Nash Daily: Milwaukee Admirals Even WCF, Dubas joins Penguins

The Milwaukee Admirals took down the Coachella Valley Firebirds 5-2 in Game 4 of the AHL’s Western Conference Final on Thursday night. The Admirals host Coachella Valley in Game 5 on Saturday night with a chance to take the series lead for the first time.

Phil Tomasino, Isaac Ratcliffe, Joakim Kemell, Michael McCarron and Egor Afanasyev all scored goals and goaltender Devin Cooley stopped 30 of 32 shots. Things got rowdy as the game ended when Kemell was hit from behind by two Firebirds players along the boards with 10 seconds left in regulation.

Tough to tell from this angle, but not a very good looking hit on Preds prospect Joakim Kemell at the final horn.

Kemell appeared to be in some serious discomfort heading off the ice. Definitely something to keep an eye on heading into Game 5. @InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/aQf5nmRX1I

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) June 2, 2023

Was firing John Hynes and hiring Andrew Brunette the right decision? What does the hire tell us about Barry Trotz as a GM? What will the Predators look like in 2023 under Brunette’s guidance? Michael Gallagher discusses these topics and more on the latest episode of the Gold Standard podcast.

Check out the latest edition of Preds Insiders as well from 102.5 The Game, Nashville’s flagship station for Predators games. What will be Brunette’s approach and how will the Predators fare in the Trotz era?

The NHL announced that country music star Dierks Bentley will host the 2023 NHL Awards on June 26 at Bridgestone Arena. Bentley opened up to NHL.com about his Predators fandom and what the NHL means to him.

Around the NHL and Nashville Hockey Now

Flordia Hockey Now: Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday night as the Florida Panthers take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Either franchise will win its first Stanley Cup once the dust settles. Here’s how Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has made it lots of fun for his team this season.

Vegas Hockey Now: Prior to Game 1 against the Panthers, Andrew McDermott, the founder of OddsSeeker.com, plugged the Stanley Cup Final into ChatGPT, which says the Vegas Golden Knights will win the Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was named the new President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here’s a breakdown of the press conference with Dan Kingerski’s takeaways.

Some news came Thursday night relating to the National Hockey League Players Association and the NHL allowing some activity during the offseason.

Hearing NHL/NHLPA have reached a one-summer "trial agreement" amending what is allowed during off-season training (1/x)…

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 1, 2023

Friedman continued his thread by saying: Currently, per CBA section 15.11 (b): “Clubs are not permitted to have Club Coaching or Hockey Operations personnel (e.g., coaches, skating instructors, other Club employees, contracted service providers, etc.) participate in any on-ice sessions with Players.”

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