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Kittelberger appropriately shits on Kustron’s lackluster introduction to this week’s pod. Everyone is a critic on the show, no surprise there!
And although Kus’ intro left much to be desired, Kittelberger’s playoff predictions have been far worse! If the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, and Golden Knights prove victorious in their game 7’s, he’ll officially go 0-8 in the first round… which is great news for anyone else playing the Hockey Players Club Weekly Picks.
With Rubeo heading to Spain for a couple weeks, he’s left wondering how the hell he’s going to catch any of these game 7’s let alone the second and potentially third round of the playoffs. But at least the boys remind him the podcast will see a significant improvement in quality and uptick in listeners, thanks to his absence. Can you feel the love??
And fortunately, Kitts had another Munson update for the crew. Not only is Munson always open, he also lowered the boom on one of the douche-iest players in their beer league, affectionately known as “cockface.” Schwartz is now proposing him, Rubes, and Kus attend their next game just to provide play-by-play. 😂
ICYMI:
47-year old Jaromir Jagr scored 4 goals in Kladno’s promotion clinching game today….. 👀 pic.twitter.com/8rbhRztSUx
— Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) April 19, 2019
In a move everyone saw coming, Detroit Red Wings brass named Steve Yzerman their GM with Ken Holland moving to a Senior Vice President role.
The NHL announced finalists for 5 of their annual trophies…
The Vezina trophy: Ben Bishop (DAL), Robin Lehner (NYI), and Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)
Norris Trophy: Brent Burns (SJ), Mark Giordano (CGY), and Victor Hedman (TB)
Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron (BOS), Ryan O’Reilly (STL), and Mark Stone (VGK)
Lady Byng Trophy: Aleksander Barkov (FLA), Ryan O’Reilly (STL), and Sean Monahan (CGY)
Bill Masterton Award: Robin Lehner (NYI), Nick Foligno (CBJ), and Joe Thornton (SJ)
Finally into playoff action…
The Bruins forced a game 7 thanks to the game-winning-goal off Jake DeBrusk’s stick in game 6. Next time make it count, Nazem!
The Capitals had their way with the Hurricanes in game 5, winning 6-0 but the Hurricanes have proven a challenging opponent for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. And thanks to a big W in game 6, the ‘Canes forced a game 7.
But gotta love young fans chirping Ovi…
Out to the wild Western Conference…
The Avalanche knocked off the Western Conference #1 seed, aka, the Calgary Flames in 5 games. This is the first time in NHL history the #1 seeds of both conferences have lost in the first round.
St. Louis upset Winnipeg in 6 games on the heroics of Jaden Schwartz in game 5 (scoring the game-winner with 15 seconds left) and game 6 (where he scored a natural hat trick in the Blues 3-2 series-clinching win).
Continuing the trend of upsets, the Dallas Stars won game 6, 2-1 in overtime thanks to John Klingberg’s game-winning wrister. Lord knows this was a bad omen for the Preds in game 5…
Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl’s double-OT goal kept San Jose’s playoff hopes alive in game 6. But do the Sharks have enough left to eliminate Vegas in game 7? Or will the Golden Knights pull off the 4th upset out west?
Just hilarious…
But what kind of bush league move is this?!
Weekly Picks:
Patrick Raymer out of Stouffville, Ontario scored 19 points in last week’s Weekly Picks, earning himself a free $20 HPC gift card. Congrats, Patrick! But get yourself a profile pic, would ya?!
And given the weird NHL schedule this week, there won’t be the usual 9 questions to predict but instead, the second round matchups will be posted to predict victors, once set.
Next Monday a whole new slew of 9 questions will be posted for an opportunity to earn points towards a free gift card and the playoff prize pack: an HPC XV3 hockey stick, Power Play hat, vintage tee, and accessory bag.
Top Shelf Trivia:
Rubeo brought this week’s Top Shelf Trivia with the Norris, Lady Byng, and Vezina trophies in mind.
Please follow and reach out to the Hockey Players Club via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to submit your questions and comments to the HPC podcast crew.
Ever wonder, why are hockey sticks so expensive?! Check out our full explanation here.
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Need help buying the right hockey stick for you? Check out The Ultimate Hockey Stick Buying Guide.
Want a light, top-of-the-line hockey stick without spending an arm and a leg?! Check out our XV3 hockey sticks.
Looking to improve your game and score more goals? Check out the video Schwartz and Rubeo made about improving your catch-and-release shooting:
And don’t forget to check out our:
Shooting in Your Stride To Score More Goals Like Phil Kessel [VIDEO]
VIDEO: 5 Drills to Improve Your Snapshot
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