The club clinched a playoff berth for the sixth straight year with a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at home Saturday night. Toronto is second in the Atlantic Division with a 47-19-6 record.
Auston Matthews scored two goals in the contest, with his initial tally making him the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1996 to score 50 goals in 50 games. John Tavares also added one marker.
The fans at Scotiabank Arena broke out into "MVP" chants for Matthews midway through the game. The 24-year-old is up to 58 goals and 41 assists in 67 contests.
"You just get kind of get chills, chills in your bones," Matthews said of hearing the crowd, according to The Leafs Nation's David Alter.
The Maple Leafs became the fifth team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot, joining the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Rangers.
Toronto hasn't won a postseason series since 2004. The team has played in the playoffs six times since.
We have a tight battle at the top in our sixth edition of the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy Power Rankings. The final games of the season will play a massive role in who ends up with the coveted trophy.
5. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
RECORD
GAA
XGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
GSAA
22-14-7
2.30
2.60
.927
.858
25.28
The Islanders have had a pretty miserable season from start to finish, but Sorokin has been one of their bright spots. New York's goalie of the future has proven in his second NHL campaign that he'll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. He ranks fourth in high-danger save percentage (.858), second in shutouts (six), and second in save percentage (.927). The Islanders have a few things to worry about this offseason, but their goalie situation isn't one of them.
4. Darcy Kuemper, Colorado Avalanche
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
RECORD
GAA
XGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
GSAA
33-9-3
2.40
2.81
.925
.871
24.93
One of the biggest question marks surrounding Kuemper coming into this season was whether he could stay healthy for the Avalanche. His 49 appearances so far this campaign are already the second most of his career, and he's just six off his personal best of 55. Not only has he remained healthy, but he's played superbly. It helps that he's backstopping the NHL's best team. However, Kuemper still has the fourth-most goals saved above average (24.93).
3. Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
RECORD
GAA
XGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
GSAA
32-14-8
2.19
2.47
.924
.842
25.60
Markstrom is a big reason the Flames are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. He doesn't often have to bail his club out, but his steady play and reliability make it easier on the players in front of him. Markstrom leads the NHL with nine shutouts and has been as solid as can be all season long.
2. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / Getty
RECORD
GAA
XGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
GSAA
33-12-3
2.07
2.69
.926
.847
23.91
Andersen is in line to post the best numbers of his career. He's been a model of consistency all campaign, allowing more than three goals just six times and never more than four. Andersen is also neck and neck with Igor Shesterkin in pretty much every statistical category. Depending on how things play out over the season's final weeks, Andersen may be the only one with a compelling enough case to dethrone Shesterkin, who once looked like the clear runaway winner.
1. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
RECORD
GAA
XGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
GSAA
32-10-4
2.14
2.90
.933
.871
36.32
Even after posting a sub-.900 save percentage in five of his last 10 games, Shesterkin's numbers this season remain spectacular. He still leads all goalies in almost every statistical category. If Shesterkin can string together a handful of solid starts to close out the campaign, the Vezina should be his. But voters will have a much tougher decision if he continues to play subpar hockey and his numbers come down a little more.
"More than half the games we've played against (Stutzle), he's laid on the ice and is right back out there next shift," Gallagher said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "He lays on the ice, he acts like he's hurt, he sells the call, he's on the ice that same power play. There's kids watching, we're role models, and if I was a teammate of his, I'd tell him to smarten up.
"It's just not a good look. Very talented player, very good player, (but) he needs to stop laying on the ice. It's embarrassing."
Stutzle was on the receiving end of a couple of incidents during Tuesday's 6-3 victory against Montreal. Nick Suzuki tripped Stutzle up on a knee-on-knee collision at the end of the second period to earn a two-minute minor.
The 2020 third overall pick has drawn 62 penalties between last season and this campaign, the third-most in the NHL. Stutzle, 20, has 27 goals and 45 assists in 121 career games.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes will miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a low-grade MCL sprain to his left knee, the team announced Tuesday.
Hughes sustained the injury during Sunday's game against the New York Islanders.
The first overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft established himself among the league's best players this season. He scored 26 goals and added 30 assists despite being limited to 49 contests.
Hughes, 20, ranks first on the Devils in goals and second in points. The club is slated to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
They became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season after they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 on Sunday afternoon. The win also marked the club's 48th victory of the year, establishing a new franchise record.
This will be Florida's third straight postseason appearance - the longest streak in franchise history.
Jonathan Huberdeau recorded his 97th point of the season in the contest, which propelled him past Aleksander Barkov's single-season franchise points record from 2018-19.
The Panthers sit first place in the Atlantic Division with a 48-15-6 record, the second-best overall mark in the league.
Yandle's played in an NHL-record 989 consecutive games, having passed Doug Jarvis for the ironman title earlier this season.
Yeo said the decision to scratch Yandle was an "organizational" one, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. He added that the choice was "made for what’s best for the Philadelphia Flyers going forward.”
Yandle hasn't missed a game since March 22, 2009, when he was a member of the then-Phoenix Coyotes. He's played with the Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, and Flyers during the length of the streak.
The 35-year-old inked a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Flyers during the offseason. He has 15 points in 67 games this season, along with an NHL-worst -39 plus/minus rating.
With Yandle's streak ending, Phil Kessel will become the NHL's active ironman leader. He ranks second all time with 968 consecutive games, trailing Yandle by 21.
Trivigno recently completed his senior season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, recording a career-high 20 goals and 29 assists in 37 games. He finished third among NCAA skaters in points and was named Hockey East Player of the Year, College Hockey News Player of the Year, and a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
The New York native helped guide UMass to a national championship last season and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Frozen Four. He recorded 131 points in 139 college games.
Campbell was initially slated to miss two weeks due to a rib injury, but he ended up missing three. Keefe announced Thursday that backup goalie Petr Mrazek is expected to miss six weeks with a groin injury.
Rookie forward Nick Abruzzese will also make his NHL debut Saturday, Keefe confirmed, according to Alter. The 22-year-old just wrapped up his season at Harvard where he scored nine goals and added 24 assists in 28 games.
Campbell was struggling before being sidelined, posting a save percentage below .900 in five straight appearances. Campbell said Friday that he suffered the injury on Feb. 22 and played in three games afterward, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.
The 30-year-old has a 24-9-4 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average this season.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris will make his NHL debut Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, head coach Martin St. Louis confirmed Friday.
The Canadiens signed Harris to a two-year entry-level contract on March 26, a day after he wrapped up his fourth season at Northeastern University. The 21-year-old would've become an unrestricted free agent if he hadn't signed his entry-level deal with the club by Aug. 15.
With Chris Wideman a healthy scratch, here's how the Canadiens' defensive pairs could look Saturday with Harris in the lineup:
LD
RD
Joel Edmundson
Justin Barron
Alexander Romanov
David Savard
Corey Schueneman
Jordan Harris
Harris is a versatile defenseman with a solid two-way game. He can play both sides of the blue line despite being left-handed. He had five goals and 15 assists in 39 games with Northeastern University this season.
