Somehow, the Calgary Flames' disappointing season continues to get worse, as head coach Glen Gulutzan dealt fans some more bad injury news Wednesday.
Forward Matthew Tkachuk and blue-liner T.J. Brodie have both been dealing with upper-body injuries over the past few weeks, and according to Gulutzan, both players have likely played their last game of this season.
"I'm not seeing that, with what's going on," Gulutzan said of potential returns for Brodie and Tkachuk.
"I wouldn't rule it out completely, but it’s doubtful at this point. I don't foresee either of them back before the end of the season."
The Flames are already eliminated from the playoffs, but the season-ending injuries are still salt in the wound for Gulutzan and Co. It's been a tough campaign all around for Calgary, especially after the team was initially pegged by many as a potential playoff dark horse with legit Cup aspirations.
The Flames currently sit fifth in the Pacific Division with 80 points, and will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting hot at the best time of the season, as they've won seven of their last nine games with the playoffs approaching. And, with their victory over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, the Leafs made a bit of history, too.
The tight 4-3 win over the Panthers was good enough for the Leafs' 46th overall victory - and 27th at home - this season, which are both new franchise records.
Wednesday's win would become that much sweeter for Toronto if the Philadelphia Flyers lose to the Colorado Avalanche in regulation later in the same evening. That result would punch the Leafs' playoff ticket for a second consecutive season.
The young Toronto Maple Leafs superstar fired home a wrist shot to give his club a two-goal lead over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, hitting the 30-goal mark for the second time in as many seasons since entering the league.
With Matthews' marker, the Maple Leafs became the only NHL team with three 30-goal scorers this season - the others being James van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri.
He also etched his name into the team's record books:
As if that wasn't enough, Matthews and Kadri became the first pair of centers in franchise history to both score 30 goals in back-to-back seasons, according to Sportsnet.
But wait, there's more. Including Matthews, only a handful of American-born players have ever potted 30 goals in consecutive campaigns to start their careers:
Only four other U.S.-born players in NHL history have also accomplished the feat: Bobby Carpenter (1981-82 and 1982-83) Mark Pavelich (1981-82 and 1982-83) Jimmy Carson (1986-87 and 1987-88) Tony Amonte (1991-92 and 1992-93)#NHLStatspic.twitter.com/u9KStgTnSN
Players aren't the only ones susceptible to injuries at the rink.
New York Rangers assistant coach Lindy Ruff was diagnosed with a concussion after stepping on a puck and hitting his head in practice Tuesday, head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.
Ruff was not with the team in Washington, D.C., for Wednesday's game against the Capitals, and Vigneault said Ruff needed stitches after the fall.
While some NHL veterans have cut down on heavier foods in an attempt to stay in shape in a league that's getting quicker and younger by the day, Florida Panthers soon-to-be 39-year-old goaltender Roberto Luongo has a different approach.
For example, hulking Boston Bruins blue-liner Zdeno Chara has gone full vegan, but Bobby Lu is still doing his nonna and nonno proud: "Carb-based diet. Lots of carbs. Pasta, pizza, that kind of stuff. I’m Italian," Luongo joked when asked about his eating habits, according to TSN.
"There is a lot of stuff obviously, but it's more physical maintenance wise, making sure the body recovers well and you feel fresh when game time roll around."
Luongo has dealt with a number of injuries this season, most recently sitting out the last two games with an upper-body injury. However, when he's been healthy, he's been solid, registering a 15-10-2 record to go along with a .927 save percentage and three shutouts.
"When I'm playing I feel good. I’m always working to improve and better my game. I'm never satisfied with the way I play, I always want to find things that make me better," Luongo added. "You just put in the work. Even though I might have slowed down over the last few years, but I think all in all, technically, I'm probably the best I've ever been."
The Panthers are in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild-card hunt, and will have their No. 1 goalie back commanding the blue paint Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Ottawa Senators signed free-agent forward Andrew Sturtz to a two-year entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.
The 23-year-old is coming off his third season at Penn State, where he concluded his time as the school's all-time leading goal-scorer with 54 goals in 111 games.
"Andrew is a player whom we identified as someone we were interested in for some time," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a release. "He is a skilled, competitive player who can play both center and the wing. He's not only talented, but the type of character player we are looking for. He'll graduate from Penn State in only three years and we look forward to having him in camp next season."
In his final year at Penn State, Sturtz tallied 14 goals and 26 assists for a career-high 40 points.
The NHL announced Wednesday the odds for the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, which will be held Saturday, April 28, in Toronto.
The 15 teams that don't qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs - or any that have acquired a first-round pick from one of those non-playoff clubs - will participate in the lottery, with the following chances of grabbing the top selection:
(Courtesy: NHL)
The lottery will involve three draws. The first will determine the club selecting first overall, the second will determine the club selecting second overall, and the third will determine the club selecting third overall.
Per the NHL: "odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 1st Lottery Draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 2nd Lottery Draw."
The remaining 12 teams will be allotted picks 4-15 based on reverse order of regular-season points.
But the most interesting name on the ledger belongs to a guy who just recorded his first 40-goal season in nearly a decade: Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal.
It didn't take long for Staal to establish himself as an elite NHLer, registering 100 points and winning the Stanley Cup in just his second season. Yet, as fast as he gained his superstar status, it vanished just as quickly, hitting rock bottom in the 2015-16 season.
During that disastrous campaign, he tallied just 39 points - including a mere six in 20 games after being traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the New York Rangers at the deadline, for his lowest point total since his 2003-04 rookie season (31).
During that nightmarish 2015-16 season - also a contract year - Staal knew of what he was capable, but admitted he had doubts whether he'd be able to return to form.
"I didn’t think that I wouldn’t be able to be a good player on a good team," Staal told theScore. "I always believed in myself as far as what I could do in this league and what kind of player I was, but when you have a tough year like I did - that last season in Carolina, then moving to New York - you definitely have your moments of doubt. You have your moments of, 'how are you going to get out of this?'"
Staal wasn't alone in these moments of doubt. As a player on the wrong side of 30 in a league dominated by younger, quicker players, most people believed his best years were far behind him. Yet, with 40 goals - including a career-high 27 at even strength - in his second year in Minnesota, he's having arguably the second-best season of his career at age 33.
In the process, he joined Gordie Howe as the only players in NHL history to go nine or more years between 40-goal seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Had Staal entered free agency a few years earlier, he likely would've been one of the most sought-after players to hit the open market in recent memory. Instead, his value was at an all-time low, making his decision where to sign that much more important.
"For me, going into that summer it was trying to find the right fit to join an established - what I considered a good team - and then to find a fit at center with some good players," he said. "There seemed to be a hole there at the center position in Minnesota. They were trying a lot of different guys that I knew at center and just felt like it was a good fit for me."
Staal signed a three-year, $10.5-million contract with the Wild on July 1, 2016. Excluding players on entry-level deals, it's arguably the NHL's most team-friendly contract. Yet, even before he signed the deal, Staal was determined to restore his status as one of the game's best players, rather than one in decline.
"Going into that summer, it was just trying to find the right fit and the right opportunity for me to kind of re-establish myself and not only prove to other people, but prove to myself what I can do and what kind of player I am," he said.
Staal turned some heads with a nice bounce-back season last year, potting 28 goals with 65 points in 82 games. This year, though, he's taken his game to another level, as he's tied for fifth in the NHL in goals with an outside shot at averaging better than a point per game for just the third time in his career.
Staal's unexpected goal-scoring resurgence prompted head coach Bruce Boudreau to joke: "Start calling him Midas from now on. (Everything he touches) turns to gold. I hope it doesn’t end."
It's been quite a fascinating career arc for Staal, as seen in the graph below (totals were extrapolated over an 82-game average to account for the shortened 2012-13 season):
Excluding his rookie year, Staal's three worst statistical campaigns came in his age 29, 30, and 31 seasons. For most players, those three years represent the tail end of their prime. Those who struggle during those years rarely rebound, yet Staal is trending upward.
So why has Staal been able to defy the odds and have one of his best seasons as he approaches his mid-30s? For him, there's no secret formula, like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his TB12 method. Though there are many reasons, confidence has been the key.
"No, nothing different as far as training-wise going into the season," Staal laughed. "This year, the puck just seems to be hitting the back of the net. You get the confidence of scoring goals and the confidence of producing and that can carry a long way. You just want to hold onto that feeling as long as you can."
Another factor in his resurgence has been the league-wide slashing crackdown. While it hasn't resulted in many more penalties in general, it's created more space for skilled players such as Staal.
"It does (open things up) for sure," he said. "You just get a little more time with the puck. You're able to hang on to it a little more, and kind of work your way into some of those tighter areas without giving up that scoring chance."
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Yet, perhaps the most interesting part about Staal's sensational season is that he's averaging just 17:55 of ice time per game - nearly two minutes below his career average, and the lowest since his rookie campaign.
"You always want to play more, but I think it has (helped keep me fresh)," he said. "There’s nights you’re going to feel great, and there’s nights when you’re not, and then there’s nights when you’re coming from behind, or playing more because of special teams. Every game is different."
What that has resulted in is some of the best per 60-minute numbers of his career, and some of the best in the league. Entering Tuesday, he sits fifth in the NHL (among players with at least 500 minutes) with 1.74 Goals/60 - which would stand as his career best. His 3.22 Points/60 would also be his best since Natural Stat Trick began keeping track in 2007-08.
Unsurprisingly, right behind Staal on the Wild in many key offensive stats are Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund - who have spent most of the season on Staal's wings.
"Zucks is a guy with a ton of speed, so when you play with a guy with that speed, the defense usually backs up, gives gap, gives room to be able to make plays," Staal said.
"Granlund is one of those guys that can really make some great passes and looks in those tight spaces and those tight areas. For me, you get a little more opportunity to have the puck, a little more time to shoot, a little more space to operate."
While Zucker and Granlund have helped Staal raise his game, he's done the same for them. Zucker has already shattered his career highs in goals and points, while Granlund is just three assists away from setting a new career best of his own.
This season has put Staal - already a member of the prestigious Triple Gold Club - right back on track for a first-ballot Hall of Fame nod. Two years ago, it probably would've been more believable that he'd be out of the league by now. Instead, he's re-established himself as one of the game's best players, displaying remarkable resiliency in what's been a turnaround for the ages.
Linesman Steve Barton has been released from an Edmonton hospital, the NHL confirmed Wednesday morning to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.
Barton spent Tuesday night in hospital following this scary fall resulting from a collision with Connor McDavid.
Barton was stretchered off after banging his head on the ice during the first period of the game between the Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets, but was feeling much better Wednesday and will fly home.
Welcome to the second edition of theScore's Vezina Trophy Power Rankings, where we rank this season's top five goaltenders.
5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
Previously: 3rd
GP
Record
GAA
SV%
SO
61
42-15-3
2.59
.921
7
Vasilevskiy's season has been a case of Jekyll and Hyde. In his first 34 games, he had a .939 save percentage and six shutouts, and looked to be running away with the Vezina. Since then, his save percentage is just .900 in 27 games, and he has only one shutout.
It's clear that fatigue has played a part in Vasilevskiy's first full season as a starter, but the dropoff has been more dramatic than anyone expected. Regardless, his lights-out first half was enough to keep him in the top five.
4. John Gibson, Ducks
Previously: Honorable mention
GP
Record
GAA
SV%
SO
58
30-18-7
2.46
.925
4
Gibson's stellar play has not only put him in a spot to potentially be a Vezina finalist, but also put the Ducks in a good position to make the playoffs - a prospect that was in doubt for a good chunk of the season.
Entering Tuesday night's game, Gibson was 13-3-2 with a .938 save percentage and three shutouts in his last 18 games played. Health has plagued him in the past, but he's started 58 games this year - good for seventh-most in the league.
3. Sergei Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets
Previously: 4th
GP
Record
GAA
SV%
SO
62
35-22-5
2.38
.921
5
While Bobrovsky only comes in at No. 3, he's arguably the goalie most crucial to his team's success. The Blue Jackets were averaging the fewest goals per game among teams in a playoff spot entering Tuesday night, putting an immense amount of pressure on their goaltender.
Once the Jackets were able to generate some offense, they strung together a 10-game winning streak that was snapped last week, backed by a .940 save percentage by Bobrovsky, who was in net for seven of those wins.
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
Previously: 2nd
GP
Record
GAA
SV%
SO
63
40-11-9
2.38
.923
6
Hellebuyck continues to be solid as a rock in the Jets' crease. He'll have to be spectacular down the stretch to take over the top spot, but he's undoubtedly solidified himself as a finalist.
1. Pekka Rinne, Predators
Previously: 1st
GP
Record
GAA
SV%
SO
56
41-11-4
2.25
.929
8
It's remarkable that Rinne has never won the Vezina Trophy, but barring some sort of late-season collapse, he has it all but locked up. Sure, the Predators are the league's best team, but they certainly wouldn't be there without the play of their star netminder.
