Doug Weight will retain his role as head coach of the New York Islanders, the club announced Wednesday.

Weight had been serving as the team's interim head coach after Jack Capuano was fired back on Jan. 17.

"Doug has earned this opportunity from the tremendous work he has put in over the past five seasons in our front office and especially from the time he took over as interim head coach earlier this season," president and general manager Garth Snow said in a release. "His leadership and experiences from both playing and behind the bench are valuable intangibles that not every coach can translate into a winning formula. He's gained the trust and respect from our entire team, making him the best choice to become head coach."

Weight's transition into coaching was nothing short of extraordinary. Under his guidance, the Islanders went an incredible 24-12-4 down the stretch, ultimately missing out on the postseason by a single point.

Prior to being named interim head coach, he served as the club's assistant GM - a position he'll continue to hold as head coach.

"I'm honored to be named head coach of such an historic franchise with one of the most passionate fan bases in the NHL," Weight said. "There is a deep history of winning with the Islanders and I look forward to doing everything in my power to return to the playoffs and have success."

In his stint as a player with the Islanders, Weight recorded 13 goals and 64 points in 107 games.

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All the pressure is on the Washington Capitals.

For the first time since 2013 and only the second time since the 2004-05 NHL season was lost to a lockout, the Toronto Maple Leafs are back in the postseason.

One year after finishing 30th out of 30, and only in head coach Mike Babcock's second season of eight behind the Toronto bench, the Maple Leafs rode their rookies to an improbable 95-point season and a date with the Presidents' Trophy winners. It's all gravy from here.

Toronto isn't favored. It can't be. Especially when it's Stanley Cup or bust in D.C., with T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, Daniel Winnik, Karl Alzner, and rental Kevin Shattenkirk set for unrestricted free agency on July 1.

Here are three things you need to know about the series:

Only 1 team can defend

Both these teams can score. Only one of them can defend, and you can probably guess which one.

Both teams can fill the net, each boasting five guys with 20 or more goals. The teams are also closer than expected on special teams. But you can see where Washington has the advantage - possession, shots against, and in goal.

Goals are harder to come by in the playoffs, as the checking and defense ramps up, and Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Connor Brown are going to learn that awfully quickly.

The majority of the game is played at even strength, and there aren't many teams better at five-on-five than Barry Trotz's squad.

Holtby lives for the spring

Since 2012, when Braden Holtby burst onto the scene in Washington with a monumentally impressive playoff run, there's been no better goalie in the postseason.

And the sample size isn't small.

Here are the best playoff goalies since 2012, with a minimum of 20 postseason games played:

With all due respect to Frederik Andersen, he's nowhere near Holtby's level.

Massive advantage Washington, not only against Toronto, but against anyone in the Eastern Conference.

Young Leafs must learn lessons

It's always said about young teams: They must learn to lose before they win.

And you get the feeling Toronto is going to very much regret losing its regular-season finale to Columbus, blowing a 2-0 lead and an opportunity to play Ottawa and not the Capitals in the first round.

Regardless, Toronto's at the dance, that's what counts, and it appears it will be the first of many playoff appearances for this Maple Leafs squad. And as Babcock said, his club's in for a rude awakening as to what playoff hockey entails, no matter what he tells his group before Game 1.

"They're not going to believe me," he said. And he's probably right.

The Maple Leafs may take their lumps in this series - it could be over quickly.

But you get the feeling that even if Toronto goes down, if it can force the series to six or seven games, the Maple Leafs will look back on this playoff appearance as one that sets the stage for an eventual deep - and potential Stanley Cup - run.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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With the end of the NHL season drawing to a close, it's time to hand out some end of season awards. theScore's fantasy department wants YOU, the readers and fantasy players, to vote and decide the winner of each award. When voting, value players relative to standard league scoring:

Criteria: The Fantasy Rookie of the Year award should be handed out to the rookie who offered the most value in fantasy circles. Positional eligibility/scarcity, statistical versatility and consistent production should all be factored in.

Nominee: C Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

The case: Matthews set the bar high by scoring four goals in his first game, but he didn't disappoint in the following 81 games. He is the only player in the league to record a shot on goal in every single game his team played this season. With four goals in each month of the season, he deserves two check marks for consistency. The only knock on Matthews is center is the deepest position in fantasy.

Nominee: LW/RW Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets

The case: Laine's stats closely resemble Matthews', despite missing nine games due to injury. His duel-winger eligibility provides managers with outstanding lineup flexibility. He faded slightly down the stretch, but he otherwise provided consistent scoring production - large in part due to an Ovechkin-like one-timer.

Nominee: G Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins

The case: Some forget Murray is still considered a rookie for the 2016-17 season, after backstopping the Penguins to a Stanley Cup title last year. He opened the season in a timeshare with Marc-Andre Fleury, but he played his way into the starting role. He hasn't started as many games as other elite goaltenders, but he was great in all four fantasy categories.

(Photos courtesy Action Images)

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Steve Mason wants to be the clear-cut guy.

The Flyers goalie and pending unrestricted free agent would return to Philadelphia, but he's no longer interested in sharing the net.

"It doesn't work," Mason said of goaltending platoons, writes the Courier-Post's Dave Isaac. "It's shown throughout the league that it doesn't work. Tampa got rid of their situation (with Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy). St. Louis got rid of their situation (with Jake Allen and Brian Elliott). It's got nothing to do with (Michal Neuvirth) and I as people. I've got no issue with Neuvy. It just doesn't work for the goaltending position."

Problem is, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall disagrees. He's already signed Neuvirth to a two-year, $5-million extension, clouding Mason's future with the team.

Both goalies were good in season one together, and both were awful this time around.

Thanks to Neuvirth's contract, it's expected he'll be protected in the coming expansion draft.

As for Mason, Hextall told him the club has things to work through before making any decision, but that he's "not closing the door" on Mason's return.

Mason will be 29 in late May and has a .911 save percentage in 446 career starts in the NHL. If he doesn't end up back in Philly, he'll find work elsewhere, but he may not find the starting job he covets.

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Dean Lombardi made a lot of mistakes. From costly contract commitments to ugly and public disputes with two former Kings, a series of unfortunate events led to the dismissal of the former Los Angeles general manager Monday.

The good news is Lombardi's resume is decorated with countless positives. Named to the Kings' top job in 2006, Lombardi took a perennial middle-of-the-pack club to the league's penthouse, built on savvy selections at the draft tables and rounded out with deft deals from talking trade.

A short history: With the Kings, Lombardi drafted a core of Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez, Tyler Toffoli, and Tanner Pearson. He also selected Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn, later dealing both for Mike Richards, who helped lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup in 2012.

Lombardi's strength - pushing a team into the winner's circle - is his best asset, and it's an attractive one that rival clubs may desire in their own front office with the accomplished executive now available. Five GMs should be weary of Lombardi's future path:

Doug Armstrong

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

St. Louis Blues | Tenure: 7 Seasons | Playoff Series Record: 3-5

No club has disappointed when it matters most like the Blues. On the job since the summer of 2010, Armstrong has assembled a core that has been one of the league's top teams in the regular season but one that continually comes up short in the spring.

St. Louis has seen just three playoff series wins under Armstrong, with two of those coming a year ago. That followed three straight early exits in the playoffs where the Blues were dumped in the opening round, despite finishing as either the top or second-best club in their division in the regular season.

The Blues lost some key pieces a year ago when Armstrong gambled and lost on captain David Backes and forward Troy Brouwer, though he cashed in at this year's deadline, trading defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk before losing another valuable asset for no return.

Still, enough pieces are there, as the Blues have a veteran core that can win in the playoffs, from Vladimir Tarasenko, to Alex Steen, and Alex Pietrangelo. They just may not have the right architect, and the best candidate to finally bring a winner to St. Louis could be Lombardi.

Bob Murray

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Anaheim Ducks | Tenure: 9 Seasons | Playoff Series Record: 4-7

The Ducks won the Cup in 2007, but the team's success in the postseason in the decade that's followed hasn't been as evident.

Despite winning four straight division banners - and a fifth this season, with playoff results to be determined - Anaheim's ability to win in the regular season hasn't translated to the playoffs, at least under Murray.

The GM has just four wins in 11 series, and the playoff results have been a mixed bag since 2010: two misses, three first round exits, and one trip each to the second and third rounds.

If things go south again this spring, could the Ducks call on Lombardi? The Orange County team boasts a roster similar to squads that saw Lombardi win it all on two occasions with the crosstown Kings, counting Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler among those players who fit Lombardi's mold.

Garth Snow

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

New York Islanders | Tenure: 11 Seasons | Playoff Series Record: 1-4

The Islanders GM is one of the league's longest tenured - only the top guns in Nashville, Detroit, and San Jose have been afforded more time - but Snow doesn't have the track record to match his time at the controls.

There's already discussion of the Islanders adding a president role to their front office, and whether Lombardi would fit that description or simply fill Snow's shoes is a decision for ownership to determine.

Figure this: The Islanders hired Snow in the same year Lombardi joined the Kings. Lombardi has two Stanley Cup rings to show for his work. The Islanders manager, meanwhile, ran a five-year playoff drought and has a single playoff series win through his 11-year run.

To note, Lombardi would have his work cut out for him in joining the Islanders, as the club has several heavy contracts on the books, from Andrew Ladd, to Cal Clutterbuck, and Casey Cizikas, while captain John Tavares' future with the organization remains up in the air.

Don Sweeney

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Boston Bruins | Tenure: 2 Seasons | Playoff Series Record: 0-0

The Bruins manager has only been on the job for two years, with his second season finishing far better than his first.

Boston punched its ticket to this year's postseason after back-to-back playoff misses, with Sweeney's decisions righting the ship. His best move came in deciding to cut loose longtime coach Claude Julien. He was replaced with AHL bench boss Bruce Cassidy, whose 18-8-1 record got the Bruins back into the postseason.

The hitch comes with the availability of Lombardi, a Massachusetts native who may have the right ideas to take the Bruins to the next level. With Cassidy already on an interim deal, and Sweeney holding a short track record, the opportunity could arise for the Bruins to clean house and add Lombardi, even more so should the team flop in the postseason.

Boston has a host of up-and-comers, from Charlie McAvoy, to Jakub Zboril, and Zach Senyshyn, not to mention the young players already on the roster in David Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo to serve as the building blocks for the next winning core in Boston.

Doug Wilson

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

San Jose Sharks | Tenure: 13 Seasons | Playoff Series Record: 13-11

The NHL's third-longest standing GM, Wilson is another manager who has seen success in the regular season but hasn't been able to realize the same results in the playoffs.

Despite 10 straight playoff appearances, the Sharks have regularly underwhelmed in the postseason. San Jose advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, but previous trips always left more to be desired.

The Sharks ice a veteran group that can compete for a championship, as evidenced from last year's run to the Finals. But it's an aging core, from Joe Thornton, to Brent Burns, and Joe Pavelski, among others, and time is running out for the squad to win it all.

Is Lombardi the missing piece needed to push the Sharks to victory? Interestingly enough, a move to San Jose would mark a return to the Silicon Valley for Lombardi, who served as GM of the Sharks from 1996 to 2003. He selected forward Patrick Marleau second overall in 1997, who remains with the Sharks today.

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The 82-game NHL regular season is in the books, and that means it's time to look at those who put the most rubber on the net, and how they fared in the process.

Here's a look at the top-10 shooters by volume in 2016-17, and they all have one thing in common: they score a lot.

All Skaters

Takeaways:

• Burns is the only defenseman on the list, and he's atop it. He's a freak, the best kind, and there's no other way to put it.
• Ovechkin finished second and yet his 313 shots were well off the pace he was firing at over the past three seasons. He had 398 shots in 2015-16, 395 in 2014-15, and 386 in 2013-14. Fewer shots resulted in 36 assists, his most since 53 in 2010-11.
• Bergeron (Seven percent) and Seguin (8.6 percent) didn't have much luck.
• Skinner's 281 shots were a career high, as were his 37 goals.
• Matthews finished as the only player in the league to record at least one shot on goal in each game he played (and he played in all of them).
• Pacioretty's 268 shots were his lowest in a season in which he's played at least 73 games and yet he still bagged 35, good for a tie for sixth in the NHL.

Defensemen

Takeaways:

• Burns is legit like no other player in the league. Appreciate what you're watching when you're watching him play.
• Defensemen often have low shooting percentages, since a large number of their shot attempts are coming from non-dangerous scoring areas. It makes what Burns and Karlsson do that much more impressive - they score at rates some forwards do.
• Ekblad played only 68 games, and his 225 shots were a career high, far more than his 182 in 78 games in 2015-16.

Rookies

Takeaways:

• Watch Laine play and you can be convinced his 17.6 percent shooting rate is truly reflective of his talent, and sustainable. He's that good, his release that wicked and already elite.
• Everything went right for the Maple Leafs this season - look at the shooting percentages of their star rookies. That's a big reason why they're in the playoffs.
• In any other season, Aho and Werenski are Calder Trophy finalists. Both only 19, you're going to be hearing and reading a lot about them in the coming years.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 82-game NHL regular season is in the books, and that means it's time to look at those who put the most rubber on the net, and how they fared in the process.

Here's a look at the top-10 shooters by volume in 2016-17, and they all have one thing in common: they score a lot.

All Skaters

Takeaways:

• Burns is the only defenseman on the list, and he's atop it. He's a freak, the best kind, and there's no other way to put it.
• Ovechkin finished second and yet his 313 shots were well off the pace he was firing at over the past three seasons. He had 398 shots in 2015-16, 395 in 2014-15, and 386 in 2013-14. Fewer shots resulted in 36 assists, his most since 53 in 2010-11.
• Bergeron (Seven percent) and Seguin (8.6 percent) didn't have much luck.
• Skinner's 281 shots were a career high, as were his 37 goals.
• Matthews finished as the only player in the league to record at least one shot on goal in each game he played (and he played in all of them).
• Pacioretty's 268 shots were his lowest in a season in which he's played at least 73 games and yet he still bagged 35, good for a tie for sixth in the NHL.

Defensemen

Takeaways:

• Burns is legit like no other player in the league. Appreciate what you're watching when you're watching him play.
• Defensemen often have low shooting percentages, since a large number of their shot attempts are coming from non-dangerous scoring areas. It makes what Burns and Karlsson do that much more impressive - they score at rates some forwards do.
• Ekblad played only 68 games, and his 225 shots were a career high, far more than his 182 in 78 games in 2015-16.

Rookies

Takeaways:

• Watch Laine play and you can be convinced his 17.6 percent shooting rate is truly reflective of his talent, and sustainable. He's that good, his release that wicked and already elite.
• Everything went right for the Maple Leafs this season - look at the shooting percentages of their star rookies. That's a big reason why they're in the playoffs.
• In any other season, Aho and Werenski are Calder Trophy finalists. Both only 19, you're going to be hearing and reading a lot about them in the coming years.

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It was a night of bad news for Michal Neuvirth.

When the Philadelphia Flyers netminder collapsed during an April 1 contest against the New Jersey Devils, he suffered a concussion as a result of the fall, according to Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The incident occurred early in the first period against the Devils. Neuvirth left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to a Philadelphia hospital. The team later stated Neuvirth collapsed after dealing with an illness earlier in the day.

Neuvirth did not appear in any games following the incident.

The Flyers signed Neuvirth to a two-year extension in March, a contract that kicks in at the beginning of next season.

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