Many people are still picking the Avalanche to win the cup. After a sweep against the Perron-less Blues, Colorado put up a touchdown in Game one against The Golden Knights. Game two went to overtime and Colorado was able to close that game out on a powerplay goal from Mikko Rantanen. The series moves to Vegas and The Golden Knights are able to win thanks to Marchessault and Pacioretty both scoring in the third period only 45 seconds apart.
Ryan Reaves comes back tonight for game four after serving a two game suspension. Ryan Graves felt the ghost of Reaves during last game after taking a spill in the defensive end.
The people who think Ryan Reaves is out there to hurt players need to reevaluate their thoughts. I still think Tom Wilson is a trashcan but I will admit he is a solid hockey player. The NHL needs tough guys like Reaves and Wilson who can also skate and score goals because the game continues to evolve. This brings me to the hit Mark Scheifele took on Jake Evans from game one of the Jets Habs series.
Jake Evans has a history of head injuries and again is out indefinitely. Scheifele was suspended four games and didn’t appeal. For a guy like Scheifele you wouldn’t pin him as a tough guy, he doesn’t have any priors and I understand his frustration. This is playoff hockey. Players are going to get hurt and put everything on the line for the greatest trophy in all of sports.
Fans are going after Scheifele’s family? “The bullying that (his parents and siblings have) gotten is completely unacceptable, the online, phone calls, it’s pretty gross to see.”
“My parents are the salt of the earth and for my parents to get hate like that and my younger brother and sister, it’s awful. I can handle it. I’m a grown man. I’ve accepted that and I can be held accountable for that, but for my family to get that, it hurts me a lot.”
“I don’t think I have more than fricking 20 hits a year,” Scheifele said. “My intention is not to injure, not to make a hit. It’s to prevent a goal. That’s what my entire life is. My job is to keep pucks out of the net and score.”
Whoever wins between Jets and Canadians will play the winner of Vegas and Colorado to face off for a chance at the Stanley Cup. This went off the rails here but I’m betting Vegas wins game four to tie the series. This is going seven games folks! I like Vegas but most of you are picking Colorado.
The Morning Skate 
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