There’s a marquee NHL matchup this evening, as the Oilers and Maple Leafs face off in downtown Toronto. Edmonton features the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are 1-2 in the NHL scoring race, while the Leafs ain’t too shabby in that department, with the likes of Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews up front. Maybe the pressing question for both clubs is the state of their goaltending. Can both teams ride their netminders for a deep playoff run? Toronto appears certain to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, while Edmonton could finish anywhere from first in the Pacific Division or down in one of the two Western wildcard positions.
Will Patrick Kane prove to be a difference-maker for the Rangers? The certain Hall-of-Fame forward was obtained near the recent NHL trade deadline, and there’s still disagreement amongst Rangers’ fans if Kane was the type of player they should have targeted. Will the Penguins make the playoffs? They’ve been seemingly sitting in one of the Eastern wildcard slots for the past few months, which means their reward in mid-April will be either a date with the league-leading Boston Bruins or the Carolina Hurricanes, who are currently sporting the second-best record in the NHL.
Down the stretch, the Dallas Stars are in quite the battle for the top spot in the Central Division. Tonight they take on a Seattle squad who are better on the road but still sport a winning record on home ice. The second-year Kraken have surprised most hockey observers with their playoff push, and the team can finish anywhere from first in the division or end up in one of the two wildcard spots.
Time is quickly running out for the Calgary Flames to get their act in gear and win enough games to qualify for the upcoming 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. To say they’ve been a disappointment so far this season would be an understatement. They’ve been on the wrong end of the most one-goal decisions and have not benefited from steady goaltending. The recent plight of the Winnipeg Jets, one of the teams the Flames are trying to overtake, has helped keep the playoff hopes alive in Southern Alberta. They face a Coyotes team that is not in the post-season conversation this time around but are quite capable of putting up a fight on any given Tuesday evening.
Big test for both teams tonight, as the Avalanche take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto. Colorado have been hampered by a rash of injuries to key players this season but are still in the race for first in the tough Central Division. Everybody knows Toronto and Tampa will renew playoff hostilities in the first round this April, but which club holds home-ice advantage is yet to be determined.
The rematch from the Sunday afternoon game, it’s a huge two points up for grabs for both clubs this evening. The Rangers have played the Capitals since they face the Pens, and they’ll face the Pens again this upcoming Saturday evening. It’s a mini-playoff series in mid-March. Pittsburgh played Montreal this past Tuesday.
While the Blues aren’t going anywhere this season, there is belief in St. Louis that the team is not that far away from turning things around and becoming a playoff contender yet again. The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019. The year before that, the Capitals won the Stanley Cup, and at the moment, they still entertain thoughts of making the playoff cut this time around.
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