The NHL Draft Lottery was on Saturday night, and the Blackhawks thankfully did not have to bear the stress of anxiously waiting to see what number they would be selecting from. However, it was one of those nights for 15 teams, including Central Divison foes Colorado, Dallas, and Winnipeg.
Winnipeg drew the 13th spot, while Dallas snuck into the top three, meaning they will make the third overall selection in the 2017 Draft. Contrary to the Stars’ success, Colorado suffered, as they entered the night with the highest odds of obtaining the first pick, but ended up with the fourth. The Devils were the team to receive the first pick, the first time they will be in that situation since 1979. The Flyers will pick second overall. The 2017 NHL Draft will be held on June 23-24 in Chicago at the United Center.
HAWKS
**Draft Lottery results: Devils win no. 1 pick, Avalanche draw undesirable slot (SCH)
**Why did the Blackhawks choose Corey Crawford over Scott Darling? (SCH)
**The Hawks are reportedly interested in undrafted free agent Victor Ejdsell (SCH)
**Can the Blackhawks find another reliable backup goalie? (CSN Chicago)
**Happy Birthday, Cap! Yesterday was Jonathan Toews’s 29th Birthday (Blackhawk Up)
**A great tribute to Scott Darling, a hometown hero for many (Blackhawk Up)
CENTRAL DIVISION
**With best odds to get the no. 1 pick, balls went wrong way for Avalanche (MHH)
**Avalanche end up with No. 4 pick in NHL’s first round (Denver Post)
**The Avalanche’s Twitter account had a great reaction to the news (SB Nation)
**The Stars will pick third come Draft time in June (Defending Big D)
**Winnipeg Jets to select thirteenth overall (Arctic Ice Hockey)
**Reviewing Jets rookie winger Brandon Tanev’s 2016-17 season (Arctic Ice Hockey)
**The Wild should want to keep Martin Hanzal. But can they? (Hockey Wilderness)
**Ahead of Game 3 in Nashville, the Preds recalled forward Fredrick Gaudreau (OTF)
**Nashville’s speed advantage must be utilized against St. Louis (OTF)
NHL
**Stanley Cup playoff schedule, matchups (SBN)
**RECAP: Penguins pummel Capitals 6-2, lead series 2-0 (Pensburgh)
**RECAP: Game two was a dumpster fire of a game for Washington (Jasper’s Rink)
**Following the loss, Capitals players held an ominous team meeting (RMNB)
**RECAP: Like Caps, Senators take 2-0 in series over Rangers (Silver Seven Sens)
**Five reasons why Ottawa is leading the series against the Rangers (Ottawa Sun)
**Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault costs the Rangers again (Blueshirt Banter)
**How Vigneault can find the spark that the Rangers are missing (New York Post)
**The Rangers have themselves to blame for losing grip in Game 2 loss (Newsday)
**Senators winger Clarke MacArthur exited game two after suffering a hard hit (TSN)
**Top 10 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings for April (Sportsnet)
HOCKEY WORLD
**Ranking USPHL Tier III Junior and Midget Hockey Prospects (SBNCH)
**Four more added to Canadian roster for upcoming Worlds (CFJC Today)
**OHL Playoffs: Otters beat Attack to take 3-2 lead in West final (Sportsnet)
**WHL Playoffs: Brooks lifts Pats over Hurricanes in Game 5 (Sportsnet)