Oddsmakers: Predators emerge as Cup favorites

The Nashville Predators are favored to get the job done this time around.

The defending Western Conference champions were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year, and have been tabbed by oddsmakers as having the best shot at winning the 2018 Stanley Cup.

Here's the rest of the field, with odds from three weeks ago added for a look at how the landscape has changed through March:

Team March 1 odds March 21 odds
Nashville Predators 7/1 15/4
Tampa Bay Lightning 23/4 4/1
Vegas Golden Knights 23/4 6/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 7/1 17/2
Boston Bruins 8/1 9/1
Winnipeg Jets 10/1 11/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 10/1 14/1
Washington Capitals 14/1 18/1
Los Angeles Kings 33/1 25/1
Anaheim Ducks 20/1 28/1
San Jose Sharks 25/1 28/1
Colorado Avalanche 66/1 33/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 66/1 33/1
Minnesota Wild 25/1 33/1
Dallas Stars 22/1 40/1
New Jersey Devils 50/1 40/1
Philadelphia Flyers 25/1 40/1
St. Louis Blues 25/1 50/1
Florida Panthers 75/1 60/1
Calgary Flames 40/1 80/1
Carolina Hurricanes 100/1 100/1
New York Islanders 75/1 100/1

(Odds courtesy: Bodog)

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Quenneville: Avs ‘a great example’ of how quickly Hawks can turn it around

For the first time since 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks will not be participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But after being officially eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to Colorado on Tuesday, Chicago only has to look at those Avalanche to see how fast a team can rebound from a down season, according to head coach Joel Quenneville.

"There's a great example, the team we played today, of how far out you can be and how quickly you can recapture that winning attitude and feeling," Quenneville said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers.

"Things can go right, from goaltending to special teams to top players. There are a number of ways you can make a difference."

At this time a year ago, Colorado was clearly entrenched as the worst team in the NHL and finished 2016-17 with the worst record of any team since the adoption of the shootout. Now, the Avs sit in a wild-card spot and could even move into third in the Central Division by the end of the regular-season slate.

At least the Blackhawks' situation doesn't appear as dire as Colorado's looked last year. Chicago still has pieces of a championship core in place, which includes injured goaltender Corey Crawford, who was playing some of the best hockey of his career before being forced from the crease for much of this season.

"You're always going to have years where you'll have significant injuries," Quenneville added. "Some things go against you and we've always been able to overcome them and find ways and rectify tough situations and get back on track. This year we've been unable to do it."

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NHL recommends hockey ops makes goalie interference calls

NHL general managers have officially recommended a change to the goaltender interference rule, agreeing to leave video reviews up to the league's hockey operations department rather than on-ice referees, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday.

The team responsible for making the calls would consist of former officials in Toronto's situation room, but the proposed rule is still pending approval by the NHL's Board of Governors and the Competition Committee.

"At their annual March meeting, that concluded today, the general managers overwhelmingly voted to adopt this change to bring an added level of consistency to goaltender interference rulings and add the input of experienced former on-ice officials to the review process," Bettman said in a statement.

"While, since the adoption of the Coach’s Challenge, there have been relatively few controversial calls on goaltender interference - perhaps half a dozen of approximately 170 challenges this season - the objective is to be as close to perfect as possible. However, goaltender interference ultimately is a judgment call."

There's no word yet on when the change could be instituted, though it could happen by the playoffs, per Stephen Whyno from The Associated Press.

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Sens sign North Dakota’s Christian Wolanin to entry-level deal

The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Christian Wolanin out of the University of North Dakota to a two-year entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Wolanin was a Senators' fourth-round draft pick in 2015, and has spent the last three seasons with the Fighting Hawks. In 40 games this season, he led the team with 35 points.

The 23-year-old is expected to join the Senators this week.

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Tavares: Islanders’ struggles ‘separate’ from contract situation

With his New York Islanders unlikely to qualify for the playoffs, John Tavares remains focused on the daily grind of the NHL season.

That he's heading for yet another early offseason doesn't appear to be affecting his mindset in relation to his impending unrestricted free agency.

"Certainly, over the last couple of months, when things aren’t going as well, it’s never easy, no matter what," Tavares said, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. "But it’s not something I try to think about a whole lot. To me, it’s separate, the season and my contract situation. I don’t really see them going hand in hand or having an effect on one another."

Since Jan. 1, the Islanders have posted an 11-17-6 record, and their 27 points over that period rank 27th. Trying to help the club get out of the tailspin and into playoff contention for only the fourth time in his career has been his singular focus.

"I just try to approach everything the same. It’s mostly been trying to fight to get into the playoffs and get out of the rut we’ve been in for a little while," he said. "You just invest so much into each and every day and every game. That’s the priority, not so much with what’s going on with my future."

The Islanders' season wraps April 7 in Detroit, at which point Tavares will have plenty of time to think about his future. He can hit the open mark on July 1.

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Playoff percentages: Stars, Devils take massive hits; Panthers make drastic gain

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

Much like that first car your parents might have given you in high school, the engine has completely fallen out of the Dallas Stars.

The club dropped its sixth straight game on Tuesday with a loss to the Washington Capitals, concluding its road trip with a 0-4-2 record. As Tyler Seguin coined it postgame: It was "the road trip from hell."

The club sits two points out of the final wild-card spot in the West, but Tuesday's loss took a big chunk out of the likelihood of them making the postseason.

Here's a look at the percentages following Tuesday's games.

Western Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Stars 4-3 L vs. WSH 17.8% -12.4%
 Avalanche 5-1 W vs. CHI 90.9% +8.3%

In the East, the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils made moves in completely opposite directions.

The Panthers continued their incredible late-season run with a dominant win over the Ottawa Senators, while the Devils saw their chances drop below 50 percent and helped in the Panthers' pursuit of a playoff spot by laying an egg against the San Jose Sharks.

Eastern Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Panthers 7-2 W vs. OTT 69.3% +15.9%
Devils 6-2 L vs. SJ 47.7% -19.4%
Blue Jackets 5-3 W vs. NYR 94.4% +5.6%

To see percentages for the entire NHL, visit Sports Club Stats.

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Loss to Avalanche officially eliminates Blackhawks from playoff contention

There will be no Stanley Cup parade in Chicago this year.

For the first time since 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks will not take part in the Stanley Cup playoffs, following Tuesday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

The defeat kept the Blackhawks at 69 points. With just eight games remaining, it means Chicago could only reach 85 points, and that's if the team won out the rest of its schedule.

As it stands, the Anaheim Ducks hold the West's second wild-card spot with 86 points.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, but times have been tough in the Windy City more recently.

Chicago was swept from last year's playoffs, and another disappointing season could mean a further shake-up to a roster already tight against the salary cap.

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Watch: Connor’s OT winner helps Jets set franchise wins record

The Winnipeg Jets set a new franchise benchmark thanks in large part to forward Kyle Connor.

The 21-year-old scored the team's two goals, including the overtime winner just 1:37 into the extra period Tuesday night. The end result was a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings which set a franchise record for wins in a season with their 44th of the year.

The Jets beat the previous mark of 43 set by the 2014-15 club, and by the then-Atlanta Thrashers who also tallied 43 wins during the 2006-07 season.

With nine games remaining on the schedule, the Jets will have the opportunity to pad their franchise mark before the season's out.

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