The NHL season is winding down with about nine games left, and the playoff picture is still quite messy. There's a virtual three-way tie for the top seed in the Atlantic. There's a good chance the Tampa Bay Lightning will end up with it. The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators battle for the first wildcard. The final wild card spot is down to five teams. Surprisingly, the New York Rangers find themselves back in the last spot and are the only team in the group with a positive goal differential. But they have played one more game. None of the five teams have had five wins in their last ten games, which is why this keeps dragging on.
Out west, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are locked in yet again, sigh, but the Kings might end up with the higher seed. That's problematic for the Oilers due to the Kings' home-ice dominance. The St . Louis Blues are so hot they caught the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card. The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks have very faint playoff hopes now.
Things I like
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Sidney Crosby continues his illustrious career with another record. With his twentieth, he broke Wayne Gretzky's point-per-game season record. It seems like a made-up record, but it's probably one of the most impressive. Only about 30 players hit that mark a season, so one season is impressive outright. But twenty is just another level, not only for skill but also for career length. Crosby will end up with one of the most memorable NHL careers in history.
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Personally, I've always found John Tortorella to be one of the worst coaches ever. While that's debatable, being one of the most overrated is not. Tortorella was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers this week after he got into an altercation with defenseman Cam York and said, "I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season." There's a lot to unpack here. Tortorella gets into fights with most of his top players, and then he benches them for little to no reason, and his methods lead to decreases in their production. His comment about not wanting to coach a rebuilding team is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Coaching isn't a buffet. Additionally, he knew they were rebuilding when he took the job, so that's beyond ignorant. I seriously hope nobody ever hires Tortorella again. The Flyers have won both games since he's been fired.
Things I don't
- The Dallas Stars have won five straight, but their defense has been atrocious. They gave up 44 shots against the Edmonton Oilers and 48 shots against the Calgary Flames. But if you include wide shots and blocked shots, it was over 100 shots by the Flames. While their top defenseman, Miro Heiskanen, is injured, there's no excuse to give up that many shots. It's also unsustainable in the playoffs because you'll go home early, especially against the Colorado Avalanche. Luckily, goalies Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have been sensational in cleaning up the teams' messes.
Fights of the Week
Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.
Brandon Carlo vs Jeff Malott
A great long fight.
Jakub Lauko vs Austin Watson
Lauko tried his best, but it wasn't enough.
Goat of the Week
Mason Lohrei - Boston Bruins
Not much has gone right for the Bruins lately, and Lohrei continues that. He makes a pass to an unopen lane, and rookie Marco Kasper takes it the other way. The intended recipient, David Pastrnak, didn't even look like he wanted the puck. The Detroit Red Wings won by one.
Stat Line of the Week
3/29/25 Edmonton 3 vs. Calgary 2
| Skater | TOI | G | A | +/- | SOG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.Draisaitl | 22:42 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
Leon Draisaitl returns and doesn't miss a beat in his first game in eleven days. He figured into all the Oilers' goals, including the overtime winner. His first goal was the 50th of the season, the fourth time he's hit that mark.
Numbers, Numbers
5 – Goals Alex Ovechkin is away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's goals record
2 – Goals in sixteen seconds by the Seattle Kraken against the Oilers
2 – Goals in twenty-two seconds for the St Louis Blues against the Nashville Predators, the game-tying and winning goals
9 – Straight wins by the St. Louis Blues
8 – Straight losses by the Boston Bruins
16 – Teams that scored six or more goals this week
Rankings
The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.
Top 5
- St. Louis
- Vegas
- Dallas
- Carolina
- Washington
Bottom 5
- Boston
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Nashville
- Columbus