Sat Shah and Bik Nizzar breakdown the Canucks season finale a 5-4 OT win over the Arizona Coyotes. Hear from Rick Tocchet post game. Plus Brendan Batchelor, Randip Janda and Iain McIntyre provide their final analysis of the season.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
All four Eastern Conference first-round matchups are now locked in and just two are to be decided out West as the NHL's playoff picture has come into view on the penultimate day of the regular season.
The league-best Boston Bruins will face last season's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers, in a series beginning Monday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet for the second straight year in a series that's been set in stone for weeks. The Leafs secured second place in the Atlantic Division, while the Lightning finished third.
The Carolina Hurricanes - who clinched their second consecutive Metropolitan Division title Thursday night - will battle the New York Islanders beginning Monday, who clinched the NHL's final postseason berth while eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins from playoff contention on Wednesday.
The New Jersey Devils will meet their neighbors and bitter rivals, the New York Rangers. The Devils finished second in the Metropolitan Division, while the Rangers placed third.
Over in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights secured the Pacific Division title with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. They will face the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
The red-hot Edmonton Oilers are the second seed in the Pacific and will meet the Los Angeles Kings for the second consecutive year in the first round.
Still to be decided is the top spot in the Central Division. Should the Colorado Avalanche earn a point in Friday's regular-season finale against the Nashville Predators, the defending Stanley Cup champions would secure the division title and face the Seattle Kraken in the first round. The Dallas Stars would then battle the Minnesota Wild.
If the Avalanche lose in regulation Friday, Dallas will instead square off against the Kraken, while Colorado would meet the Wild.
"I'm blown away," Toews said of the send-off postgame, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times. "I really felt almost unworthy of a moment like that."
Toews also disclosed further about the decision to part ways with the club.
"I knew in my heart, before I had the conversation with (general manager Kyle Davidson), that it's time (to move on)," he said.
"There's absolutely no hard feelings. I have nothing but love and gratitude for the Blackhawks."
The Blackhawks may have lost the game, but Toews sent the fans into a frenzy one last time when he scored his final goal with the club - a redirection in the second period.
WHO ELSE? 🤗
Jonathan Toews scores to cut the deficit to one in his last game as a Blackhawk. pic.twitter.com/TaSbf85cQO
Toews came inches away from capping his Blackhawks career in true fairytale fashion with an overtime winner, but his breakaway attempt just trickled past the net.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 14, 2023
Toews won three Stanley Cups during his 15-year run with the Blackhawks. He also took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010, the Selke Trophy in 2013, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, product ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time points list (883). Chicago drafted him third overall in 2019.
It's unclear what the future holds for Toews, who's struggled with health issues in recent years. He missed the entire 2021 campaign while dealing with chronic immune response syndrome and symptoms of long Covid. He was sidelined for two months this season with those lingering symptoms, but he wanted to return for one final send-off with the Blackhawks.
The Minnesota Wild signed forward Frederick Gaudreau to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $2.1 million, the team announced Thursday.
The 29-year-old has a career-high 17 goals in 81 games this season. His 36 points rank sixth on the Wild, while his 52 blocked shots are second. He paces the NHL in shootout goals with eight, and his four shorthanded goals are tied for third league-wide.
Gaudreau has blossomed into an NHL regular with Minnesota over the past two seasons. He tallied a career-high 44 points in 2021-22 after scoring a combined 18 points in 103 previous games with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Quebec native inked a two-year contract worth $1.2 million per season with Minnesota in July 2021. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Dan and Sat are joined by Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino to talk about his most recent prospect rankings, how some of those prospects are developing, and more!
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Dan and Sat discuss the way the Canucks have approached tanking and if it differentiates from other teams around them. Also, hear from Harman Dayal of The Athletic on the end to the season for the Canucks, the weaknesses on the team, and more.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Sarah Nurse scored the overtime winner as Canada escaped the quarterfinal round with a 3-2 win over Sweden at the Women's World Hockey Championship on Thursday.
Canada dominated the game, outshooting Sweden 48-14, including an 18-5 margin in the second frame.
In the semifinals, the Canadians will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Switzerland and Japan. The United States will face Czechia in the other semifinal.
Earlier Thursday, the U.S. blanked Germany 3-0, while Czechia edged Finland 2-1.
Canada defeated the United States 2-1 to win gold at last year's tournament.
If the Colorado Avalanche are going to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, they'll have to do so without their captain.
Gabriel Landeskog won't play in the 2023 postseason due to a knee injury, the team announced Thursday. Landeskog has missed the entire 2022-23 regular season.
The 30-year-old has undergone at least two knee surgeries in the past 13 months. He had one procedure in March 2022 before he returned for the playoffs and helped lead the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup. The Swede had another knee surgery in October and was given a 12-week timeline, but he never returned.
Head coach Jared Bednar said earlier Thursday that Landeskog had been working hard to make himself ready for the playoffs.
"He’s pushing himself to the limits of what he feels he can do," Bednar said, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.
Landeskog recorded 59 points in 51 regular season games a year ago and added 11 goals and 11 assists in 20 playoff contests. The Avs signed him to an eight-year, $56-million contract in July 2021.
The Avalanche have been hampered by injuries this season. In addition to Landeskog, the team is also currently without defensemen Cale Makar and Josh Manson, although the former is expected to return for Game 1 of the opening round.
A career year across the board won't mean a thing to Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander without some postseason success.
The 26-year-old has set personal bests in goals (39), points (86), shots (504), and average ice time (18:35) in 2022-23 but isn't resting his laurels with the playoffs around the corner.
Toronto is locked into a first-round rematch with the Tampa Bay Lightning beginning next week. The Leafs have qualified for the postseason in each of the past six seasons, and Nylander has been a key contributor despite the team's failure to win a series. He's collected 30 points in 39 playoff games, including a team-leading 15 points over the past two years.
Nylander enters the postseason slumping somewhat by this year's lofty standards. After opening the year with 72 points in 60 games, he's managed only 14 points in 21 contests since. Despite the downtick in production, Nylander thinks his approach has been consistent all season.
"I think it's just mentally," Nylander said of his growth. "Like when you're having a tough game, just trying to grind your way out of that and find something positive to win the game. Whereas maybe in the past it hasn't been as easy for me to get out of those situations like that."
Nylander's final chance to add to his season's totals comes Thursday against the New York Rangers.
After a "difficult conversation," the Chicago Blackhawks decided against re-signing longtime captain and pending unrestricted free agent Jonathan Toews in the summer, general manager Kyle Davidson announced Thursday.
Thursday's clash against the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center will mark Toews' final contest wearing a Blackhawks sweater.
"It was very important to us to be able to provide the proper send-off for Jonathan and our fans," Davidson said. "He has done so much for this organization, and no matter where he plays next, we're excited our fans get the chance to show Jonathan exactly how much he means to them."
Davidson added that he expects Toews to play somewhere else next season, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
With one game remaining in his Blackhawks tenure, Toews ranks sixth all time in goals (371) and points (882) for the franchise, as well as fifth in games played (1,066).
Toews captured three Stanley Cup championships with the Blackhawks and logged 119 points in 137 playoff games.
The Blackhawks also moved Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers prior to the trade deadline. Davidson said he didn't offer Kane a contract, either, and that he thought it'd be best for Chicago to "clear the deck."
"I don't know if resting on the past or on sentimentality does us any good for the future," the executive said.
Puck drops on Chicago's final game of the campaign at 8:30 p.m. ET.