The Pittsburgh Penguins so-called third line has a prominent new fan.

Made aware of the red-hot Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel line, former WWE superstar and current ambassador Shawn Michaels - also known as 'The Heartbreak Kid' - gave his seal of approval to the Penguins Monday night:

Thanks to a Kessel goal in the first period of Game 2, and the fact he started paying attention to the HBK craze, Michaels found himself trending on Twitter in Pittsburgh and couldn't help but tune in for the second period.

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They're quickly becoming the Jonathan Drouin playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward's unlikely renaissance continued on Monday night in Pittsburgh, when he scored for the second time in two games of the Eastern Conference Final against the Penguins.

The goal was Drouin's third of the postseason, giving him 11 points in 12 games. He had 10 points in 21 games during the regular season.

Matt Murray, though, will be the first to admit that he's got to have Monday's goal:

The point is, Drouin is playing the best hockey of his life, and no one would have imagined this would be the case even a few months ago, when he requested a trade and was suspended after leaving the Lightning's minor-league team.

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Welcome back, Anton Stralman.

Out since March 25 with a fractured fibula, the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman received a pass Monday night from Jonathan Marchessault and roofed the puck past Matt Murray for his fifth career playoff goal.

The goal, Stralman's fifth against the Penguins this season alone, helped make up for some rusty defense displayed earlier in the game on a goal scored by Matt Cullen.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have a key piece on the blue line back in the lineup.

Defenseman Anton Stralman took part in warmups and will play Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, his first game action since fracturing his fibula on March 25.

Behind him, Andrei Vasilevskiy will make his second career postseason start in the absence of Ben Bishop, who was injured in Game 1 and is considered day to day.

In six playoff appearances, including Game 1 of this series, Vasilevskiy has posted a save percentage of .923.

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan is sitting out Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The 31-year-old will miss the game due to the flu, the club announced. He has a goal and two assists in 11 playoff games.

Callahan made news in Game 1 after he sent Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang into the boards from behind. He picked up a five-minute major penalty, but remained in the game and wasn't suspended.

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San Jose Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer is contemplating a significant line shuffle in advance of Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.

Patrick Marleau started Game 1 on the left wing of the second line with Logan Couture and Joonas Donskoi, but could be bumped to a third-line center role in an attempt to match the forward depth of the St. Louis Blues.

"It's game to game," DeBoer said of Marleau's line assignment, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com. "Two Patrick Marleaus, one plays center, one on the third line ... I think we've been effective with three centers down the middle, Couture, Marleau, and (Joe) Thornton. We've also been very effective with him on the wing.

"I think two things come into play. Are you better as a team and is the individual better? That's the balance. I'm not here to make Patrick Marleau feel good. We're here to win games and we're going to put him wherever we feel we have to win games."

DeBoer deployed a third line of Melker Karlsson, Chris Tierney, and Joel Ward in the series opener. The Blues countered with Alex Steen at center, and David Backes and Patrik Berglund on the wings.

Marleau won just over 50 percent of his faceoff attempts during the regular season, and has contributed four goals and five assists in 13 playoff games.

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Connor McDavid could soon become only the fourth teenage captain in NHL history.

In an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger, the 19-year-old was asked if he felt ready for the responsibility, having already been called the de facto leader of the Edmonton Oilers by Taylor Hall at the end of his rookie season.

"I think it’s a better question for my teammates," McDavid began. "I mean, I think if you have their respect and they’re behind you and they’re backing you in everything you do, then I think that makes that job very easy.

"But for me, I’m looking to have a good summer, come into training camp, and whether or not that happens, that’s a different story. But I think I want to come to camp and show everyone that I’m not some young 19-year-old anymore, and I’m ready to take a bigger role."

McDavid made an impact immediately upon hitting the NHL stage, recording 48 points in 45 games during his injury-shortened rookie campaign.

If he is indeed chosen to wear the "C," he would join Gabriel Landeskog, Sidney Crosby, and Vincent Lecavalier as players to do so prior to their 20th birthdays.

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The NHL's motion to dismiss class action lawsuits filed by former players dealing with concussions has been denied by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, Darren Heitner of Forbes reports.

The league argued that the class action could be preempted by labor law, but this was not accepted by the court. The former players - diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) - can now continue with their lawsuits.

After courts upheld a $1-billion plan to settle concussion lawsuits between the NFL and former players in April, Heitner suggests the NHL may have to begin considering a settlement option of their own.

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Anton Stralman provided every indication during Monday's morning workout that he'll return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2.

Stralman, out of the lineup since fracturing his fibula in late March, exited the ice with the regulars after full participation. Nikita Nesterov, meanwhile, stayed on the ice to get in work with the Lightning's expected scratches.

The top-pairing defenseman would be a massive addition for the Bolts, who have defied many expert expectations through the opening two rounds. If he's fit, he'll presumably play alongside Victor Hedman, who's providing some of his best hockey of the season at the right time.

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P.K. Subban now has a rap song with his namesake.

Montreal rapper Wasiu is leading the promotion of his new mixtape with a song entitled "P.K. Subban," which extols the Canadiens blue-liner for being a star athlete, philanthropist, and an empowering figure in the local black community.

Wasiu explained his vision in an essay for Fader, writing that he hopes Subban will further establish his place as one of, if not, the face of their city with the help of the song.

"People are going to have to accept that the face of a white, French city is a black man - whether they like it or not."

- With h/t to Luke Fox of Sportsnet

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