The Battle of Ontario has been heating up recently, thanks to the gradual emergence of the Sens as a potential playoff team. The visitors need these two points more than the Maple Leafs, as Ottawa is in the thick of a nasty multi-team wildcard frenzy in the Eastern Conference. Toronto would like to win to help their march on first place in the Atlantic Division. Such a finish would (most likely) force the two Florida teams to face each other in the first round of the Stanely Cup Playoffs…and Toronto could easily face Ottawa at the same time.
It’s the return of the Prodigal Son via Raleigh, as sniper Mikko Rantanen returns to the Mile High City now sporting the colours of the Dallas Stars. It’s rare for a superstar to be traded twice within the same season, but that’s what happened, and the Stars couldn’t be happier. The Avalanche also loaded up at the recent NHL trade deadline. As a result, these are two of the true battleship teams in the entire league, both looking to add another Stanley Cup to their trophy case.
And a happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! The Maple Leafs will be festooned in their snazzy green uniforms, facing a Flames team with no business being in the playoff spot at this time of the season, yet there they are (or darn close). The bottom of the Western Conference wildcard race appeared to be a two-team cage match between the Flames and Vancouver Canucks, but the St. Louis Blues and the Utah Hockey Club crashed the party.
While the Washington Capitals run away with the Metropolitan Division, Alexander Ovechkin inches closer and closer to a once seemingly insurmountable record. 894 career regular season goals, as scored by Wayne Gretzky. Ovie is on pace to pass that mark this season, and the Capitals are on pace to secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Did somebody mention playoffs? The Detroit Red Wings haven’t danced in the post-season since 2016 and haven’t won a playoff series since 2013. And with the recent tailspin by the Wings, it wasn’t looking good for Detroit to end that dubious streak.
While the Wild recently slipped down into a Western wildcard spot, they should still make the playoff cut this April. And third place in the Central Division is still obtainable. Tonight, Minnesota faces a Kraken team that will not be making the playoffs for a second straight year.
Spring begins at 5:01 am EDT (2:01 am PDT) today, another sign the Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner. The Golden Knights will once again be participating, making the cut for the 7th time in their 8-year history. But they haven’t won a playoff series since hoisting the Cup back in 2023. The Boston Bruins haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016, but that could be their fate this time around. They jettisoned a number of long-time Bruins’ at the recent NHL trade deadline, including captain Brad Marchand (who ended up with the Florida Panthers).
Two teams heading in different directions. The Blue Jackets look to be heading toward the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while the Penguins have been squirrelling away draft picks in an attempt to do a major reboot before the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ride off into the sunset. Columbus could overtake the New Jersey Devils for third spot in the Metropolitan Division, though the Devils recently beat the Jackets in a head-to-head matchup.
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