Brad Marchand is sending some mixed signals in regards to a spear on Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin that resulted in a two-game suspension.

Speaking prior to Thursday's game against Ottawa - an eventual loss that Marchand missed as a result of the suspension - the Boston Bruins winger acknowledged the play was selfish and undisciplined, and he now has no choice but to live with the decision and do all he can to get ready to help his team in the playoffs.

Still, he left some room for doubt as to whether he's finally learned his lesson.

"Things happen quick out there," Marchand told reporters, courtesy of NESN. "If any of you have ever been out there in the NHL on the ice, you realize how quick things happen. Until you're in that position, you don't really understand."

Marchand clearly doesn't care all that much what people think of his failure to stay in line.

"I'm not really concerned about how anyone feels outside of the room. Things happen in hockey, and again, the only people I care about in this world are my teammates and my family, and I think they have different thoughts about me. Everyone's entitled to their opinion."

Marchand will be eligible to return for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where his absence would be more deeply felt.

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Ryan Galloway's night ended less than four minutes into the game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.

The linesman was struck by Martin Hanzal's attempt to keep the puck in near the blue line early in the first period.

Galloway didn't emerge for the start of the second period, and an NHL official said he was getting precautionary tests but was "OK," according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo.

Another league official later told Russo that Galloway suffered a jaw injury and was taken to a local hospital, but the severity was unknown.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are breathing a sigh of relief.

This after rookie forward Ryan Hartman was the victim of a post-whistle slash from Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks, one that appears to have not caused serious injury.

The incident wasn't caught in real time, with the only replay coming from a bird's eye view:

Forced to leave the game in obvious pain, Hartman was able to return for the start of the second period. Still, the NHL's Department of Player Safety may take another glance at the incident.

Hartman entered the game with 19 goals in 74 games for the Blackhawks.

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Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.

"So you're saying there's a chance ... " - Lloyd Christmas

The Toronto Maple Leafs have left the door open for a somewhat dramatic final weekend of the regular season.

Presented with an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on home ice, the Leafs proceeded to drop a 4-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, keeping the latter's slim playoff hopes alive.

Meanwhile, the New York Islanders are still in the running thanks to a shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

While Toronto's still in the driver's seat, Thursday's results made things a bit more interesting, as the table shows:

(Courtesy: Sports Club Stats)

The Ottawa Senators, by the way, clinched a spot Thursday, leaving these three teams to battle it out for the 16th and final berth.

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The moribund Colorado Avalanche got a glimpse of a brighter future Thursday night.

Highly touted prospect Tyson Jost fired a wrister past Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk from in tight to notch his first NHL goal.

Jost was playing his fourth game with the Avalanche after signing with the club last week.

He left the University of North Dakota after the conclusion of his freshman season, in which the 19-year-old scored 16 goals and piled up 35 points in 33 games.

Jost was taken 10th overall by Colorado in last year's draft.

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The Anaheim Ducks will be without defenseman Cam Fowler for "anywhere between two and six weeks" after he suffered a lower-body injury from a knee-on-knee collision Tuesday night, general manager Bob Murray announced.

While the news puts a damper on Anaheim's momentum gearing up for the playoffs, Murray told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register that there's no tear, and the Ducks will have a better read on a possible return closer to the postseason, which begins April 12.

Fowler was injured and helped to the dressing room after colliding with Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, who wasn't assessed a penalty on the play.

The Ducks have an opportunity to win the Pacific division, which very well could result in a first-round meeting with the Flames, who are vying for a wild-card spot in the West.

In 80 games this season, Fowler's recorded 11 goals and 28 assists, averaging a career-high 24:51 of ice time.

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The Ottawa Senators are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Their berth was secured after earning a single point by pushing Thursday's game in Boston to overtime. The Senators went on to complete the win in a shootout, moving two points ahead of the Bruins for sole possession of second spot in the Atlantic Division.

Apparently their postseason motto will be "All In."

Ottawa will return to the playoffs after a one-year absence, and after losing a first-round series against Montreal back in 2015.

The Senators were playing without potential MVP candidate Erik Karlsson, although he could return to the lineup as early as Saturday, according to general manager Pierre Dorion.

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Vladimir Tarasenko inched one step closer to his second consecutive 40-goal season with an absolute laser of a wrist shot Thursday night, notching his 38th tally of the campaign.

Rumor has it, James Reimer and the Panthers are still trying to locate the puck.

(Video Courtesy: NHL.com)

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Toronto Maple Leafs fans held their collective breath Thursday night, and not just because of the possibility of the club clinching a playoff berth.

Auston Matthews took a knee-on-knee hit from Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin after entering the offensive zone late in the first period.

The Leafs phenom's parents were in the building, and their reactions were exactly as you'd expect.

Leafs fans - and the Matthews family - would eventually exhale, as Matthews came back out on to the ice shortly thereafter.

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Hockey players are a special breed.

The latest to demonstrate this point is Vladislav Namestnikov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who required immediate medical attention after blocking a William Nylander shot with his face.

The puck appeared to have been deflected by his stick, but the sting was no less painful, to be sure.

Namestnikov was patched up and returned to the game with haste.

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