Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Today the Maple Leafs begin their best  of three series against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at Scotiabank Arena.  The way the last four games have gone we should expect a Leafs victory, but we'll save some of that talk for the preview.

Elsewhere in the playoffs we have the scores from last night:

The Florida Panthers tied their series against the Washington Capitals at two each.

Capitals vs. Panthers Game 4 Recap: Cats Even Series in 3-2 OT Win

The Pittsburgh Penguins blew out the New York Rangers 7-2 and now lead 3-1.

Game 4 Recap: Penguins blow Rangers off the ice, take 3-1 series lead

The Calgary Flamesn tied their series against the Dallas Stars at two each.

Flames Breakout In The Third Period, Defeat Dallas 4-1

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche became the first team to move on to round two after sweeping the Nashville Predators.

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Recap: Avalanche win 5-3 and sweep first round series

While some teams lost, at least the players are still employed. These guys? Not so much.

Pierre McGuire is out as whatever he did with the Ottawa Senators. Now we know that Pierre Dorian didn't want him around and he was just there as a Melnyk hire.

Breaking News: Ottawa Senators Fire Pierre McGuire

After the Islanders had a terrible season, and were boring as heck to watch, GM Lou Lamorello decided a change was needed and Head Coach Barry Trotz was ket go.

Trotz Shocks: Islanders relieve head coach of his duties in Monday stunner

The NHL announced the Norris Trophy finalists for 2022: Roman Josi, Cale Makar, and Victor Hedman.

Hedman, Josi, Makar named Norris Trophy finalists

Finally, the NHL Draft Lottery is tonight at 6:30PM.

When is the 2022 NHL Draft? Lottery odds, top prospects, draft rankings

The odds are:

Now only the top 11 teams in the odds table are eligible for the first overall pick, as you can only move up 10 spots. Thankfully this means the Winnipeg Jets* can't Draft first overall.

The draft is being held in Montréal this year and the Habs hold the best odds to draft Shane Wright first overall.

So, the best thing we can hope for is the Habs drop to the fourth overall draft pick. Who do you want to see win the lottery?

Who do you want to get the first overall pick?

Montréal Canadiens41
Arizona Coyotes52
Seattle Kraken211
Philadelphia Flyers20
New Jersey Devils5
Chicago Blackhawks4
Ottawa Senators29
Detroit Red Wings13
Buffalo Sabres11
Anaheim Ducks12
San Jose Sharks18

My preferred top 4 would be:

1. Seattle Kraken

2. San Jose Sharks

3. Anaheim Ducks

4. Montréal Canadiens

On that bright note, have a great day!

From The Branches