‘Canes owner pulls rug out from under Francis

For all the talk about how much playoff experience goes into winning the Stanley Cup and the guys with gray in their beards who have been there before, rookies are stealing the show early this NHL postseason. Three rookie goaltenders have won a game, the defending Stanley Cup champions are getting major production from a rookie forward and the likely rookie of the year has found his groove after a rocky start. From New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, Carolina’s Alex Nedeljkovic and Florida’s Spencer Knight making saves to Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov scoring goals, the first round is proving to be something of a rookie showcase.