With a 4-1 win on home ice over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, the Golden Knights punched their ticket to the postseason in their record-setting inaugural season.
The Golden Knights are the third team in league history to qualify for the playoffs in their debut campaign, joining the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers and Edmonton Oilers, per NHL Public Relations.
However, the Whalers and Oilers did so after joining from the World Hockey Association, making Vegas' accomplishments the first of its kind in the NHL.
Before the season begun, oddsmakers projected the Golden Knights to finish with a league-worst 69.5 points, but Monday's win pushed them to 103 on the season - ranking fourth in the league - with six games remaining.
Monday's 4-3 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks gave the Sharks their eighth consecutive win.
The Sharks temporarily moved within four points of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division, but the expansion franchise later regained its six-point cushion and clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Colorado Avalanche.
San Jose hasn't lost since March 10, when they fell 2-0 to the Washington Capitals.
Extending the streak won't be easy, as the Sharks face the St. Louis Blues - winners of five straight themselves - in the second game of a road back-to-back Tuesday night.
San Jose then travels to Nashville to face the NHL-best Predators on Thursday night before clashing with the Golden Knights in Nevada on Saturday.
Brickley's decision is likely coming later this week, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
The 22-year-old defenseman piled up 35 points in 40 regular-season games for the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks, who were eliminated by Minnesota Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.
He played three seasons at MSU-Mankato and also represented the United States at the 2017 World Championship.
Terry was drafted in the fifth round in 2015, but put himself on the map after an epic performance with the United States at the 2017 world juniors. Terry scored three goals in the semifinal versus Russia, then scored the shootout winner against Canada to deliver his country a gold medal.
The 20-year-old also represented USA at PyeongChang 2018, and recorded 48 points in 39 games with the University of Denver this season.
The 20-year-old center poured in 52 points across 40 games in his sophomore season with the University of Denver, which was eliminated by Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.
His point total put him in a tie for fourth in the NCAA and placed him first in his conference, the NCHC, which gave him 2018 player of the year honors.
Borgstrom is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top U.S. college hockey player.
He helped Denver capture the 2017 NCAA championship.
Already without defenseman Jason Demers for the remainder of the season, the Coyotes announced on Monday that blue-liner Niklas Hjalmarsson will not play in the team's final seven games due to a lower-body injury.
It's been an injury-riddled campaign for the first-year Coyote, who earlier this season missed a 10-game stretch with an upper-body injury. He then returned for five games before missing the next 16 contests due to another upper-body ailment.
The 30-year-old has one season remaining on his contract, carrying a $4.1-million salary cap hit.
Marcus Johansson is inching closer to returning to game action, but he hasn't forgotten what put him on the sidelines in the first place.
An elbow courtesy of Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand - as the play was blown dead - during a Jan. 23 contest left Johansson concussed.
While Marchand was suspended five games as a result of the hit, Johansson has been unable to suit up for the past 28 games as he continues to recover from his second concussion this season.
Johansson is also dealing with the frustration in how the injury occurred.
"It was stupid. There's nothing else to say about it," Johansson told Corey Masisak of The Athletic. "There was no point in doing that. There was no hockey play whatsoever.
"It's sad to see there are still guys out there trying to hurt other guys. It's sad. It's stupid. I (am) hoping it doesn't come to him ending someone else's career before it is enough."
Nor does Johansson feel the length of Marchand's ban will sufficiently influence his future behavior.
"Not really, consider this was the ninth time he's been suspended or fined," Johansson added. "Like I said, you hope that it doesn't come to him ending someone's career before it's enough."
As Johansson indicates, Marchand has missed plenty of time at the rink due to his indiscretions, including six suspensions since 2011 totaling 19 games lost, plus seven fines.
Marchand's latest supplemental discipline - a $2,000 fine - came less than two months after the hit on Johansson. But its relatively minor amount apparently isn't a major deterrent to the Bruins forward.
"It's a joke. It's a small amount of money and pretty stupid. But it is what it is," Marchand said earlier this month.
As for Johansson, while Monday marked his first practice, there is no time frame for when he will return to game action.
The Swedish forward has been limited to just 29 games and 14 points this season, a critical loss for a Devils squad battling for its playoff lives and one that could benefit from his offensive contributions.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some depth to their prospect pool, signing Princeton forward and undrafted free agent Eric Robinson to a two-year, entry-level contract.
"Eric is a power forward with excellent speed who plays a very reliable two-way game and brings the type of character and leadership we value as an organization," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement.
Robinson is expected to join the Blue Jackets for Tuesday's contest against the Edmonton Oilers.
The 22-year-old has spent the past four seasons with the Tigers. He opted to turn pro after Princeton lost out in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
Robinson tallied 17 goals and 14 assists across 36 games this season.
Prior to joining the Tigers, the New Jersey native spent one season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he collected 24 points in 50 contests.
Gaudette, 21, led the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 30 assists in 38 games for the Northeastern Huskies, and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top college men's player.
.@Hockey_Gaud, 21, led the NCAA in scoring with 60 points in 38 games with the @GoNUmhockey this season. He finished first in the @NCAAIceHockey in goals (30), points per game (1.58) and power play points (27). 🔥🔥🔥
"Adam has had a remarkable season and college career playing at Northeastern," said general manager Jim Benning. "He's a very talented player and has shown an ability to score, make plays and contribute in all situations at the collegiate level. We're excited to have him join our team and continue his development as a professional."
Gaudette was selected by the Canucks in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.
The Edmonton Oilers captain was named the NHL's first star of the week Monday after collecting 10 points over his last four appearances, including a four-point outing against the Ottawa Senators. McDavid sits four points ahead of Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for the league lead in scoring with 99 points.
After collecting three straight victories, St. Louis Blues netminder Jake Allen is the NHL's second star of the week. The stretch saw Allen post three consecutive games in which he allowed a single goal, while turning aside 73 shots.
Winnipeg Jets rookie forward Kyle Connor is the NHL's third star of the week after he notched six points in three games, including overtime-winning goals over the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. Connor ranks tied for first with Vancouver's Brock Boeser in rookie goal scoring with 29 tallies on the season.