Anyone who suggested prior to the season that the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets would be battling for the final playoff spot in the final days of the 2024-25 campaign might have been laughed out of the room.

Vying for the No. 1 spot in the NHL draft lottery? Maybe. But the playoffs? No way.

But here we are in the final two days of the season with these two very promising but very flawed teams fighting for the last spot. Montreal needs to get to overtime Wednesday night against Carolina to secure its ticket. Columbus needs Montreal to lose in regulation, and the Jackets need to beat the New York Islanders in regulation Thursday night.

Even though both teams have overachieved, the Blue Jackets' season will have been a success regardless of what happens. The Canadiens, on the other hand, face a lot of questions and a disastrous 2024-25 if they don't lock this down.

Today's video column has more.

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The Minnesota Wild got the point they needed to clinch a playoff spot, so they made a switch in goal.

With the score tied at 2-2 against the Anaheim Ducks after regulation, the Wild pulled goaltender Filip Gustavsson to give Marc-Andre Fleury the final regular-season action of his NHL career.

The 40-year-old from Sorel, Que., announced last April this season would be his last. He stopped all five shots he faced in 4:42 of overtime action before Matt Boldy received a pass from Marcus Johansson in the slot and fired the puck past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal for the OT-winner.

Fleury's teammates swarmed him to celebrate win No. 575 in Game No. 1,051 of his 21-season career. 

Afterward, Ducks players lined up to shake Fleury's hand with fans giving a standing ovation and Coldplay's Viva La Vida playing over the speakers.

'Flower' then saluted the crowd and fist-bumped his teammates as chants of "Fleury, Fleury, Fleury" emerged.

Heading into overtime, having already clinched a spot in the #StanleyCup Playoffs, the @mnwild put Marc-Andre Fleury in net. 🌸

The Wild won the game in the extra frame, and everyone in the building got to show their love for Flower after his final regular season game. 💚 pic.twitter.com/rGxFTGHMzA

— NHL (@NHL) April 16, 2025

Fleury has played and won the second-most regular-season games of any goaltender in NHL history, trailing only Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in both categories. His 76 shutouts are tied for 10th all-time, and he has a career 575-339-2-95 record with a 2.60 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.

He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins and also won the Vezina Trophy and the William M. Jennings Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21. He's the Wild's nominee for this year's Masterton Trophy as well.

Minnesota just needed one point to clinch a playoff spot. With the extra point, the team finished in the first wild-card place in the Western Conference and will face Fleury's former team, the Golden Knights, in the first round. 

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Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse received a one-game suspension Tuesday night for cross-checking Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield.

The 30-year-old will miss the Oilers' final game of the regular season Wednesday night against the San Jose Sharks. He'll be eligible to return for Game 1 of the playoffs against the Kings.

The Kings and Oilers faced off on Monday, with Los Angeles holding a 4-0 lead in the second period.

Near the Oilers' net, Nurse wrapped Byfield's upper body and took him to the ice, said the NHL's Department of Player Safety video explanation of the suspension.

"With Byfield on the ice, and after the play has ended, Nurse pulls back his stick and shoves downward onto Byfield, striking him in the head," the video said.

Darnell Nurse was issued a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Quinton Byfield. pic.twitter.com/J7yFs492ce

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 15, 2025

Nurse received a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking and a game misconduct. Byfield left the game and did not return in the Kings' 5-0 win.

NHL Player Safety agreed with the assertion that the cross-check was not delivered with "exceptional force," but it's for that fact the suspension wasn't longer.

Nurse has previously been suspended three times and fined once in his NHL career.

In May 2023, he was suspended one game for for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of regulation time against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague. He received another one-game suspension in May 2022 for head-butting Kings center Phillip Danault, and in March 2016, he was suspended three games for being the aggressor in a fight with Roman Polak of the Sharks.

Nurse will forfeit $48,177.08, which goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. His regular season ends with five goals, 28 assists, 33 points and an average ice time of 22:22 in 76 games played.

Danault reacted to the cross-check and the rough game during the second intermission of Monday's match, when the Oilers were without Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm and more.

"I think they just have their B squad in trying to hurt us," he told Patrick O'Neal of FanDuel Sports Network.

Oilers right winger Corey Perry was asked to address those comments post-game.

"What the f---?" Perry told reporters. "Did he not look at what's happened over the last couple weeks? Like, what do you want us to do? We're not out there to hurt anybody."

This year's first-round matchup between the clubs will be the fourth straight year they battle in the playoffs. The Oilers won the previous three series, but the Kings will have home-ice advantage this time.  

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You can say what you want about the NHL’s current Stanley Cup playoff format, but it ignited the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings’ rivalry.

The ultimate goal of the current division-based playoff format is creating and improving rivalries between teams. In the Atlantic Division, the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs will likely battle their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, and in the Central Division, the Dallas Stars will square off against the Colorado Avalanche. There’s plenty of history in both of those likely series, and emotions will be high right off the hop.

But what the Oilers and Kings have developed out of three straight years of first-round meetings is perhaps the best example of the format in action. They’re going at it once again in the first round of this post-season, and as we saw Monday night in the final regular-season game between the two clubs, there’s already no shortage of ill will between the Oilers and Kings.

Although Monday’s game featured an Oilers team with a handful of players sitting out – including star forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman – there was no shortage of chippiness and flat-out hatred between Edmonton and Los Angeles. 

Both sides spoke out during and after the game about the rivalry – including Kings center Phillip Danault, who talked about Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse cross-checking Kings center Quinton Byfield in the back of the head. Nurse was ejected from the game and may face supplemental discipline, but anger over the hit on Byfield clearly lingered with Danault.

“I think they just have their B squad in trying to hurt us,” Danault said on the Kings’ broadcast during the intermission.

For his part, Oilers right winger Corey Perry was incredulous after the game when told of Danault’s comments.

“What the f---?” Perry said to reporters. “Did he not look at what's happened over the last couple weeks? Like, what do you want us to do? We're not out there to hurt anybody.”

Edmonton left winger Connor Brown also discussed the bad blood between the two teams – and specifically, about Danault clashing with him during Monday’s game.

“I’m not really interested in getting into a media war with Danault,” Brown said. “He took a run at me. I took a run at him. I don’t really have anything to say.”

How Will Evander Kane Look Back In The Edmonton Oilers' Lineup?Evander Kane hasn’t played for the Edmonton Oilers in 10 months, but he’s getting close.

There’s every reason to believe tensions will be sky-high when the two teams go head-to-head in the next week. There’s a difference this time around in that the Kings have earned home-ice advantage, but otherwise, this is going to be a battle between teams that have developed a healthy hate for each other. 

That’s the whole point of the NHL’s playoff format. This isn’t to say that a different format could also create and develop rivalries, but there’s no doubt the current format is working in that regard.

The Oilers have won the previous three playoff series between the teams, but many people – this writer included – believe the result could be different this year. The Kings have the league’s best home record at 31-5-4, while the Oilers’ road record is 22-16-2 – not subpar but not intimidating, either. So Edmonton could be considered the underdog in this series, especially because key Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm will be out of action for at least the first round.

There’s no question that the emotions between the two teams are already at a fever pitch, and it won’t take much for those emotions to boil over. It’s going to be high drama between the Oilers and Kings, and because of that – and regardless of who wins – the NHL will consider that a tremendous success.

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After 16 seasons and 933 games in the NHL, San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture announced on Wednesday that he’s stepping away from professional hockey.

“My career of playing hockey has come to an end – I’m not physically able to play anymore,” Couture said at a Sharkspress conference. “I loved and cherished every single moment I got to play in this league.”

The 36-year-old revealed he’s been dealing with symptoms from Osteitis Pubis over the past two seasons. Osteitis Pubis is joint inflammation between both pelvic bones, which causes pain in the lower abdominal and hip and groin area.

Couture will remain under contract with the Sharks through the 2026-27 season. He signed an eight-year deal that became active in 2019, earning $8 million per season. 

Couture said he had an idea that he was coming to the end of his career after his last game against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 31, 2024. 

“I was in a ton of pain,” he said. “I guess it’s been in my mind that there was a chance that could’ve been it, since that game.”

Couture reminisced on all the great hockey memories throughout his NHL career and his time with the Sharks. He recalled the experience of his first NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 25, 2009. 

“I could’ve (retired) after that one game and been happy,” he said.

He highlighted all the deep playoff runs that San Jose had throughout the 2010s. In its heyday, San Jose had several deep playoff campaigns, despite being unable to get its hands on the Stanley Cup.

Between 2010 and 2019, the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference finals four times. On one of those occasions, they made it to the Stanley Cup final in 2016 but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

After discussing the glory days of his career, Couture began to thank those who helped him get to where he is today. 

“This will be the tough part,” he said.

The Guelph, Ont. native went on to thank all the members of the Sharks organization, his teammates along the way, agents and more. 

He also expressed his gratitude to his family and became visibly emotional talking about his parents. 

“You guys sacrificed so much for me to live my dream,” Couture said. “I love you guys, and I know I’ll do that for my kids.”

After his words, Sharks GM Mike Grier took over the mic, and following that was a video of special messages from old teammates, coaches and more.

All the messages had one thing in common: they all commended and remembered how much of a clutch performer he was in the playoffs. 

“I always admired you from afar,” Grier said while facing Couture at the podium.

He received a video message from Doug Wilson, Todd McLellan, Pete DeBoer, Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl. 

At the end of the press conference, Couture hinted at potentially taking a management position later on. 

“I do see a future, but not anytime too soon.”

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The Hockey News Big Show is back to discuss some of the biggest NHL and hockey topics

This Is Canada’s Best Chance At Ending The Stanley Cup Drought In Years by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and Ryan Kennedy discussed in this episode:

3:01: The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are locked in for a first-round matchup. Here’s what to expect and the series prediction.

7:48: The Winnipeg Jets clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the regular-season champions. Since 1986, only eight of the 37 Presidents' Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup. Do you believe in the curse?

11:01: What has impressed you most about Winnipeg's season, and more importantly, can they continue it in the playoffs?

13:55: For the first time in NHL history, the Bruins, Penguins and Rangers have all missed the playoffs. Which team will make it back into the playoffs? What moves do they need to make to get there?

17:14: This year's Stanley Cup playoffs could likely feature five of the seven Canadian teams. It would be the first time five Canadian teams have made it since 2017. Is this the year since 1993 we see the Stanley Cup brought back to Canada?

21:08: Which team has a better chance of winning the Cup between Toronto and Winnipeg?

21:59: We've got a few new faces making it into the playoffs this year. Which player who has never been in the playoffs are you most excited to see get their first taste of playoff hockey?

24:12: Which player is a bigger loss for their team heading into the playoffs: Mattias Ekholm for the Oilers or Oliver Bjorkstrand for the Lightning?

28:07: Reports out of Boston indicate that no changes are expected in the Bruins’ front office, so it looks like Don Sweeney and Cam Neely are here to stay. Is this good or bad for Boston? Could we see any other team making changes at the top and firing a GM? 

32:19: Ivan Demidov had an impressive NHL debut, with one goal and one assist. Could he be the next Guy Lafleur?

34:52: Logan Couture is not expected to continue his NHL playing career. He played 15 years, all for the San Jose Sharks. Where does he rank among all-time Sharks greats?

36:37: The NHLPA Player Poll was released today – 630 players were asked to name the league's most complete player. Sidney Crosby finished slightly ahead of Aleksander Barkov. Agree or disagree?

39:29: What’s your favorite NHL Stanley Cup playoff tradition?

Watch the full episode here.   

Subscribe to The Hockey News Big Show on your preferred platform.

The NHL Players Association's annual player poll is back to show everyone what the athletes think.

The poll shines a light on players’ opinions on a bunch of topics, whether it’s about the top players by positions, the most stylish person, the best ice and more.

After this year’s player poll was released Tuesday, three observations in particular were surprising. Let’s look at those surprises more closely.

1. Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl Not Top Five Forwards

Toronto Maple Leafs center Matthews is having a down year – at least, for him – with 31 goals and 75 points in 65 games. 

That relative slump was reflected in player voting for the “best overall forward” category. 

Five other players – overwhelming first-place finisher Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Tampa Bay right winger Nikita Kucherov, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov – comprised the top vote-getters in this category.

Interestingly enough, Matthews did appear in the “most complete player” category, finishing fifth behind category-winner Crosby, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, MacKinnon and McDavid. So there is a respect NHL players still have for Matthews. But clearly, Matthews’ inability to stay healthy and his drop-off in goals from a career-high 69 goals last season contributed to missing out on the top five forwards category.

Hart Trophy front-runner Leon Draisaitl also finished out of the top five in the “best overall forward” category, even though he leads the NHL in goals with 52 and ranks third in points with 106. He also has a 54.4 faceoff win percentage but didn’t make it on the “best face-off taker” list. He earned 6.83 percent of the vote for the NHL’s best playmaker question, but that was it.

Is Oilers' Leon Draisaitl A Better Goal-Scorer Than Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews? Not QuiteAt the moment, there are only two active NHL players with three or more 50-plus-goal seasons: Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin and…wait, you were expecting us to say Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, weren’t you?

2. Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby Finishes First In Three Categories

Crosby is now 37 years old, but he’s got 30 goals – the fourth-straight season he’s scored at least 32 – and 89 points in 79 games. The respect Crosby’s fellow NHLers have for him can be seen in his handful of top-five finishes in the player poll.

Crosby finished first as the most complete player, first as the smartest overall player, first as the best faceoff-taker, fifth as the best playmaker and tied for fourth as the best overall forward. 

Crosby’s overall dominance continues to resonate, and given that he’s showing no signs of slowing down, you should bank on him getting more love in next year’s NHL player poll. He’s still as incredible as they come.

3. Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck Ranks Third For Best Overall Goalie

Hellebuyck is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, and all he’s done since then is put up career-best numbers in wins (46) and goals-against average (2.02) while matching his career high in save percentage (.924). 

It’s hard to think of what more the 31-year-old goalie could’ve done for the Jets, but somehow, NHL players picked him only third overall in the best overall goalie category. Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy finished first with 31.13 percent of the 636 votes, while New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin received 23.58 percent of the votes. Hellebuyck received 15.57 percent of the love.

NHL Playoffs: Five Veterans With A Lot To ProveEvery NHL player has a lot to prove in the playoffs, but a handful of experienced post-season players have even more at stake this time around.

In some regards, you can see why NHL players voted for Vasilevskiy, who has a 2.20 GAA and .921 SP this year on top of winning two Stanley Cups and a Vezina in his career. Shesterkin finishing second, however, was more surprising. He has had a subpar season by his standards on an underperforming Rangers squad, with a 2.91 GAA and .903 SP. It feels like Shesterkin got votes from players based more on his reputation than his performance this season. 

In any case, the 31-year-old Hellebuyck has been so outstanding, he’s a front-runner for the Hart Trophy – and with due respect to Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck should’ve been the players’ pick as best overall netminder.

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The NHL announced every team’s King Clancy Trophy nominee for the 2024-25 season. 

This award goes “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Each team nominated a player.

The King Clancy Trophy will be voted on by a committee made up of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as well as previous King Clancy winners and those who received the historic NHL Foundation Player Award. The committee will consider how a nominee positively benefits his community with inspiration, involvement and impact.

The player with the most votes will earn $25,000 to donate to any charity or charities they wish. Also, the winner can choose to have their team get up to $20,000 from the NHL to support an event for their humanitarian cause.

Last year’s winner was left winger Anders Lee of the New York Islanders. Lee’s been a leader for the Islanders on the ice and has also been heavily involved with the Jam Kancer in the Kan foundation and other initiatives to help cancer patients and families affected by cancer. 

Since the award was introduced in 1988, an Islanders player has won the King Clancy Trophy three times. The Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks have also taken the award home on three occasions. The Calgary Flames have won the King Clancy four times, the most of any team in the league. Their last winner was captain Mikael Backlund in 2022-23.

Here are the nominees for this season.

Anaheim Ducks: Radko Gudas

Boston Bruins: Charlie McAvoy

Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch

Calgary Flames: Jonathan Huberdeau

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche: Devon Toews

Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski

Dallas Stars: Matt Duchene

Detroit Red Wings: Jeff Petry

Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Kevin Fiala

Minnesota Wild: Frederick Gaudreau

Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Ryan O'Reilly

New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes

New York Islanders: Matt Martin

New York Rangers: Adam Fox

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia Flyers: Garnet Hathaway

Pittsburgh Penguins: Kevin Hayes

San Jose Sharks: Mario Ferraro

Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz

St. Louis Blues: Colton Parayko

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner

Utah Hockey Club: Alexander Kerfoot

Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes

Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel

Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson

Winnipeg Jets: Adam Lowry

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NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2025 NHL draft.

Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer edged out Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa for the No. 1 spot on the North American skaters list. On the international skaters list, Djurgarden teammates Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund lead the way. 

NHL Central Scouting lists are better viewed as a league-wide barometer rather than a distinctive ranking by an outlet. The NHL’s in-house bureau gives teams and fans rankings to serve as a guide.

Here are some initial reactions to the NHL draft skater lists.

North American Skaters

There is some notable movement on a few players on the North American skaters list, despite Schaefer remaining in first place.

OHL Brampton right winger Porter Martone dropped a couple of spots from fourth to sixth place. He may not be a top-five draft pick after being a virtual lock in that range previously.

WHL Brandon center Roger McQueen has spent much of the season on the sidelines with a back injury, and although he came back just before the playoffs, he missed the final two games of the team’s first-round series loss. His drop from fifth to eighth could be the start of teams becoming more concerned about his long-term health. 

Another interesting drop on the list was Haoxi ‘Simon’ Wang who fell from 23rd to 34th, signifying that teams likely see the tall but lanky Oshawa Generals’ defenseman as a possible second-round pick. He stepped into the OHL at the halfway point of the season after starting in the OJHL, where he generated a ton of buzz. 

On the flip side, Brantford Bulldogs center Jake O’Brien went from eighth to fourth after a great season, showcasing a blend of physical tools and size and some excellent playmaking ability. Radim Mrtka, the Seattle Thunderbirds' import defender, rounded out the top five, moving up a spot. Barrie Colts physical blueliner Kaswhawn Aitcheson finds himself in the top 10, moving up five spots. 

Mason West, a center playing Minnesota high school hockey, jumped from 50th to 27th. He’s worth watching as the NHL draft draws closer. 

West is a big forward who moves fairly well for his size and is finishing the season strong for the USHL’s Fargo Force. He has the package that so many NHL teams want, so it will take just one team falling in love and grabbing him in the late first or early second round.

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ferrari's Mid-Season Top 64It's 2025 NHL draft rankings time again as we're about to see the class playing some of its highest-level hockey.

International Skaters

The international list is always a bit more chaotic, and this iteration is no different. 

Although Frondell and Eklund simply flipped positions at the top, the mid-term No. 3 was Ivan Ryabkin, who moved to USHL Muskegon and saw his stock fall to 35th on the final North American list. Modo Jr. center Milton Gastrin moved from fourth to third, and Czech left winger Vojtech Cihar moved up a spot to fourth. 

One of the most interesting names on the final list is Russian right winger Alexander Zharovksy landing at No. 5 after not being on the mid-season list at all. 

Zharovsky has a very interesting package of tools, and he tore up Russian junior hockey with 50 points in 45 games for Ufa Jr. But after not being on the list all year, finding him in fifth place was a moderate surprise. 

Max Psenicka sat eighth in the midterm rankings, but he was off the final list. Maxim Agafonov (17th to 33rd), Dmitri Isayev (ninth to 21st), and Kirill Yemelyanov (15th to 31st) are among some of the names that fell notably. 

Swedish winger Arvid Drott went from 43rd to 25th, playing alongside Eric Nilson (No. 7) on many occasions for Djurgarden Jr. Max Westergard, a Finnish winger playing in Sweden, rose from 66th to 30th. 

You can find the full lists here.

The Colorado Avalanche ended Gabriel Landeskog's conditioning loan early.

Their captain rejoins the NHL club on Tuesday after spending most of the past week with the AHL's Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche announced.

The 32-year-old hasn't played an NHL game since June 26, 2022, when his assist helped the Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup. He's had a right knee injury that involved cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023.

Landeskog has been on long-term injury reserve during his recovery. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Avalanche could assign him on a conditioning loan to the AHL while he's on LTIR for up to the longer of six days and three games for the purpose of determining whether he's fit to play. Although it's been six days, Landeskog only participated in two games, while the Eagles have three regular-season games remaining.

Landeskog played his first professional games in almost three years on April 11 and 12 with the Eagles. While he was left off the scoreboard in his first game, he had a goal and assist in his second.

"Physically, I feel great," Landeskog told reporters after his first game. "Obviously, it's the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at, but it was a lot of fun."

Although the Stockholm, Sweden, native said he has a lot of things to improve on to get back into the flow, it was fun to be back.

"Obviously, there were times where I didn't know if it was ever going to happen, so it felt great being in the battle again and on the bench, in the room, on the ice, all of the nuances of a hockey game," he said.

Avalanche teammates Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Josh Manson, as well as former teammate Andrew Cogliano and Avs GM Chris MacFarland, attended the April 11 match to support Landeskog.

Landeskog could be back on the ice with his teammates for the first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars if his knee responded well to the game action. The Avalanche are currently using LTIR pool space to exceed the salary cap's upper limit by just over $6 million, according to PuckPedia. Landeskog carries a $7-million cap hit.

There's no salary cap in the playoffs, meaning the team wouldn't need to clear cap space to take him off LTIR.

In 738 career NHL games, Landeskog has 248 goals and 323 assists for 571 points.

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