Vancouver Canucks forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin confirmed Monday that the 2017-18 campaign will be their final NHL season.
The Sedins penned a letter to fans through the team website:
"We started the year with the mindset that a decision would be made in the postseason. But it became clear, after discussions with our families throughout the year, that this will be our last season. This feels right for all of us.
"Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it's time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It's time to help with homework every night. It's time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It's time to be at home for dinner every night."
The 37-year-olds were selected by the Canucks at the 1999 draft. They've spent their entire 17-year careers in Vancouver and rank first in all of the franchise's major categories:
Category
Rank
Player
Total
Games
1
Henrik Sedin
1327
Goals
1
Daniel Sedin
391
Assists
1
Henrik Sedin
828
Points
1
Henrik Sedin
1068
With three games remaining in the season, including two home dates, fans will have the opportunity to pay tribute to the Sedins. The two games at Rogers Arena include Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday versus the Arizona Coyotes.
The Clinton, Ontario, native has made five trips to the World Championship, winning gold in 2015 and 2016. His last international appearance with Canada came at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
This year's tournament will be held in Denmark and begins May 4.
O'Reilly has recorded 57 points in 77 games with the Sabres this season.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward was named the NHL's first star of the week after he pocketed three goals and six assists in his last four appearances, including two shorthanded markers. The stretch included a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in which Karlsson recorded two points and the Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth.
Arizona Coyotes netminder Antti Raanta is the NHL's second star of the week after coming away with three victories in as many appearances. The trio of games saw Raanta allow a combined three goals, while he also picked up his third shutout of the season in a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
A five-point outing over the Nashville Predators saw the week's third star, Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel, extend his point streak to three goals and five assists in his last three games. Eichel began the stretch with two goals over the Toronto Maple Leafs, including the game-winning tally.
The Lightning captain left Sunday's game against the Nashville Predators and didn't return, after which the club announced the same general nature of the ailment without the timetable.
What caused Stamkos to exit the contest remains unclear. He played 7:22 and took only one shift in the second period before departing.
He sat out last Monday's game against the Arizona Coyotes with an injury the club also classified as a lower-body issue, but Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said beforehand that was "more maintenance" than anything.
With the Ottawa Senators sitting outside of the playoff picture, forward Matt Duchene was offered an opportunity to suit up for Team Canada at the upcoming World Championships but turned down the invitation, he told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.
Duchene has been a frequent participant when Team Canada comes calling, with his last international appearance coming at the 2016 World Cup. He has also attended six World Championships.
In 78 games this season, Duchene has notched 24 goals and 30 assists.
The Senators acquired Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster trade in November.
The 2018 World Championships begin May 4 in Denmark.
Defenseman Travis Dermott is considered day to day after X-rays and a CT scan showed he did not suffer a broken ankle after blocking a shot against the Winnipeg Jets, according to multiple reports.
On Monday, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock confirmed that Dermott should be "up and running" in the coming days.
Dermott, 21, made his debut with the Maple Leafs earlier this season. Through 36 contests, he has registered one goal and 12 assists.
The Maple Leafs' next game comes Monday against the Buffalo Sabres before heading to New Jersey to face off against the Devils on Thursday.
After MacDonald hit Marchand into the boards late in the second period of the Flyers' 4-3 overtime win, the Philadelphia blue-liner fell to the ice before Marchand struck him in the face with his stick.
Marchand was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking following the incident.
The injury occurred in Saturday's contest against the Arizona Coyotes. He left midway through the second period and didn't return.
Upshall is the latest St. Louis skater to enter the injury ward, joining Robby Fabbri, Jay Bouwmeester, and Carl Gunnarsson. Despite the injuries, the Blues remain in the thick of the playoff race, sitting one point back of the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild-card seed in the Western Conference.
In 63 appearances this season, Upshall has notched seven goals and 12 assists.
The veteran forward has spent the past three campaigns with the Blues.
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 ninth edition focuses on the Calgary Flames.
The Good
A handful of 20-goal scorers. Though the Flames rank near the bottom of the league in goals for, they have four players who have scored 20 or more goals this season. Sean Monahan will likely be the only one to reach the 30-goal mark, while Johnny Gaudreau has added 23 and leads the team in scoring with 82 points. If not for injury, Matthew Tkachuk would have built on his 24-goal output; Micheal Ferland is at a career-best 21 and counting.
Matt Stajan's milestone. On March 22 - a few days before the Flames were officially eliminated from playoff contention - they found a little something to smile about when they celebrated Matt Stajan’s 1,000th career NHL game. Stajan, who has 412 career points entering the week, was also nominated for the Masterton Trophy, which recognizes the player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey."
Strength on the blue line. Trading for Travis Hamonic boosted an already strong group that includes Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and T.J. Brodie. Giordano and Hamilton are regarded as one of the top defensive pairings in the league. Brodie, Hamilton, and Giordano have all surpassed 30 points this season; Hamilton is the highest-scoring Flames defenseman with 44 points as of Monday, and his 17 goals are a career high.
The Bad
The Jaromir Jagr Experience.Jagr signed a one-year, $1-million contract with the Flames in October, hoping to extend his NHL career. But he was placed on waivers in January after recording seven points in 22 games and struggling with injuries, and returned to the Czech Republic to play for Kladno, the team he co-owns. His NHL career is now all but done and it’s hard not to think about what could have been had things worked out for him in Calgary.
Bad backup goaltending. Starter Mike Smith has had good and bad stretches this season, but outside of him, the goalie situation hasn’t been good, with backups Jon Gillies and David Rittich combining for a save percentage of .898 in 29 games. Smith has started 55 games and it would be unrealistic to expect the 36-year old to continue at that pace.
Poor bottom-six production. Getting offense from the bottom-six forward group has been an issue for the Flames, who have a lot of salary tied up in players who haven’t produced. Michael Frolik and Troy Brouwer, who will make a combined $8.8 million for the next two seasons, have just 45 points between them. The Flames hoped Curtis Lazar would rediscover his form in Calgary, but he has just 10 points in 61 games. Injuries limited Kris Versteeg to 24 games, in which he produced just three goals and five assists.
The Questions
Should the Flames trade for a first-round pick? The Flames sent their 2018 first-round pick to the New York Islanders in the trade for Hamonic. Now that they’ve missed the playoffs and need to make some changes, general manager Brad Treliving will want to replace that pick. That would likely mean a big move involving major pieces.
Will head coach Glen Gulutzan be back? There was nothing that indicated this season would be such a failure before it began. By all accounts, the Flames were expected to be a playoff team. This was a team that, aside from a few injuries, had a core group still in their prime years. How much of the team’s failures will Gulutzan be held accountable for? That’s what Flames ownership will have to decide this summer.
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.
Eastern Conference
It's all but over for the Panthers. While Florida had the night off Sunday, it received little help from outside forces as the New Jersey Devils picked up two more points to widen their lead for the second wild-card spot. The Devils now stand seven points up on Florida.
While Florida has five games remaining - compared to New Jersey's three - the Panthers would likely need to win at least four of those contests to keep their playoff dream alive.
The two squads are battling it out for the final few playoff spots in the West, while Anaheim's overtime win over the Avalanche on Sunday further chipped away at Colorado's postseason hopes.
As it stands, the Avalanche now rank just one point ahead of St. Louis - despite playing one additional game - gripping the final playoff position as the end of the regular season closes in.
