“Now we’re all in love with Jaroslav Halak.”*
Last season’s Islanders free agency haul, in total, now sums to two months of negotiation with a potential No. 1 goalie. They acquired Halak’s rights from Washington for the fourth-rounder they got from Chicago for Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Peter Regin. Halak’s an unrestricted free agent on July 1 if the Isles can’t lock him up. (They could wheel him again, of course, if the deal’s not coming.)
Toronto became the second AHL team into the second round with a 2-0 win tonight over Milwaukee, finishing off a three-game sweep. Trevor Smith had an assist while knocking out former Bridgeport teammate Scott Ford. Chicago took a 2-1 lead over Rochester with a 4-0 win tonight and can finish that Friday. Adam Cracknell, back from the Blues, had two goals on seven shots and an assist.
Five of the six remaining series go Friday night, all of them Game 4s. That could leave Providence at Springfield, Game 5, to stand alone Saturday night. Or there could be four winner-take-all games Saturday night with two more to come.
*-The DGB/Bloge Salming Puck Daddy 2010 Habs eulogy video (whose suitability for work may depend on your workplace) took up semipermanent residency in my head four years ago. Halak’s name inevitably brings that line to mind. “Party in the streets and try not to die” has also been useful.