It's a Roundtable version of The Open as Dan, Sat, and Bik discuss Elias Lindholm's play in Vancouver, how much an injury could be impacting him, and much more.
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In the words of Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, "How can you think and hit at the same time?"
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis is apparently adopting the same mindset as the legendary catcher - famous for his "Yogi-isms" - during his recent hot streak. It's been like deja vu all over again lately for Jarvis, who has scored in four straight games.
"I haven't been really thinking, so that's been good," Jarvis said Thursday, according to The Hockey News' Ryan Henkel. "I've just had a clear mind. I just go out there wanting to have fun, and usually when I want to have fun, I play my best hockey. Everything just kind of flows well. I just keep a pretty spaced-out head. Nothing going on in there. Just go on the ice, have fun, and let the rest take care of itself."
Jarvis has formed good chemistry with key deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel on the top line with Sebastian Aho, as the trio has totaled 12 points in the two games since being put together. You can observe a lot just by watching, so it's possible Jarvis' teammates will take notice of his new mentality.
The future ain't what it used to be, but at 22 years old, Jarvis' appears to be bright, as he's already shattered his previous career highs with 25 goals and 30 assists in 69 games this season.
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Matt and Blake discuss Ian Cole getting a load-management scratch, and whether the Canucks might consider Noah Juulsen in Cole's stead in the postseason. They talk about Casey DeSmith making a fourth straight start and playing in a fifth consecutive game in place of the injured Thatcher Demko. The NHL season, is it too long? What could schedules look like if not every Western and Eastern team play each other every year? The black Skate jersey being the primary playoff attire, Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar headed for hip surgery and what that means for this summer on the goalie trade market, and ex-Canucks coach John Tortorella scratching his captain yet again.
Patrick Johnston joins and talks length of NHL season, the Skate jersey, the best wingers for Elias Pettersson, and the ongoing transformation from high-scoring outfit to a more defensively-inclined club.
Whitecaps FC interim head coach Mike D'Agostino joins to talk about leading his hometown club while Vanni Sartini serves his suspension. Mike talks about his rise in coaching, his relationship with Sartini, the mechanics of how an interim coach works, the team's terrific start and new mindset on the road. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
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Wednesday wasn't kind to our unders. Charlie Lindgren allowed seven goals on 29 shots, while the Kings scored six times on 27 shots against the Wild, sinking both bets with shockingly bad goaltending.
We'll look to get back on track with a pair of plays for Thursday night.
There's limping to the finish line, and then there's whatever the Red Wings are doing. Once firmly holding onto a playoff spot, the Red Wings now seem as likely to miss the dance as make it.
They've won only two of the past 10 games. Those wins came against the Sabres and the Blue Jackets, with the Wings needing to tie the game in the dying seconds to avoid disaster against the latter.
They're not getting results, and their underlying process suggests that's no coincidence. Detroit sits 29th in expected goal suppression over the last 10 games and dead last in limiting shots.
A lot is being put on the plates of Alex Lyon and James Reimer, and that's clearly not a recipe for success.
The Islanders have cooled off of late, dropping five consecutive games. But they're still 5-5 over the last 10, and the numbers under the hood aren't half bad.
They've controlled better than 53% of the expected goals in that span, good for 10th in the NHL.
New York has done a good job limiting chances in that span, conceding the fourth-fewest. The goaltending hasn't been as good as it needs to be, which generally isn't a concern with Ilya Sorokin.
I think the Islanders will get the better chances in this game. With Dylan Larkin still sidelined for the Red Wings, the Isles are probably better equipped to capitalize, with 29-goal-scorers Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson leading the charge.
Look for the Islanders to grind out a road win against direct competition for a playoff spot.
Bet: Islanders (-110)
The Hurricanes are starting to look like a powerhouse. They've played air-tight defensive hockey this month as they continue to gear up for what should be a lengthy playoff run.
They've won seven of their past eight games, conceding two goals or fewer in all but one of them. Taking things a step further, the Hurricanes gave up only one goal in the game they lost.
All told, they've allowed only 13 goals over the past eight. That's 1.62 per game, and four came on one night against the Maple Leafs.
I expect another stingy defensive effort from them on Thursday night. The Flyers are struggling to generate quality chances, sitting 25th in high-danger opportunities over the last 10.
They don't have a lot of dynamic offensive talent on their roster and are generally a team that needs plenty of volume to score consistently. That's problematic when going up against the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes are so good at sticking to their structure and making teams work themselves into the ground in order to generate anything of value. And, again, the Flyers don't have the talent to be as opportunistic as they'll probably need to be.
I don't see the Flyers scoring more than a couple in this game, meaning the Hurricanes would have to put up a big number to send it over the number.
Bet: Under 6.5 (-130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
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We had a nice rebound night with our player props on Wednesday, cashing two of three plays. Wyatt Johnston failing to record a point on any of the Stars' five goals was our only miss.
We'll set our sights on a perfect card with three more props for Thursday's massive NHL slate.
Pinto has been a consistent shot-generator since returning from suspension, especially on home ice.
The Senators center recorded three shots or more in eight of 11 games played in Ottawa. Pinto fell only one shot shy in two of the three failures, giving himself a fighting chance almost every time.
The shots should be there Thursday night against the Blues, who have given up a lot of volume all season and don't seem to be improving. Only five teams conceded more shots per game over the last 10 games, and each of those clubs may miss the playoffs.
The Senators should comfortably surpass 30 shots versus the Blues. Given Pinto's usage as the top-line center, he figures to get his fair share.
Odds: -122 (playable to -135)
I don't generally like to target shooters playing against the Jets, but this is a good time to make an exception. Winnipeg has given up a surprising amount of shots to wingers lately. Only the Blues have conceded more on a per-game basis over the last 10.
Meier is firing on all cylinders right now, playing on the Devils' top line with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt and skating on the No. 1 power-play unit.
At five-on-five, Meier averages well over 23 shot attempts per 60 minutes playing with Hischier and/or Bratt, which is top-tier production. He leads the Devils in shot attempts on the man advantage since being promoted to the top group following Tyler Toffoli's departure.
Meier has gone over this total in seven of the past 10 games. I don't see him slowing down in this sneaky good matchup.
Odds: -102 (playable to -125)
Kane might be my favorite play on the board. He was humming along with a hit rate well over 60% before the trade deadline. Then the Oilers acquired Adam Henrique and opted to use him at center, pushing Kane down to the third line to try to balance things out.
It didn't work; Kane's shot volume and production rates dipped in a depth role without Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid by his side. Realizing as much, the Oilers have promoted Kane back into the top six next to the best player in the world.
Kane averages well over 22 shot attempts per 60 minutes with McDavid also on the ice at five-on-five. That's the kind of rate you'd look for from someone with a total of 3.5 or 4.5 shots, not 2.5.
Kane is a trigger-happy shooter, is most efficient at home, and is now centered by a pass-first player who's got 82 assists through 64 games. This is a great opportunity for Kane to get back on track.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
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Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was offered what the league calls an in-person hearing for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor during Wednesday's game.
The hearing will be held Friday afternoon over Zoom.
Wilson could face a suspension greater than five games as a result of the hearing classification.
Tom Wilson has been offered an in-person hearing for his high-stick on Noah Gregor, meaning he could be suspended for longer than five games.pic.twitter.com/s16wPLfhEq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2024
Wilson has an extensive history of suspensions. The 29-year-old has been suspended five times and fined on three occasions during his 11-year career. His most recent suspension came in 2021, when he was banned seven games for a hit to the head of Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.
The Capitals have 14 games remaining this season and are one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Wilson has 17 goals and 15 assists in 66 games for the Capitals this season.
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Predators general manager Barry Trotz singled out his captain as Nashville's MVP amid the team's surprising season.
"I don't think there is a better defenseman on the planet - and that's this year, right now - than Roman Josi," Trotz said, according to NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. "That's saying a lot because there's some terrific defensemen. But for our team, he's just carried us all year. It shows in his stats night in and night out."
The 33-year-old ranks second on the Predators with 70 points in 69 games this season, while his 18 goals are the most among all NHL blue-liners. He also places in the top three in his position group in wins above replacement (2.9) and goals above replacement (18), per Evolving-Hockey.
Josi has been fueling Nashville's recent red-hot run, too. The Predators last lost in regulation on Feb. 15 and have gone 13-0-2 over their last 15 games. The veteran has chipped in with 21 points over that span and is a plus-20 while averaging a team-high 23 minutes of ice time per contest.
The Preds failed to make the playoffs last season, ending an eight-year run, but they seem set to start a new streak this campaign. They currently have a strong grip on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 40-25-4 record.
Trotz conceded that he didn't know what to expect out of Nashville during his first season as general manager.
"I thought we could have a rough season," he said. "It could be not a real strong team. Or, we could be sneaky good."
The executive also probably didn't foresee canceling a trip to see a U2 concert at The Sphere in Las Vegas to punish the Predators for their poor play in mid-February, but they've been lights out ever since.
Nashville's turnaround forced Trotz to change his strategy heading into trade season.
"The trade deadline was very difficult for me," he said. "I had to balance a couple things. Going into it, probably a month before, I was making all the calls to all the general managers here, saying, 'Hey, I'm probably going to be a seller. It doesn't look like we're going to make it, so here's some of my options, and if you're interested in any of these ...'
"And then as we got to the trade deadline, I said to the players, 'Show me, and I'll add.' And then they did."
If the Predators beat the Florida Panthers on Thursday, they'll set a record for the longest point streak (16 games) in franchise history. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios knows his team fell short of the fan base's hopes for improvement this season, and he isn't rushing to promise anyone a playoff berth next spring, either.
"I think the expectations were something that were a bit debilitating for us," he said in an interview with TSN's Gino Reda. "We have a young team, a very good, talented group of players. I think that we'll see how the offseason goes and what we can add, but there has to be growth from within as well."
Ottawa was once again an active player this past offseason, adding Joonas Korpisalo in an attempt to stabilize the crease, and looping in Vladimir Tarasenko to mitigate the loss of Alex DeBrincat. Couple that with another year of experience for the squad's young core, and the Senators seemed primed to push for a playoff spot.
Instead, Ottawa has plummeted to last place in the Atlantic Division and is projected to finish the campaign with around 75 points - 11 fewer than its total last season.
Part of the issue has been goaltending and defense. The Senators have surrendered 3.57 goals against per game this season, good for the fifth-highest clip in the league. Korpisalo, meanwhile, ranks dead last among all netminders in goals saved above expected (minus-18.33) and second-last in goals saved above average (minus-18.84) at all strengths, per Evolving-Hockey.
Ottawa was reportedly open for business at the trade deadline - barring a handful of untouchables - but only ended up dealing Tarasenko. The Senators appeared to be interested in more than just selling, though, as they also expressed interest in acquiring coveted veteran defenseman Chris Tanev.
For Staios, it's the conversations he had leading up to March 8 that'll set the tone for the summer.
"It's important, the work that we did through the deadline, to establish what we were looking for, what the market would bear," he said. "We have an idea and a game plan and a process going into the offseason, but I think a lot of those discussions over the deadline were important."
Staois will also need to find a new head coach for the Senators, as the 71-year-old Jacques Martin isn't interested in staying behind the bench on a full-time basis. Martin replaced the fired D.J. Smith in December.
"The process has started. We have a list of people," the executive said. "We want to be patient with our approach because things do change into the offseason."
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