It's the latest episode of the Sens Nation Podcast, now up on all podcast apps. Hosted by our site editor, Steve Warne, the boys discuss the Senators' 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. They can officially clinch their first playoff spot in eight years on Tuesday with a win or regulation loss back in Columbus.
Sunday's win was their third straight, and they allowed just one goal in the process. With the potential to catch the Florida Panthers for third place, we explore what that would mean for the Sens' playoff hopes. The Panthers lead Ottawa by two points, and each team has five games left to play.
Other topics include:
- Three Senators snapped long goal-scoring slumps in the past two games. That includes Nik Matinpalo who's never scored in the league until now.
- Jake Sanderson has emerged as one of the NHL’s top offensive defencemen.
- We dive into the latest injury updates on Brady Tkachuk and Nick Cousins—will they be ready before the playoffs? Who will come out of the lineup when they return?
- And we look back at Alex Ovechkin’s milestone weekend as he breaks the NHL career goal-scoring record. Hit the YouTube version of the show at the link below or listen on your favourite podcast app.
Ottawa Senators Win Three Straight, Can Clinch Playoff Spot This Week, Ovechkin Makes HistoryBrought to you by https://celebright.ca/, https://www.capitalpodcast.ca/, and https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senatorsHelp us create more content by sup...One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators
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St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas was named the NHL's third star of the week for the ween ending April 6.
Thomas had two goals and seven assists in three games, each a game-winning goal helping the Blues (43-28-7), who are on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, go 3-0-0 last week with wins over the Detroit Red Wings (2-1 in overtime), Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4 in overtime) and Colorado Avalanche (5-4).
"I can't say enough good things about Robert Thomas's game since 4 Nations," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after the win against the Avalanche. "He must be one of the top three scorers in the NHL in that time.
"I think what people aren't recognizing is how good he's been defensively. We're using him against [Nathan] MacKinnon's line all night [Saturday] and he just does a good job. His brain is high-end offensively and defensively."
Since Feb. 1, Thomas is No. 1 in the league with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) in 26 games, two points ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and three ahead of MacKinnon and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak.
Thomas follows in the footsteps of goalie Jordan Binnington, who was named the NHL's third star of the month for March after going 8-2-0 with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky's record for goals in NHL history with 895, was the first star and Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki (four goals, three assists in four games) was named second star.
St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas was named the NHL's third star of the week for the ween ending April 6.
Thomas had two goals and seven assists in three games, each a game-winning goal helping the Blues (43-28-7), who are on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, go 3-0-0 last week with wins over the Detroit Red Wings (2-1 in overtime), Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4 in overtime) and Colorado Avalanche (5-4).
"I can't say enough good things about Robert Thomas's game since 4 Nations," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after the win against the Avalanche. "He must be one of the top three scorers in the NHL in that time.
"I think what people aren't recognizing is how good he's been defensively. We're using him against [Nathan] MacKinnon's line all night [Saturday] and he just does a good job. His brain is high-end offensively and defensively."
Since Feb. 1, Thomas is No. 1 in the league with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) in 26 games, two points ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and three ahead of MacKinnon and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak.
Thomas follows in the footsteps of goalie Jordan Binnington, who was named the NHL's third star of the month for March after going 8-2-0 with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky's record for goals in NHL history with 895, was the first star and Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki (four goals, three assists in four games) was named second star.
There weren't high expectations for Ilya Mikheyev this season with the Chicago Blackhawks after being acquired in the offseason. The Vancouver Canucks paid to get rid of his contract, allowing the Blackhawks to upgrade from a fourth-round pick to a second-round pick in 2027.
Typically, anytime a player's contract is dumped, they aren't going to play at the level in which they are paid to. That hasn't been the case for Mikheyev as, even though Chicago has ample cap space, he has been worth the $4.037 million AAV cap hit due to his overall play at both ends of the ice.
Mikheyev is a 20-goal scorer this season, tied for third on the team with Connor Bedard. Mikheyev has accomplished this without any power-play goals either while Bedard (20 goals) and Tyler Bertuzzi (21), each have nine goals on the man advantage this season. The Russian winger has also scored three of his goals on the penalty kill due to his strong ability to kill penalties and use his speed.
Mikheyev doesn't have the most assists with just 14, but with a two goal effort in the Blackhawks' last game, he set a new career high in points with 34. He ranks fifth on the team in points this season. On a team that has a -69 goal differential, he leads the team at +2.
At this point, the Blackhawks must be very happy that the team has Mikheyev signed for another season as his play and hard work sets a good example for the younger players. I wouldn't take the team re-signing him to a similar contract to keep him around out of the question either.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game day coverage, player features, and more.
There weren't high expectations for Ilya Mikheyev this season with the Chicago Blackhawks after being acquired in the offseason. The Vancouver Canucks paid to get rid of his contract, allowing the Blackhawks to upgrade from a fourth-round pick to a second-round pick in 2027.
Typically, anytime a player's contract is dumped, they aren't going to play at the level in which they are paid to. That hasn't been the case for Mikheyev as, even though Chicago has ample cap space, he has been worth the $4.037 million AAV cap hit due to his overall play at both ends of the ice.
Mikheyev is a 20-goal scorer this season, tied for third on the team with Connor Bedard. Mikheyev has accomplished this without any power-play goals either while Bedard (20 goals) and Tyler Bertuzzi (21), each have nine goals on the man advantage this season. The Russian winger has also scored three of his goals on the penalty kill due to his strong ability to kill penalties and use his speed.
Mikheyev doesn't have the most assists with just 14, but with a two goal effort in the Blackhawks' last game, he set a new career high in points with 34. He ranks fifth on the team in points this season. On a team that has a -69 goal differential, he leads the team at +2.
At this point, the Blackhawks must be very happy that the team has Mikheyev signed for another season as his play and hard work sets a good example for the younger players. I wouldn't take the team re-signing him to a similar contract to keep him around out of the question either.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game day coverage, player features, and more.