Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• LOS ANGELES KINGS, ASSEMBLE! We like The Royal Half because there's a method to their madness. Of course Dustin Brown is Cap. Of course Jeff Carter is the sniper. And of course Drew Doughty is Scarlett Jo…well, someone had to be. [TRH]
• Alex Pietrangelo is back for Game 3, and the St. Louis Blues can use him. [Blues]
• Via Elliotte Friedman on the Vancouver Canucks: "Mike Gillis and Francesco Aquilini were originally supposed to meet Thursday, and it's expected the Canucks GM will tell his owner he does not want to change coaches. There's a lot of speculation that Alain Vigneault is a goner because he left town without talking to the media. It's more likely he didn't want to talk without knowing for sure and didn't want to wait almost two weeks for that discussion to happen." [CBC]
• Great stuff from B.D. Gallof on the future of the New York Islanders: "But make no mistake, Brooklyn is very real and it wants the Brooklyn Islanders. Nassau fans waiting for a miracle will be just stuck watching a show that has long fled town." [CBS NY]
• Karl Alzner's dogs destroyed his house during triple OT. [@karlalzner]
• Idiot alert: "A Winnipeg hockey player is going to jail for a savage attack on a referee that occurred during a recreational game and ended the victim's officiating career." [Toronto Star, s/t Arnold Klassen]
• Once more, with feeling: "The Glendale City Council has been briefed privately this week on the Phoenix Coyotes sale, including further assurances that a group led by Greg Jamison has the money in place to buy the team and keep hockey in Arizona. That sets the stage for a possible Glendale council vote next week on an arena lease deal and payments to the Jamison group that could total $17 million next year." [Phoenix Business Journal]
• "The sloppy ice would seem to benefit the Devils, who are already used to the conditions, and a valuable tool to slow down the faster Flyers." [Philly.com]
• Ilya Kovalchuk is ready to go for the New Jersey Devils against the Philadelphia Flyers. [Fire and Ice]
• Should the Devils sit Kovalchuk even if he's healthy? [In Lou We Trust]
• Here's the incredible Lisa Loeb-esque "Orange G-Sus I'd Cook You Grilled Cheeses" love song for Claude Giroux that we played on Marek Vs. Wyshynski today. [The 700 Level]
• Rallying Red Wings fans to support Pavel Datsyuk for NHL 13 cover. [Malik]
• Dale Hunter gives the Washington Capitals the day off after their Game 3 marathon. [Caps Insider]
• The top 10 animated gifs of the 2012 playoff for the Capitals. [Japers' Rink]
• John Tortorella on his relationship with Marian Gaborik: "I have conversations with a lot of players through the playoffs. I think that's part of my job, Gabby being one of them, about a lot of different things. So yeah, I've had conversations not just about scoring goals, about a lot of different things, as I do with all the players." [NYDN]
• The anatomy of the Rangers' triple OT game winning goal. [MHH]
• Surly Jacob on Game 3: "The Los Angeles Kings must not take their success lightly. Tonight will be the hardest game of the series. After being plastered in the first period of game 2, the Blues proved themselves to be capable of playing until the final buzzer with determination, reckless abandon and focused hostility. Brown will be targeted. Doughty will be hunted. As we cracked thunder and lightning upon them when last game opened, there will be a blitzkrieg tonight." [Surly and Scribe]
• Florida Panthers soon-to-be RFA Kris Versteeg has hip surgery. [CP]
• Your London vs. Niagara OHL final preview. [Buzzing The Net]
• Kirill Petrov remains in the KHL with Ak Bars rather than joining the New York Islanders. [Lighthouse Hockey]
• Why Marc Bergevin was the safe call for the Montreal Canadiens: "He's also apparently a personable individual with a great sense of humour who is highly regarded around the league by former teammates, peers, and his former employer. Considering the high pressure job he's about to take on, he'll need to have that kind of personality, both to deal with the second-guessing and abuse he'll eventually face from the local media, as well as rebuilding the trust with the fan base which was destroyed by his predecessor." [Spector]
• Great read by Dan Robson on Clint Malarchuk, who is truly a survivor. [Sportsnet]
• The Tampa Bay Times Forum is going to be well hung. [Lightning]
• Nothing would get us to a hockey game faster than the allure of seeing Miss Green Bay. [Gamblers]
• Finally … shaq play hockey but is a fail. That's the title of this video.