Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski (84) as they lose 3-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Barclays Center during a 2015 game.
Former Islanders forward Mikhail Grabovski is facing potential legal issues in Toronto after an alleged incident following an Ontario Minor Hockey Association playoff game.
The alleged altercation occurred in Markham, Ontario, on March 14 at the Markham Village Community Centre, where York Regional Police were called to at roughly 10:50 p.m. for a report of an assault, according to the Toronto Sun.
Grabovski was coaching a Markham Waxers under-15 playoff game at the time of the incident.
The Flyers’ Braydon Coburn checks Mikhail Grabovski of the Islanders during a game on Nov. 24, 2014. Paul J. Bereswill
Officers arrested an unidentified suspect, according to the Toronto Sun, and the male was charged with one count of assault, with the victim being taken to a local hospital to treat minor injuries.
The Toronto Star, citing court records, reported that Grabovski allegedly assaulted the coach of the York-Simcoe Express, the opposing team, Warren Cooper.
It is unclear what started the incident.
A condition of Grabovski’s release is that he is prohibited from contacting Cooper, the CBC reported.
The charges were sworn on March 30, and the first court appearance is scheduled to take place on June 12 in Newmarket, Ontario.
In a statement released following the incident, the OMHA denounced what had happened and said they would not make any further comments while “there is an ongoing police investigation.”
Mikhail Grabovski looks on during the Islanders’ 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs during a 2015 game at Barclays Center. Andrew Theodorakis/New York Post
“The Ontario Minor Hockey Association is aware of this situation and does not condone this type of behaviour, nor does it reflect the values of the OMHA or the sport,” the league said in a statement.
Grabovski spent 10 seasons in the NHL, appearing in 534 games while recording 125 goals and 171 assists.
A majority of his career was spent with the Maple Leafs, playing in Toronto from the 2008-13.
He came to Long Island for the final two seasons of his career, playing for the Islanders in their first final season at Nassau Coliseum in 2014-15 and their first in a short-lived stay at Barclays Center in 2015-16.
Grabovski recorded 18 goals and 44 points during his two seasons with the Islanders.
The Buffalo Sabres had an ugly start to the 2025-26 season, going 11-14-4 in their first 29 games. With this, it seemed that they would go on to miss the playoffs for the 15th year in a row.
Yet, the Sabres not only bounced back from their tough start to the season, but have simply dominated. At this point in the campaign, the Sabres now have a 46-21-8 record and are at the top of the Atlantic Division standings with 100 points. They have been the NHL's hottest team down the stretch, and it has made them the league's best story of the season.
After years of disappointment and being unable to take that next step, the Sabres have done so with style in 2025-26. They have not only shown that they are capable of being a playoff team, but that they also can be one of the league's top clubs. The only team with more points than the Sabres at this point of the campaign is the Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, the Sabres are tied in points with two top contenders in the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars.
With this, it has truly been a special season for the Sabres.
DENVER — Marcus Pettersson broke a late tie with 5:39 remaining, Brock Boeser recorded a hat trick, and the last-place Vancouver Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 8–6 on Wednesday night after surrendering a four-goal lead.
Vancouver, which entered the contest trailing Colorado by 58 points in the standings, generated offense in every situation—at even strength, on the power play, short-handed, and into an empty net—while snapping a six-game losing streak.
Boeser added an empty-net goal to complete his hat trick. Teddy Blueger chipped in two goals, while Max Sasson and Jake DeBrusk also scored. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 24 saves to help secure the win.
On the other side, Nathan MacKinnon reached the 50-goal mark for the second time in his career, becoming the first player in the league this season to hit that milestone. Sam Malinski scored twice, and Gabriel Landeskog, Parker Kelly, and Brent Burns also tallied.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was pulled with 4:39 left in the second period after allowing six goals on 19 shots. Scott Wedgewood entered in relief and stopped four of five shots faced.
The Avalanche entered the matchup riding momentum from a 9–2 win over Calgary earlier in the week but were forced to adjust defensively with Cale Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury, a gap Vancouver consistently exploited.
Burns contributed a goal and an assist while appearing in his 999th consecutive NHL game, continuing one of the league’s longest active ironman streaks. The all-time record remains 1,064 straight games, held by Phil Kessel.
First Period
Vancouver struck just 29 seconds into the game when Sasson slipped a shot through the five-hole to make it 1–0. After a rink-wide pass deflected off a defender’s stick, he jumped on the loose puck, beat the defense with speed, and finished the play.
Colorado answered quickly, as MacKinnon snapped a shot past Lankinen to tie the game with his 50th goal of the season.
The Avalanche went on the power play soon after, but a turnover by MacKinnon led to a short-handed rush the other way, where Blueger finished to restore Vancouver’s lead. It marked the second goal the Canucks generated off a turnover in the period.
Midway through the frame, Vancouver continued to dictate play. They extended the lead to 3–1 on the power play when DeBrusk finished a backdoor feed from Elias Pettersson. Of DeBrusk’s goals this season, the majority have come with the man advantage.
Colorado trimmed the deficit to 3–2 late in the period when Landeskog tipped a point shot from Burns.
In the final minute, a hooking penalty gave Vancouver another power-play opportunity, and they carried a 3–2 lead into the second while holding a 12–7 edge in shots on goal.
Second Period
The Canucks pushed their lead to 4–2 at 5:02 when Sasson set up Blueger alone in front, where he deked and finished.
Momentum continued to swing Vancouver’s way as Boeser buried a one-timer from the left circle to make it 5–2. He added another shortly after, extending the lead to 6–3 and prompting the Avalanche to replace their goaltender.
Colorado responded quickly on the next shift, with Malinski snapping home a shot to cut into the deficit.
Late in the period, a collision involving Sasson sent Martin Necas to the ice in visible discomfort, forcing him briefly to the locker room.
After two periods, Vancouver led 6–3 and held a 20–13 advantage in shots.
Third Period
Necas returned to start the third, but Colorado wasted little time pulling closer. Just 14 seconds in, Kelly scored off a pass from Jack Drury to make it 6–4.
Midway through the period, Nazem Kadri exited briefly after taking a shot off the hand area and remained on the bench in discomfort.
Burns later brought Colorado within one with a point shot for his 11th goal of the season, and Malinski tied the game at 6–6 with his second goal.
Vancouver quickly regained control. Pettersson scored with 5:39 remaining to restore the lead at 7–6.
Boeser then sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal with 1:29 left, securing the 8–6 victory for Vancouver over the league-leading Avalanche.
A week ago, the vibes seemed pretty low in San Jose. On March 26, the Sharks lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues in overtime for their sixth consecutive defeat, seemingly all but knocking them out of the Western Conference playoff race.
But that slump seems like a distant memory after Wednesday’s victory. For the third game in a row, the Sharks scored a game-winning goal in the final 90 seconds of regulation, becoming the first NHL team to do so, per Sportradar.
Wednesday’s victory was the most dramatic of the trio. Macklin Celebrini equalized with 99 seconds to go before Alexander Wennberg delivered an improbable winner just over a minute later, giving San Jose a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.
Per @Sportradar, the #SJSharks are the first team in @NHL history to win three consecutive games on GWGs within the last 90 seconds of regulation.#TheFutureIsTeal
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) April 2, 2026
On Monday night, Celebrini crossed the 100-point threshold with two goals and an assist in a 5-4 win over the Blues. Two nights later, the 19-year-old — who is building a very good case for the Hart Trophy — factored into all four Sharks goals against the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. After having only two points during San Jose’s six-game skid, he now has nine points in three wins since.
Yet, when interviewed shortly after on the NHL on TNT postgame show, the teenage phenom still remained cool as a cucumber, almost oblivious to another absurd performance he had given.
“Yeah, I mean, still living off that emotion, pretty high there,” Celebrini said. “I think we just stayed patient, didn’t give up much in that third, and, I mean, we buried it when it counted.”
Of course, to anyone who has watched the Sharks this season, the concept of Celebrini being very good isn’t exactly new. But the magnitude of his talent is becoming more and more remarkable to anyone and everyone, even a 16-year NHL veteran teammate in Ryan Reaves.
After being dragged him into Celebrini’s postgame interview with TNT, Reaves had a blunt assessment on playing alongside the budding superstar.
“It’s like watching a god on ice,” Reaves remarked. “It’s fun to watch. It’s crazy the stuff he can do at 19. I’ll be honest, though, half of my interviews this year has been about him, so it’s kind of starting to wear me out a little bit.”
However, if Celebrini can carry San Jose to an unlikely spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Reaves likely will be asked plenty more questions about his extraordinary teammate, who just happens to be 20 years his junior.
Reaves also doesn’t appear to be the only Sharks player inspired by Celebrini. Three consecutive wins — each coming from behind — show a growing level of belief and grit that extends beyond their fresh-faced centerpiece.
NHL on TNT analyst Brian Boucher asked Celebrini if Wednesday’s win could be a “galvanizing moment” for Team Teal, which now sits just one point out of a wild-card spot, with at least one game in hand over almost everyone else around them.
“It shows our confidence in our group and the way we believe in each other,” Celebrini explained. “We’re never going to quit. Who knows what’s going to happen, but we’re going to keep playing hard, take it game by game. It’s cliché, but that’s the way we’re going to approach it and hopefully, just to keep taking strides.”
The Sharks had an easy opportunity to quit during their recent losing streak. But, as Celebrini stated, that’s not in this team’s DNA; the way San Jose has won its last three games is perfect proof of that mentality.
The Vancouver Canucks have made a roster move ahead of their game against the Colorado Avalanche tonight, as the team announced they have called-up forward Ty Mueller from the AHL. This comes only a couple of hours after the Abbotsford Canucks announced the signing of forward Braden Birnie to a professional try-out agreement.
Mueller has been a steady presence in the Abbotsford Canucks’ lineup this season, playing in 59 of their 66 games so far. He has scored 16 goals and 19 assists in this span of time while often playing in Abbotsford’s top-six as a centre. The forward currently ranks second on Abbotsford in points behind Nils Åman (6G, 31A).
This is not Mueller’s first time playing at the NHL level, as the forward made his NHL debut for Vancouver on April 12, 2025 against the Minnesota Wild on home-ice. He played in one more game after that, on April 14 against the San Jose Sharks, before re-joining Abbotsford in their chase for the Calder Cup.
Mueller’s call-up comes shortly after Evander Kane was noted to be sitting out of tonight’s game. Kane has reportedly been dealing with an injury through the most recent stretch of games, though he played in his 1000th career NHL game on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vancouver will face the Avalanche tonight at 5:30 pm PT, with their next match taking place tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild at 5:00 pm PT. Abbotsford will play in a home back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, with this being their final stretch of home games through the 2025–26 season.
Apr 12, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Ty Mueller (39) skates against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Every year, the American Hockey Coaches Association presents an award to a former college coach or player who ‘has distinguished himself in his profession after college.’ The award was named after former Providence College player, coach, and athletic director Lou Lamoriello. This year, the honor goes to Vegas Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee.
“I am honored beyond words to accept the Lou Lamoriello Award as the Frozen Four prepares to arrive here in Vegas,” said McPhee in response. “Lou is among the very best hockey minds and human beings to grace college hockey and the National Hockey League. Lou’s impact on these institutions, as well as the lives of thousands who have worked for him and competed against him, is extraordinary.”
As a forward at Bowling Green State University, McPhee won the Hobey Baker Award in 1982. He went on to have a seven-year NHL career, playing for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. After retirement, he began a career in management and had success with the Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders before making his way to Vegas.
On July 13, 2016, McPhee became the inaugural General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Golden Knights. He won the NHL General Manager of the Year Award in 2018 after the success of his team’s inaugural season.
McPhee stepped aside as General Manager in favor of Kelly McCrimmon on September 1, 2019, but remained as the President of Hockey Operations. He won his first Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.
The Lou Lamoriello Award will be presented on April 10 during this year’s NCAA D1 Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four.
“George is widely respected throughout hockey and has consistently made a positive impact during his career,” said AHCA Executive Director Forrest Karr. ”His many contributions to the sport make him a natural choice for the Lou Lamoriello Award, and we look forward to presenting this well-deserved recognition during Frozen Four weekend.”
Photo caption: Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (22) shoots the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have signed defenseman David Jiricek to a two-year, $3 million contract extension. Starting next season, he will have a $1.5 million average annual value.
The Flyers acquired Jiricek from the Minnesota Wild at the 2026 NHL trade deadline in exchange for forward Bobby Brink. Since then, the right-shot defenseman has played well at the AHL level with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Now, he has landed himself a solid contract extension from Philadelphia because of it.
In 10 games with the Phantoms since being acquired, Jiricek has recorded two goals, eight assists, and 10 points. This is after he had two goals and 10 points in 24 AHL games with the Iowa Wild before the trade.
Jiricek also played in 25 games for Minnesota before the deal, where he had zero points and 14 penalty minutes. In 84 career NHL games over four seasons, the 2022 sixth-overall pick has recorded two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson was on another level in March, and the NHL took notice of it.
Karlsson was named the NHL's Second Star for the month of March on Wednesday. He finished the month with nine goals and 24 points in 17 games, helping the Penguins go 8-6-3 in those games.
He had nine multi-point games in March, including four three-point games. It was his best month as a Penguin and has helped him compile 13 goals and 60 points in 70 games this season.
Karlsson's nine multi-point games in March are the most by a Penguins defenseman in a single month in franchise history.
Star status secured ⭐
Defenseman Erik Karlsson has been named the @NHL’s Second Star for the month of March.
Karlsson was putting the Penguins on his back for a good chunk of these games, especially since Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were both hurt. He hasn't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2018-19 season, when he was with the San Jose Sharks, and is looking to change that this year.
Karlsson and the Penguins will be back in action on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
How do the St. Louis Blues recover from that gut punch they took on Monday?
Nothing they can do but get right back on the horse, and after taking a direct kick to the gut when they allowed a game-winning goal with 22 seconds left in a 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Blues (31-31-11) have no choice but to pick themselves up when they play an almost certain must-win game against the Los Angeles Kings 29-26-18) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the race for the final wild card out of the Western Conference.
The task is daunting for the Blues, who are only four points behind the Nashville Predators with a game in hand, but the bigger issue is not only do they have to climb over the Predators but they also have to pass the Kings, who are one point back of the Predators and host Nashville on Thursday; they also have to pass the Winnipeg Jets, who are also one point back of Nashville, and the Sharks and Seattle Kraken, each two points back.
Having to pass five teams makes it almost a certainty that the only way for that to happen, and with the teams in front of them having head-to-head matchups, the Blues almost certainly need to someone win out their remaining nine games, or come awfully close to doing that, in order to have a chance.
- - -
Blues coach Jim Montgomery will not tinker with the lineup for Wednesday, other than starting Jordan Binnington in goal.
"The lineup is the same. I've talked to the five guys that haven't played (lately)," Montgomery said to the media in Los Angeles of Oskar Sundqvist, Jonathan Drouin, Nathan Walker, Tyler Tucker and Matthew Kessel. "(I told them) keep being great teammates. They're working hard, they're staying in shape, they have to for when we call upon them. You know we're going to call upon them sooner or later. If we don't have success again tonight, there are going to be changes."
- - -
Blues Projected Lineup:
Dylan Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud
Jake Neighbours-Pavel Buchnevich-Jordan Kyrou
Otto Stenberg-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jonatan Berggren
Alexey Toropchenko-Jack Finley-Pius Suter
Philip Broberg-Logan Mailloux
Theo Lindstein-Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler-Justin Holl
Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Jonathan Drouin, Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker and Matthew Kessel. Tyler Tucker (lower body) is on the road trip and is close to being an option for selection.
- - -
Kings Projected Lineup:
Artemi Panarin-Anze Kopitar-Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore-Quinton Byfield-Alex Laferriere
Mathieu Joseph-Scott Laughton-Joel Armia
Jeff Malott-Samuel Helenius-Jared Wright
Mikey Anderson-Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson-Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin-Cody Ceci
Darcy Kuemper will start in goal; Anton Forsberg will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Alex Turcotte, Jacob Moverare and Taylor Ward. Andrei Kuzmenko (meniscus) is out.
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The Flyers didn’t waste much time with re-signing David Jiricek.
They inked the 22-year-old defenseman Wednesday to a two-year, $3 million contract extension not even four weeks after acquiring him in the Bobby Brink trade.
Jiricek was a pending restricted free agent. He’ll remain an RFA when his new deal expires.
The righty shot has played at a point-per-game pace through 10 games with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. He has two goals, eight assists, 30 shots and a minus-6 rating for the Phantoms.
As the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, Jiricek has a lot upside. His size and shot are big strengths, but he’ll have to improve his skating and reads. The Flyers are his third organization. He already has 84 career NHL games under his belt.
“We still see a high potential — 21-, 22-year-old, 6-foot-4 defensemen of his caliber are tough to find,” general manager Danny Briere said after the trade. “We know we have to work with him, we need to be patient, we need to give him a little bit of rope to develop him.”
NHL games on Tuesday, March 31 brought about a shift in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost in regulation and dropped out of the top seed in the conference and out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Buffalo Sabres' victory gave them the division lead and the Carolina Hurricanes' win gave them the top seed in the East.
The Wednesday, April 1 games could affect the Western Conference standings.
The Los Angeles Kings could pass the idle Nashville Predators and move into the second wild card spot if they win. A San Jose Sharks victory would let them pass the Predators based on percentage points because they'll have played one less game.
Also Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild can become the third NHL team to clinch a 2026 postseason berth.
Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:
Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: None
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas
Who can clinch today?
The idle Minnesota Wild will clinch a playoff berth if the Kings lose to the Blues or if the Sharks lose to the Ducks in regulation.
NHL games today (Wednesday, April 1)
All times p.m.Eastern
Vancouver at Colorado, 8:30
St. Louis at Los Angeles, 9
Anaheim at San Jose, 9, TNT
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes (100)
Pittsburgh Penguins (92)
New York Islanders (89)
Atlantic Division
Buffalo Sabres (100)
Tampa Bay Lightning (98)
Montreal Canadiens (96)
Wild card
Boston Bruins (94)
Columbus Blue Jackets (88)
Sitting out of playoff position: Ottawa Senators (86), Detroit Red Wings (86), Philadelphia Flyers (86), Washington Capitals (85), New Jersey Devils (78), Toronto Maple Leafs (77), Florida Panthers (75), z-New York Rangers (71)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Central Division
x-Colorado Avalanche (108)
x-Dallas Stars (100)
Minnesota Wild (94)
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks (87)
Edmonton Oilers (85)
Vegas Golden Knights (82)
Wild card
Utah Mammoth (82)
Nashville Predators (77)
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (76), Winnipeg Jets (76), San Jose Sharks (75), Seattle Kraken (75), St. Louis Blues (73), Calgary Flames (70), Chicago Blackhawks (68), z-Vancouver Canucks (50)
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 31.
Carolina (M1) vs. Columbus (WC1)
Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)
Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC2)
Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Montreal (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 31.
Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
Anaheim (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
Edmonton (P2) vs. Vegas (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card
NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
Goal differential
Total goals
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.
The St. Louis Blues are in California tonight to take on the Los Angeles Kings in what can be considered a must-win game.
While most outcomes of tonight’s game still leave the Blues with very slim odds of making the playoffs, a loss would almost put the nail in the coffin.
According to moneypuck.com, the Blues currently have a 4.8 percent chance of making the playoffs. That number falls to 1.4 percent if they lose in regulation and 3.0 percent if they are defeated in overtime or a shootout, according to Mike Meyer. If they win in regulation, their chances jump to 9.0 percent, and an overtime/shootout win increases their odds to 7.1 percent.
Needless to say, the Blues have a tough hill to climb either way, but a loss gives them little to no hope.
The Blues suffered a heartbreaking loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday. The Blues tied the game at 4-4 after trailing by a pair of markers, but with 22 seconds remaining, the Blues gave up an odd-man rush, and Adam Gaudette squeaked a shot past Joel Hofer to give the Sharks a late 5-4 lead.
The Blues were unable to tie it and lost in regulation. That result witnessed the Sharks spring two points ahead of the Blues, and the Blues now trail the Nashville Predators by four points for the second wild card spot. Additionally, four teams are ahead of the Blues in the race for the wild card spot.
One of those teams sitting ahead of the Blues is the Kings, who are just one point back of the Predators with a game in hand. The Kings and Blues have squared off twice this season, with the Kings winning both contests after regulation.
The importance of this game cannot be understated, which should lead to a spirited affair with plenty of great hockey.
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Things went from bad to worse to soul-crushing for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, as their playoff hopes took another significant hit in a lopsided 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The defeat marked yet another discouraging chapter in a difficult stretch for Detroit. Over their last 21 games, the Red Wings have posted a 7-11-3 record, the third-worst mark in the NHL during that span. On a night when several teams around them in the playoff race also lost, Detroit failed to capitalize, leaving them still sitting two points outside of a wild card position.
The playoff implications are becoming increasingly stark. According to MoneyPuck, the Red Wings’ postseason odds dropped to a season-low 32.2 percent on Wednesday. That figure marks their lowest point since opening night, when their chances sat at 23.1 percent, underscoring just how far their outlook has slipped.
Detroit’s remaining schedule does little to inspire confidence as it is considered one of the toughest in the league, featuring multiple matchups against surging opponents like the Philadelphia Flyers twice more, a team riding a wave of momentum after top prospect Porter Martone made his NHL debut Tuesday in a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals.
Beyond Philadelphia, Detroit must also contend with a gauntlet that includes the Minnesota Wild, the red-hot New Jersey Devils, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their most critical showdown will be with the Columbus Blue Jackets and could ultimately define Detroit’s season. Columbus currently holds the wild card spot the Red Wings are chasing, and a victory would give Detroit a direct opportunity to leapfrog them in the standings.
With time running out, the margin for error has all but disappeared and if the Red Wings hope to keep their playoff aspirations alive, they will need to reverse course quickly and begin turning close games into crucial wins before the window closes entirely.
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At multiple points during both losses to the Penguins and Sabres, you thought the Islanders might at least get a point or more. In each case, things shifted suddenly and maddeningly.
They wake up still in a playoff spot, but also still with their biggest competitors for that spot having a game or two in hand. Pittsburgh is now three points ahead with a game in hand, giving them the lead on home ice for a 2 vs. 3 matchup should the Islanders hang on.
The gap between the Isles and the Canadiens and Bruins has likely widened too far, so they pretty much need to claim the Metro third spot or final wild card spot or else, with several other teams also in the running. Their six remaining games include two against the automatic-loss Hurricanes, so there’s that, too.
But things change quickly in the bubble of teams that only kinda deserve to be in the playoffs; there are surely more turns, surprises and frustrations in store over the next two weeks.
Islanders News
Yet again, the Islanders were in position to get some much-needed points only to fritter it all away. [LHH | Newsday]
The AHL has approved relocating the Isles’ affiliate from Brideport to #makeitseven Hamilton. [Newsday]
The Skinny: Thursday will be a big night on the schedule as some of these games-in-hand are (momentarily) used. [Isles]
Elsewhere
At least scores last night largely broke in the Islanders’ favor…the Senators, Red Wings, Blue Jackets and even the Flyers all lost in regulation. Pittsburgh won, but that was the price of a Red Wings regulation loss. Tonight’s schedule is just three games, all of the Westerly variety.
Goalie fight! Pretty good one, too, in Rangers vs. Devils. [Post]
The Leafs have fired GM Brad Treliving and the Kyle Dubas Choir is enjoying their victory lap. [Athletic-Mirtle | Athletic-Segal]
Elliotte Friedman says there were even discussions of extending Treliving or maybe keeping him in a different role… [Sportsnet]
