With the 2024-25 NHL regular season drawing to a close, it's time to take a way-too-early look at what fantasy drafts could look like next campaign. First-round selections provide managers with a significant piece around which to build. While injuries provide stumbling blocks and randomness, using a first-round pick on a high-risk, high-reward player who doesn't pan out won't necessarily result in a poor finish. However, savvy managers can mitigate the risks by choosing players with reliability and durability to blend with their statistical prowess.
McDavid missed more games in 2024-25 than he has in a while, but fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned. His ability to stay healthy hasn't been much of an issue in the past, and he is still a strong bet to surpass the 100-point plateau while racking up shots on goal and power-play points. Since 2021-22, the 28-year-old center has led the league with 190 points with the man advantage. McDavid has consistently been one of the best point-per-game talents in the league and remains a set-it-and-forget-it selection at No. 1 overall.
MacKinnon reached another gear in 2023-24 and had another outstanding performance this campaign. He sat out the final three contests of Colorado's regular-season schedule, which cost him a chance to claim his first Art Ross Trophy, but he had the most assists (84) and shots on net (320) in the league before his absence. Over the past two years, he has the second-most power-play points. MacKinnon's 10.0 shooting percentage in 2024-25 is in line with his career average (10.5), but returning to 40 to 50 tallies in 2025-26 is achievable with a little more puck luck.
Like McDavid, Draisaitl dealt with more injury issues in 2024-25 than in previous seasons, but he shouldn't have an injury-prone label going into the 2025-26 campaign. Draisaitl has topped the 100-point plateau six times, including four straight seasons. He has reached the 50-goal mark on four occasions and is on track to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the first time. Having eligibility as a winger gives him additional value.
Kucherov has been healthy for three consecutive campaigns, and his fantasy stock has risen dramatically. He has been comfortably surpassing 100 points while topping 80 helpers twice and hitting 100 assists in 2023-24. Since the 2022-23 campaign, Kucherov has led the league in power-play points. Fantasy managers wouldn't be wrong to select him sooner, though, especially if a right-wing forward is an early roster priority.
Matthews lost some luster in 2024-25 while playing through a nagging upper-body injury. Falling from 69 goals in 2023-24 to 30-plus tallies is a significant drop, but the potential for a bounce-back showing is high because of his natural scoring ability and his propensity to fire shots on the net. If he does fall slightly in drafts, he could be a tremendous value addition.
Makar is still the best blueliner to take in fantasy and the only one worthy of going in the first round. Despite the injuries, Quinn Hughes had a great season, and Zach Werenski was excellent because he stayed healthy, but Makar remains the cream of the crop. The 25-year-old Makar has reached the 90-point plateau in consecutive seasons and finds the back of the net like a forward, hitting 30 for the first time in 2024-25. He also racks up shots, power-play points and blocks, giving him a tremendously high ceiling.
In a brutal season for the Bruins, Pastrnak was an offensive force. He has topped 40 goals and 100 points in three straight campaigns. Pastrnak has been credited with the most shots on target during those three years and is one of only two players with more than 1,000, joining MacKinnon. The 28-year-old Pastrnak remains a valuable fantasy winger going into 2025-26.
Before running into injury problems in late December, Kaprizov was one of just five players at 50 points. He had 23 goals and 27 assists in his first 34 outings. Going into 2024-25, Kaprizov hit the 40-goal mark in three straight seasons, topping 100 points once and getting 96 points in 2023-24. He might be one more shortened campaign away from being an injury risk, but he remains an incredibly productive player that some fantasy managers may forget about on draft day.
The Rangers earned the unfortunate distinction of being the fourth team in NHL history to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy the year before. However, Panarin was a consistent offensive threat. He needs only one point in the team's regular-season finale to reach 90 for a fifth straight season. Since the 2021-22 campaign, he ranks sixth in points and fifth in power-play points. Panarin should remain a reliable producer in 2025-26.
After coming close in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Marner hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his NHL career this season. Since the 2021-22 campaign, he has the eighth-most points in the league. His fantasy value will change if he leaves the Maple Leafs via free agency in the summer. Still, Marner's playmaking skills and ability to contribute in all situations make him an intriguing first-round talent.
Rantanen's fantasy value has taken a hit away from the Avalanche. However, he has been better with Dallas after a brief stop with Carolina. He has been piling up assists at a rate on par with the highest of his career despite not seeing as much ice time as he did in Colorado. He still has considerable offensive ability, and fantasy managers won't have to deal with the uncertainty of free agency after Rantanen signed an eight-year contract to remain with the Stars.
If a goaltender is going to go in the first round, it should be Hellebuyck. He is a workhorse with consistently solid numbers. He will likely win his third Vezina Trophy and could receive attention for the Hart Trophy. Since the 2021-22 campaign, Hellebuyck has led the league in wins, shutouts and saves.
Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights: Eichel finally stayed healthy and predictably had a breakout performance, but a late-season injury could hurt his draft stock. He has first-round talent as a high-volume shot generator and an outstanding producer if potential fantasy managers believe he has turned the corner on his health issues.
Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida Panthers: Reinhart provides plenty of category coverage between goals, points, shots and hits to be worthy of first-round consideration. The drop in production from his career year in 2024-25 wasn't as pronounced as some pundits thought it would be.
Matthew Tkachuk, LW/RW, Florida Panthers: After being limited to 52 appearances in 2024-25, Tkachuk's fantasy value will probably decrease in the eyes of many potential fantasy managers. Still, he provides excellent category coverage and a high offensive ceiling.
Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils: Hughes has appeared in 62 games in consecutive seasons and has reached the 70-point mark on both occasions. He had 99 points in 2022-23 and possesses 100-point upside, but injury concerns are growing.
In their last game of the 2024–25 regular season, the Vancouver Canucks (38–29–14) will be taking on the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights (49–22–10). This is the last game of the season for both teams involved, though Vegas has already qualified for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs and will be taking on whichever team clinches the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.
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Since being eliminated from playoff contention, the Canucks have had their eyes on two things only — the performances of their young guns from Abbotsford, and Quinn Hughes’ chase for Alex Edler’s record for career points by a defenseman. On Monday night against the San Jose Sharks, Hughes tied the record by grabbing an assist of Jake DeBrusk’s overtime goal. Tonight, Hughes will be looking to break that record by grabbing at least one point.
Players to Watch:
Brock Boeser:
Tonight may be the final time fans get to watch Brock Boeser as a member of the Canucks, as reports have circulated that the team’s longest-tenured skater may not return to the team that drafted him in 2015. Boeser has 25 goals and 25 assists in 74 games played this season. In Vancouver’s three matches against the Golden Knights in 2024–25, he has one assist. He has had a slow stretch of four points in the past 10 games, so expect him to bounce back tonight against Vegas for what may be his final time playing for the Canucks in front of their fans.
Ivan Barbashev:
Most of Barbashev’s success against the Canucks has come in the 2024–25 season, as he has scored a goal in every game he has played against Vancouver. In his past four outings against the Canucks, he has two goals and two assists. Right now, he has three goals in his past five games played leading up to the playoffs. He is tied for fifth in points on the Golden Knights with 23 goals and 28 assists.
Vancouver Canucks (38–29–14):
Last 10: (5–3–2)
Quinn Hughes: 16–60–76
Brock Boeser: 25–25–50
Conor Garland: 19–30–49Jake DeBrusk: 28–20–48
Pius Suter: 24–21–45
Vegas Golden Knights (49–22–10):
Last 10: (6-2-2)
Jack Eichel: 27–66–93
Mark Stone: 19–48–67
Tomáš Hertl: 32–29–61
Shea Theodore: 7–48–55Pavel Dorofeyev: 34–17–51
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
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ST. LOUIS – Not much was made of the St. Louis Blues making the playoffs at the start of the season, and coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, it was even a bleaker look being eight points out of a wild card berth.
But 26 games and a 19-4-3 record later, the Blues have knocked down the playoff door and claimed the second wild card from the Western Conference.
It took all 82 games of the regular-season, but the Blues clinched in resounding fashion with a thorough 6-1 win of Utah Hockey Club at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.
The Blues (44-30-8) closed the season on a strong note and needed a franchise-record 12-game winning streak to put themselves in a position to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2022.
Jordan Kyrou scored twice, Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and two assists (all in the first period), Jimmy Snuggerud scored his first NHL goal and had an assist, and Brayden Schenn and Zack Bolduc each had a goal and an assist. Robert Thomas had two assists to finish the season with a 12-game point streak (four goals, 21 assists) before departing with a lower-body injury that coach Jim Montgomery called precautionary, and Jordan Binnington made 22 saves to emphatically give the Blues a regulation win that put them in no matter the results of the games involving the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames.
And in turn, the Blues will now face the Presidents’ Trophy winners and Central Division champion Winnipeg Jets (55-22-4), with the series likely to start on Saturday in Winnipeg.
“It feels really good, and I loved the way we did it,” Montgomery said of Tuesday’s win. “We got back to who we are for 60 minutes, and the first eight minutes, I knew we were going to win just by the way we were committed to playing north and playing to the goal line. I thought our forecheck was excellent and we made them defend.”
Added Schenn, “A lot goes into it. This is what you train for in the summer, and this is what you play for all year -- to have a chance at the Stanley Cup. You just have to get in and anything can happen. We saw that years ago. We've been on a good run here and, at the same time, we just can't be happy that we're in. Playing Winnipeg, Winnipeg is obviously a good team and they're going to present a good challenge for us. But I don't think anyone gave us a chance really, where we were. I'm glad we came kept it together. They're too many good pieces in this locker room to not get in the playoffs. We felt if we played hard for one another, we can get the job done and it just took 82 games.”
Let’s five into the Three Takeaways one final time in the regular season:
* Started like a buzz saw – The Blues walked the walk and talked the talk.
They talked of coming out with a good start, needing to put the hammer down on the game early.
Boy, did they ever.
The forecheck was relentless, the intensity was high, the commitment to playing north hockey was evident from the moment the puck was dropped with the ‘WTF’ Line on the ice.
For every time Utah, which finished 38-31-13, tried to put pucks into the Blues’ zone, it was out quicker than the blink of an eye, and then the Blues would spent shift after shift in Utah’s zone buzzing and recovering.
And when Schenn made it 1-0 at 8:08 of the first period, it was the culmination of good play all around.
St. Louis goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Brayden Schenn with 11:52 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Jimmy Snuggerud and Pavel Buchnevich.
St. Louis: 1
Utah: 0#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/H3Wrm1G6Ni
“All guys were contributing,” said Blues defenseman Cam Fowler, who had two assists to finish with 36 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 51 games since being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14. “We were playing the brand and style of hockey that we wanted. But our start was a big reason why we were able to get that win tonight.”
And it didn’t stop.
Buchnevich, who has been on a tear since the 4 Nations break, made it 2-0 at 11:17 on what amounted to be one of the prettier passing plays you’ll see.
After Colton Parayko won a wall battle pinching in and getting it back around and behind the net, the puck went from Fowler to Thomas to Buchnevich in the bumper to Jake Neighbours in the left corner. Neighbours took a the puck off his skate, took a couple strides before finding Buchnevich at the bottom of the right circle for the one-timer.
St. Louis goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Pavel Buchnevich with 08:43 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas.
St. Louis: 2
Utah: 0#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/V1sB5YoNMO
“We got a quick pregame speech from ‘Monty’ and everybody pumped up and we got a good 10 minutes, score a couple goals and kind of control the game, which is what we want,” Buchnevich said.
* Power play was icing on cake – On top of what the Blues were able to do from the get-go, their power play added the layers for an overwhelming four-goal first period.
Snuggerud’s first NHL goal needed some time before officials decided there was no distinct kicking motion and it gave the Blues a 3-0 lead at 14:45.
It came off another solid passing play, led by Fowler playing it low for Thomas, who found Buchnevich, who in turn put the puck to the net with Snuggerud there, and ultimately, he got a fortuitous carom into the net off his skate for his first NHL goal.
Power play goal for St. Louis!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Jimmy Snuggerud with 05:15 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Zack Bolduc and Pavel Buchnevich.
St. Louis: 3
Utah: 0#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/kzZ2AxETCm
“I mean, I can't score with my stick, so I might as well just score with my skate,” Snuggerud joked. “… It's nice that they called it a good goal.”
And the capper was Bolduc’s power-play goal to make it 4-0 at 19:13, not long after the Blues had 1:06 of a two-man advantage, and it was vintage Thomas again, in the left corner, finding Bolduc in the quiet area of the bumper just inside the top of the left circle and he whipped the shot by Karel Vejmelka.
Power play goal for St. Louis!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Zack Bolduc with 00:47 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Robert Thomas and Cam Fowler.
St. Louis: 4
Utah: 0#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/ijwkAXux1D
Not even Montgomery could have scripted a better start.
“No, but this is the way we were starting games when we were playing really well,” he said. “There was a purpose, there was an intent. We got to our ‘A’ game right away.”
Kyrou’s one-timer from the low slot at 6:59 of the third period was the Blues’ third man-advantage goal of the game, leaving them with a 3-for-6 night.
Power play goal for St. Louis!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Jordan Kyrou with 13:01 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Brayden Schenn and Oskar Sundqvist.
St. Louis: 5
Utah: 1#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/iaR6QwNFdY
* Binnington did Binnington things – Utah, which played Monday in a 7-3 win at the Nashville Predators, was playing its third game in four nights to conclude the season.
Utah found its legs in the second period and the Blues took some undisciplined penalties as a result.
When Blues killer Clayton Keller wired a one-timer past Binnington to make it 4-1 early in the second period, it set off a set of circumstances that required the Blues’ goaltender to be on his toes.
‘Big Game Binnington’ was at it again. He faced 14 of his 23 shots against and was only beaten by Keller’s precision shot into the top half of the netting and did his best to preserve a three-goal lead at the time.
And when it got to the third period, Kyrou helped put the game away with his power-play goal, then add another to finish with a team-high 36 at 17:24 following up Alexey Toropchenko’s slot shot.
St. Louis goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2025
Scored by Jordan Kyrou with 02:36 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Alexey Toropchenko and Cam Fowler.
St. Louis: 6
Utah: 1#UTAvsSTL#stlblues#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/rXrkFOTcvU
“It's a good feeling and we're looking forward to getting into the playoffs,” Schenn said. “It's important for guys like Jake and Bolduc and ‘Snuggy’ and the list goes on and on to feel what the NHL playoffs are all about. That's how you build a culture and that's how you build a winning mentality. It's an exciting time to be a hockey player playing in the playoffs.”
The regular season is over for the Florida Panthers.
For the sixth straight season, that only means its time for the real fun to begin.
Florida closed out their regular season schedule on Tuesday night, dropping Game 82 to the Tampa Bay Lightning by a final score of 5-1.
While yes, it was a preview of the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Cats and Bolts, the game was far from an example of what those games will look like.
The Panthers knew they were locked into third place in the Atlantic Division and had nothing to play for in terms of playoff positioning, so Florida rested several of their regular players, including Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Gus Forsling.
They’ll look much different when they line up for Game 1 at Amalie Arena.
Let’s get to Tuesday’s takeaways:
NO MORE CRAZY SCHEDULE
With the end of the regular season comes Florida never having to deal with that insane schedule ever again.
Well, hopefully not.
Now that it’s playoff time, schedules will calm down into a much more traditional and predictable layout.
Sure, there will be the random extra day off or back-to-back, but for the most part, it’ll be at least one day between games, sometimes two, due to travel, elimination games or scheduling conflicts.
While the Panthers didn’t look particularly good during Tuesday’s game in Tampa, their schedule and depleted roster had a hand in that.
At least for the start of the playoffs, neither of those should be an issue.
“That’s an example of what nine games in 15 days does,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “I’m learning for the first time. I’ve gone about 27 seasons and I’ve never seen that schedule before.”
SOME THINGS TO LIKE
The game may have been an overall stinker, but that’ll happen when you fall behind 3-0 in the first period and never trim the deficit smaller.
Nobody was making excuses after the game, but this was one of those nights where Tampa was sharp, they were aggressive and they were getting many of the bounces, which often happens to the team deserving of such grace from the hockey gods.
Still, leaving it to Maurice to pull some positives from the effort.
‘Carter Verhaeghe looks like he's back, I loved Roddy’s (Evan Rodrigues) game tonight, I thought he was going,” Maurice said. “I thought the (penalty) kill was good when it had to be at times. We got out and I don't think we lost any more players, which is a nice change for us.”
PUMPED FOR THE POSTSEASON
Now it’s time to shift the mentality to a seven-game series. Win four before they do.
Over the past several seasons, the Panthers have earned their stripes and learned the ins and outs of how to win during the playoffs.
As has been the case in each of the past two years, Florida’s postseason roster looks quite different than it did a year ago.
The Panthers feel they’ve never had a deeper roster, and if they can get everyone healthy sometime during round one, it will be fun to see just what this group is capable of.
You better believe they’re all chomping at the bit to get going.
“I think they're excited about the start,” Maurice said. “I think we had a real learning experience this year, going through the grind of a regular season after last year, and lost some guys for big chunks of time, so it was a grinder for us, but there was lots to learn, and they stuck together and were cheering for each other, and now we're at the part of the year that everybody's really excited about.”
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The Calgary Flames beat the Vegas Golden Knight 5-4 after a shootout, but if you’ve been following the news, you know that is not the bigger news.
Despite the win, Calgary was eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a win by St. Louis in their final game against Utah, and Minnesota forcing overtime against Anaheim and getting one point to qualify for the post-season.
But its only fair to critique this game, as the team put on a fight (and won) despite knowing in the second intermission they had been knocked out of the playoff race.
Here are my three takeaways from the game:
1) A whole lot of scrappiness in the third despite bad news
For a team that had just realized they were no longer in the running for the Stanley Cup, this Calgary bunch looked quite feisty. After entering the third period down 3-1 with the man-advantage, Nazem Kadri scored 32 seconds in, before Mikael Backlund put the puck back in the net after another 32 seconds, tying the game. This team may have not made it into the playoffs, but they have a lot of fight in them.
2) Special Teams
Calgary was 2-for-2 on the man-advantage. Now, this was a welcome surprise to see. This was the first time the Flames had scored two power play goals since their Feb 5 home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With their penalty kill being 2-for-2, they are now 19-for-20 (95%), since March 26, the best in the league since then.
3) Shot-blockers
In regulation, despite sitting out some of their top offensive weapons, Vegas outshot Calgary 42-28. That put goalie Dustin Wolf in for a long night, and that’s not even taking the overtime shootout into account.
But it would’ve been made worst had the Flames players not blocked 19 of the Knights’ shots. Defenseman Joel Hanley came out on top with four blocks. Fellow defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and forward Blake Coleman had three each.
Calgary’s final regular season game will be against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at 7:30 MT/9:30 ET.
All things come to an end.
Sometimes it isn't pretty, like Utah HC’s 6-1 season-ending loss to the St. Louis Blues, who clinched a playoff spot with the win.
x marks the (playoff) spot pic.twitter.com/oLAqgrCuzJ
— x - St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 16, 2025
But for Utah, the end of this season is only the beginning of many more to come. Instead of lingering on the disappointment of missing the playoffs, Utah is in a position where it can look ahead with optimism.
There’s just something about Utah defensemen’s homecomings that result in Utah losses.
This time, it was Robert Bortuzzo’s turn to fall short in his return to the St. Louis Blues—a team he was a part of for over 10 seasons, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 2019. Rumors that this might have been the final game of his 14-year NHL career only made his appearance more sentimental.
But it was the playoff implications for the Blues that ultimately overshadowed Bortuzzo’s return, leading to a dominant win.
It wasn’t as if the Blues didn’t celebrate Bortuzzo, as he did receive a standing ovation from the St. Louis faithful.
Robert Bortuzzo gets standing ovation at Enterprise Center. pic.twitter.com/PPSg5SO2qE
— Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) April 16, 2025
But the Blues looked incredibly hungry and motivated to control their own fate and clinch a playoff spot.
Early on, they capitalized on poor positioning during an odd-man rush, as both defensemen—Ian Cole and Michael Kesselring—were caught playing high in the offensive zone.
SCHENN FROM SNUGGERUD... HOW'S THAT????!! pic.twitter.com/OiQt4eONVX
— x - St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 16, 2025
With only Logan Cooley back on defense, a simple swipe at the puck was all Jimmy Snuggerud needed to kick off the breakaway. Ultimately, Brayden Schenn would score on the rebound of Snuggerud's shot.
The Blues once again showed plenty of energy and focus, scoring their next goal after a series of decisive passes led to a wide-open chance for Pavel Buchnevich.
THIS PLACE IS FIRED UP!!! pic.twitter.com/r4ldBwgbwH
— x - St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 16, 2025
But that wouldn’t be the end of the Blues’ success in the first period, as they scored two more power-play goals to take a 4–0 lead to end the period.
With strong defense stifling Utah’s offense, the deficit proved far too much to overcome. Utah’s only goal came from Clayton Keller on its first power play of the second period, briefly cutting into the lead.
🔥 Keller gets Utah on the board.
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 16, 2025
That's goal #30 this season for Kells! pic.twitter.com/AKhkjAhQAv
Despite a much better second period from Utah, the Blues entered the third having made the proper adjustments to get back to their game plan. They limited the power-play opportunities Utah had in the second and recreated both the offensive and defensive success they showed in the first, scoring two more goals to secure the win.
It is an unfortunate trend: Utah has now lost its last three games when a defenseman returned to face his former team on the road.
In Mikhail Sergachev’s return to Tampa for the first time since being traded, the Lightning handed Utah its worst loss in franchise history, winning 8–0.
The very next game, Kevin Stenlund also came up short on his homecoming night against the Florida Panthers. Utah did play much better as it managed to force overtime in that game, despite struggling to generate offense or create quality scoring chances. Still, the game would end in a 2-1 for Utah.
But whether or not this marks the end of Bortuzzo’s career, it had to feel good to get a start—his first since Jan. 2 against Calgary—against a team he shares so many memories with.
And if it truly is his last game, there couldn't be a better way to end his career than in St. Louis.
Borts back in STL 🩵 pic.twitter.com/ebGw8m7vgo
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 16, 2025
Despite ending on a losing note, the inaugural season for Utah was an improvement in every way.
On the ice, the team earned 89 points in the standings, surpassing the performance of last year's squad when they were still playing as the Arizona Coyotes. The development of young stars like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther also helped team captain Clayton Keller set new career highs in both assists and points.
Not only that, but the stadium improved, with the Delta Center now serving as its official home, rather than a temporary relocation. The practice facility, once completed, will be considered one of the best in the NHL, as announced with the completion of its construction.
While the team’s move from Arizona to Utah was a significant change, it’s hard to ignore the benefits that the change in scenery under new owners Ryan and Ashley Smith has brought.
Vejmelka Caps Off Strong Season With Goalie Of The Week HonorsThe NHL has announced their top goalies of the week, and to no one’s surprise, Utah Hockey Club’s Karel Vejmelka has been named as one of them.
The season may have ended without a postseason trip for Utah, but it served as a great building block and transition year. The team is sure to improve with more time and talent joining in the future.
Still, Utah surely would have wanted to take home a win against the team that stole its playoff berth.
But with Utah general manager Bill Armstrong having success with both the draft and his recent trades, Utah fans should be excited for what the offseason has to offer and how it will ultimately improve the team ahead of next season.
Utah's Keller & Schmaltz Set Career-Highs Against PredatorsLast night, in Utah Hockey Club's 7-2 win over the Nashville Predators, a few new career-highs were set. Both Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz reached new personal bests in points.
The Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets have finally determined their opponent for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Thanks to a commanding 6-1 win over Utah on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues will be travelling to Manitoba's capital for the opening round, best-of-seven series.
With the win, St. Louis eliminated the Calgary Flames from playoff contention and cemented a matchup between the second-place Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild in the process.
Despite their final playoff seed positioning, the Blues (43-30-8) are no pushover, as they have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and only recently had their 12-game winning streak snapped (in Winnipeg last week).
Having clinched the trophy for being first in the league, Winnipeg (55-24-4) has had to wait longer than most clubs to begin its plan of attack against its previously unknown opponent.
The other aspect of the opening round matchup is that of the dates of the seven games.
With a concert scheduled for Canada Life Centre on Saturday, and concerts at Enterprise Center the following Friday and Saturday, the most likely plan of attack will be games on Sunday and Tuesday in Winnipeg, followed by Thursday and Sunday in St. Louis, before the series shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 5, and St. Louis for Game 6 and Winnipeg again for Game 7 - all of which will only occur if needed.
Unless the concerts featuring Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Winnipeg), Brooks and Dunn (St. Louis) and Katt Williams (St. Louis) are rescheduled, this proposed series schedule would be the most likely scenario.
However, with Winnipeg wrapping up its season on Wednesday, and the Blues now having completed their 2024-25 campaign, the league would be interested in teams done playing before Thursday the option of starting the postseason on Saturday.
So at this point, all options do remain on the table.
Head to head this season, Winnipeg holds a 3-1-0 advantage over St. Louis, with a 3.37 goals-for per game up against a 3.01 goals-for from the Blues. Winnipeg allows just 2.33 goals against, while St. Louis gives up on average 2.84 goals a game. The Jets have the best power play, while St. Louis' is ranked No. 18.
Adding some additional fire to the fold is that of the battle between the Schenn brothers. Blues captain Brayden will take on his older brother Luke, who was added at the trade deadline by Winnipeg. The two have already joked about cutting off all lines of communication should this matchup arise.
Details on the schedule are expected to come as early as Wednesday.