Category Archives: Hockey News

Playoff percentages: Stars, Devils take massive hits; Panthers make drastic gain

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

Much like that first car your parents might have given you in high school, the engine has completely fallen out of the Dallas Stars.

The club dropped its sixth straight game on Tuesday with a loss to the Washington Capitals, concluding its road trip with a 0-4-2 record. As Tyler Seguin coined it postgame: It was "the road trip from hell."

The club sits two points out of the final wild-card spot in the West, but Tuesday's loss took a big chunk out of the likelihood of them making the postseason.

Here's a look at the percentages following Tuesday's games.

Western Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Stars 4-3 L vs. WSH 17.8% -12.4%
 Avalanche 5-1 W vs. CHI 90.9% +8.3%

In the East, the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils made moves in completely opposite directions.

The Panthers continued their incredible late-season run with a dominant win over the Ottawa Senators, while the Devils saw their chances drop below 50 percent and helped in the Panthers' pursuit of a playoff spot by laying an egg against the San Jose Sharks.

Eastern Conference

Team Result Playoff Chances Change
Panthers 7-2 W vs. OTT 69.3% +15.9%
Devils 6-2 L vs. SJ 47.7% -19.4%
Blue Jackets 5-3 W vs. NYR 94.4% +5.6%

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

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Loss to Avalanche officially eliminates Blackhawks from playoff contention

There will be no Stanley Cup parade in Chicago this year.

For the first time since 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks will not take part in the Stanley Cup playoffs, following Tuesday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

The defeat kept the Blackhawks at 69 points. With just eight games remaining, it means Chicago could only reach 85 points, and that's if the team won out the rest of its schedule.

As it stands, the Anaheim Ducks hold the West's second wild-card spot with 86 points.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, but times have been tough in the Windy City more recently.

Chicago was swept from last year's playoffs, and another disappointing season could mean a further shake-up to a roster already tight against the salary cap.

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Watch: Connor’s OT winner helps Jets set franchise wins record

The Winnipeg Jets set a new franchise benchmark thanks in large part to forward Kyle Connor.

The 21-year-old scored the team's two goals, including the overtime winner just 1:37 into the extra period Tuesday night. The end result was a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings which set a franchise record for wins in a season with their 44th of the year.

The Jets beat the previous mark of 43 set by the 2014-15 club, and by the then-Atlanta Thrashers who also tallied 43 wins during the 2006-07 season.

With nine games remaining on the schedule, the Jets will have the opportunity to pad their franchise mark before the season's out.

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Stars’ Seguin: ‘The road trip from hell is over’

Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars can't wait to get home.

The Stars fell 4-3 to the Washington Capitals Tuesday night, capping a disastrous six-game road trip during which they collected just two points.

When asked how the team can bounce back from this, Seguin responded emphatically.

"The road trip from hell is over," he told reporters postgame. "Nothing you can really do now. Gotta go home, gotta get points. We're playing some good teams, but we gotta find a way here."

Here are the results of the team's road trip:

Game # Opponent Result
1 Penguins 3-1 L
2 Canadiens 4-2 L
3 Maple Leafs 6-5 SOL
4 Senators 3-2 OTL
5 Jets 4-2 L
6 Capitals 4-3 L

The Stars currently sit two points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Out of their remaining eight games, only one comes against a non-playoff team.

Date Opponent
03-23 vs. Bruins
03-25 vs. Canucks
03-27 vs. Flyers
03-29 @ Wild
03-31 vs. Wild
04-03 @ Sharks
04-06 @ Ducks
04-07 @ Kings

The Stars will certainly need to play some of their best hockey down the stretch if they plan on returning to the postseason after missing out a year ago.

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Watch: Panarin nets hat trick as Blue Jackets extend win streak to 9 games

Artemi Panarin put his team on his back Tuesday night, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist in the Columbus Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over the New York Rangers.

It was Panarin's second career hat trick and helped the Blue Jackets win their ninth straight game to remain among the league's hottest clubs.

Thanks to a Philadelphia Flyers shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets were able to leapfrog the Flyers and jump into third place in the Metropolitan Division.

With his four-point effort, Panarin is now up to 25 goals and 68 points in 74 games - both team highs.

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Vasilevskiy sets franchise mark for goalie victories with win over Leafs

Andrei Vasilevskiy has topped the charts.

Recording his 41st win of the season Tuesday over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Tampa Bay Lightning netminder moved into first place in the franchise record books for most goalie wins in one season.

The mark was previously held by Ben Bishop, who found the win column 40 times during the 2014-15 campaign.

Here's a look at the top five spots on the list:

Goalie Season GP Wins
Andrei Vasilevskiy 2017-18 59 41
Ben Bishop 2014-15 62 40
Ben Bishop 2013-14 63 37
Ben Bishop 2015-16 61 35
Nikolai Khabibulin 2002-03 65 30

Vasilevskiy's 41 wins also ranks first league-wide, one ahead of Nashville's Pekka Rinne.

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Laine leaves game with leg injury after blocking shot vs. Kings

The Winnipeg Jets received a scare Tuesday, as superstar winger Patrik Laine was injured blocking a shot early in the second period.

The Jets later announced he will not return.

Laine suffered the injury after blocking a shot by Los Angeles Kings blue-liner Alec Martinez. He skated just 16 seconds of the second period before he was helped off of the ice.

Jets coach Paul Maurice could provide a further update on Laine's injury status following Tuesday's game.

A significant loss of time for Laine would be a big blow for the Jets, as he's tallied 43 goals and 25 assists across 72 games this season.

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Senators’ Sieloff sets odd NHL record with 2nd career goal

Patrick Sieloff is a man of opportunity.

In a game against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators defenseman scored his second NHL goal in just his second career game. In the process, he became the first player in league history to score in each of his first two career games while playing for different teams.

Sieloff's first career goal came during a game back on April 9, 2016 when he was a member of the Calgary Flames.

The 23-year-old has spent this season with the Belleville Senators of the AHL where he has just one goal and five assists in 47 games.

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