another reason Nill should win GMOY again. number of players on the active roster drafted by each team in the conference finals:
FLA: 4
CAR: 5
EDM: 8
DAL: 11 😶
my best bet is Back slides in and Lyubushkin comes out. think the extra size put him in over Blackwell. rolls 4 lines again and double shift Rantanen some, but maybe less than previous
if you're bored today and want some Stars content before the game, these interviews were very good. I really like the mutual admiration and trust between Nill and DeBoer.
Nill and DeBoer: https://www.nhl.com/stars/video/5-20-25-practice-jim-nill-pete-deboer-6373131939112
a lot of people talking today about Rantanen's shade at Esa and his steak cooking (non) abilities
Heiskanen and Rantanen: https://www.nhl.com/stars/video/5-20-25-practice-miro-heiskanen-mikko-rantanen-6373129975112
this sorta plays into why I haven't been buying the Carolina hype. they're not nearly as deep as the rest of the field and their "boring" brand of hockey seems to peter out long about this round, when the chaff has been separated and the real contenders have emerged. them seemingly not matching FLA's intensity isn't a great harbinger for them. it's only one game, but debuting a rookie d-man in the conference finals doesn't seem ideal.
yeah, it was in the vegas series. been nearly two weeks since he last played and not expected to come back for at least another 10 days. Ekholm could return as soon as the 25th