The Golden Knights take Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, the latest on the Canadiens and Hurricanes, Sidney Crosby sheds light on his future, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF NEWS

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights took the first game of the Western Conference Final by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

Carter Hart made 36 saves, Pavel Dorofeyev tallied his 10th goal of this postseason, Jack Eichel got his 15th assist, and Mitch Marner got his 19th point for the Golden Knights as they lead all playoff scorers in those categories. Brett Howden also scored to extend his road game goal streak to six games.

Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog rallied the Avalanche to cut the Golden Knights’ lead to 3-2 before Nic Dowd iced the victory for Vegas with an empty-net goal.

Game 2 is Friday in Denver, starting at 8 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the first time the Avalanche have trailed in this postseason, having swept the Los Angeles Kings and eliminated the Minnesota Wild in five games.

The absence of superstar defenseman Cale Makar was a factor in the Avs’ loss to the Golden Knights. He’s been nursing a suspected shoulder injury throughout this postseason. Makar is listed as day-to-day and could return for Game 2.

Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen returned to the lineup after missing the last two games of the second round with an upper-body injury.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone missed this game as he’s been sidelined with a lower-body injury since Game 3 of their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks. However, he skated with the scratches during the optional skate on Wednesday, suggesting he could return to action at some point in this series.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens must shoot more often if they hope to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, which begins on Thursday in Raleigh at 8 pm ET. The Habs have mustered the second-lowest shots-per-game (25.1) among the 16 postseason clubs, while the Hurricanes are the leaders with 33.9.

TVA SPORTS: Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis missed practice yesterday for family reasons, but he will be behind their bench for the opening game of the Eastern Conference Final.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Ryan Henkel listed five ways the Hurricanes can defeat the Canadiens and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Getting more production from the top line of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis is the most crucial. The trio has yet to combine for an even-strength goal in this postseason thus far and had only six high-danger scoring chances through the first two rounds.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The second line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake has carried the offensive load thus far for the Hurricanes. They’ve provided this club with the secondary scoring punch that they lacked in their recent postseason appearances. If the Aho line gets going, the Hurricanes will be a more formidable opponent.

IN OTHER HEADLINES…

THE ATHLETIC: Josh Yohe reports Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby put to rest any thought of retirement once his contract expires at the end of next season.

“Not at all,” Crosby said when asked if next season would be his last. “I said year to year because of where the team is at.” He explained that it made sense for salary-cap flexibility. It didn’t mean that he would consider retirement at the end of each season.

The 38-year-old Penguins captain laughed when asked if he could play another five years. “That would be nice,” he replied. He added that he wants to keep playing for as many years as possible.

Crosby is currently playing for Canada in the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.

NHL.COM: The National Hockey League was named the League of the Year by Sports Business Journal. It is being honored during a year when it has expanded its global footprint, with record attendance, soaring revenue, a collective bargaining agreement through 2030, and an $11 billion media rights deal with Rogers Communications in Canada.

BUFFALO HOCKEY BEAT: The Sabres signed head coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year contract extension. Ruff guided the Sabres to their first playoff berth since 2010-11, and their first postseason victory since 2006-07.

WKBW’s Matthew Bove reports Sabres forward Tage Thompson said he was dealing with some lower-body injuries during the postseason.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $3.25 million.

NEW YORK POST: The Sabres’ elimination from the second round of the playoffs has secured the Rangers the 26th overall pick in the first round of this year’s draft. The pick originally belonged to the Dallas Stars and was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the K’Andre Miller trade last summer. The Rangers also hold the fifth-overall pick in this draft.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders reached an affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Trenton Ironhawks.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Former Blue Jackets radio and TV color analyst Bill Davidge passed away at age 72. He began his career with the Blue Jackets as a scout in 1999 and transitioned to broadcasting in 2000 until his retirement in 2019.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Davidge’s family, his former broadcasting partners, and the Blue Jackets organization.