Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit for the PHT Morning Skate? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.
• After beginning his career in Montreal, Max Pacioretty is loving his time now in Las Vegas. [Montreal Gazette]
• The Golden Knights’ blue line really showed its value in Game 1. [Sin Bin Vegas]
• Jeff Petry skated on Tuesday and Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said he will likely be a game-time decision along with Jon Merrill and Jake Evans. [TSN]
• On the Islanders’ Game 2 defeat: “Forced and unforced, there were just too many errors, too many lagging details. Again, though, did you expect the Lightning to abdicate?” [NY Post]
• “Kucherov didn’t score a goal, didn’t throw a meaningful punch, didn’t block a shot in the Lightning’s 4-2 victory over the Islanders in Game 2. All he did was rescue Tampa Bay on a night when the season briefly felt as if it might have been in peril.” [Tampa Bay Times]
• One man who knows what kind of coach Gerard Gallant is? Jaromir Jagr: “One of the other things I really like about the way he coaches is that he doesn’t change lines that often. He doesn’t mix up things just to do something.” [NY Post]
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 schedule, TV info]
• Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom was voted the 2020-21 Masterton Trophy winner by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. [PHT]
• What the Bruins do this summer will dictate whether they attempt to make another Stanley Cup run or move towards a transition phase. [NBC Sports Boston]
• If the Avalanche was going to open up some cap space for extensions for their stars, could Sam Girard be a trade chip? [The Hockey News]
• What could Zach Hyman fetch on the open market? [Sportsnet]
• A look at the Toronto Six’s Mark Joslin, the NWHL’s first Black head coach. [NHL.com]
• There are plenty of options for Penguins GM Ron Hextall to go and find cap space on his roster. [Pensburgh]
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy