Coyote Tracks - Paint it [Orange &] Black Monday May 17 Edition

So apparently there's a bit too much Flyers fandom coming from me according to Ghost.  Well, yesterday's 6-0 shellacking of Jaroslav Halak and the Canadiens certainly won't change anything ;)

So this is going up late, and I don't have time to do a full post.  So use this more as your open-day thread to post comments or links to articles that I can fully delve into tonight.

LAST NIGHT'S NHL SCORES:  Blackhawks 2 - Sharks 1 (Chicago leads series 1-0); Canadiens 0 - Flyers 6 (Philadelphia leads series 1-0)

So exciting games yesterday albeit for very different reasons.  The Blackhawks and Sharks played a very even open game with both goalies standing on their heads at times.  Dustin Byfuglien scored the game winner mid-way through the third on a nice shot from the slot.  Not sure that there was a defensive miss or it's just a well-designed play off a face-off win.  Either way, Antti Niemi made it stand up and the Blackhawks take home ice advantage in the Western Conference Finals.

On the Eastern side, the Flyers weren't their sharpest during the first period, although they did take a 1-0 lead.  But the wheels came off the bus for Montreal in the second as the Flyers put up a 3 spot and it could've been worse.  The Flyers will need to be ready for the increased intensity that Montreal will bring later in the series, but after the dramatic comeback against the Bruins (both in the series, and game 7), it was nice to not see a drop in their effort last night.  No hockey tonight, both series resume on Tuesday.

The 2010 Alternative NHL Awards - On the Forecheck
Presenting the 2010 Alternative NHL Awards, where Sidney Crosby & Evgeni Malkin fit in alongside Jordin Tootoo & Steve Downie!

YouTube - Giroux eats the puck
This is a clip from Friday's game 7 between Philly and Boston.  Check out this ridiculous shift by Claude Giroux where he pulls a Shane Doan/Daniel Winnik on the PK and just completely eats the puck deep in Boston's end for a whole 25 seconds...with about 2 minutes to go and Boston down by a goal in game 7.  This is a ridiculous amount of skill and determination.

We'll have twice the normal amount of links tomorrow as I'll hopefully find the time to go through all of my emails and what-not tonight.  For now, just enjoy the day off from new hockey...