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Stanley Cup Playoffs Review June 15, 2021

GOLDEN KNIGHTS EXTEND WINNING STREAK, SNAP CANADIENS’ SEVEN-GAME RUN

Defensemen Shea Theodore (1-1—2), Alec Martinez and Nick Holden accounted for three of Vegas’ four goals as the Golden Knights beat Montreal 4-1 and improved to 5-0 in their last five contests and handed the Canadiens their first loss since Game 4 of the First Round, ending a seven-game winning streak. The Golden Knights recorded five consecutive victories within a postseason for the fourth time since their inaugural season.

Vegas became the second team to have three different defensemen score at least one goal in a game taking place during the Conference Finals/Semifinals. The Golden Knights joined the Penguins in Game 5 of the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Final (Larry Murphy, Paul Stanton & Ulf Samuelsson).

Theodore (12-33—45 in 61 GP) scored his 12th playoff goal since joining Vegas in 2017-18, which leads NHL defensemen over that span. He also leapfrogged reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Victor Hedman (11-33—44 in 56 GP) for the most postseason points among all blueliners since 2018.

Golden Knights defensemen have combined for nine goals, 28 assists and 37 points in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, tops among all teams for each category. Theodore became the sixth Vegas defenseman with at least one goal this postseason.

RINNE AWARDED KING CLANCY MEMORIAL TROPHY

Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne is the 2020-21 recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded for “leadership on and off the ice and who has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.” Rinne will receive a $25,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of his choice.

Each NHL team nominated a player for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, with the three finalists and winner chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives led by Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

The selection committee applies the following criteria in determining the finalists and winner:

  • Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
  • Investment of time and resources
  • Commitment to a particular cause or community
  • Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
  • Creativity of programming
  • Use of influence; engagement of others

Rinne, 38, is a Predators franchise icon for a sparkling playing career that includes 369 wins since debuting with Nashville in December 2005, and for his unwavering commitment through the years to improve the lives of so many in Middle Tennessee. In 2012-13, alongside former captain Shea Weber, Rinne formed the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund, raising money and awareness for cancer research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Since the establishment of the fund, donations totaling over $3 million have been made to the hospital and its programs. In his first full season with the team, after meeting Mike, a man with Down Syndrome, Rinne also fostered an ongoing affiliation with Best Buddies, a nonprofit advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Additionally, Rinne has continued to support Make-A-Wish; the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s, founded in 2009 by former Predators assistant coach Brent Peterson to raise awareness of the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease; and a number of other initiatives throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“He’s just been such an incredible person on and off the ice, especially off the ice,” Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said of Rinne. “He just conducts himself to the game in a way that’s just pure class. I don’t have enough good things to say about him. He’s been a leader in the city, in this community, and he’s going to go down as one of, if not the greatest Predator to ever put this uniform on.”

Other finalists for this year’s honor were Kurtis Gabriel of the San Jose Sharks and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils. Both receive a $5,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of their choice.

ISLANDERS LOOK TO HEAD HOME WITH 2-0 SERIES LEAD AGAINST LIGHTNING

Game 2 between New York and Tampa Bay goes tonight, with the Islanders aiming to extend their winning streak to five contests and return to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

New York has earned five or more consecutive victories in a postseason six times in franchise history. The most-recent instance was during the 1983 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Islanders closed out the Conference Finals with an 8-4 win over the Bruins and then swept the Oilers in the Final to claim their fourth straight championship.

The Lightning have not suffered consecutive postseason losses since the 2019 First Round, when they were swept by the Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay owns a playoff record of 11-0 in the contest following a loss dating to Game 4 of that series, which is tied for the longest such run in NHL history with Montreal from 1985 to 1986.

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