Morning Snapshots: Two More Teams Gone, Voukoun Gets The SO + More

Via: PuckDaddy

• Despite facing elimination at home, the Montreal Canadiens were a no-show against the Senators last night, losing the game 6-1 and the series 4-1. Ultimately it was goaltending and penalties that cost them, as backup Peter Budaj only stopped 23 of 29 shots and the team as a whole allowed two power play goals in the third. Cory Conacher picked up two goals on the night, including the series winner, as the Sens now wait to see who they will play in round two. If the Penguins can finish off the Islanders, that will be the match-up. After the game it was revealed that Habs forward Max Pacciorety played through the series with a separated shoulder.
• The fate of the Minnesota Wild was little better, as they were also routed in an elimination game 5-1 to lose their series against Chicago in five. Young Hawks forward Marcus Kruger got the series winning goal early in the second, but veteran Marian Hossa was the star of the game, recording two goals and an assist. It's a tough way to go out for the Wild, who lost their starting goalie Nicklas Backstrom before the puck even dropped in game one and Josh Harding struggled in relief duty, getting pulled twice and finishing with a 2.94 goals against average. The Hawks will likely play either San Jose or Detroit in round two. 
• It was a statement game for Tomas Vokoun and the Pittsburgh Penguins as they defeated the Islanders 4-0 to take a 3-2 series lead. In the summer, Vokoun was aquired by the Pens for insurance in this exact situation. After starter Marc-Andre Fleury struggled in game four, Vokoun got the call and was brilliant in a 31 save shutout. Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang both picked up a goal and an assist on the night. Pittsburgh now has a chance to close out the series on Tuesday, as game six shifts to Long Island.
• Yesterday Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Martin St. Louis were named the finalists for the Ted Lindsay trophy, awarded to the NHL MVP as voted by the players. You can read my take on the nominees in my blog post yesterday.
• A report out of Buffalo, as the Sabres have supposedly fired their assistant coaches after promoting Ron Rolston to full time coach last week. Not a surprising move, as Rolston likely wants to bring in his own staff.
• Predators GM David Poile announced on Thursday that his starting netminder and two-time Vezina finalist Pekka Rinne will undergo arthroscopic hip surgery and will be out for about four months. The hope is that the surgery will fix an existing issue and that Rinne will be ready for training camp in September.
• Meanwhile Mike Gillis, the general manager of the Canucks, held his season ending press conference yesterday after Vancouver was swept by the Sharks, their second straight first round defeat. It seems as though change is in the wind for the Canucks, as Gillis confirmed the need to "reset" the organization and "get the players we need to compete". When asked if Roberto Luongo would still be on the team next season, Gillis replied that it was "unlikely". 
• And finally, your IIHF World Championships update: Team France has the upset of the tournament, as they downed the powerful Russian squad 2-1, the Czechs beat the Danes 2-1, Latvia upset Slovakia 5-3 to win their first of the tournament, and Canada beat Sweden 3-0. Some good news for team Sweden, as Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as Alex Edler will be joining the team before the quarter-final round.

Thanks for reading everyone, there was a lot of news to catch up on around the hockey world last night. Don't forget to comment and share if you like the content here at WAAP. Our header image contest is still going on, if you'd like to submit an image, check out the details here. There's lots of blogs coming up on WAAP after I took a little break yesterday, so check back to the site often! Also, check out my appearance on the Puck and Stuff podcast with Denver Money here.

One last thing before I go, Crosby scored an absolutely beautiful goal last night which you absolutely must check out if you missed it. Shades of Mario indeed.