From the Front Page

The NHL Playoffs Are Getting Ugly - Pension Plan Puppets
"Let 'em play" has found its way back into the game, recently.

Why Gary Bettman's stance on offensive chants is infuriating - Pension Plan Puppets
The NHL's commissioner, Gary Bettman, made some foolish remarks about a sexist chant in Winnipeg from last week. What he didn't realize was how alienated he made female fans.

Gibson, Frattin key to Marlies playoff success - Pension Plan Puppets
The Marlies took a 2-0 series lead after a big 5-2 win at Ricoh Coliseum.

Playoff Games

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit Red Wings - Recap
Tyler Johnson scored two goals in his latest stellar performance and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on for a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, forcing a Game 7.

New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals - Recap
Rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the go-ahead goal and Braden Holtby only needed to make 10 saves, lifting the Capitals past the Islanders 2-1 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Capitals finally change their Game 7 history

Other NHL News

Norris Trophy finalists: Doughty, Karlsson, Subban
The Kings' Drew Doughty, the Sens' Erik Karlsson and the Habs' P.K. Subban are finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman.

Will Blues fire Ken Hitchcock after early exit? - Sportsnet.ca
Head coach Ken Hitchcock's days in St. Louis appear numbered, but will the change go beyond the bench? The Blues' offence failed to deliver in another first-round exit.

Leafs Stuff

Orlando Solar Bears Eliminated From ECHL Playoffs | The LeafsNation

Mailbag: ATOs, Not PDOs | The LeafsNation

Along the lines of the above tweet, I've been thinking of taking a quantitative look at the value of drawing penalties. For an average team, the marginal goals added is basically PP% - expected amount of shorthanded goals given up in 2 minutes. Obviously, that equation exchanges with the Leafs, since at even strength, the expected value of 2 minutes there is less than 0. So logically, it seems that if you're a bad team, Kadri has more value than he would if you're a good one, at least with respect to drawing penalties. Let me know if you guys want to see me expand on this in more detail, and perhaps do it for the rest of the league.

Peter Chiarelli spoke with Maple Leafs before taking Oilers GM job | theScore

From The Branches