Thomas Chabot's season has the chance to end on a high note.
The Senators are likely to finish with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, but on the bright side, the rookie defenseman has accepted an invite to play for Canada at the World Championship, Ottawa confirmed Friday.
Chabot has dressed in 61 games this season and has put up nine goals and 25 points, good enough for fifth in scoring among all rookie defenders.
The 21-year-old recently represented Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship, where he captured a silver medal and was named the tournament MVP, the best defenseman, and to the All-Star team.
After years of playing second fiddle to the dominant Metropolitan, the Atlantic Division is the toast of the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs have arguably been the best three teams in the East this year, racking up 150 combined wins and sitting one, two, and three, respectively, at the top of the Atlantic standings for most of the campaign.
Thanks to the NHL's implementation of a bracket-style playoff format in the 2013-14 season, these three juggernauts will most likely see a whole lot of each other in the coming weeks.
Toronto is cemented into the third position, so the immediate question is who will earn the top spot and become its opening-round opponent. In addition, barring the first overall team getting upset in their first-round series against the lower of the two wild-card teams, the second round of the playoffs will also feature two Atlantic foes going at it.
The division crown is still up for grabs, too, with Boston and Tampa Bay tied at 110 points after the Lightning's shutout victory over the Bruins on Tuesday.
Below, we break down each team's strengths, weaknesses, and recent matchup history to get a better sense of how they stack up against each other.
Boston Bruins (49-19-12)
Strengths: Physical forward group. Balanced scoring attack. Proven goalie with a ton of playoff experience. Excellent on special teams.
Weaknesses: Unproven blue line. A number of young players with limited postseason minutes. Lacking in speed. Core pieces have a lot of mileage.
Record vs. Lightning (2018)
GF vs. Lightning
GA vs. Lightning
3-1-0
10
8
Record vs. Maple Leafs (2018)
GF vs. Maple Leafs
GA vs. Maple Leafs
1-2-1
10
12
Let's get one thing straight off the jump: the Boston Bruins are for real. Finding holes in their lineup is like finding open seats on the rush-hour train home: they don't really exist.
The Bruins have the fewest regulation losses of any Eastern Conference club, they sit in the top five in both power-play percentage and penalty-killing efficiency, and their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak is one of the best in the business. All three players have at least 30 goals.
Boston has shown it can beat both Toronto and Tampa, earning nine out of a possible 16 points against them during the 2017-18 campaign. However, both the Leafs and Lightning boast lineups loaded with speedy players, an obvious benefit the Bruins don't have - especially when David Backes, Rick Nash, Brian Gionta, or Zdeno Chara happen to be on the ice.
Aside from this week's statement shutout victory, Tampa has had serious trouble handling Boston's depth, failing to hold a lead at any point in the team's first three meetings. So, in terms of the Bruins versus the Lightning in a seven-game series, Boston has earned the edge.
Against their bitter rival from Toronto, the Bruins took the L in three out of four regular-season contests, struggling to match up with the Leafs' four high-flying forward lines. However, it should be noted that two of the Leafs' three victories came in one-goal games, including one in overtime, so don't map out the parade route just yet, Toronto.
Thanks to the franchise's success in recent years, most of the Bruins' core has the disadvantage of having played a lot of hockey, which could lead to the team's undoing against the youth and speed of the Lightning and Leafs - especially in longer series.
Regardless, Boston is in the midst of one of the best seasons in club history, heading into the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a team no one will want to tangle with.
Tampa Bay Lightning (53-23-4)
Strengths: Top-ranked offense. Deadly power play. Speed on all four forward lines. Reliable D-core.
Weaknesses: Brutal penalty kill. Inefficiency on the faceoff dots. Vasilevskiy's poor rebound control. Relatively soft up front.
Record vs. Bruins (2018)
GF vs. Bruins
GA vs. Bruins
1-3-0
8
10
Record vs. Maple Leafs (2018)
GF vs. Maple Leafs
GA vs. Maple Leafs
3-1-0
13
10
A campaign that started without a ceiling has come back down to earth for the Lightning over the latter portion of the 2017-18 season, in which Steve Yzerman's group has lost six of 11 games down the stretch.
Offensive prowess is what wins games for Tampa, which boasts a lineup including the likes of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Hart Trophy candidate Nikita Kucherov. That trio, among others, has been instrumental in pushing the Bolts to the top of the NHL scoring list, tallying a sensational 281 goals heading into Friday's games.
However, any experienced puckhead knows scoring is far from the be-all and end-all of winning contests in the spring, as games get tighter and lower-scoring. So Tampa Bay will also have to lean heavily on 23-year-old Russian netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who's been in the Vezina Trophy conversation basically all year long.
The Lightning struggle mightily on the penalty kill and faceoff dots, though, which means they could have difficulty with both the Bruins and Maple Leafs - teams that excel on the man advantage and at faceoffs - in a seven-game series.
With an offense that has paced the league for the majority of the season, the Lightning are never truly out of any game. And, if Vasilevskiy can steal one or two contests, there really is no telling how far this group can go. But one thing is for sure: getting past the first and second rounds won't be an easy task.
Toronto Maple Leafs (48-26-7)
Strengths: High-flying offense. Ability to roll out three scoring lines. Speed up and down the lineup. Efficient power play. Disciplined.
Weaknesses: Lack of size and aggression, both up front and on the blue line. Tendency to blow leads. Weak defensively. Limited playoff experience.
Record vs Lightning (2018)
GF vs. Lightning
GA vs. Lightning
1-2-1
10
13
Record vs. Bruins (2018)
GF vs. Bruins
GA vs. Bruins
3-1-0
12
10
Having an elite goaltender has done wonders for the Maple Leafs' confidence, as Frederik Andersen has easily been Toronto's MVP this season.
His Vezina-type numbers (37 wins, five shutouts, .917 save percentage) have provided stability to a Leafs club that had been searching for a bona fide No. 1 netminder since the Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour days. Factor in Toronto's stacked forward group, and hockey fans in The Six finally have a reason for optimism for the first time in two decades.
While there's no denying the Leafs can score goals with the best of them, sitting fifth overall in team scoring with 260 goals, Toronto's blue line leaves something to be desired. Nothing against guys like Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, and Ron Hainsey, but those three aren't good enough to make up for the rest of Toronto's rag-tag back end.
Given the Leafs' propensity to allow a ton of shots (they allow the fourth-most per game), Andersen could be tested early and often against two teams in the Lightning and Bruins that like to get pucks on net.
His brilliance this season has somewhat masked the Leafs' tendency to blow leads, and he'll need to be equally stellar during the postseason if Mike Babcock and Co. want to advance to the second round. Both the Lightning and Bruins would give Toronto all it could handle in a seven-game series.
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff races, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
Western Conference
Team
Result
Playoff Chances
Change
Blues
Off
46.2%
+11.8%
Avalanche
4-2 L vs. SJ
53.8%
-11.8%
The Colorado Avalanche entered Thursday night with a one-point advantage over the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and the last playoff position up for grabs.
However, with a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Avs failed to stretch their lead over St. Louis and have now put their playoff hopes into the hands of the Blues, who have a game in hand heading into the weekend.
Eastern Conference
Team
Result
Playoff Chances
Change
Panthers
3-2 W vs. BOS
6.3%
-5.4%
Flyers
4-3 W vs. CAR
93.7%
+0.7%
The Florida Panthers did everything right Thursday night to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They topped the mighty Boston Bruins 3-2 in a tight affair. Just one problem; they didn't get help from anyone else.
The Panthers must win their remaining two games, but even then, the Flyers can claim the final playoff spot in the East with just a single point in their final game against the New York Rangers on Saturday.
As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 12th edition focuses on the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Good
One fine Finnish duo. Linemates Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen are the Hurricanes’ leading scorers and have looked good doing it. In his second NHL season, Aho has set career highs in goals, assists, and points. Teravainen is having a strong year, too; his 23 goals and 62 points are the highest of his five-year career.
Lots of cap space. Come July 1, the Hurricanes will have quite a chunk of change to play with - almost $26 million, to be exact. There are RFAs to be re-signed and a couple of UFAs who might be brought back, but they'll still have a significant amount of money available to improve the team in a market where things aren’t getting any cheaper.
A solid prospect pipeline. The past few years, it’s seemed the Charlotte Checkers are the ones who’ve benefitted from the Hurricanes' prospect pool. Ron Francis did a good job stocking the cupboard during his tenure, but it’ll be up to his successor to utilize those resources. Valentin Zykov, who’s scored six points in eight games, and defenseman Roland McKeown will be ones to watch for next season.
The Bad
Subpar goaltending. When the Hurricanes signed Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6-million contract last May, they certainly didn’t expect him to have such a disastrous season. Darling’s .888 save percentage made Cam Ward’s.905 look good by comparison. The Hurricanes were forced to rely on Ward more often than they probably would have liked, instead of Darling shouldering the majority of the starts. Some of this can be blamed on poor play and some on the failings of the defense.
An inconsistent defense. While the Hurricanes' defense is young and full of potential, it’s still, at best, inconsistent and unpredictable. Considering the depth available, they should have been better, but that didn’t always translate on the ice. This isn’t a new problem, either. It’s hard to recall the last time the Hurricanes were able to ice a decent blue line for even part of a season.
One bad stretch. For a good portion of the season, the Hurricanes looked like a playoff team. And even late in the season, they still had a shot at capturing a wild-card spot. They didn’t do themselves any favors, though, as evidenced by a truly impressive collapse. Losing 11 of 15 games during a crucial stretch effectively wiped out any chance the Hurricanes had of making it to the postseason for the first time in nine years.
Questions
Who’s going to be GM? Not long after Tom Dundon took over as the Hurricanes new owner, he relieved Francis of his duties, ending his four-year tenure in the role. Francis was then appointed president of hockey operations. Dundon announced the next GM would report directly to him, but less than two weeks later, the search was put on hold as Dundon didn’t feel he had the time to do it properly. This news came out around the same time as reports of three possible candidates withdrawing interest in the position. It’s not going to be easy to find someone willing to operate under Dundon’s parameters for the job.
Does Bill Peters return? Peters won’t have his fate decided until Dundon hires a new GM, but he could decide to take advantage of a clause in his contract (he has one year remaining) as a way out. Up to one week after the end of the season, Peters can terminate his contract. But if he stays, he could have more sway with a new GM than he did with Francis.
What needs to be fixed? One of Carolina’s primary needs is a first-line center. Is that Victor Rask? Maybe. Or will he be traded while his value is high? Though the defense has been glaring at times, all that really needs to be done is to surround the youth with some complementary pieces. As for goaltending, Ward is in the last year of his contract. It might be wise to keep him around for another year or two as a veteran presence while Darling figures things out, and hope for better results next season.
Someone left Rogers Arena in Vancouver a very rich man on Thursday night.
The 50/50 raffle at the Canucks-Coyotes game reached $1,014,555 CAD, meaning one lucky fan took home $507,278 (or $397,275 USD) tax free, setting a record for the largest 50/50 prize in North American sports history, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
$507,278: What a Vancouver Canucks fan is taking home tonight, tax free, thanks to the largest 50/50 raffle prize in North American sports history. (Prize is $397,275 in US Dollars) pic.twitter.com/d7H7kGIIKj
Every fan in attendance was treated to quite a show, as the Sedins had a dramatic ending to their careers, connecting on the game's overtime winner, but this one fan in particular clearly had the best night of his life.
The pot was already at $412,000 with unclaimed funds an hour and a half before puck drop, which explains why it reached over $1 million, according to Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com.
The Nashville Predators clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the regular season with a win over Washington on Thursday, but Forsberg pointed to those very Capitals as an example of the award's relative insignificance.
Filip Forsberg On #Preds winning Presidents’ Trophy: “we’ve seen especially here (in Washington) that the Trophy doesn’t mean that much, but I think just the home ice is going to be huge.”
The Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy in each of the past two seasons, but fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs in both years.
Forsberg was drafted 11th overall by Washington in 2012, but was dealt to Nashville in 2013 for Martin Erat in one of the more infamous trade-deadline gaffes.
Luongo made his 1,000th appearance Thursday against the Boston Bruins, becoming the third goalie in NHL history to reach the mark. He then proceeded to stop 26 of 28 shots against in a 3-2 win, thereby keeping his team's postseason hopes alive.
Had the Bruins won, the Panthers would've been eliminated from playoff contention in light of a Philadelphia victory earlier in the night.
The win was Luongo's 471st, and two more are needed if Florida has any chance of playing more than 82 games; the Panthers are set to close the season with games against Buffalo and Boston.
