Pucks On The 'Net

Here's a few Thursday Thoughts:

• Did you know that the Vancouver/Chicago series marks the first time since expansion in 1967 that the league's best regular season team has had to face the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round of the playoffs?
• Impressive game one win for Vancouver, but they won game one against Chicago in each of the last two years, too. Chicago will adjust, though they can't keep playing Kane, Toews, Hossa and Sharp upwards of 24 minutes per game, can they?
• By appearing in last night's game Nicklas Lidstrom officially extend his playoff appearance streak to 19 consecutive seasons (1992-2011). That ties Lidstrom with Brett Hull (1986-2004) for the second-longest such streak in NHL history. Larry Robinson played a record 20 consecutive postseasons from 1973 to 1992
  
• According to Elias Sports Bureau, Alexei Kovalev's goal last night "was his first postseason goal for the Penguins since May 15, 2001, against New Jersey. His 9-year, 333-day gap between playoff goals for the Penguins was the longest in franchise history, breaking the mark previously held by Rob Brown (1989-1998)."
• Interesting decision by the AHL to reduce their schedule to 76 regular season games and just a best of 5 in the opening playoff round. The reason? To give players more rest time in an attempt to give them more rest and recuperation time, thus making the work place more safe. It will cost the owners gate revenues, and they did not ask for a matching reduction in salaries to offset those costs. I see this as a win for the players, the fans, and ultimately the owners. Perhaps the NHL will have to do this one day, too, though I doubt they would want to give up dates. The only way I see this happening in the NHL is if the NHLPA insisted upon it in CBA negotiations.