The Patrik Elias era is officially coming to a close in New Jersey.
The longtime Devils forward, who recently announced his retirement after 18 NHL seasons, took part in one last pregame skate with the team Saturday. His teammates allowed him to first take the ice on his own, at which time he promptly potted yet another puck into the net.
Elias then saluted the crowd before skating off for the time being.
Despite hoping to play one final season, Elias was forced to sit out all of 2016-17 and was limited to 16 games last season as a result of a knee injury.
He hangs up his skates as New Jersey's all-time leader in goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), game-winning goals (80), and hat tricks (eight).
The Devils have already announced they'll retire Elias' No. 26 next season. He'll be the fifth player in franchise history to earn that honor, joining Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko.
John Tortorella and his Columbus Blue Jackets have come upon difficult times to close out the most successful season in franchise history.
With Saturday's 4-2 loss in Philadelphia, Columbus has dropped six games in a row - the club's longest losing streak since dropping its first eight of 2015-16. But its head coach is trying not to overthink the backslide.
"I'm not going to pick apart what my team is right now, because it's so hard to judge in these types of circumstances," Tortorella said following Saturday's defeat, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.
The circumstances are by no means dire, as Columbus is locked into a first-round matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Blue Jackets have one more chance to right the ship before the postseason begins, as they'll travel to Toronto on Sunday for a matchup with the Maple Leafs.
The Boston Bruins are losing defensemen at the worst possible time.
Already playing their regular-season finale without an injured Torey Krug, the Bruins lost Brandon Carlo on Saturday - at least for the final two periods of their game against Washington. This as a result of an unpenalized hit into the boards by Alex Ovechkin that forced Carlo to leave during the first.
Prior to the start of the second period, the Bruins announced Carlo - who's averaging more than 21 minutes a night as a rookie - wouldn't return to the game due to what's been labeled an upper-body injury.
With Saturday's 3-1 defeat of the New York Rangers, the Senators climbed to 98 points and clinched the second seed in the Atlantic Division.
The Senators' playoff opponent is not yet determined as the final seed in the Atlantic is still up for grabs, with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs both in contention.
The Senators will close out the regular season Sunday against the New York Islanders.
Bickell was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on Nov. 11, 2016. He battled back from the disease to play 10 games in the AHL this season, followed by a recent two-game stint back up with the big club in Carolina, where he was overcome with emotion during a postgame interview.
The 31-year-old proved to be an invaluable role player during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cups. He scored a career-high 17 goals in 2010-11.
Bickell will most likely be remembered by Blackhawks fans for stepping up his play in the postseason. In 75 career playoff games he tallied 20 goals and 19 assists, including a 17-point effort during Chicago's 2013 run.
The 40-year-old Doan had a career renaissance last season, potting 28 goals, making it an easy decision for him to return for 2016-17. But he hasn't been as successful this season, tallying just six goals and 20 assists, all while battling a nagging groin injury in recent weeks.
That struggle has made it more difficult for Doan to decide whether to call it a career.
"I really don't know," Doan told Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. "I truly wish I did. It would make everything so much easier to be able to give a definitive answer. There's a chance I come back and play; there's a chance I don't.
"It's amazing how quickly you go from thinking you have lots of time to realizing you have no time. This whole year, you wish you had a do-over on, but you don't get them so you want to make sure you finish them off the right way."
Doan's leadership in the locker room is where the Coyotes captain has been as valuable as ever. He is the guiding light on a team featuring a crop of young players, from last year's rookies Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, to the new fresh faces in Christian Dvorak, Jakob Chychrun, Lawson Crouse, and Brendan Perlini, among others.
Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told reporters that Doan's value is more than what he provides on the ice, noting his leadership, personality, and commitment to the organization.
"All those things rub off, especially when you have as many young players as we have. It's great that they all get a little bit of a taste of that from him," Tippett said. "Shane is more than willing to help out in those things. There is sometimes when guys get a little older, they tend to back away from a lot of the young players. Shane is engaged with the young players all the time."
Now with 20 seasons under his belt in the desert, Doan has become the face of the game in the southwest, beloved for his dedication to the organization, having stuck with the club through its lean years. Through it all, he's made his mark on the franchise and etched his name across the record books, holding eight individual team-high marks:
Record
Shane Doan
Runner Up
Games
1539
Teppo Numminen - 1098
Goals
402
Dale Hawerchuk - 379
Assists
569
Thomas Steen - 553
Points
971
Dale Hawerchuk - 929
Powerplay Goals
128
Dale Hawerchuk - 122
Even-strength Goals
268
Dale Hawerchuk - 245
Game-winning Goals
69
Keith Tkachuk - 40
Shots
3942
Dale Hawerchuk - 2494
The Coyotes captain is also one of just six players to play more than 1,500 games with one franchise, an accomplishment that puts him in a category with Steve Yzerman, Ray Bourque, Alex Delvecchio, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Gordie Howe.
Named captain of the Coyotes in 2003, the most memorable season came nine years later, as Doan and the Coyotes eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators to advance to the Conference Finals. The series win over the Blackhawks was the franchise's first playoff series victory in 25 seasons.
Whatever his decision, Doan will still be lacing up the skates somewhere, telling Ben Kuzma of The Province, "The day I retire, I'll be playing in a men's league somewhere because I love the game."
The Penguins have already locked up the second seed in the Metropolitan Division, so the possibility existed the team could rest some players in preparation for the postseason.
Evgeni Malkin, who has missed the last 11 games with a shoulder injury and is close to returning, will not play Saturday. Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start in goal for the Penguins.
The Maple Leafs are battling the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders for the final wild-card seed in the East. Two points in its final two games guarantees a playoff spot for Toronto.
