Wilderness Walk: Department of Player Safety looking at Spurgeon cross-check

That’s Wild

• In the dying minutes of last night’s Game 1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild’s captain Jared Spurgeon delivered a vicious cross-check to the ankles of Pavel Buchnevich. Shortly after the final whistle, it was reported that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will be looking at having a potential hearing with Spurgeon and that could result in a suspension.

• Speaking of the loss, here’s everything that happened in that frustrating game. [Hockey Wilderness]
• And if you want more podcasts to listen to, we started our postgame reaction podcast last night, titled “That Was Wild”, hosted by our own Matthew Smith. It will feature a rotation of Hockey Wilderness writers immediately after the game. [Hockey Wilderness]
• The Blues have the edge in net, unless late-season trends continue. [10K Rinks]

Off the trail...

• By some miracle, the Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the reigning champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, giving them a 1-0 edge in their own series. [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Late night news! Mike Yeo will not be returning as Philadelphia Flyers head coach, Kevin Weekes reported from the booth in St. Paul. [BSH]
• Here are some things you can look forward to as these playoffs move along. [FiveThirtyEight]
• And finally, it wouldn’t be the playoffs without The Experts and The Insiders weighing in on who will win what, so first up here are some picks from the folks at the broadcast network... [ESPN]