Standing ovation for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made a stunning behind the back glove save on Kopitar. As @PierreVLeBrun would say, "Holy Mama." #tblightning
Vasilevskiy with some backhanded glove robbery on Kopitar on that PP. I can't remember seeing a glove save like that. Wow ... Kopitar looked to the sky after that one
The amazing thing about watching saves like the one Vasilevskiy made earlier is that there was probably no thought process. That was just pure instinct. And it was so much fun to watch.
Standing ovation for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made a stunning behind the back glove save on Kopitar. As @PierreVLeBrun would say, "Holy Mama." #tblightning
Vasilevskiy with some backhanded glove robbery on Kopitar on that PP. I can't remember seeing a glove save like that. Wow ... Kopitar looked to the sky after that one
The amazing thing about watching saves like the one Vasilevskiy made earlier is that there was probably no thought process. That was just pure instinct. And it was so much fun to watch.
Things are going from bad to hellishly worse for the Buffalo Sabres, as superstar forward Jack Eichel left Saturday's game in the first period and will not return.
Eichel got tangled up with Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk behind Boston's net and went down awkwardly.
Eichel left at the 6:52 mark and wasn't seen on the Sabres' bench for the start of the second. The team later announced he wouldn't return.
Buffalo is out of playoff contention, but an injury of any severity to Eichel would be the proverbial nail in its coffin, as he currently leads the team in goals and assists with 22 and 31, respectively.
Things are going from bad to hellishly worse for the Buffalo Sabres, as superstar forward Jack Eichel left Saturday's game in the first period and will not return.
Eichel got tangled up with Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk behind Boston's net and went down awkwardly.
Eichel left at the 6:52 mark and wasn't seen on the Sabres' bench for the start of the second. The team later announced he wouldn't return.
Buffalo is out of playoff contention, but an injury of any severity to Eichel would be the proverbial nail in its coffin, as he currently leads the team in goals and assists with 22 and 31, respectively.
Rick Nash is open to heading to the Great White North.
With the New York Rangers prepared to enter a rebuild, the team has approached the veteran winger about a move elsewhere. Nash obliged, despite carrying a modified no-trade clause, offering a 12-team list of where he'd accept a trade to.
While those dozen clubs are unknown, Nash indicated Saturday that his list includes teams in Canadian markets. He also noted there's the possibility he could expand the list if it helps facilitate a deal and if he is convinced by the interested team.
"I included the teams that I think have the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup and are also places I think would be good for my family," Nash told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "And, yes, that does include teams in Canada. I'm not excluding that as a possibility."
As it stands, only two Canadian teams are in a playoff position - the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets. The Calgary Flames sit just outside the Western Conference wild card due to a tie-breaker.
The team which could acquire Nash would be banking on the former "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner bringing some added scoring touch in the playoffs. In 55 games this season, Nash has tallied 17 goals and 10 assists.
The 33-year-old carries a $7.8-million cap hit and can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Congratulatory remarks were offered by franchise founder and former president and general manager Phil Esposito, former general manager Jay Feaster, and current owner Jeff Vinik, while Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman offered Lecavalier a custom-designed watch, hand-made by Audemars Piguet.
Lecavalier was selected first overall by Tampa Bay in 1998, served as team captain for the 2000-2001 season and between 2008 and 2013, helped the team win a Stanley Cup in 2004, and still holds franchise records for games played, goals scored, and shots.
He spent his first 14 NHL seasons with the Lightning before being bought out following the 2012-13 season - a decision Vinik addressed during the pregame ceremony.
#tblightning owner Jeff Vinik said buying out Vinny Lecavalier's contract was one of the hardest decisions he's had to make: "One of the hardest things in the history of this franchise, because he meant so much to the history of the franchise."
Lecavalier ended his speech - in which he thanked the team, its fans, and his family - by exhorting the current roster to make good on being legitimate Cup contenders once again.
Vinny Lecavalier message to current #tblightning team: "Trust me, there's nothing better than winning in Tampa. Play your hearts out and give it all you've got. Let's hoist the ultimate prize once again after 14 years."
Lecavalier retired in 2016 following stints with Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and remains a vital part of the community. He pledged $3 million to the All Children's Hospital in 2007 - a donation that helped fund the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center that was later named in his honor.
The 11-year veteran was injured during the Sharks' loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday when he a took a hit into the boards from Vegas blue-liner Nate Schmidt, injuring the same shoulder he had rotator cuff surgery on in the offseason.
Despite the previous surgery and severity of the injury, Ward hopes to return this season: "Yeah, for sure," he said Saturday, via Gilmore. "I think even this morning getting a little more movement so I'm kind of optimistic for sure. Just waiting to hopefully get better as quick as possible.
"... Pretty lucky actually, because I thought the way it felt after, I thought I kind of had some numbness too in my arm. I felt actually pretty lucky the next day when I woke up."
Ward has only 11 points (five goals and six assists) through 46 games this season, but if he is out long term, his loss would be most felt if San Jose were to qualify for the postseason, as Ward is a proven playoff performer with 52 points in 83 career contests.
The Sharks currently cling to third place in the Pacific Division.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire Vincent Lecavalier's No. 4 prior to Saturday's game against Los Angeles, adding his jersey alongside Martin St. Louis' No. 26 as the only two to hang from the rafters at Amalie Arena.
Lecavalier was drafted first overall by the Lightning in 1998, served as captain from 2008-2013, helped the franchise win its first and only Stanley Cup in 2004, and greatly impacted key members of the current team.
Current captain Steven Stamkos was also drafted first overall by the Lightning (2008), and discussed the legacy that Lecavalier left in Tampa both on and off the ice.
"Vinny has always been a superstar in this area," Stamkos said on the team's website. "He was the face of the franchise for a long time and similar to me, came here at 18 and played and had a great career, was part of that Stanley Cup-winning team, had some unbelievable individual successes, and was definitely a role model of mine when I came to this organization. Very deserving of this honor.
"And for what he did away from the rink I think is just as or even more impressive as his career, the involvement in the community for him and what he did with the Children's Cancer Center. It was just a pleasure to watch him do that and a lot of guys really looked up to him for that as well. It's going to be a huge honor for him obviously and looking forward to being a part of that."
Star defenseman Victor Hedman arrived in 2009, and similarly sung Lecavalier's praises leading up to the number retirement.
"Coming here as an 18-year-old and having the leadership he brought to this team and the kind of person he is, he made it very easy for me to acclimate to this team," Hedman said. "What he's done for this organization, this community is something you really look up to."
Hedman also referenced Lecavalier's foundation and the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center that the latter helped set up with a $3-million donation.
"Everyone around town knows who Vinny Lecavalier is," Hedman continued. "Kids grew up idolizing him for the work he did in this community. Really something that rubs off on his teammates as well. It was an eye-opener for me coming from Sweden. I didn't know a whole lot about the charity work he did over here, so it was a real eye opener to me to see the kind of work he's done. Really inspirational for us as players and to be around and see that firsthand."
Lecavalier ranks first in Lightning history in games played, goals scored, and shots fired, but clearly the numbers don't tell the whole story. Thankfully, there are those still around to tell it.
The New York Islanders have two of the very best players in the NHL at a combined cap hit of $6.36 million, but they're on the verge of wasting such a rare luxury.
Everyone knows John Tavares is one of the game's elite players, but it's also time to start using the "E" word for rookie sensation Mathew Barzal.
Coming off his third five-point night this season (in one of the craziest hockey games in recent memory), Barzal now has 58 points in 56 games, and the Isles hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference by a single point.
Fringe playoff teams generally struggle to put the puck in the net, but the Isles are an exception.
Team
Points
GF/G (rank)
Wild
64
2.94 (12th)
Flames
64
2.80 (20th)
Ducks
64
2.77 (22nd)
Avalanche
62
3.15 (7th)
Devils
62
2.94 (13th)
Flyers
61
2.91 (14th)
Islanders
60
3.36 (3rd)
Hurricanes
59
2.64 (24th)
Blue Jackets
58
2.50 (29th)
The Islanders are in an unusual situation: They have a prolific offense, and they are in win-now mode (unlike the Avs), but they don't have a clear path toward the postseason.
Why does this matter? Well, frankly, it is much easier to make a significant improvement to your team defensively at the trade deadline than it is offensively. And the Islanders have a lot of holes defensively.
On a per-game basis, they rank dead last in goals against, save percentage, shots against, scoring chances against, and high-danger scoring chances against (the latter two at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick).
The Isles are merely a goaltender and a blue-liner or two away from being a team that nobody would want to face in the playoffs. A bit more defensive structure wouldn't hurt, either. Despite this, general manager Garth Snow seems disinclined to make the necessary trade deadline push.
What Snow has on his hands is a situation every GM and head coach covets: an offense that is never out of a game. Failing to address the team's defensive needs would be a colossal management error, and not just because he'd be passing up the chance to turn the Islanders into a legit contender; if Snow doesn't make a push, Tavares may be less inclined to sign a long-term extension with a team that doesn't appear to prioritize winning.
Snow has no excuses, either. Thanks to the haul he received from the Calgary Flames for Travis Hamonic this offseason, the Islanders have two first-round picks, and two second-round picks in the upcoming draft - plenty of ammunition to make deadline moves without mortgaging the future.
Furthermore, the Islanders project to have nearly $7 million in deadline cap space, per Cap Friendly. If they're able to sign Tavares long term, his $5.5-million cap hit might double. Barzal is on the first year of his entry-level contract. The time to strike is now, while cap space isn't an issue.
While the Islanders could explore many avenues to improving their goal prevention, the Detroit Red Wings - the Isles' opponent in their most recent game - seem like an ideal trade partner. Not only are the Wings rebuilding, but they have two solid goaltenders, and the top rental defenseman available. Here's a possible trade scenario:
Ho-Sang is in need of a fresh start, and Soderstrom, a goaltending prospect, is struggling mightily this season in Sweden after a strong 2016-17. Mrazek's overall numbers aren't pretty, but he's played great lately, and at 25 years old, could be more than a short-term solution. He and Jaroslav Halak would form a solid duo.
In a corresponding move, the Isles would place Thomas Greiss ($3.3-million cap hit) and his 4.03 goals-against average on waivers, then bury him in the minors for the rest of the season when he goes unclaimed.
Green, meanwhile, would solidify a shaky blue line and help an already potent power play. With him on the back end, the team's defensive corps suddenly doesn't look that bad.
LD
RD
Nick Leddy
Johnny Boychuk
Calvin de Haan
Mike Green
Thomas Hickey
Adam Pelech/Ryan Pulock
The Islanders could also add another defenseman in a separate trade to upgrade from Pelech/Pulock. If you're going all in, might as well do it right.
A first- and second-round pick plus a prospect might be enough to land Ryan McDonagh ($4.7M cap hit through 2018-19), though trading with a regional rival seems unlikely. It's possible the Arizona Coyotes could make Niklas Hjalmarsson ($4.1M through 2018-19) available. Otherwise, a veteran rental could do the trick.
Would these moves make the Islanders Stanley Cup favorites? No, but if they played to their ability, they would certainly be capable of upsetting a team such as the Washington Capitals in the first round. With two of the most dynamic centers in the league on your team, almost anything is possible. Snow needs to take full advantage while they're both vastly underpaid.
The Edmonton Oilers recalled defenseman Keegan Lowe from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, the team announced Saturday.
Lowe, 24, skated in two NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2014-15 campaign, but failed to register a point. In 35 contests with the Condors this season, he has two goals and eight assists.
If the name sounds familiar, it's because he's the son of longtime Oilers executive and former player Kevin Lowe.
