By punching their postseason ticket with just 68 games played, the Lightning tied the 2008-09 San Jose Sharks as the second-fastest team to clinch a playoff spot in the salary cap era. The 2009-10 Washington Capitals accomplished the feat in 67 contests.
The Bolts have been atop the NHL's standings virtually all season, and currently hold a 15-point lead in the Presidents' Trophy race.
Any storm surge celebration plans were thrown out the window quickly Friday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes allowed four first-period goals en route to an 8-1 shellacking at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and it's safe to say captain Justin Williams was less than impressed with his team's performance.
With the second game of a back-to-back on the docket for Saturday night, journeyman netminder Curtis McElhinney was on the hook for all eight goals Friday.
"(It's) totally inexcusable and something quite frankly we're all ashamed of," Williams said, who was minus-4 in the contest. "Chance after chance after chance, we all owe him an apology for that."
McElhinney is in the midst of a career year at age 35, but was routinely hung out to dry against the Jets.
"We didn't have anything going," defenseman Justin Faulk said. "I don't think there was one part of our game that was any good. We made it very easy for them."
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes are still holding onto a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but things don't get any easier with a matchup against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
"We need every point we can get," Faulk said. "We come out like that, we're not going to get any points."
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Andrew Copp scored twice, Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists, and the Winnipeg Jets rode a four-goal first period to an 8-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
Kevin Hayes, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Ben Chiarot each had a goal and an assist. Adam Lowry also scored as Winnipeg posted its largest victory of the season.
The Jets scored three times in the first 10 minutes to jump ahead early and then three times in the final 10 minutes to turn it into a rout.
Laurent Brossoit made 28 saves and Winnipeg moved ahead of idle Nashville into first place in the Central Division.
Curtis McElhinney stopped only 21 of 29 shots for the Hurricanes. Greg McKegg scored their lone goal midway through the third period.
Hayes, Wheeler and Chiarot all scored in the first 10 minutes to set the tone immediately.
Hayes got it started when his initial shot hit Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce in the shin. Hayes took a whack at the carom in midair and batted the puck in under McElhinney's right pad.
Wheeler made it 2-0 when he kept the puck on his tape despite being hooked by Nino Neiderreiter and skated around McElhinney's left for a shot at the open net.
After Justin Williams and Dmitry Kulikov got sent off to make it 4-on-4, Chiarot skated in free from the point to the slot, took a centering pass from Connor and fired a wrist shot over McElhinney's right shoulder to make it 3-0 with 10:44 still to go in the first.
Ehlers added the final goal of the period in the waning minutes when he skated in untouched from the blue line and fired a one-timer off a pass from Hayes under McElhinney's right pad.
The Hurricanes' habit of letting players skate untouched into the slot continued beyond the first. With 31 seconds left in the second period, Jack Roslovic's shot was kicked out by McElhinney, only for a trailing Copp to grab the rebound and fire it into the net without so much as a poke check thrown his way.
It spiraled from there. Connor, Copp and Lowry all found the net with less than seven minutes to go, making it Carolina's most lopsided loss of the season.
NOTES: Winnipeg is 7-2 in its last nine games at Carolina. The Jets have won five of their last six against the Hurricanes overall. ... Jets D Dustin Byfuglien (ankle) returned to Winnipeg for treatment and missed his ninth straight game. D Josh Morrissey (arm) missed his fifth consecutive game. ... Hurricanes D Trevor van Riemsdyk played his 300th career game.
UP NEXT
Jets: At the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Hurricanes: At the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
Barkov didn't waste any time getting started. On his first assist, he tricked Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk into thinking he was going to take the puck behind the net, but instead fed Jonathan Huberdeau with a quick pass for an easy short-side goal.
After Barkov picked up his second assist on a point shot from MacKenzie Weegar late in the first period, the Panthers captain showed no signs of slowing down to begin the second. On the power play, he threaded a beautiful cross-ice pass to Mike Hoffman, who made no mistake on the one-timer.
After picking up a secondary assist on Mike Matheson's sixth goal of the year, Barkov kept the pedal to the metal.
The six-year veteran had the puck on a string on his fifth and final helper of the evening, weaving through the Wild like pylons to gain the zone before handing off to Matheson for his second tally of the game.
The center didn't do it all on his own though. His line featuring Huberdeau (one goal, three assists) and Evgenii Dadonov (three assists) combined for 12 points in the contest.
Barkov, a candidate for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward, jumped from 34th in the league in assists to tied for 20th. Not bad for a night's work.
Which also means it's hockey hair time, North Branch blew out Cathedral in the hair matchup ... just look at these 3 back to back pic.twitter.com/yP73nF1V9T
New Ulm's hair game is strong but they're having a tough time on the ice heading into second period. Down 3-0 to Mahtomedi, who has 27 S.O.G vs. New Ulm's 3. @PuckDropMN@StribSportspic.twitter.com/oiSVz5cFhJ
The Colorado Avalanche's playoff hopes have taken a substantial hit, as captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Friday.
The injury occurred when Landeskog collided with Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop during Thursday's 4-0 loss, according to NHL.com.
Landeskog is the club's top left-winger and has a career-high 33 goals and 69 points in 68 games this season.
Colorado sits four points back of the Minnesota Wild for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 14 games remaining.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson won't be returning to the lineup anytime soon as he deals with an injury separate from the groin ailment that sidelined him earlier this season, he told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.
Karlsson added he'll "100 percent" be back in time for the playoffs. It's worth noting, though, Karlsson has a history of playing injured in the postseason. Through the Ottawa Senators' magical 2017 run to the Eastern Conference finals, their former captain played on torn tendons in his foot and had to undergo surgery at season's end.
Karlsson missed a month of action from Jan. 16 onward with a groin strain. After five games back in the lineup, he appeared to tweak something against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 26 and hasn't played since.
The 28-year-old has missed 15 games in total through his first campaign with the Sharks and has recorded 45 points in 52 contests.
We're officially in the stretch run of the 2018-19 NHL season, and there's plenty left to be sorted out.
The top three teams in each division have mostly separated from the pack, which is where things get more complicated. There are four teams in each conference vying for a playoff spot, and we've ranked which has the best chance of qualifying for the postseason based on the respective remaining schedules.
Eastern Conference
1. Montreal Canadiens (36-25-7 - 79 points)
Games remaining: 14 Home vs. Away: 7-7 Games vs. playoff teams: 8 Back-to-backs: 1 Game to circle: March 28 vs. CBJ
The three best clubs in the East all reside in the Canadiens' division, so a wild-card spot will have to suffice this spring. The Habs and their fans will gladly take that given where many expected them to finish during the preseason.
Montreal has an even split of home and road games and only one back-to-back - a home contest versus the Buffalo Sabres before traveling to Carolina to take on the Hurricanes, who will also be playing their second game in a row that night. Otherwise, playing hosts to the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers should lead to a handful of points.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-9 - 81 points)
Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / Getty
Games remaining: 15 Home vs. Away: 8-7 Games vs. playoff teams: 8 Back-to-backs: 2 Game to circle: March 31 vs. CAR
It's bizarre to see the Penguins in a late-season close race, but Pittsburgh has come on strong of late by earning at least a point in eight of its last 10 to momentarily claim third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Pens' remaining schedule isn't exactly a cakewalk, with matchups against the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, and two versus the Nashville Predators over the next two weeks. Conversely, a final week that features the Red Wings twice and the New York Rangers - combined with this club's unparalleled experience in getting the job done - sets up Pittsburgh to qualify for the postseason for a 13th straight campaign.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (36-23-7 - 79 points)
Games remaining: 16 Home vs. Away: 9-7 Games vs. playoff teams: 10 Back-to-backs: 3 Game to circle: March 31 vs. PIT
The Hurricanes have been one of the NHL's hottest teams since the beginning of 2019, and are within just two points of the Penguins with a game in hand - coming via Friday evening's contest versus the Winnipeg Jets.
Games against the Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals (twice) make for some daunting matchups for Carolina, but a head-to-head with the Penguins at the end of the month has the potential to be the biggest of them all.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (37-27-3 - 77 points)
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
Games remaining: 15 Home vs. Away: 6-9 Games vs. playoff teams: 10 Back-to-backs: 3 Game to circle: March 28 vs. MTL
Things haven't exactly gone to plan for the Blue Jackets, with the club scuffling to a 4-4 record since acquiring Matt Duchene in the first of many pre-deadline trades on Feb. 22. The slide has pushed Columbus out of a playoff spot as of Friday, and climbing back in won't be easy.
John Tortorella's group squares off with the Bruins three times down the stretch, and also plays the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Canadiens, and Predators. If there's something working in Columbus' favor, it's the nine remaining road games - the Blue Jackets have a 20-11-1 record away from Nationwide Arena this season.
Western Conference
1. Arizona Coyotes (33-29-5 - 71 points)
Games remaining: 15 Home vs. Away: 7-8 Games vs. playoff teams: 6 Back-to-backs: 2 Game to circle: March 31 vs. MIN
The Coyotes sit three points out but are in a prime position to snap a playoff drought that dates back to 2012, if they can finish strong.
Arizona faces a four-game road trip through the Eastern Conference, which features tough matchups with the Lightning and Islanders. However, contests against the Panthers and New Jersey Devils present a good chance for a split. The Yotes will also host the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and the Blackhawks over the final month in what they'll hope is a run of games that can help pad their record en route to a playoff appearance.
2. Colorado Avalanche (29-27-12 - 70 points)
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Games remaining: 14 Home vs. Away: 9-5 Games vs. playoff teams: 7 Back-to-backs: 2 Game to circle: March 29 vs. ARI
Colorado's got a significant gap to close and is running out of time to do it, but the Avalanche have the benefit of a manageable schedule.
Their biggest chance to gain ground comes March 19 to 24, with games against the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars - the two teams currently holding wild-card positions in the West - before a home-and-home with the 25th-place Blackhawks. If the Avs can't capitalize on that stretch, they're toast.
3. Dallas Stars (35-27-5 - 75 points)
Games remaining: 15 Home vs. Away: 8-7 Games vs. playoff teams: 6 Back-to-backs: 3 Game to circle: April 6 vs. MIN
Just three points behind the Blues, Dallas still has a chance to jump into the Central Division's top three. But with only a one-point advantage over Minnesota, the Stars' fate is miles from being set in stone.
Dallas has won four in a row and will need to keep the momentum rolling as it heads into a five-game homestand beginning March 15. At home this season, the Stars are a formidable 21-10-2, but if things go sour during their crucial stretch at American Airlines Center, they'll have to right the ship on a four-game road swing immediately thereafter. Away from Texas this season, Dallas is 14-17-3.
4. Minnesota Wild (33-27-8 - 74 points)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Games remaining: 14 Home vs. Away: 8-6 Games vs. playoff teams: 10 Back-to-backs: 2 Game to circle: April 6 vs. DAL
The Wild have managed to turn things around, and the good news for them is that head coach Bruce Boudreau almost never misses the playoffs. That said, he'll need to rally his troops every night for a treacherous final month.
Minnesota has the most games (10) remaining against playoff opponents among all of its adversaries vying for a postseason spot. Seven of those matchups come in the club's final eight contests, with the exception being a date with the Coyotes on March 31, which could be a massive game if both teams remain afloat. The Wild's only option is to finish strong.
