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Ranking Eastern Conference contenders after the trade deadline: Bucks still on top, followed by Sixers, Nets

Published

1 year ago

February 11, 2022

After weeks of speculation and intrigue, the 2022 NBA trade deadline finally arrived on Thursday, and it was even more wild and unpredictable than we could have imagined. Here’s just a quick recap of some of the top-line items in case you aren’t caught up:

The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers actually completed the long-rumored James Harden for Ben Simmons swap, with the Nets also acquiring Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks in the deal.
Just when no one expected it, the Dallas Mavericks finally traded Kristaps Porzingis, sending him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
The Boston Celtics revamped their roster with two trades. Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Derrick White, and Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando to the Houston Rockets for Daniel Theis.
There was a four-team trade involving the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, in which the Kings got Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson, and Trey Lyles, the Pistons got Marvin Bagley III, the Clippers got Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye and the Bucks got Serge Ibaka and two second-round picks.

And that doesn’t even include some of the smaller deals, or moves that were completed earlier in the week. In short, the league looks a lot different than it did a few days ago. The Eastern Conference, in particular, went through a massive shake-up with the Nets and Sixers blockbuster. And with the top eight teams in that conference currently separated by just 5.5 games, it’s going to be a mad dash to the end of the regular season.

As the dust settles on deadline day, let’s reassess the different tiers of contenders in the East.

The Champ: Milwaukee Bucks

Record: 35-22
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 4th (1.5 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Four-team trade in which they sent out Donte DiVincenzo (to Kings) and got back Serge Ibaka (from Clippers) and two second-round picks (from Pistons)

Things have not gone to plan for the Bucks this season. Most notably, they’ve been decimated by injuries and COVID-19. Brook Lopez hasn’t played since opening night and is still out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been limited to 29 games together. The defense hasn’t been quite as good, in large part due to Lopez’s absence, and they’ve put it on auto-pilot mode at times.

For all the problems, though, they’re still sitting in fourth place in the East at 35-22, just 1.5 games behind the Miami Heat. And when the big three have been healthy, the Bucks have been downright dominant. They’re 23-6 when Giannis, Middleton and Holiday all play, and boast a plus-13.5 net rating with that trio on the court. In addition, they’ve addressed their biggest weakness by trading for Ibaka. He is admittedly not the healthiest guy himself, but he fits in perfectly with what they like to do on both sides of the ball, and they won’t need him to play heavy minutes — especially if Lopez comes back.

Giannis is making a push for his third MVP in four seasons and is arguably the best player in the world at the moment. Also, perhaps more important than anything, the Bucks are the defending champions and have all the confidence and experience that comes with reaching the pinnacle.

They have the belt and someone is going to have to come and take it from them.

The main contenders: Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets

76ers

Record: 32-22
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 5th (3 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Nets for James Harden

We’ll talk about these two teams in tandem for obvious reasons. After speculation heated up in recent days, they finally completed the blockbuster trade everyone was waiting for: James Harden to the Sixers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks.

For the Sixers, the Ben Simmons saga is finally over, and they have a true second superstar to put next to Joel Embiid. It wasn’t cheap — Curry had been awesome for them, Drummond was a solid back-up big, they gave up two future firsts and are likely going to hand Harden a massive extension — but the upside is obvious.

Simmons hadn’t played all season and was notorious for shrinking from the moment in the playoffs. Harden, on the other hand, is one of the best offensive talents in the league and is not only a much better fit next to Embiid but is immediately the best player the big man has ever played with. Embiid has almost single-handedly dragged the Sixers to a 32-22 record this season with some truly spectacular performances. Imagine what he’ll be able to do now that teams also have to worry about Harden.

The Sixers are not a perfect team, and health is always going to be a concern, but with (a presumably highly motivated) Harden on board, they are a real threat to make it out of the East.

Nets

Record: 29-26
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 8th (6.5 games out of first)
Big deadline move: James Harden to the Sixers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks

Things are a bit more complicated on the Brooklyn side. The best ability is availability as the old cliche goes, and the Nets aren’t quite sure when any of their stars are going to be available. Kevin Durant is sidelined until some time after the All-Star break with a knee injury, Simmons is going to need time to ramp up and it’s not clear when he’ll first play with the team and Kyrie Irving can only play in select road games while he remains unvaccinated. The longer that remains the case, the bigger the problem becomes for the Nets. They’ve already lost 10 games in a row to fall to 29-26 and would be in the play-in tournament as things stand.

Beyond that, we don’t know exactly how this trade will work on the court. For all the issues with the previous big three, we knew that they absolutely crushed teams when they were able to play together. Will this new group be able to do the same? Maybe? Probably? But we don’t know for sure, and they aren’t going to have much time to get acclimated before the playoffs.

In theory, it could be great. Brooklyn is probably the best situation for Simmons. There’s plenty of spacing, two offensive savants that will allow him to never shoot again if he doesn’t want to and he’ll be on a contender without being the focal point of media attention. Simmons also gives the Nets a much-needed defensive anchor, and is younger than Harden, while Curry and Drummond provide vital depth. At the same time, Simmons’ flaws didn’t magically disappear, and he hasn’t played in an NBA game in eight months. Plus, the Nets are going to have to combine all these new pieces on the fly.

With a healthy Durant, there’s no question the Nets have the talent to win it all this season, but it’s hard to have too much faith in a team that’s been so chaotic.

In the mix: Miami Heat

Record: 36-20
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 1st
Big deadline move: None

The Heat have the best record in the East, and are tied for the fifth-best net rating in the league (plus-4.6), so perhaps it’s a bit unfair to have them in the third tier — especially considering they’ve reached this point despite rarely being at full strength. Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo have all missed at least 13 games, and they’ve played together just 18 times.

At full strength, there’s no question this is a dangerous team. Kyle Lowry has been a huge addition, of course, PJ Tucker suddenly cannot miss from the outside and Tyler Herro is on his way to the Sixth Man of the Year Award. They’re the best 3-point shooting group in the league, they defend, they’re tough, they have a clear identity. If all goes right, this team has a real chance to come out of the East.

So, again, why are they in the third tier? For one, health is a major concern, even more so than other teams. This is an old core built featuring guys like Butler and Lowry who have notoriously struggled to stay on the court in recent years. They’ve missed a number of games already this season and there’s no guarantee they can make it through (at least) three grueling playoff rounds. In addition, the Heat don’t have elite talent on the level of Giannis, Embiid, or Durant, and that matters in the playoffs.

A puncher’s chance: Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics

Bulls

Record: 34-21
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 2nd (1.5 games out of first)
Big deadline move: None

The Bulls made a number of big moves in the offseason, acquiring DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, but there were plenty of questions about how it would all work. Turns out, pretty well! DeRozan has been unbelievable, LaVine is putting together another elite offensive season and Ball and Caruso have formed a dynamite defensive backcourt.

But like a few other teams, they have not been able to stay healthy. At one point, the number of players in COVID-19 protocols reached double digits, while Patrick Williams, Ball and Caruso have all suffered long-term injuries. That they’re still 34-21 and in second place in the East is a testament to DeRozan, who has put the team on his back at times, and unheralded players who have stepped up like rookie Ayo Dosunmu.

While you cannot count the Bulls out, we need to see them healthy again before we truly assess their chances. And even then, it’s difficult to see them winning multiple playoff series against the teams ahead of them. In particular, their thin frontcourt rotation is going to be a major problem against the Bucks and Sixers. To that point, it’s worth noting that they’re 4-9 against the other top-eight teams in the East, and 2-5 against the top-five teams in the West. They also didn’t make any additions at the deadline.

Celtics

Record: 31-25
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 7th (5 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando to Rockets for Daniel Theis; Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a first-round pick to Spurs for Derrick White

Now we turn to the Celtics, who have been one of the most confusing teams this season. They were downright terrible to start, prompting weeks of discussion on local and national media about whether they needed to break up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

That topic has been shelved following the team’s recent turnaround. They’re on a six-game winning streak and have won 13 of their last 17 games over the last month-plus. During that time they have a dominant 99.7 defensive rating and have surged up into seventh place in the East — just 5 games out of first. A softer schedule has helped, to be sure, but Tatum has broken out of his shooting slump, Marcus Smart is playing perhaps the best basketball of his career and they made some very strong deadline-day moves to acquire Derrick White and Daniel Theis.

There are still plenty of questions about this team, in particular their offense, which has a tendency to shut down for minutes at a time. And much like the Bulls, it’s hard to see them getting past two or three of the Bucks, Sixers and Nets. But they have a true star in Tatum, and if they’re going to defend like this the rest of the way, then they’ll be a tough out come playoff time.

Record: 34-21
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 3rd (1.5 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Ricky Rubio, a first-round pick to Pacers for Caris LeVert

The Cavaliers have also exceeded expectations in a major way this season. Instead of gradual improvement, they’ve surged into the top half of the East standings and are well on their way to their first playoff appearance since LeBron James left for the second time in 2018.

Darius Garland has come into his own, earning his first All-Star appearance; Evan Mobley is doing things on defense we’ve never seen from a rookie big man; Jarrett Allen is making the Nets look extremely foolish for trading him; Kevin Love looks rejuvenated; they have one of the best defensive units in the league.

But it’s one thing to be a fun young team and one of the best stories of the season; it’s another to win the Eastern Conference. They’ve earned a spot in the discussion, but their inability to score is going to be magnified in the playoffs — even with the addition of Caris LeVert — and they don’t have a true superstar like some of these other clubs.

Let’s run through these teams rather quickly.

Raptors

Record: 31-23
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 6th (4 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Goran Dragic and a protected first-round pick to Spurs for Thaddeus Young

The Raptors have been much better than expected. Everyone on the roster outside of (All-Star!) Fred VanVleet is apparently required to be exactly 6-foot-8, rookie Scottie Barnes has been awesome and they’re just really solid on both sides of the ball. They won’t be fun to play in the postseason if they make it, but they aren’t winning the East.

Hornets

Record: 28-28
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 9th (8 games out of first)
Big deadline move: Trading Ish Smith and Vernon Carey to the Wizards for Montrezl Harrell

Things were looking much better a few weeks ago for the Hornets, who have now lost six games in a row to drop to ninth place, and will be without Gordon Hayward indefinitely due to an ankle injury. Very fun team with LaMelo Ball leading the way, and trading for Montrezl Harrell will help address their frontcourt depth, but they aren’t consistent enough.

Hawks

Record: 26-28
Position in Eastern Conference standings: 10th (9 games out of first)
Big deadline move: None

And finally, last season’s darlings, the Hawks. They have not been able to build on their Eastern Conference finals run, in large part because they simply cannot stop anyone. No one in Atlanta should be getting their hopes up, but they are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and after what they did in the playoffs a year ago they deserve a mention.

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Panthers’ toughness becomes weakness as Golden Knights capitalize on undisciplined play

Published

6 hours ago

June 6, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS — The Florida Panthers are trying to be tough. The Vegas Golden Knights actually are.

The Stanley Cup finalists were opposites on Monday, and not because the Knights ventilated Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Sergei Bobrovsky in a decisive (and easy) 7-2 victory that gave Vegas a 2-0 series lead in the National Hockey League championship.

For all the overt and cosmetic displays of “toughness” by the Panthers, who revel in their reputation as shift-disturbers, it’s the steady, unbending Knights who appear through two lopsided wins to have the nerve and fortitude that reflect genuine toughness.

Discipline is toughness. Only one team has it.

The Panthers were so tough they were soft in Game 2. They took two silly penalties early that led to a deficit and displayed little actual resistance around their own net.

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It’s like they thought time and space might somehow repel Nicolas Roy when the Knight walked the puck out of the corner, untouched between retreating Panthers Carter Verhaeghe and Casey Fitzgerald, and beat Bobrovsky to make it 3-0 at 2:59 of the second period.

When Brett Howden skated unchecked on to Mark Stone’s pass and outwaited Bobrovsky to make it 4-0 at 7:10, the goalie who co-piloted the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final was hooked by Florida coach Paul Maurice after 13 shots.

The team’s other catalyst, Matthew Tkachuk, had more penalty minutes (22) than playing time (15:57) but did deliver the hit of the game late in the second period on Jack Eichel, who like the rest of the Golden Knights, was undeterred.

As the series moves across the continent to South Florida for Game 3 on Thursday, this final is not close. And it’s not going to be close unless the Panthers smarten up because the Golden Knights are too good and too disciplined to just invite them back into the series.

“Toughness, there’s probably a lot of things that go into the description of that,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s not about fighting. To me discipline is more of the mental toughness part of it, knowing that it’s easy to retaliate and get your sort of instant gratification. But to hold it in takes a lot more.

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“If you’re going to play a series and the temperature goes up, it’s just going to be required. I think every guy understands that. You’ve got to decide. That’s on the player and good for our guys, really good for our guys.”

Not so much for the Panthers.

Just 6:39 into the game, Florida winger Ryan Lomberg needlessly brought his stick up on Jonathan Marchessault. And 26 seconds after his cross-checking penalty began, Marchessault scored his ninth goal in nine games by lasering a wrist shot past Bobrovsky’s glove.

A few shifts later, Panther defenceman Brandon Montour took an even dumber penalty by elbowing Marchessault in the back of the head. The Knights didn’t score on that power play (but did soon after) and didn’t get a call when Aaron Ekblad cuffed William Karlsson at the first-period buzzer. Ekblad then ridiculously stuck his skate out towards another opponent on his way off the ice.

That’s not toughness. It’s silly.

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“It’s not a penalty preventing a goal or a scoring chance, right?” Cassidy said of Montour’s penalty. “So you want to take advantage of those. It’s all about creating some doubt, too, for them because they’ve been the story of the playoffs. So you want to put some doubt in their mind.”

Surely, it is there now.

“We’ve seen what they’ve done in the series before,” Roy said. “They play hard, but they also take penalties after the whistle. It was a big goal from Marchy there on the powerplay to make them pay, and we’re not going to retaliate. We’re going to stay disciplined.”

Is discipline part of being tough?

“Absolutely,” defenceman Alec Martinez, a Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings, said after scoring the second Vegas goal. “You’ve got to be able to take a few hacks and whacks to be successful.

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“We know the kind of style that they play. They try to get under your skin and we know that we have to stay disciplined. The referees are aware of how they play, too. There’s a fine line between sticking up for yourself and sticking up for your teammates, but then also taking a few shots for the good of the team.”

Each team had four power plays, but Vegas took only one penalty when the game was still winnable for Florida. The Knights were 2-for-4 on the power play, the Panthers 0-for-4.

Marchessault and Howden each scored twice, and 12 Vegas skaters made it on to the score sheet. The Knights have 12 goals in two games from nine different scorers. Their goalie, journeyman Adin Hill, is also badly outplaying Bobrovsky the same way he did Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger in the conference final.

“Every single game it’s going to be different players to step up,” Vegas winger Ivan Barbashev said. “This is probably why we’ve been having success; there’s always somebody else who’s going to step up and score a huge goal.”

“We know we have depth,” Marchessault said. “We know if we roll four lines and get a good forecheck, we’ll get rewarded. And topping that off, I think our discipline has been unbelievable. You know what? They wanted to set the tone with being undisciplined like (they were) in Game 1, and we set the tone back by scoring the first goal there.”

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Barbashev also set a physical tone by rocking Florida wrecking ball Radko Gudas when the game was still scoreless. The Tkachuk-alanche on Eichel was an even bigger hit. But Eichel returned, Gudas did not.

“This is the Stanley Cup Final,” Martinez said. “I mean, there’s going to be big hits, there’s going to be things like that that happen. To see (Jack) bounce back and continue there, I mean it gives the guys a big boost.”

In every department, the Knights have just been too much for the Panthers.

“I think our depth has been a strength all year,” Cassidy said. “It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas, and why we’re ahead against Florida. I just feel that we have the best team from player one through 20. That’s just how I feel.”

That’s how it looks, too.

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‘It hurts to win’: Jack Eichel responds strong after massive Matthew Tkachuk hit

Published

6 hours ago

June 6, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS – Unable to change momentum in this lopsided Stanley Cup Final when he has the puck, Matthew Tkachuk decided to make an impact without it.

Hopping off the bench in the second period of an out-of-reach Game 2 and seeing puck carrier Jack Eichel cutting up centre ice with his head down, Tkachuk planted his feet, lowered his shoulder and crunched the Vegas Golden Knights’ top centre so hard and clean, Eichel’s helmet popped off, his right leg buckled, and he rushed painfully to the dressing room.

“It doesn’t matter who you are. You shouldn’t be going through the middle with your head down. You’re gonna get hit,” Tkachuk said, unapologetic. “It’s nothing. It’s not a big deal. He’s a really good player, and really good players can get hit too.”

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Except: It is a big deal.

Because Eichel, surprisingly, returned for the third period and, on his very first post-hit shift went hard on the forecheck and set up linemate Jonathan Marchessault for another goal.

“It’s a physical game. You’re going to get hit sometimes,” Eichel said. “It was definitely a big collision. I got my wits back about me and realized I was fine, and just kind of moved on.”

And because Eichel has kicked off this final with back-to-back two-assist games and now has racked up the third-most points ever by a first-timer to the playoffs (22).

And because the Golden Knights just cruised past Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers in a 7-2 romp, have tripled up their overwhelmed opponent by a total score of 12-4, and the gulf between the sides’ best players is widening by the minute.

Eichel responded to the collision by impacting the scoreboard. Tkachuk responded by taking two 10-minute misconducts, increasing his series PIM total to 36, and potting a meaningless goal in garbage time.

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Let’s be clear: The hit was as clean as it was mean.

Eichel, who toe-picked his way to vulnerability, and Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t dispute it.

“It’s OK to get hit. This is part of the journey,” Cassidy said. “It hurts to win, and it’s not supposed to be easy. So, good for him.

“Great to see him come back. Not only does it give us juice, but sometimes it can take away juice from the other team if they see a guy come back.”

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Bingo.

The Panthers look juice-less.

They wouldn’t be the first group of men to fly home discombobulated after four nights in Vegas, and they now face the unenviable task of swiping four of five from hockey’s most organized, disciplined and dialed-in team.

We could point to Sam Bennett’s 10-game goal drought or Brandon Montour’s 10-game point drought or Radko Gudas’s questionable status for Game 3 and beyond.

But the two pillars of Florida’s remarkable run to Round 4, Tkachuk and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, are crumbling.

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Bobrovsky has allowed eight goals on 46 shots through four and a half periods of work, is getting screened by his own defencemen, and got chased so swiftly Monday that coach Paul Maurice said he’d use two days to decide whether to start him in Game 3.

As for Tkachuk, his last great appearance on TNT was on the NBA panel.

He has taken three misconducts, committed a costly giveaway in Game 1, and seems more preoccupied with trying to antagonize Adin Hill and Alex Pietrangelo than imposing his hockey skills on the Knights.

For the record, Tkachuk says he was “surprised” at the misconduct he was handed after the Eichel hit but deserved the second one for whacking Michael Amadio’s stick out of his hand after a stoppage in play.

He then fired a plastic rat a fan had tossed on the ice towards the Knights’ bench.

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The question must be asked: Have Tkachuk and the Panthers lost the plot with their preoccupation with trying to stir up the nonsense?

“I don’t think so. I just think we’re a big, physical team,” Tkachukc said. “That’s how we have played the last second half of the year and been successful. I just don’t think there’s teams that play as physical as we do. So, maybe you guys think that a little bit too much. But at the end of the day, it’s just how we play.

“If we were playing physical and [ahead] in the game, you guys would be like, that’s the recipe for success. So, we’re just sticking with our game.”

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Eichel is sticking with his game, too, which means setting up his wingers, contributing to a suddenly hot Vegas power-play, and breaking up plays in the D-zone.

“I mean, he’s unbelievable right?” Marchessault said.

“It’s not just with the puck. It’s without the puck, the way he works everywhere on the ice. He’s one of those guys that makes everyone look better. He gets a massive hit there, goes into the locker room, first shift back in the third period, he gets on the forecheck, on the body, wins his battle, finds me. I mean, that’s the resiliency we have in that locker room, and it starts with your top guys and goes right through the lineup.”

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Starts with your top guys.

Florida’s top guys are either MIA, off the rails, or threatening to turn into pumpkins.

If they don’t rein in the nonsense and deliver Thursday at home, they too will soon be caught with their heads down at centre ice — in the handshake line.

“We do have to tweak a few things,” Tkachuk admitted.

“They’re halfway there, and hopefully they’re thinking about that a little bit as they’re coming to Florida. I think that could work in our favour. But we definitely have to prepare, give everything in this one game here, and just get a little bit of momentum back.”

Fox’s Fast 5

• That Cassidy trusts his fourth line of William Carrier–Nicolas Roy–Keegan Kolesar to shut down the Nick Cousins–Sam Bennett–Tkachuk line tells you all you need to know about the depth of the Golden Knights.

Wanna talk depth?

“It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas and why we’re ahead against Florida,” Cassidy said. “I just feel that we have the best team from player 1 through 20.”

• Very cool to see Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo in town to support ex-Sabres Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

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• Speaking of former Sabres, because Radko Gudas got banged up in Game 1, Maurice surprised by dressing an 11-and-7 lineup, inserting seldom-used defenceman Casey Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald’s appearance marked his first in 43 days. He skated just 8:08 in a Round 1 loss to Bruins. That Fitzgerald, who played limited minutes in just 27 games this season, is Florida’s next man up speaks volumes about the contrast in defensive depth between the two teams.

Gudas was taken out of the game — on his 33rd birthday, no less — by a solid reverse hit by Ivan Barbashev. No update was given on his health.

Massive concern.

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• Connor Bedard got jokes.

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• The piping-hot Jonathan Marchessault has 10 goals in his past nine games and might just shoot his way to a Conn Smythe Trophy.

“I have to face his shot every day. It’s unbelievable,” Hill said. “When he gets in tight, he’s probably one of the hardest guys in the league to stop. There’s a reason why he’s scoring.”

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Seth Rollins puts the World Heavyweight Title on the line vs. Damian Priest | WWE on FOX

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June 6, 2023

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Seth “Freakin” Rollins defended his new World heavyweight Championship for the first time against Damian Priest on Monday Night Raw after issuing an open challenge on social media that dared any Superstar to step up and attempt to de-throne the champion.

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