Tag: national hockey league

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Playoff odds for the final week of the 2022-23 regular season.

Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

The Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner and as we head into the final week of the 2022-23 regular season there are a number of teams around the league still desperately fighting for a playoff spot.

Eastern Conference.

Six teams have secured their spots in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning set to represent the Atlantic Division, and with the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers set to represent the Metropolitan Division.

That leaves a 3 team race for the 2 remaining Wild Card spots with the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins all desperately battling for those spots. The Buffalo Sabres are technically not mathematically eliminated, but with only a 0.4% chance of making it in, they are effectively out of the race.

The same can’t be said of the other 3 teams with the Florida Panthers having the best odds of moving on with a 78.7% chance of advancing thanks to the fact that they are in the lead with 91 points, and they hold the tiebreaker advantage with 36 regulation wins on the season.

Right on their heels are the New York Islanders who have a 78% chance of making it in for similar reasons. The Islanders are tied with the Panthers at 91 points and are just one game behind them for the tiebreaker with 35 regulation wins, giving them a distinct advantage over the Penguins.

Those same Pittsburgh Penguins have some ground to make up if they want to advance with only a 42.9% chance of getting in the playoffs headed into the final week. The Penguins are a point behind their two main competitors with only 90 points to their name, and they have no hope of closing the gap on the tiebreaker with only 31 regulation wins this season.

Western Conference.

6 NHL teams have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs in the West, with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild set to represent the Central Division, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and the Seattle Kraken(Wild Card) set to represent the Pacific Division.

You can argue that the race for the Wild Card spots in the West is even more fierce with the Kraken having already locked in the first Wild Card spot, leaving the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators to duke it out for that final spot.

The Jets have the best odds of making it out with a 78.7% chance of advancing thanks to leading the pack in terms of both points with 91 and regulation wins with 34. The Jets also have a game in hand over their next closest competitors, giving them a major edge headed into the final week of the regular season.

The Flames have the next best shot at making it in but it will be a long one with only an 18.9% chance of getting in with only 2 games remaining on the schedule.  They are a point behind the Jets with 90 points on the season, and have no hope of closing the tiebreaker gap with only 30 regulation wins thus far. The biggest hurdle though will be the fact that the Jets have an extra game on the schedule in which they could further cement their spot ahead of the Flames.

The Predators would need a miracle to get in with only a 2.5% chance of making it, and it seems very unlikely that they will get one. The Predators would need to win out to close the gap on the Jets with only 88 points so far on the season, and they would also need the Jets and the Flames to lose all of their remaining games to make it in.

If you would prefer a visual representation of these odds, check out this excellent graph from Money Puck:

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Rumor: DJ Smith sends a harsh message to Cam Talbot.

Marc DesRosiers/USA Today

The Ottawa Senators may have sent a harsh message to veteran goaltender Cam Talbot, and we likely won’t have to wait long to know for sure.

On Thursday night, the Senators suffered an ugly loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers, one in which they gave up 7 goals and only managed to score 2 of their own. Notably absent from that performance however was veteran goaltender Cam Talbot, who was made a healthy scratch by Senators head coach DJ Smith.

You could wave it off as a veteran being rested in a season that is, at least as far as the Senators are concerned, effectively already over, but Ottawa Senators insider Bruce Garrioch doesn’t appear to think so.

From Garrioch:

This decision to scratch Talbot in Florida marked the beginning of the end for him with the Senators. It was a relationship that carried so much hope, but it will end in disappointment as both sides prepare for the breakup.

There are a number of potential reasons why the relationship between the two sides may have deteriorated, not the least of which is contract demands. According to Garrioch, the Senators were prepared to offer Talbot a 1-year extension at a discount earlier in the season, with Talbot’s camp looking for a raise and multiple years on a new deal.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Senators have to be looking back in the rearview mirror at the trade they made to acquire Talbot, a trade that sent goaltender Filip Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild. Gustavsson has gone on to appear in 36 games for the Wild this season, recording a 2.03 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Talbot, who was brought in to shore up the Senators’ goaltending situation, appeared in just 35 games this season due in large part to a barrage of injuries, and recorded a 2.89 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

All this appears to be pointing towards an ugly divorce in Ottawa, with Garrioch indicating on Saturday morning that he doesn’t expect Talbot will play against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, in spite of poor performances from goaltenders Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen in their last outings.

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Boston Bruins can claim a piece of NHL history on Saturday.

Keystone

The Boston Bruins have a chance to share in a piece of National Hockey League history on Saturday when they will face off against the New Jersey Devils, and given the way that things have been trending for the Bruins this season they could even make that piece of NHL history their very own.

The Bruins are coming into Saturday’s game against the Devils with 61 wins in their back pocket already, but a win over the Devils on Saturday would tie the NHL record for most wins in a single season by any team in the league’s history. Only two other teams in the NHL’s history have managed to accomplish this feat before, with the Detroit Red Wings picking up 62 wins during the 1995-1996 regular season, and the Tampa Bay Lightning matching that accomplishment over 2 decades later during the 2018-2019 regular season.

Perhaps what will make the game on Saturday must see TV however is the fact that the Bruins have a very real chance of overtaking both of those historically great teams further down the line. Although the Bruins can tie to the record with a win on Saturday, they have 3 additional games remaining on the schedule with a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday as well as a pair of matchups against the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens next week.

The Bruins will first have to overcome a playoff bound New Jersey Devils squad today to even tie the record, so I doubt very much that they are looking ahead at the possibility of potentially breaking the record just yet.

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Subban calls out Messier and Chelios for ‘gloating.’

Since hanging up his skates as far as his playing career in the National Hockey League is concerned, P.K. Subban has made a quick and natural transition to a broadcaster for the NHL on ESPN.

Subban always showcased his personality during his time in the NHL and that trend has continued during his broadcast career, and not just when the show is on the air. On Saturday, Subban posted a short video on social media in which he called out fellow former players Chris Chelios and Mark Messier for ‘gloating’ with the Stanley Cup in studio.

“Big party for these guys huh?” said Subban via his Twitter. “Gloating over here, drinking out of the Cup, it’s crazy.”

While the words used by Subban here might suggest that he was genuinely irritated, the tone of his video and his comments left little doubt that he was anything but that. If anything, Subban appeared to be putting over the accomplishments of his legendary co-hosts, while poking a little fun at himself in self-deprecating fashion for never winning a Stanley Cup of his own.

If anything, the video might leave you feeling a little sorry for poor P.K. Subban who probably feels like something of a third wheel right now with the Stanley Cup in studio.

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Concerning update on injured Tanner Jeannot.

The Tampa Bay Lightning made a major move at the National Hockey League’s trade deadline to acquire gritty forward Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators, but there is now real concern that Jeannot may not even get the chance to participate in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

Earlier this week, Jeannot was injured when he got tangled up with New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, an incident that resulted in both Mayfield and Jeannot himself falling awkwardly on top of Jeannot’s right leg. It was immediately clear that Jeannot was in considerable pain and he was unable to leave the ice under his own power, needing teammates Zach Bogosian and Corey Perry to help him off the ice.

Head coach Jon Cooper admitted following the game that he was worried about Jeannot’s status moving forward, and on Saturday we received more bad news regarding the injured forward.

The Lightning have now confirmed that Jeannot has returned to Tampa to undergo medical evaluation for his injury, one that the Lightning are surely hoping will allow him to return this season.

The Lightning of course made a huge investment in Jeannot at the trade deadline, giving up Cal Foote, a first round pick in 2025, a second round pick in 2024, and a third, fourth, and fifth round pick in 2023 to acquire him. The Lightning would of course hate to lose him for the Stanley Cup playoffs after such a major investment but, the silver lining here is that, with Jeannot being a restricted free agent they will likely have him in the lineup for many more playoff runs to come.

The Lightning will also be without defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tonight, who is anticipating the birth of his child and is away for personal reasons.

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Senators officially shut down 3 players on Saturday.

NHL/Twitter

The Ottawa Senators are throwing in the towel with any hope of making the Stanley Cup playoffs now officially out of reach.

The Senators have 3 games remaining on their regular season schedule with a a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday followed by a pair of games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres next week, but many of the team’s core players will not be present for those games.

On Saturday, the Senators announced that they would be shutting down 3 defenseman with Jakob Chychrun, Thomas Chabot and Travis Hamonic all wrapping up their seasons prematurely. Chychrun and Chabot are under contract for next season so it makes perfect sense to shut both players down and avoid any potentially serious injuries. Hamonic will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the Senators could look to resign him, or he simply could be banged up and in need of respite.

The Senators will, despite the huge blow to their blue line, still feature many of their regulars today including captain Brady Tkachuk and veteran forward Claude Giroux. Here is how their lines looked during the morning skate:

Tkachuk Stützle Giroux
DeBrincat Pinto Batherson
Joseph Gambrell Brown
Sokolov Kastelic Gauthier

Sanderson Zub
Brannstrom Holden
Kleven Bernard-Docker

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Torey Krug roasts former teammate Brad Marchand on Sunday.

Daniel Lea/CSM/Zuma

The Boston Bruins faced off against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday and that meant that Blues defenseman Torey Krug would be getting a reunion of sorts with his longtime former teammates in Boston.

Krug was of course signed as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State University by the Bruins and spent the first 9 seasons of his career in the National Hockey League with that organization. That being said it would come as a surprise to no one to learn that Krug has forged lifelong friendships with members of the Bruins roster, something that no doubt makes these games against the Bruins both challenging and exhilarating for the veteran defenseman.

Prior to the game on Sunday, Krug was asked if he was forced to temporarily suspend those friendships when facing off against the Bruins, and he took the opportunity to take a hilarious shot at former teammate Brad Marchand.

“That’s right, especially the guy with a big nose,” said Krug of his unfortunate looking friend.

Marchand has of course been ripped throughout his career by fans, opponents and just about everyone else regarding the size of his schnoz, but it’s particularly amusing to hear it from a former teammate that spent nearly a decade playing alongside him.

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Chicago Blackhawks active on waivers Sunday.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the only team active on waivers Sunday, leaving one of their players vulnerable to a potential late-season claim.

According to a report from Cap Friendly, the Blackhawks have placed forward Joey Anderson on waivers, with the intent likely being to send him back down to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. Anderson has appeared in 18 games for the Blackhawks this season and has been relatively productive with 3 goals and 2 assists for a total of 5 points over that stretch, and prior to that he also appeared in 14 games for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring twice and adding an assist for a total of 3 points with that team.

The Blackhawks acquired Anderson when the Leafs made him available via waivers earlier in the season and you have to wonder if the Blackhawks may effectively be setting themselves up to lose Anderson to another team with this move.

Anderson was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has a total of 90 games of NHL experience under his belt.

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Red Wings rookie set to make his NHL debut.

Akash Pamarthy/Detroit Free Press

Detroit Red Wings fans who have been eagerly anticipating their chance to see the team’s most recent first round draft pick hit the ice in the National Hockey League will be in for a treat tonight.

On Sunday, the Red Wings’ own Ken Kal confirmed the big news when he revealed that Red Wings first round pick Marco Kasper had his jersey hanging in a stall. Along with a short video came confirmation that Kasper would in fact be suiting up for the Red Wings this evening when they face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kasper was selected 8th overall by the Red Wings at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has thus far spent his time developing over in Sweden. This will give the 18 year old Austrian forward a big step up in competition but, given the relative lack of importance surrounding the remaining games on the Red Wings’ schedule, it seems like a good time to give the youngster a chance against the highest level competition in the world.

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Two NHL teams can clinch a playoff spot today, here’s how.

David Kirouac/CSM/Zuma

The Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner and as we draw closer and closer to the end of the 2022-23 regular season, more and more teams are starting to secure their spot in those very same playoffs.

On Monday, two teams in the National Hockey League will have the chance to officially punch their ticket into the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs with both the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild having the opportunity to lock themselves in for this season’s big tournament.

For the Stars, locking their spot in the playoffs will be relatively simple. All they have to do to officially advance tonight is pick up a win over their opponent, the Nashville Predators. Whether that win comes in regulation, overtime, or the shootout will make no difference, a win and the Stars will be in.

The other team that can secure their spot today is the Minnesota Wild, and in the case of the Wild there is an extra path to success. Like the Stars, the Wild will advance if they pick up a win in any fashion over their opponents tonight, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. However if they fail to do so they still have a way forward, thanks in large part to the aforementioned Dallas Stars.

Should the Wild fail to win but manage to force overtime, a single point combined with a win from the Stars over the Predators would also be enough to push them over the edge.

Will either of these teams advance tonight? Let us know your predictions in the comments.