Islanders Daily: Good in Goal, Pastrnak for President, & More

How important is it to have two strong netminders at the NHL level? Will David Krejci rejoin the Boston Bruins? The Montreal Canadiens have dropped Martin St. Louis interim tag.

These stories and more in today’s daily links!

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs have reiterated the importance of having more than one strong netminder at the NHL level. We have seen countless injuries to netminders, which have directly led to the demise of certain teams. The New York Islanders have two strong netminders in Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin, as long as no changes are made this offseason.(NYI Hockey Now)

After spending the last two weeks playing with his former Boston Bruins teammate and helping Team Czechia win Bronze at the World Championships, Bruins winger David Pastrnak is trying to recruit center David Krejci back to Boston and the NHL. In an Instagram post Tuesday, Pastrnak posted a video of him and Krejci walking around the streets of Prague and flat out asked his buddy and longtime teammate with the Boston Bruins if he will come back to Boston with him next season? (Boston Hockey Now)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot of personnel issues to address over the next few months. Securing a No. 2 goaltender is one of them, even if it’s not among the most pressing matters facing GM Ron Hextall and his staff. Not when the Penguins are hoping to retain the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Rickard Rakell, among others. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Florida Panthers got more out of Anton Lundell during this rookie season than perhaps they counted on when doing preseason planning. For Lundell, it was an education. ”When I came here, I didn’t expect very much,” he said last week. “I had just one goal and that was to get a spot on the roster. I didn’t think this season would go as well. It was a great season for me and for the team too. We played some unbelievable hockey and it’s a season we will remember.” (Florida Hockey Now)

The Washington Capitals have several questions to answer this offseason, and one of the biggest centers around Tom Wilson. Washington announced last week that Wilson will miss 6-8 months as he recovers from ACL surgery on his left knee. While he is expected to make a full recovery, he will still miss significant time to open the 2022-23 campaign, leaving the Capitals without a key piece of the puzzle for the first couple of months. (Washington Hockey Now)

The NHL is down to its Final Four, and only a few former Philadelphia Flyers are playing (minor) roles as their teams try to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Here’s a look at the matchups: (Philly Hockey Now)

The Montreal Canadiens have finally taken the interim tag off Martin St. Louis’ job title and officially made him the 32nd head coach of the Canadiens. In a press release early Wednesday morning, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced that the team has signed St. Louis to three-year contract extension (2022-23 to 2024-25). (Montreal Hockey Now)

Red Wings Role Call is assessing every player who held a significant place in the fortunes of the 2021-22 Detroit Red Wings season. We’ll be looking at the highs and lows they experienced during the just-completed campaign, as well as what the future holds for them in Detroit. Today, we feature right-wing Jakub Vrana. (Detroit Hockey Now)

The Avalanche’s 8-6 win over the Oilers in Game1 of the Western Conference finals so much was firewagon hockey, an engine from the nearby Denver Station No. 6 should have sped over from Speer Boulevard and followed a Zamboni around the ice between periods. With a Dalmatian along for the ride. (Colorado Hockey Now)

We have entered the Conference Finals stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and for only the second time in the last five years, the Vegas Golden Knights are not one of the final four teams remaining. Instead, we have the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche in the West and New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning in the East. National Hockey Now’s picks for the third round are below, but first how we did. (Vegas Hockey Now)

Rudolfs Balcers did not take the leap that the San Jose Sharks were hoping for this season. Last year, Balcers was a pleasant surprise. Plucked off waivers before the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the 2015 San Jose fifth-round pick emerged as a top-nine forward option for the undermanned Sharks, finishing seventh up front with 14:43 ATOI. His eight goals and nine assists in 41 games was good for a 0.41 Points Per Game average, good for seventh among San Jose forwards. (San Jose Hockey Now)

They exceeded their minimum goal, but few members within the Calgary Flames organization are viewing the 2021-22 season as a success. And that’s fine. Satisfaction is death in professional sports. But Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said it best in the minutes following their crushing NHL playoff exit. The players were still wiping tears from their faces after an emotional overtime loss in their Round Two elimination game against the Edmonton Oilers when Sutter closed his podium interview. (Calgary Hockey Now)