- The San Jose Sharks are the first team in this year’s NHL second round after sweeping the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks looked like they were about to push the Sharks to a game 5 with a 3-2 lead in the third period. But subsequent goals by Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau put the Sharks up 4-3 and sent them to the second round.
- Chicago and Ottawa look to join the Sharks, as they are up 3-1 on Nashville and Montreal respectively. Washington and Boston are up on the New York Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays respectively. Three series, Anaheim v Detroit, St Louis and LA, and Pittsburgh v the New York Islanders are all tied at 2 games apiece.
- Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith already has won big this postseason. He flew back to Chicago from Nashville Tuesday morning for the birth of his first child after his wife, Kelly-Rae, gave birth to a baby boy. Duncan then led the team by skating for 24 minutes during a game Tuesday night.
Happ stable after being hit by batted ball
- Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was struck in the head by a line drive on Tuesday night in his start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Happ suffered a fractured skull and was down on the field for minutes before being taken off the field on a stretcher and to a hospital. The Blue Jays rallied for their teammate, coming back to win 6-4.
- Despite the gruesome looking injury, which can be seen here (not for the faint of heart though) Happ didn't suffer any permanent damage. Today, he was upgraded from fair to good condition and rejoined his teammates in time for tonight's game against the Rays.
- The incident has fueled a growing debate over whether pitchers should wear protective headgear in the field. At the moment, the consensus still seems to be that while a good idea, there simply are not good options for pitchers to use without interfering with their ability to perform. While incidents like Happ's are horrible, they are rare enough that most pitchers don't feel the immediate need to start protecting themselves until better options are created.
- For more on the headgear debate, read here.
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