Nick Ritchie may find himself in hot water with the Stanley Cup Playoffs quickly approaching.

The Anaheim Ducks forward was assessed a match penalty after dropping a defenseless Michal Rozsival with a punch to the face during Thursday's game against the Blackhawks.

Rozsival earned a minor for cross-checking Corey Perry, an act that drew the disproportionate reaction from Ritchie.

A call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety may be forthcoming.

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That's one way to redeem yourself after taking a penalty.

Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman left the box, took a breakout pass, and managed to beat Ben Bishop on a rare breakaway opportunity during Thursday's game against the Kings.

The goal was Wideman's fifth in 56 games this season.

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Mike Babcock was understandably disappointed after the Toronto Maple Leafs squandered a chance to clinch a playoff berth Thursday night.

"We made it way harder than it should (have been)," the head coach told reporters after the 4-1 win by the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "We didn't play like we normally do."

The Leafs never led in the game, which ultimately kept Tampa Bay's playoff hopes alive, moving them within three points of Toronto for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

"We never established the game we normally play," Babcock said. "We got to go back to the drawing board and get re-energized."

Morgan Rielly also lamented the missed opportunity.

"We knew what was at stake," the defenseman said. "We didn't do our job. Not very pleased with the game and it just puts more pressure on the next one."

James van Riemsdyk took a more optimistic view.

"We're in a good spot," the Leafs forward said. "Great spot, actually. We control our own destiny still ... we'll be ready to go for Saturday."

Toronto hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins that evening in their penultimate regular-season game before Sunday's clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both the Lightning and the New York Islanders sit three points back of the Leafs with two games to play.

The Islanders will play the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, then the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. The Lightning travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Friday night, then host the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday in their regular-season finale.

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Brad Marchand is sending some mixed signals in regards to a spear on Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin that resulted in a two-game suspension.

Speaking prior to Thursday's game against Ottawa - an eventual loss that Marchand missed as a result of the suspension - the Boston Bruins winger acknowledged the play was selfish and undisciplined, and he now has no choice but to live with the decision and do all he can to get ready to help his team in the playoffs.

Still, he left some room for doubt as to whether he's finally learned his lesson.

"Things happen quick out there," Marchand told reporters, courtesy of NESN. "If any of you have ever been out there in the NHL on the ice, you realize how quick things happen. Until you're in that position, you don't really understand."

Marchand clearly doesn't care all that much what people think of his failure to stay in line.

"I'm not really concerned about how anyone feels outside of the room. Things happen in hockey, and again, the only people I care about in this world are my teammates and my family, and I think they have different thoughts about me. Everyone's entitled to their opinion."

Marchand will be eligible to return for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where his absence would be more deeply felt.

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Ryan Galloway's night ended less than four minutes into the game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.

The linesman was struck by Martin Hanzal's attempt to keep the puck in near the blue line early in the first period.

Galloway didn't emerge for the start of the second period, and an NHL official said he was getting precautionary tests but was "OK," according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo.

Another league official later told Russo that Galloway suffered a jaw injury and was taken to a local hospital, but the severity was unknown.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are breathing a sigh of relief.

This after rookie forward Ryan Hartman was the victim of a post-whistle slash from Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks, one that appears to have not caused serious injury.

The incident wasn't caught in real time, with the only replay coming from a bird's eye view:

Forced to leave the game in obvious pain, Hartman was able to return for the start of the second period. Still, the NHL's Department of Player Safety may take another glance at the incident.

Hartman entered the game with 19 goals in 74 games for the Blackhawks.

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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.

"So you're saying there's a chance ... " - Lloyd Christmas

The Toronto Maple Leafs have left the door open for a somewhat dramatic final weekend of the regular season.

Presented with an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on home ice, the Leafs proceeded to drop a 4-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, keeping the latter's slim playoff hopes alive.

Meanwhile, the New York Islanders are still in the running thanks to a shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

While Toronto's still in the driver's seat, Thursday's results made things a bit more interesting, as the table shows:

(Courtesy: Sports Club Stats)

The Ottawa Senators, by the way, clinched a spot Thursday, leaving these three teams to battle it out for the 16th and final berth.

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The moribund Colorado Avalanche got a glimpse of a brighter future Thursday night.

Highly touted prospect Tyson Jost fired a wrister past Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk from in tight to notch his first NHL goal.

Jost was playing his fourth game with the Avalanche after signing with the club last week.

He left the University of North Dakota after the conclusion of his freshman season, in which the 19-year-old scored 16 goals and piled up 35 points in 33 games.

Jost was taken 10th overall by Colorado in last year's draft.

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The Anaheim Ducks will be without defenseman Cam Fowler for "anywhere between two and six weeks" after he suffered a lower-body injury from a knee-on-knee collision Tuesday night, general manager Bob Murray announced.

While the news puts a damper on Anaheim's momentum gearing up for the playoffs, Murray told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register that there's no tear, and the Ducks will have a better read on a possible return closer to the postseason, which begins April 12.

Fowler was injured and helped to the dressing room after colliding with Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, who wasn't assessed a penalty on the play.

The Ducks have an opportunity to win the Pacific division, which very well could result in a first-round meeting with the Flames, who are vying for a wild-card spot in the West.

In 80 games this season, Fowler's recorded 11 goals and 28 assists, averaging a career-high 24:51 of ice time.

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The Ottawa Senators are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Their berth was secured after earning a single point by pushing Thursday's game in Boston to overtime. The Senators went on to complete the win in a shootout, moving two points ahead of the Bruins for sole possession of second spot in the Atlantic Division.

Apparently their postseason motto will be "All In."

Ottawa will return to the playoffs after a one-year absence, and after losing a first-round series against Montreal back in 2015.

The Senators were playing without potential MVP candidate Erik Karlsson, although he could return to the lineup as early as Saturday, according to general manager Pierre Dorion.

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