Joel Ward wins it for Washington, Admirals sunk: Thursday's notes

Last night was one of ups and downs for past and future Nashville Predators. In Washington, ex-Pred Joel Ward earned himself a permanent place in the hearts of Capitals fans by scoring the OT winner in Game 7 against Boston, while the Milwaukee Admirals were swept out of the Calder Cup playoffs.

REMINDER: The Predators are hosting an open practice at 11:00 a.m. over at Centennial Sportsplex, so stop on by and check them out before they fly to Phoenix for Game One Friday night.

All this and a lot more after the jump...

Nashville Predators News

While reading this morning, listen to your Vezina Trophy finalist, as he joined the Sports Revolution yesterday afternoon:

Pekka Rinne on 1025 2012-04-25 (mp3)

Hockey Night in Nashville: Nashville vs. Phoenix: Who has the edge?
Robby sees the two teams as quite similar, but with the Preds building on superior depth and experience.

Rinne walks in similar footsteps to Hasek - sportsnet.ca
Other than being uber-competitive (how many top goalies aren't?), I really can't think of anything that Pekka Rinne has in common with Dominik Hasek, other than working with Mitch Korn. If he can carve out a similar career path, though, that would be dynamite.

Talking 'Tenders - Nashville Predators
Tom Callahan, a goalie himself, has lots to look forward to in this series.

Nashville Predators' Shea Weber lends voice to You Can Play project | The Tennessean
Josh Cooper talks to Shea about the project.

Unheralded names could decide Coyotes-Predators - NHL.com
Given how these two teams are generally unheralded, I'd say this is a safe bet.

WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Goalies - Five For Howling
Basically a draw, right?

WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Defensemen - Five For Howling
Even Coyotes fans concede the Preds have the advantage here.

WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Regular Season Review - Five For Howling
Jordan takes a look at how those games played out from the Phoenix side.

The 'im-Pekka-ble' story behind Nashville's Rinne - NHL.com
Another profile of the Vezina finalist.

Admirals season comes to an end - JSOnline
The Ads couldn't stand the Heat, getting swept in three games.

The Grand Curtain — Heat Sweep Admirals | Admirals Roundtable
Ryan signals out a pair of Jon Blum boarding penalties as keeping the Ads from getting on a roll last night.

Lastly, take in the media scrum with Barry Trotz at practice yesterday:

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Recap: Caps 2, Bruins 1 (OT) - Japers' Rink
Wardo with the winner!

Joel Ward Targeted On Twitter After Game-Winning Goal - SBNation.com
This is just disgusting. Be warned, repulsive language here.

GIF: Braden Holtby Doesn't Have Time For Rich Peverley's Antics - SBNation.com
This, however, is hilarious.

Washington Capitals dump-and-chase their way to victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 7 | Edmonton Journal
The dump & chase can work well if the chasers are actually chasing.

Luongo trade talk + 30 Thoughts | Hockey | CBC Sports
Elliotte Friedman argues that it may not be so difficult to move Bobby Lu after all.

The View from 111: The NHL's Television Problem
Mark's concerned about what all these upstarts could mean for the NHL's TV ratings in the weeks ahead.

Sean Burke's a keeper at mentoring goalies - Vancouver Province
Phoenix digs their goalie coach, too.

Phoenix Coyotes' Doan savors success at last | The Tennessean
The Coyotes captain is going to be on a mission.

Something Magic | Backhand Shelf
E beholds the Grail.

For Dynamo, a Stunning Comeback - NYTimes.com
The 2012 Gagarin Cup goes to Dynamo Moscow, after coming back from being down 3-1 in the series against Avangard Omsk.

Scottish hockey player barred from joining his team for championship after wearing a plush bear costume | Puck Daddy
Well, naturally.

Why We Dive | Backhand Shelf
It's a despised act, but oh-so-common.

The Player Mailbag: Bounty system in NHL; gay player acceptance; does media know hockey? | Puck Daddy
Interesting insights here from an anonymous player.

The magical fourth year: 10 players you want to draft for next season! | The Hockey Writers
Something to keep in mind when preparing for fantasy hockey drafts in the fall.

Coming Down the Pipe!: Record setting night in USHL
Pretty neat stuff here, as a guy scores three shorthanded goals in one game.

Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 Chicago Blackhawks | Puck Daddy
Here's the Hawks post-mortem.

Marc-Andre Fleury: Mediocre Goalie With Undeserved Reputation - The Copper & Blue
That Stanley Cup glow can linger for quite a while.