Wilderness Walk: Happy Friyay

Happy Friyay Wilderness!

Thursday Night’s Postseason Recap:

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 and lead the series 1-0.

The Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 and lead the series 1-0.

The Calgary Flames defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 and lead the series 1-0.

Who’s in action Friday?

6:00 - Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning (CBJ leads 1-0) - CNBC

6:30 - Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders (NYI leads 1-0) - NBCSN

8:30 - St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets (STL leads 1-0) - CNBC

9:30 - Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks (SJS leads 1-0) - NBCSN

All times are in Central Standard Time.

Friyay Fun Fact: Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Robinson holds record for most consecutive seasons (20) in the postseason, with the Canadiens and Kings.

Taking us through the Walk today is Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

Wild News

What can the Wild get at No. 12? A year-by-year look at the talent in that range – The Athletic
No luck in the lottery, but can the Wild hit on their draft pick? It's not impossible in the No. 12-16 range, but the odds are against it.

The Boss Is Back - Minnesota Hockey Magazine
St. Paul — Bruce Boudreau is in an unfamiliar position. It’s left him wandering around his house. This Minnesota Wild coach, who wears his passion for the game on his sleeve, won’t be behind a bench coaching in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year.

Wild hopes Dumba can channel frustration into next season
Wild defenseman Matt Dumba still stews about the circumstances that surround his season-ending injury back in December.

Wild's scoring leaders dropped off but vow to 'come back ready to go' - StarTribune.com
Jason Zucker, Eric Staal and Zach Parise hope to improve their outputs next season after missing the playoffs in 2019.

On Frozen Pond

IOWA WILD RECALLS CJ MOTTE AND DANTE SALITURO FROM ALLEN | Iowa Wild
Iowa Wild General Manager Tom Kurvers announced today the AHL club has recalled goaltender CJ Motte and forward Dante Salituro from the ECHL’s Allen Americans.

Minnesota-Duluth Beats Providence In Frozen Four Semifinal : College Hockey News
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Billy Exell's goal with 9:53 remaining in the third period was the difference as Minnesota Duluth beat Providence, 4-1, on Thursday at the KeyBank Center in the first of two national...

Off the Trail

Marner scores twice as Maple Leafs down Bruins in Game 1 - TSN.ca
BOSTON — Mitch Marner scored twice, including one on a short-handed penalty shot, as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Thursday to grab a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Capitals survive surge from Hurricanes to win Game 1 - TSN.ca
WASHINGTON — Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin came out firing, the Carolina Hurricanes surged and the Washington Capitals showed why they're the defending Stanley Cup champions when it mattered most.

Mangiapane, Smith help to lift Flames over Avalanche in Game 1 - TSN.ca
CALGARY — Rookie left-winger Andrew Mangiapane scored the eventual winner and Mike Smith made 26 stops as the Calgary Flames shut out the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday to win Game 1 of their first-round series.

Gusev, KHL scoring leader, could join Golden Knights for playoffs
SAN JOSE -- Nikita Gusev could join the Vegas Golden Knights at some point during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, coach Gerard Gallant said of the forward Thursday.

NHL Draft final rankings to be released April 15
The National Hockey League will release the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings for the 2019 NHL DraftTM on Monday, April 15, at 11 a.m. ET.

Penguins 'have to get down to business' in Game 2 against Islanders
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been there, done that.They've been down, and even declared finished, more than once during a sustained period of excellence that's brought 13 consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and three championships to Pittsburgh since centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started playing together in 2006-07.

Laine resurgence key for Jets against Blues in playoffs
The Winnipeg Jets may have lost Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, but one bright spot emerged that has them feeling good about their chances going forward: Patrik Laine scored a goal.

NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers, LA Kings, Buffalo Sabres, More
In today's NHL rumors there are updates on Todd McLellan and how close he is to landing his next coaching gig, the Golden Knights, Oliers and more.

Why the Washington Capitals Won’t Repeat as Stanley Cup Champs
Despite promising results, another scoring title for Ovechkin and a roster almost fully intact from last year, a repeat Cup isn’t in the cards for the Capitals

NHL News & Notes: Nic Dowd, Voynov & NHLPA & More
Nic Dowd has signed a three-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals, the NHLPA has filed an appeal on behalf of Slava Voynov and more.

New York Rangers' Future Is as Bright as Can Be
The New York Rangers are entering the 2nd offseason of their rebuild. After receving the 2nd overall pick in this year's draft, the future is very promising

How the Canucks are setting out to make up for another NHL lottery ‘loss’ – The Athletic
For the fourth straight spring, the Canucks 'lost' the lottery and are the only team to drop in each year of the reformatted system.

Down Goes Brown: Eight games that changed the results of the NHL draft lottery – The Athletic
Here are some of the (many) games from the 2018-19 season that could have altered the result of Tuesday's draft lottery.

LeBrun: Sergei Bobrovsky continues adding to his free agency stock and the Jackets couldn’t be happier – The Athletic
There are important days ahead for Bobrovsky. In so many ways. But he delivered rare playoff gem in Game 1.

Small in stature, Nova Scotia continues to make a big impact in the hockey world – The Athletic
Three of the five NHL players from the province finished inside the top 10 in points at the end of the regular season.

Caps sign F Dowd to three-year extension - TSN.ca
The Washington Capitals have signed forward Nic Dowd to a three-year contract extension worth $2.25 million, the team announced on Thursday.

31 Thoughts: Breaking down major NHL Awards races - Sportsnet.ca
Did Nikita Kucherov have too much help to win the Hart? Will a sneaky Calder candidate usurp Elias Pettersson? Get a full breakdown in the latest 31 Thoughts.