Wilderness Walk: Washington D.C. Ready

Today is another off day for the NHL and boy would I love to be to in the nation’s capital tomorrow night. Game three should be an interesting one. With the Capitals without one of their best forwards, Evgeny Kuznetsov it will be an uphill battle throughout the rest of the of the series.

Taking us through this mornings walk, Skillet’s Whispers In The Dark.

Wild News

Down on the Farm: Lalonde recaps 2017-18 season
Wild.com's Dan Myers chatted with Iowa Wild coach Derek Lalonde about what he liked and what he didn't in his second season with Minnesota's AHL affiliate:

Staal's top five moments from a resurgent season
Eric Staal paced the Wild with 42 goals, joining elite company in surmounting the 40-goal plateau. Take a look at the top five highlights from his impressive season.

Off the Trail

LeBrun: Q&A with Bill Foley on the Golden Knights playoff run, their bottom line, and hiring George McPhee – The Athletic
Rookie NHL owner Bill Foley is on a ride he never could have dreamed of thanks to the Golden Knights amazing run to the Stanley Cup final.

Q&A: Filip Zadina on draft interviews, admiring Jagr and where he might get picked – The Athletic
The top of the 2018 NHL Draft is loaded with defensemen. But for teams looking for forwards look no further.

Bourne: Hockey is an awfully cruel game and Alex Tuch felt its wrath in Game 2 – The Athletic
If you wish we still had Tuch over Brodin or Dumba I would advise to skip this one. "It’s easy to think he was more Alex Suck than Alex Tuch on Wednesday, but taking a closer look at the pivotal moments tells a different story."

Final 2018 Draft rankings: these go to 120 | The Hockey News
Ryan Kennedy, prospect expert goes deep on the class of 2018. Naturally, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is on the top of the pile, but what happens after that?

Win or lose, the Golden Knights’ success could spur change in copycat NHL | The Hockey News
Not until the NHL expands again — hello, Seattle? — can the Golden Knights’ blueprint be truly mimicked, but rest assured the entire league is paying attention to what has made Vegas successful this season.

Hurricanes likely to 'make some changes,' GM says
The Carolina Hurricanes could be looking to shake up their roster after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a ninth straight season, general manager Don Waddell told NHL.com on Thursday.The Hurricanes finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 83 points (36-35-11), 14 points behind the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Waddell was hired to replace Ron Francis as GM on May 8, the same day Rod Brind'Amour was promoted from assistant to replace Bill Peters as coach.

Holtby stirs memories of Dryden with stunning save for Capitals in Game 2
The next three, four or five games between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights will put the save in perspective.

Kuznetsov questionable for Capitals for Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final
Evgeny Kuznetsov is day to day for the Washington Capitals and questionable to play Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS), coach Barry Trotz said Thursday.The 26-year-old center was hit along the boards in front of the penalty boxes by Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb during Game 2 on Wednesday. He left with an upper-body injury at 14:42 of the first period and did not return.