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.
• Corey Perry is in the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season. Will he win his second Cup or lose again with a third different team? [Tampa Bay Times]
• Brayden Point is “highly doubtful” for Game 4 tonight, while Nikita Kucherov is expected to play. [PHT]
• Nazem Kadri is getting closer to returning while there’s still uncertainty about Andre Burakovsky’s status. [Colorado Hockey Now]
• “If we look closely at this matchup and turn down the low-hanging fruit of the previous outcomes, you’ll see two evenly matched teams. You’ll also see two teams struggling through some bumps and bruises. Depth has been the story of this series, with each group being exploited as guys leave the lineup due to injury. So which team will get more relief in this department as the series wears on?” [Mile High Hockey]
• Cale Makar hopes to follow up his Norris Trophy win Tuesday with a Stanley Cup later this week. [NHL.com]
• If Andrei Vasilevskiy has regained his elite form life is going to be tough for the Avalanche. [Sportsnet]
• “The penalty kill has been downright atrocious through three games—they’ve allowed five goals on 11 power-play opportunities. You’re not winning anything with a penalty kill clocking in at 45%—you’re asking to lose a series like that. It also doesn’t help that Tampa Bay hasn’t capitalized on their power-play; they’ve only scored once with the man advantage, which came in Game 3.” [Raw Charge]
[Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022 schedule, TV info]
• Nicklas Backstrom may not play again for the Capitals. Hello, Evgeni Malkin? [Washington Hockey Now]
• The Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, have hired Dan Bylsma as head coach. [Seattle Times]
• How far up the NHL coaching ladder can Jessica Campbell of the Rangers climb? [Daily Faceoff]
• It was a big night for Auston Matthews, as the Maple Leafs forward claimed both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. [PHT]
• Should the Islanders hang on to Semyon Varlamov or move him to improve elsewhere? [NY Hockey Now]
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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.