Good morning Leafs fans! Round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs is underway, and yes, the Ottawa Senators couldn't sell a game where you could get tickets for $50 on stubhub. I'm not here to tell you that there was 2,000 empty seats in the CorelScotiaCanadianTireBank Palladium Centre Place last night.

I'm here to give you good people of Leafs Nation some ideas of other playoff games to watch this weekend instead of those other NHL teams that are just going to tire out their players needlessly.

In the American Hockey League, the Toronto Marlies are hosting the Albany Devils in game four of their first round series. If the Marlies win tonight they win the best of five series.

You can see that at the Ricoh Coliseum tonight at 7PM in person or on AHL Live & Leafs TV.

If you're going to be up late, you can watch Adam Brooks and the Regina Pats battle Tyler Wong and the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL Eastern Conference finals. The series is tied at two games each, and it's been a great one to watch.

That game is 9PM Toronto time, and can be streamed via the WHL Live service

A couple non-Leafs playoff games to try and catch:

QMJHL semi-finals: Chicoutimi Sagueens vs Saint John Sea Dogs game five.

Series tied 2-2. 6PM EDT. QMJHL Live.

OHL Western Conference Final: Owen Sound Attack vs Erie Otters.

Series tied 2-2. 7PM EDT. OHL Live.

AHL round one: Saint John Ice Caps vs Syracuse Crunch.

Syracuse leads series 2-1. 7PM EDT. AHL Live. This may be the final game featuring a professional team from Newfoundland.

Here are your morning links:

Cody Franson is an obvious off-season target for the Maple Leafs - TLN

Meet Oliver Castleman, the Youngest Player the 2017 NHL Entry Draft - Bloggers Tribune

Bah God...That’s Nick Bonino’s Music. Pens win Game One 3-2. Lead Series 1-0. - PensBurgh
Crosby scores twice and Fleury stands on his head to give Pens victory in Game 1. Bonino continues to haunt the Capitals with another game winning goal. Game 2 set for Saturday night.

Martin Fennelly’s hit piece on Nikita Kucherov was not okay - Raw Charge
We adore you, Tampa Bay Times, but really?

Kevin Fiala’s Out, So What Now? - On the Forecheck
A look at the possible options to replace Kevin Fiala in the Preds lineup.

Fear of the NHL Draft Lottery - Mile High Hockey
Calculating all of the odds on Saturday night

Writer’s Roundtable: The End Of Season Edition - Matchsticks and Gasoline
Here’s our wrap up of the 2016-17 season.

Islanders front office search has names, but few answers beyond the status quo - Lighthouse Hockey
Many might not like it, but for now, the Islanders best management options might be the ones they already have.

Late Senators Bounce Dooms Rangers In Game 1 - Blueshirt Banter
The New York Rangers fell to the Ottawa Senators by a final score of 2-1, in the opening game of the second round this evening. As usual, Henrik Lundqvist was dominant and turned aside the early...

Ask the Staff: Should the Sharks bring back Pete DeBoer? - Fear The Fin
You’ve heard from Marcus; now hear from everyone else.

Kovalchuk’s Possible Return: To Trade or Not to Trade - All About The Jersey
Ilya Kovalchuk may finally be on his way back to the NHL.  His ability to play all hinges on signing with the New Jersey Devils; if he does sign, should the Devils keep him or trade him in hopes of...

Column: Canadian media reveals itself with excuse-peddling over Senators playoff attendance - Canes Country
Why was the Senators’ attendance down last night? Better question: who the hell cares?

Enjoy the day folks.

From The Branches