The New York Islanders are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016, punching their ticket with an emphatic 5-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Few expected the club to compete this year after New York underwent a series of drastic changes in the offseason. The team brought in Barry Trotz as head coach, Lou Lamoriello as general manager, and lost longtime captain and franchise center John Tavares in free agency.

Despite their summer makeover, the Islanders have seen a 17-point improvement in the standings compared to last season. With four games left to go, they're locked in a race with the Pittsburgh Penguins for home-ice advantage in the first round.

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The Detroit Red Wings are expected to ink head coach Jeff Blashill to a two-year contract extension, with an official announcement likely coming Tuesday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Blashill is in his fourth season behind the Red Wings' bench. He's guided Detroit to a 30-38-10 record this season and is 134-143-47 during his tenure.

This will be the third consecutive campaign that the Red Wings will miss the playoffs. Detroit was dispatched by the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round of the postseason in Blashill's first season at the helm.

He signed a four-year deal upon being promoted from Grand Rapids - the club's AHL affiliate - when Mike Babcock left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a healthy scratch Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in order to rest, Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told reporters pregame.

"You see the fatigue in his game," Julien said. "So, having been through a long season, for an 18-year-old (this is) totally normal. We need to win hockey games here, we need to try and put our best lineup together, and hopefully giving him some rest will give him an opportunity to finish strong here in the next few games coming up."

It's the third time this month that Kotkaniemi has served as a healthy scratch.

He has chipped in 34 points in 76 games, but has no goals with just two assists in his last 11 contests.

Saturday night's game is crucial for the Canadiens as they continue to pursue the Blue Jackets. Columbus currently occupies the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with the same point total as Montreal but with a game in hand.

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Dustin Byfuglien is ready to go.

The Winnipeg Jets will have the imposing defenseman in the lineup Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens, Jets head coach Paul Maurice confirmed pregame.

Maurice said Byfuglien will be eased back onto the second power-play unit.

The 34-year-old blue-liner has been out since Feb. 14 with an ankle injury.

Byfuglien leads the Jets in average ice time at 24:26, albeit in a smaller sample size. He has collected 30 points in 37 games.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to give one of their defensive prospects a look down the stretch.

Calle Rosen will join the club in New York ahead of Monday's contest against the Islanders, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters, on Saturday.

Babcock's plan is to have Rosen in the lineup until injured blue-liner Jake Gardiner returns, according to Masters.

Rosen has racked up 46 points in 54 games with the Toronto Marlies this season, in his second campaign with the Leafs' AHL affiliate.

The Leafs signed the 25-year-old to a two-year contract extension in December.

Toronto will face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

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Nick Schmaltz has agreed to a new seven-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes, the club announced Saturday.

The contract extension carries a $5.85-million average annual value, or $40.95 million in total, The Athletic's Craig Morgan reports.

Schmaltz has been out since December with a knee injury. The 23-year-old collected 14 points in 17 games before being forced out of the lineup.

He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in November for forwards Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini.

The Blackhawks selected Schmaltz with the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

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Mark Giordano, Robin Lehner, and Corey Crawford are among the 2018-19 nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The Calgary Flames defenseman, New York Islanders goaltender, and Chicago Blackhawks netminder are among 31 players selected by the corresponding chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the award that recognizes the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Giordano is having the best season of his career at the age of 35 and is the heart and soul of a resurgent Flames club. He's also likely to be a Norris Trophy finalist as one of the top blue-liners in the NHL.

Lehner has overcome addiction, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and opened up in September about having suicidal thoughts last season. The 27-year-old Swede enters Saturday's games with a .926 save percentage, and he's helped the Islanders defy expectations by fighting for the Metropolitan Division crown.

Crawford returned to action in late February after suffering his second concussion in the last two seasons. He missed most of the 2017-18 campaign and more than two months of 2018-19, but has helped the Blackhawks make a late-season playoff push this spring. He came into Saturday's schedule with an 8-4-1 record and a .921 save percentage since his return.

Here's the full list of the nominees from each club:

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