It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Stars: Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune talks Minnesota Wild hockey, Todd Richards and the Blue Jackets as well as the Western Conference; Kevin Weekes joins us to talk NHL goaltending; Wyshynski's head cold also makes an appearance.

• In which Marek and Wysh discuss the Coyotes getting all sorts of nasty against the Kings.

• The Marty Brodeur non-controversy over shotblocking.

• Can anyone stop the Kings?

• Puck Headlines and Talking Points

Question of the Day: "You're Brendan Shanahan: What do you give Martin Hanzal, Shane Doan and Mike Smith for their transgressions?"

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

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Getty ImagesJordan Staal could be a No. 1 center in over a dozen NHL cities right now. Instead, he's like Bill Hader on SNL: Brilliantly talented, the glue that holds sketches together, but rarely in the spotlight save for Stefon on "Weekend Update" because Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig get all the airtime.

(Evgeni Malkin in this case being Kristin Wiig; Sidney Crosby being Andy Samberg, as Lindsay Lohan informed us earlier in the season.)

Staal has one year left on his current deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and rumors are that he wants more responsibility (re: ice time, offensive chances) with the team. Rumors were also that he could join his brother Eric with the Carolina Hurricanes, or potentially be moved elsewhere this summer.

But Dave Molinari of the Post-Gazette spoke to GM Ray Shero, and he hopes to re-sign Staal and Sidney Crosby to extensions this summer:

Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal have one year left on their contracts, and Evgeni Malkin has two. Negotiations with Crosby and Staal can't begin until July 1, so there's no way of knowing precisely what they'll be asking for, but Shero reiterated that his goal is to retain all three.

"I'd like to do that, if possible," he said. "We're looking at hopefully getting extensions with [Crosby and Staal]."

While it is conceivable that Staal, the team's No. 3 center, might want to play elsewhere so he can fill a more offense-oriented role, he apparently has not said anything of the sort to the Penguins. Asked if any of the top three centers had expressed a desire to move, Shero responded, "Absolutely not."

The key issue in bringing Staal back will be the money he's seeking.

Can the Coyotes rally? Are the Devils done? Did the Blue Jackets make the right coaching call? And who takes over the Capitals, Canadiens and Flames?

Please join us beginning at NOON ET/9 a.m. PT today for our weekly chat that includes a revolving door of panelists like Lyle (Spector) Richardson of Spector's Hockey and Katie Baker of Grantland; as well as your friendly neighborhood knuckleheads from Yahoo! Sports, Puck Daddy and Buzzing The Net.

You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That's how it works:

Getty Images"The risk these players are willing to take game after game, shift after shift is worthy of adulation." — Larry Brooks, NY Post, May 7

"They're hot at blocking shots. We might be able to hurt a few guys [by] hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something." — Marty Brodeur via Larry Brooks, May 16

Shot blocking in the NHL has its perils. Sure, the overly padded players of today can lay out their bodies with reckless abandon, turning aside point blasts from opponents and then quickly transitioning to offense. But there are less protected areas: Like the foot, as James van Riemsdyk will tell you; like the face, as Daniel Paille will tell you.

As Larry Brooks wrote last week, these brave New York Rangers that are throwing their bodies in front of pucks to the tune of 19 blocked shots per game are worthy of our adulation, but are also taking an inherent risk. Like, for example, an opponent blasting a puck off their noggin or feet as they're in a prone position.

That Brodeur wouldn't suggest this could happen … my goodness, clutch the pearls, NY Post! It's like the Queen of Hearts declared 'off with their heads!' From Brooks:

Even worse, there were Devils yesterday who actually seemed willing to debate whether this different kind of headhunting might be a legitimate tactic to discourage shot-blocking, though none would suggest it ever could be or ever would be adopted by New Jersey's team.

Still, the seed has been planted. When a pitcher who muses about brushing someone back nails a batter in the head, the presumption of innocence has been forfeited, the purpose having been advertised. What now would be the response from the Rangers, forget for the moment from the NHL, if a shot off a Devil's stick went awry, as in right into the face a Blueshirts defender?

First off, Brooks rightly points out that Marty's a bit of a hypocrite here. In 2003, Brodeur accused defenseman Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning of intentionally shooting at the head of Scott Stevens. Now, he appears to advocate for the same thing. Even in jest.

Let's not pretend that this doesn't happen already — that when a player has had his shot blocked four or five times in a game, he doesn't put a little extra mustard on the sixth attempt with an opponent sliding in front of him. Because he does.

But essentially what Brooks is arguing here is that onus is on the shooter, rather than the player hurling himself into the line of fire to deflect a speeding piece of frozen rubber, when it comes to player safety. So much for adulation for risk -- like other facets of player safety, apparently the players putting himself in harm's way must be protected at all costs.

Worry not about the Rangers. The Devils told the NY Post yesterday that they aren't planning to intentionally injure them with shots to the face.

Not a Real SI CoverThe National Hockey League has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated — either the main mag or on a commemorative issue — 114 times, according to the SI Vault archive. Sometimes, it was a quick mention on a cover story dedicated to Tiger Woods another sports story. Other times, hockey was given the spotlight.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been featured around 35 times, including Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers on a striking cover from April 2012. While some weren't exactly iconic, they all had their charms.

Here are the 10 best Sports Illustrated Stanley Cup Playoff covers.

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This dude seems upset about something.

No. 1 Star: Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings

Jeff Carter scored the Kings' second goal in the second period, after which the game got out of hand. Then, he took advantage of the game getting out of hand, cashing in twice more on the myriad power plays in a 4-0 Game 2 win. Carter becomes the first Kings' player since to score a hat trick in a postseason game since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1993, a fact that also serves the dual purpose of shaming the Coyotes further by mentioning Wayne Gretzky in the same sentence as them.

No. 2 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

He had a pretty big margin for error, but Quick was flawless just for kicks, making 24 saves for his third career playoff goose egg. The trio of shutouts tied a team record set by Felix Potvin.

No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

Doughty was excellent in just over 23 minutes of work, tying Jeff Carter with a game-high 5 shots, picking up an assist, and finishing the night a plus-2.

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After falling 4-2 in a lopsided Game 1, outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin, Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was direct about what changes had to be made for a better outcome in Game 2: "Adjustments all over the board," he told the Arizona Republic.

He made them. It didn't work.

For the second straight game -- or maybe the 11th straight game, depending on how far back you want to go -- the Kings looked like an unstoppable juggernaut, once again outshooting the Coyotes by nearly a 2-1 margin and dropping 4 goals on Mike Smith in a 4-0 Game 2 shellacking.

[Jay Hart: Los Angeles Kings seem destined to reach Stanley Cup finals]

It should be clear by now that the Kings are the eighth seed in name only. (Consider: the phrase unstoppable juggernaut, used above, isn't typically bestowed on eighth seeds.) L.A. is 10-1 this postseason. It just picked up its seventh consecutive road win, tied for the NHL postseason record. In two games versus the Coyotes, the Kings have peppered Mike Smith with 88 shots, scoring eight times.

The Coyotes were overmatched from beginning to end in Game 2. Outshot 15 to 8 in the first period, the Kings opened the scoring by simply wearing them down. Dwight King put the Kings on the board at 13:15 on a redirect of a Drew Doughty point shot.

In the second period, the Kings came out even harder, outshooting the Coyotes 17-8 and doubling their lead on a goal from Jeff Carter. (That totally rhymed, you guys!) The goal came after some great work by Dustin Penner, who gained the zone, and outworked his man down low before tipping the puck to his linemate.

That was enough for the Coyotes to become disagreeable.

The Phoenix Coyotes are in trouble. After Shane Doan drove Trevor Lewis into the boards with an ugly hit, the team was already facing the possibility of playing a must-win Game 3 in Los Angeles without their captain.

At least things couldn't get any worse, someone must have said, thereby cursing the team and guaranteeing that things could get worse. Because now they'll have to worry about playing Game 3 without Martin Hanzal as well, after the big winger put himself on Sheriff Shanahan's radar with an even uglier hit from behind on Dustin Brown.

This is an inexcusable check, as Hanzal shoves Brown into the end boards with significant force, driving the LA captain's head into the wall.

It's a hit Shanahan has been particularly unkind to this season. With the player already traveling in that direction with significant speed, shoving him is a recipe for disaster and a Shanaban. Hanzal was given a 5-minute major penalty for the hit; I suspect he'll get one game more.

One wonders if the "star clause" will come into effect here. Arguably, both Doan and Hanzal committed suspendable offences, but Hanzal isn't a star and Doan is. Furthermore, Hanzal hit a star -- the frontrunner for playoff MVP at that -- and Doan hit some guy named Trevor Lewis.

The game got more than a little heated in the third period, so it's clear that, if Shanahan doesn't intervene in some way here, Game 3 could get silly. Hanzal may have just made himself the sacrificial lamb.