NHL playoffs are a drug to me. When the Isles are in it, I'm a wreck from morning to night, a junkie holed up in self-destructive paranoia and oblivious to daylight. When the Isles aren't in it, it's a little different: I'm more like a guy partying in the city, gobbling up games and trying to live all of life in one night, refusing to acknowledge there is still a very empty ending on the other side. Because none of these teams really mean anything to me, and when the party stops: emptiness. Someone else has the grail.
The minor leagues, on the other hand, are a case of grabbing information where I can get it. So by all means, share info you come across, or game impressions if you see them. (We have a Vegas-based commenter who gave us some details on Mikko's first-round games with Utah.)
Bridgeport's AHL playoffs also begin tonight vs. the behemoth Hershey Bears. The Sound Tigers signed Wisconsin's Michael Davies to an Amateur Tryout deal -- Davies was second behind Derek Stepan in Badgers scoring. Michael Fornabaio breaks down the daunting task ahead. The players are in "nothing to lose" mode. Matt Martin sounds ready; Rhett Rakhshani gets to play more high-stakes hockey. Fornabaio also has some helpful links to coverage from Hershey's side, and SBN's Capitals blog Japers' Rink has bigger things to worry about, but they usually keep tabs on the AHL side, too.
Utah's ECHL playoffs will carry on thanks to Mikko Koskinen's 38-save victory to eliminate Las Vegas in Game 5. Here's a photo of Mikko staring down a puck. The Grizzlies face Idaho in the next round.