Islanders, Playoff Bits: Reinhart's progress; Game 7 time Wednesday; GM shuffles

There is some kind of echo chamber in Edmonton where the press sees a lot of Griffin Reinhart with the Oil Kings and not a lot of good defensemen with the Oilers and yada yada yada the Oilers should totally trade for that guy.

If you haven't seen any of the rationales (they're not that fascinating), you can find them in Jonathan Willis' Oilers-centric plea not to over-value Reinhart, with a focus on his WHL offensive numbers. [Oilers Nation]

Playoffs

• Last night in the playoffs we received the wonderful creation of two Games 7, which will be Wednesday.
• San Jose faces the spectre of blowing a series after leading 3-0, though the goal that gave L.A. the lead was rather hogwash. Todd McClellan was pissed in the post-game and said "we got cheated," which will end up in a fine.
• Paul Stastny continued this postseason's War On Groins with a slash, but Minnesota won and forced Game 7.
• The Penguins won so Columbus could not force Game 7. Evgeni Malkin had a hat trick but whatever. Penguins.

• The Alex Stalock injury comeback story is pretty cool (not last night though!), but this line is bizarre: "After two surgeries, Stalock was back in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., plunked down on the leather couch in the long, open living room that doubled as a computer room in his girlfriend's brother's house."

• Flyers-Rangers fun: Lundqvist is ugly, here's proof. [BSH]

• Canadiens-Bruins fun: The Bruins are awful divers, here's proof. (Needs a Chara-Nielsen clip.) [HEOTP]

• The Patrice Bergeron diaries. [ESPN]

Elsewhere

• UPDATE: The Panthers fired, er "relieved" Peter Horahek of his coaching duties this morning.
• As leaked a month ago, Jim Rutherford is stepping down, er, up to president, while Ron Francis takes over as GM in Carolina. [Canes Country]
• Calgary picked a new GM in Phoenix assistant Brad Treliving, who has a cool name and is the only candidate the Flames interviewed for the position. [NHL] He wouldn't touch Corsi exactly, just that they will "lead the league in digging for information." [Matchsticks & Gasoline]
• George McPhee had his day in court, or rather with the media: "I had to use a lot of picks and young players to try and push that group over the edge. When you're going for it, you have to do it. … When you think you can win a Cup, you owe it to the players in the room and all your fans, you've got to go for it. So I was trading second-round picks and prospects, and at some point you get a touch thin."
• Here are some possible candidates to replace him in D.C. [Wa Post]
  
• These logos are pretty sweet, if you're into re-interpreting NHL logos as medieval shields.
• Mike Keenan was pretty angry about a KHL playoff loss, chased the referee. [Puck Daddy]
• "Funny what 12 games can do to a perception of a team." No doubt. Some embarrassing reactions to the Blues elimination because history and fan angst. [Grantland]
• The five most gentlemanly Lady Byng winners. [THN]
  
• Fighting to be removed from junior hockey? [The Junior Hockey News, maybe]
• Some L.A. columnist said if Don Sterling doesn't like blacks, he should buy a hockey team. Yeah. [Color of Hockey]
• More on Sterling, and a fan's worst (but common) nightmare: "There never has been anything you can do about a bad owner. That one is out of your hands." [Grantland]
  

OT But Sports and Crazy

This isn't hockey, but probably a good thing Islanders-Rangers derbies are nothing like the Istanbul Derby. [SB Nation]