marlies | by Hardev

Criticize the real William Nylander | by Arvind

We need to talk about Nazem Kadri | by Katya

NHL Playoffs

The Hurricanes took game one thanks to an overtime goal by Jordan Staal.

Game 1 Recap: Staal, Mrazek lead Canes to shutout win | Canes Country

Hurricanes 1, Islanders 0 (OT): Staal ends goalie duel in Game 1 | Lighthouse Hockey

The Sharks defeated the Avalanche 5-2 last night, killing off a four minute penalty and then getting cheeky in the process.

Have a great weekend everyone!

From The Branches