Pacioretty still expects NHL participation at 2018 Olympics

Max Pacioretty isn't picking up what Gary Bettman is putting down.

On Tuesday, the NHL commissioner stated people should assume the league will not be shutting down in order to allow player participation at the 2018 Winter OIympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, citing an inability to quantify any benefit for doing so in the past.

Respectfully, the Montreal Canadiens captain and 2014 Team USA member disagrees.

"People want to see us go, we want to go," Pacioretty said, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet. "I think it helps the league. I know it helps the league."

Pacioretty added, "For me, it’s a no-brainer that players should be there and players should go."

In regards to what Bettman said Monday, Pacioretty sees it as part of the negotiation process.

"(Bettman) is a smart guy. That’s what you do. You never try and fold or give up too much too easily. That’s what smart negotiators do, but players want to go, and we’ve heard rumblings of owners wanting players to go. It’s no surprise. We’ll see what happens, but I expect us to be there."

It was reported in November the NHL offered to extend the current collective bargaining agreement with the players in order to ensure Olympic participation, a notion that was soundly rejected.

While Bettman hasn't slammed the door shut, clearly some middle ground needs to be found in order to make it happen.

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Playoff Percentages: Idle Leafs, Isles rejoice as Bruins, Lightning falter again

Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.

It was a busy Tuesday night in the NHL, and if the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs were scoreboard watching, they had a blast.

Meanwhile, it was a tough night in the state of Florida. After losses in must-win games, the Tampa Bay Lightning's chances to make the playoffs are slightly below 11 percent, while the Panthers are at 0.2 percent - lowest among teams that still have a mathematical shot.

Here are the evening's biggest swings with respect to playoff odds, with all the significant action happening in the East:

Eastern Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Leafs Off 78.3% +4.9%
Islanders Off 29% +4.9%
Hurricanes W 4-3 vs. Panthers 4.4% +2.5%
Bruins L 2-3 vs. Sens 78% -6.3%
Lightning L 3-5 vs. Coyotes 10.8% -7.9%

Western Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Blues W 4-2 vs. Avalanche 99.6% +0.3%
Flames L 2-4 vs. Capitals 99% -0.3%

To see percentages for the entire NHL, visit Sports Club Stats.

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Canucks outshot 44-15, blow 4-1 lead, but beat Blackhawks in OT

CHICAGO - Daniel Sedin scored a power-play goal 2:12 into overtime and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 on Tuesday night to end a six-game skid.

With his twin brother Henrik Sedin screening goalie Scott Darling, Daniel Sedin connected on a high, long shot. The score withstood a video review for goaltender interference and snapped the Blackhawks' five-game winning streak.

Chicago rookie Ryan Hartman scored his second goal of the game with 1:03 left in the third period to tie it at 4. The Blackhawks rallied with three goals in the third period to send it to overtime.

Vancouver's Brandon Sutter scored two goals to end a 13-game drought. Sutter, along with Henrik Sedin and Reid Boucher, connected on three of the Canucks' first five shots as Vancouver pounced on Chicago mistakes to build a 4-1 advantage.

Ryan Miller made 40 saves as the Canucks were outshot 44-15.

Marian Hossa scored his 23rd goal and Richard Panik his 20th in the third period to help Chicago storm back late for a second straight game.

Chicago All-Star Corey Crawford made just six saves on 10 shots before being relieved by Darling after Sutter scored his second goal - and 17th of the season - at 2:15 of the third.

The Blackhawks' Central Division lead over Minnesota dropped to six points after the Wild's 3-2 win over San Jose.

The fading Canucks entered having lost four straight in regulation and were 0-4-2 in their last six.

Vancouver had been outscored 21-9 in the six-game slide and 15-5 in the last four.

The Canucks cashed in on Chicago lapses and scored on three straight shots late in the first and early in the second to take a 3-1 lead.

After slipping to the crease uncovered, Henrik Sedin opened the scoring with 59.5 seconds left in the first. Crawford had no chance on his point-blank backhand deflection of Daniel Sedin's snappy feed from the right boards.

Sutter made it 2-0 just 1:33 into the second after Blackhawks rookie Nick Schmaltz lost the puck just inside the Chicago blue line. Jayson Megna whipped it down low to Sutter, who moved in alone and faked Crawford to the ice.

Hartman cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 3:15, beating Miller with a nifty fake after darting down the slot alone to cap a slick passing play with Hossa and Schmaltz.

Panik came inches from tying it during a power play two minutes later, but his close-in shot clanked off the left post.

Instead, Boucher scored on the Canucks' next shot at 7:45 to make it 3-1. After slipping behind Chicago's defense, he cut toward the crease and tipped in Christopher Tanev's feed.

Sutter made it 4-1 when he completed a 2-on-1 break with Jack Skille.

Hossa's one-timed drive from the right circle at 5:48 cut it to 4-2. Panik narrowed it to 4-3 on a screened shot from the high slot at 2:22 later.

NOTES: Blackhawks D Johnny Oduya was back after being rested on Sunday versus Colorado. ... Chicago C Artem Anisimov sat out his fourth game with a lower-body injury. ... The Sedins combined on goals for the 703rd and 704th times, second only to Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. ... Before the game, the Blackhawks held a moment of silence for former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause, whose death was confirmed Tuesday by the NBA team.

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Mason calls out Flyers after loss: ‘We need a better effort’

The Philadelphia Flyers continued their 2016-17 slide Tuesday night, dropping a 3-2 contest to the Winnipeg Jets to earn the 13th loss of their past 20 games.

Flyers goaltender Steve Mason didn't mince words after the loss, calling out his mates for failing to capitalize on the Jets' shorthanded blue line - Winnipeg played with six defensemen sidelined by injury.

"It was up to us to make them feel uncomfortable," Mason said after the game, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "We're also facing a goaltender who hadn't had a start in two months, and I don't think we made it hard enough for him.

"We need a better effort."

The Flyers fired 26 shots at Jets netminder Michael Hutchinson, putting just two behind him (the second tally coming in the final two seconds, with the game all but sealed up). Mason faced 33 shots in total, stopping 30.

But it wasn't just the Tuesday-night loss that irked the veteran netminder.

"We keep playing like this and we'll be mathematically eliminated before you know it," Mason said. "We've got to stop this win-one-lose-one (habit). We have to have some growth on the team here."

With the loss in tow, the Flyers rank second-last in their division with 74 points. They haven't been eliminated just yet, as they sit seven points out of the East's final wild-card spot with 10 games remaining on their season.

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Dubnyk ties franchise record for wins in a season as Wild snap skid

The Minnesota Wild's funk is over. The Sharks' continues.

Minny snapped its five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over San Jose, and it was a significant victory for Devan Dubnyk, who tied a franchise record for wins in a season with his 37th.

"I've been waiting for a while," Dubnyk said, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo. "It felt like a long month."

Dubnyk hadn't tasted victory since March 10, as the Wild allowed three or more goals in each of their five losses during their struggles. In other words, Minnesota wasn't playing Wild hockey.

"We can stop talking about the other stuff now," he added. "This is what we're about."

Five of the game's four goals Tuesday were scored in a wacky two-minute sequence in the second period:

Dubnyk finished the game with 21 saves.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are struggling to wrap up the Pacific Division. San Jose's lost four in a row, and the offense has dried up, with only eight goals scored in those four losses.

The Flames are five points back of San Jose, while Edmonton and Anaheim are only four back, and the latter two have a game in hand.

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Hurricanes’ Slavin having incredible March

Everything is coming up Jaccob Slavin this month.

The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is in the midst of an incredible streak, picking up 11 points in 12 March games, tying him with Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson for the most points this month by a defenseman.

Of course, the streak was highlighted by Slavin's first career hat trick when he recorded four points March 13 against the New York Islanders.

Nevertheless, Slavin is not only having an impressive month, but a great sophomore season. After posting a respectable 20 points in 63 games last season as a rookie - good enough for fifth among first-year defensemen - Slavin has already upped that mark by 10 points while playing in all but one of Carolina's games this season.

Slavin has quickly become one of Carolina's premiere defensemen, leading the club in rearguard scoring and averaging the team's most ice-time per game.

The 22-year-old is just coming into his own, but if this season and - more specifically - this month, have proven anything, it's that Slavin could be on his way to becoming one of the NHL's best young talents.

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Schneider’s stupendous toe save sets up Blandisi’s OT heroics

The New Jersey Devils are playing out a lost season, but they went at the New York Rangers hard as ever Tuesday night.

A chippy affair, which Rick Nash said featured "kind of a playoff atmosphere," ended in a 3-2 overtime win for the Devils thanks to a couple of ridiculous saves by Jersey 'tender Cory Schneider.

Not only did Schneider use his toe to keep the puck out of the net after Kevin Hayes' impressive backhand deke, he then robbed the Rangers forward using his arm, after Hayes tried to sweep the rebound into the net.

The play went the other way, and the rest is history, with Joseph Blandisi tucking in the winner on his backhand.

Also history: Schneider's nine-game personal losing streak. He hadn't won in over a month. He earned this one.

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Poor goaltending in Florida costs Lightning, Panthers must-win games

It's looking increasingly likely that playoff hockey won't be played in Florida this spring.

Tuesday night was excruciating for the state's two teams, as the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning dropped must-win games against teams they simply had to beat: the Carolina Hurricanes and Arizona Coyotes.

Goaltending was the reason why on this night:

Goalie SV% Saves SA
Reto Berra (FLA) .840 21 25
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) .882 30 34

In fact, with the Panthers' 4-3 loss to Hurricanes, Carolina's now jumped Tom Rowe's club in the Eastern Conference standings. The Canes are hot: 6-1-3 in their last 10, and now six points back of the second wild-card spot, currently held by Toronto.

They've featured prominently in the Panthers' season, going 2-0-1 against the club. Fired head coach Gerard Gallant's final game with the Panthers was a 3-2 loss to Carolina, back on Nov. 27.

The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last season. This time around, they're fighting tooth and nail just for a chance to sneak back into the dance.

The Lightning, meanwhile, have now lost three in a row after a 5-3 setback to Arizona, and are stuck at 77 points, with the Maple Leafs owning a game in hand.

The Coyotes went into Tuesday's game with more points than only hapless Colorado. The Lightning simply had to get two points, any which way.

Six of Tampa Bay's remaining 10 games are against teams in playoff position, including Boston and Montreal twice. There's one more date with Toronto, on April 6, which looms very large.

The Lightning are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, after back-to-back deep runs, to the Eastern Conference Final last year and the Stanley Cup Final two years ago.

The rest of the way is a bit tougher on the Panthers, with seven of 10 left against playoff-bound clubs.

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