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? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.
• Jon Cooper on the time he received to decide whether to challenge Colorado’s first goal, which was later waived off: “I’m a believer -- and I don’t know if I’m in the minority on this -- but I don’t know if that should be in our hands. If it’s either onside or offside, I just don’t know why I have to make that decision when the stakes are this high.” [ESPN]
• Darcy Kuemper was busy, and eventually pulled, as Andrei Vasilevskiy won the goalie duel in Game 3. [Tampa Bay Times]
• Nathan MacKinnon on the Avalanche’s Game 3 performance: “You have to have a short memory. We’re gonna lose games. We’ve won every (previous) game on the road, so I guess we were kind of due for a tough night. Every mistake we made, they capitalized on, and that’s how they play. They’re a really good team. That’s obvious. We have to be sharper.” [Colorado Hockey Now]
• The Lightning were not fans of the Devon Toews shove that ended up injuring Nikita Kucherov in the third period. [TSN]
• “A solid, if not perfect, win for the Lightning stopped the bleeding a bit.” [Raw Charge]
[Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022 schedule, TV info]
The fights between the Avalanche and the Red Wings were intense 😳@E60 examines what led to the NHL's fiercest rivalry 😤
— ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2022
📺 June 26 | 1 PM ET | ESPN pic.twitter.com/z8e2UEkHYU
• On the Stars’ decision to hire Peter DeBoer as head coach, which is expected to be made official today: “The NHL is a results-driven business. The success of the team is often based on making the playoffs, not in winning the offseason. DeBoer does bring a history of success to the table, with his many playoff appearances with the San Jose Sharks and Vegas. Maybe that was the ultimate desire of [Jim] Nill and Stars ownership for their next coaching hire.” [Defending Big D]
• KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko has chosen the Canucks as the NHL team he will play for next season. The 26-year-old, who finished second in scoring this past season, will officially sign his contract on July 13 when free agency begins. [Canucks Army]
• The Canadiens are hoping that Shane Wright, the likely No. 1 pick in next month’s draft, will make an impact in the NHL right away. [Sportsnet]
• How Fenway Sports Group is already asserting its influence on how the Penguins are run. [Pensburgh]
• Examining the 2021-22 Ducks and how things can get better. [NBC Sports Edge]
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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.