Saturday, April 30. The only date that matters this spring for fans of Canadian hockey teams.
The NHL draft lottery will be held that night, and through play as of Sunday morning, the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs have the best odds at landing the top overall pick:
Before Maple Leafs fans get caught up in the excitement that is being in last place, Toronto's won three of four and has picked up points in five of seven. It's that time of year.
It's going to be a race to the bottom, and to, in all likelihood, American center Auston Matthews, projected to be the first overall selection in Buffalo in June.
The Philadelphia Flyers push for a playoff spot will be backstopped by Mason after general manager Ron Hextall announced that Michal Neuvirth will be out three weeks with a lower-body injury. In a subsequent move, Anthony Stolarz was recalled to serve as Mason's backup.
Neuvirth was expected to start Saturday against Pittsburgh but was a late scratch because, the team said, he wasn't feeling right.
Through 31 games, Neuvirth has a 17-8-4 record with a sparkling .925 save percentage.
If the Flyers fail to qualify for the postseason, the injury effectively ends Neuvirth's campaign.
Most of us were too young - or simply not alive - to watch Bobby Orr play hockey and singlehandedly change what a defenseman could be. Luckily, YouTube exists.
No. 4 turns 68 on Sunday, and there's no better way to celebrate than by watching awesome Orr highlights set to Hannah Miller's "Promised Land." And if you've never seen the pass he makes at the 1:12 mark, you're going to want to change that. Now.
Orr had 139 points in 1970-71, as a 22-year-old. Injuries limited him to only 657 regular-season games, in which he compiled 915 points.
Traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a one-for-one swap for defenseman Seth Jones, Johansen opened up about the deal with The Tennessean's Adam Vingan, saying the end of speculation about his future was certainly welcome.
"As soon as I hopped on that plane (after the trade), I just felt like I wanted to be at the rink," the 23-year-old said. "I wanted to get there. I wanted to get on the ice with the guys, just start my new chapter, I guess. ... For me, it was kind of like a 'get to work' moment."
Johansen's been a Predator for 32 games, after spending the first four seasons and 38 games of his career with the Blue Jackets. After scoring 33 goals in 2013-14, a career high, and 26 last season, his goal-scoring touch has abandoned him this season. He scored six with Columbus and has six with Nashville. He averaged 0.68 points per game this season before the trade and is averaging 0.69 after.
Johansen's thankful the deal happened when it did, long before the trade deadline. He feels like a Predator, as the club gears up for a playoff run.
"Just kind of a bonus of the trade was getting it done in January there instead of right at the trade deadline where things are a little more hectic," he said. "I was able to have some more time to adjust and get settled in with a new team and stuff and get more familiar with the guys and how they play and the systems and things like that. I think it was definitely, for any player I guess, a better situation to get there early.
Johansen makes it clear he wasn't relieved he was traded - he was committed to Columbus - but he was excited to start the next phase of his career, especially considering how young he still is.
"They made it very clear that I was the top-line center that they had been looking for, and for me, that's the perfect opportunity. I can go out there and just do my thing and have fun," he said.
Johansen's played six playoff games in his career, in 2013-14, scoring twice and adding four assists. The Predators are hoping for similar production, in hopefully three or four times the games.
That was the scene Saturday in Vancouver as the Canucks dropped a 3-0 decision to St. Louis, and while Ryan Miller stood on his head with a 47-save performance, Daniel Sedin thought the resolution demonstrated by the rest of the team left much to be desired.
"The only thing I worry about is effort," Sedin said, according to Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun. "And I think from some guys right now, the effort is not there. It’s not good enough. I think those guys know who they are. I think it’s embarrassing if you’re not giving the effort every night. Shift in and shift out, game in and game out, it has to be there otherwise it’s going to look like this."
The lack of effort, he said, isn't a new trend, and one that's effectively killed their playoff chances.
"I think it’s been an issue most nights," he continued. "Early on, we won some games because we had enough guys battling. It’s about learning to win those one-on-one battles. We’re there right now, trying to battle. But we’re not winning them. That’s a big difference."
Sedin, the team's assistant captain and de facto leader in the absence of brother Henrik, recorded seven shots in the loss, the Canucks' second-straight game without a goal.
The Buffalo Sabres forward scored his sixth goal of the season Friday, dropping to his knees in celebration, impressing his head coach, writes The Buffalo News' John Vogl.
Told Dan Bylsma was dazzled, Deslauriers kept it rather real.
"For me you've got to celebrate like it's your last one," he said. "You never know. I kind of lose control."
Scoring a goal in the NHL - there's probably little like it.
Deslauriers, a third-round pick in 2009, has scored 12 times in 160 career games - around once every 13 games.
SUNRISE, Fla. - On a night that the Florida Panthers handed out cardboard cutouts of actor Keven Spacey's face, the "House of Cards" star surprised fans by taking off his "Spacey Facey" mask as the videoboard camera panned around the stands.
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That was the question facing the Edmonton Oilers upon winning the 2010 NHL Entry Draft lottery, leaving the Boston Bruins - thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs - with as good a runner-up prize as could be hoped for.
While those two players have indeed remained at the top of that particular draft class, others are making a huge impact around the NHL, proving the conversation runs far beyond Taylor vs. Tyler.
Here are five whose stock has risen exponentially over the past six years:
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Selected 26th overall by the Washington Capitals, Kuznetsov - who remained in the KHL for three years after being drafted - is proving to be well worth the wait.
The Russian forward has eclipsed Alex Ovechkin to lead the team in scoring with 73 points in 70 games, and his playmaking skills rival the greatness of fellow Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom. Tied for fourth in the NHL in points, only Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, and Sidney Crosby have had more productive seasons than Kuznetsov to date.
If the Capitals are going to make good on their dominant regular season with a long playoff run, Kuznetsov could very well be the x-factor that tips the scales their way.
Vladimir Tarasenko
The St. Louis Blues sniper recorded his 100th career goal in his 250th game Saturday, giving him an average of 0.4 per game.
That's better than the three players from the 2010 draft with more total goals to their credit, namely Seguin (0.38), Hall (0.34), and Jeff Skinner (0.34).
In short, Tarasenko is emerging as one of the game's premier scorers, and it feels like he's just getting started.
Not bad for the 16th overall pick.
Mark Stone
The Ottawa Senators snagged Stone 178th overall, and up until last season, his professional hockey footprint left no impression to suggest he was a diamond in the rough.
Still considered a rookie heading into the 2014-15 season, Stone broke out to the tune of 26 goals and 38 points in his first full NHL season, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting to the Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad, a No. 1 overall pick the previous June.
He's followed that up with 22 goals and 37 assists in 71 games this season, good for a share of 11th in NHL scoring. Stone's 0.75 points per game is third among 2010 draftees, behind only Hall (0.86) and Seguin (0.83).
John Klingberg
This Swede has the look of the franchise-type defenseman the Dallas Stars have desperately been looking for.
Klingberg hung back in his native land after being selected 131st overall, and appeared in only 13 AHL games prior to being promoted to the big club. But in 132 games with the Stars, he's posted 72 points and has helped drive Dallas' formidable offense from the back end.
The 2010 class didn't feature many highly touted goalie prospects, but the Detroit Red Wings appear to have secured the one bright star at such a vital position.
Like many in the Detroit system, Mrazek was brought along slowly, but he may have have stolen the starting gig from a far-better-compensated Jimmy Howard over the course of the past two seasons.
Mrazek's .924 save percentage is good for sixth this season, and he rises to third among those who have appeared in more than 40 games. This may be good enough to put him in the Vezina Trophy conversation, while also giving the Red Wings reason to reconsider their long-term relationship with Howard.
Where was he picked, you ask? In the fifth round, 141st overall, after 12 goalies names had already been called.
Honorable mention: Jeff Skinner (CAR), Ryan Johansen (NSH), Jaden Schwartz (STL), Justin Faulk (CAR), Brendan Gallagaher (MTL), Tyler Toffoli (LA)
Kevin Spacey - award-winning actor, the star of Netflix's "House of Cards," and the Florida Panthers' good luck charm - attended Saturday's game, and Detroit put on a show for him.
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