The Marlies did it! Energized with the return of Andreas Johnsson and Travis Dermott to the team along with a shutout performance from Garret Sparks, they turfed the Utica Comets from the playoffs and moved on to the next round.

We’ll have a recap of the game out later this morning, plus more on what’s happened and what’s next early this week. The second round is the dvision final and will be against the Syracuse Crunch (Lightning affiliates). Yes, that is the same team that defeated them in second round last season where the home team won each game. This time the Marlies will have the home ice advantage. Here’s the schedule for the next round.

Game 1 — Thursday, May 3, 7 p.m. Toronto
Game 2 — Saturday, May 5, 4 p.m. Toronto
Game 3 — Sunday, May 6, 7 p.m. Syracuse
Game 4 — Tuesday, May 8, 7 p.m. Syracuse
Game 5 — Saturday, May 12, 4 p.m. Toronto (if necessary)
Game 6 — Monday, May 14, 7 p.m. Syracuse (if necessary)
Game 7 — Wednesday, May 16, 7 p.m. Toronto (if necessary)

ICYMI
Here’s some of our work from the weekend.

Yegor Korshkov To Stay In KHL Another Year - Fulemin
The Leafs’ second pick in the 2016 draft has decided to spend another season in Russia.

Back to Excited Hockey Podcast - Playoff Postmortem - Fulemin and Arvind
Fulemin and Arvind break down the Leafs loss to the Bruins, and the tricky task ahead of Lou Lamoriello.

What is the SPC count likely to be by the end of summer? - Katya
This is a guessing game, but we can at least figure out how much room the Leafs have to add players for next season.

If you’re willing to trade Nylander, you should be willing to trade Marner - Arvind
They’re the same player, with different perceptions around them.

The looming Maple Leafs decision about Lou Lamoriello - Katya
The Leafs are out of the playoffs, so the speculation and rumours about who will be the GM after July 1 boiled over immediately.

Other News

The Capitals defetated the Penguins to tie their series up at 1 game each. There was an interesting call against the Penguins when what looked like a goal was ruled inconclusive.

It took a second overtime, but the Predators tied up their series against the Jets too. They were celebrating in typical Nashville fashion.

MacKinnon should win the Hart Trophy - Mile High Hockey
Nathan MacKinnon proved to the NHL this year that he was the most valuable player

New Wild GM could make Charlie Coyle trade bait - Hockey Wilderness
Forever to be linked with former Wild defenseman Brent Burns, Charlie Coyle has been the the only thing that has paid off for Chuck Fletcher and the Minnesota Wild since the trade was finalized in 2011.

The Canadiens received a great result at the NHL Draft Lottery - Eyes On The Prize
In a draft with a clear top three, third is a pretty good place to be.

Ovechkin Is The Best Player To Never Make A Conference Final - FiveThirtyEight
Alexander Ovechkin’s Capitals have never managed to make it past the second round of the NHL playoffs. Sidney Crosby is largely to blame.

The looming Maple Leafs decision about Lou Lamoriello - Katya
The Leafs are out of the playoffs, so the speculation and rumours about who will be the GM after July 1 boiled over immediately.

From The Branches