Top Line: Another thud in St. Louis; cruel lesson for Dallas Stars; more links

Thousand-yard stare: Ryan Miller did not play like the savior the Blues were counting on him to be. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• Their blown two-goal lead in the final three minutes was a cruel but necessary lesson for a young Stars team that needs to learn how to win. And maybe play a little tougher D.

• It looked like another round of mop-up duty for Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller when he took over for the struggling Frederik Andersen on Sunday night in Dallas. Instead, Hiller became the man of the hour as Anaheim pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history.

• A promising season in St. Louis ended in familiar fashion for the Blues: with a loud, disappointing thud.

• St. Louis' attention now turns to the future of goaltender Ryan Miller. If the Blues still want him, and that's no sure thing with Jake Allen waiting in the wings, he'll be a lot cheaper to sign now than if they'd inked him a month ago. My guess: they let him walk.

• Miller was awful while surrendering four goals to the Blackhawks in the third period on Sunday, but he isn't the only one who deserves blame for that debacle.

• Rick Morrissey says that, romantic notions aside, Chicago's series win is a reminder that sometimes skill does trump will in the playoffs.

• The same story is playing out in Philadelphia, where the Flyers are simply being outplayed by a more talented team.

• Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il were all alive the last time Claude Giroux did this. For the record, Philly.com's Marcus Hayes references those three villains -- I'm just the messenger.

• Martin St. Louis' sensational first round performance for the Rangers is making everyone forget how he struggled after arriving in New York before the March 5 trade deadline.

• Sensing they're in on the start of something big, Blue Jackets fans have created one of the league's best atmospheres during these playoffs.

• Cool story here about Cam Atkinson surprising some Columbus fans who were waiting overnight for tickets to Game 6.

• There's nothing controversial about it. The Sharks simply need to change goalies ahead of Monday night's Game 6 in Los Angeles.

• The cavalry might be coming for the Avalanche in Game 6. Repeat, might be.

• The Wild's Mike Yeo faces the defining moment of his coaching career on Monday night when Minnesota plays a must-win Game 6 against Colorado.

• Winners of eight of their past 10 playoff series, the Bruins are perfectly positioned to knock off the Canadiens.

• Elliotte Friedman touches on the situation in Washington, D.C., and other hot NHL topics in this week's 30 Thoughts column.

• The problem with former Capitals GM George McPhee? He got swept up by the that hype he created.

• Would Caps owner Ted Leonsis grant a new GM the right to trade Alex Ovechkin? Maybe the better question is: Would any qualified candidate take the job if he didn't?

• Red Wings GM Ken Holland hints at what's on his summer shopping list. George Malik has that news, along with a timeline of what comes next for a team that has some significant issues to address.

• Jim Rutherford is expected to step down as GM of the Hurricanes later this morning.

Team USA to the Under-18 World Championship