Head coach Jack Capuano confirmed Tuesday that Halak won't be available for the Islanders' first-round series, as he's still recovering from a groin injury suffered in March.
In Halak's absence, New York started Thomas Greiss, who endured a minor injury down the stretch, as well. Greiss was solid for the Islanders this season, posting a 23-11-4 record with a 2.36 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Entering the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs as convincing Presidents' Trophy winners - and as the favorites to be the last team standing - the Capitals have adopted a slogan of "Entitled To Nothing." The shirts the slogan is printed on give a distinct rock star/biker vibe.
That these words were uttered by fake U.S. President Frank Underwood in the latest season of "House of Cards" is also very fitting.
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the Canucks have reassigned defenceman Andrey Pedan and forward Brendan Gaunce to the AHL Utica Comets.
Pedan, 22, appeared in 13 games for the Canucks this se...
While the 16 qualified teams gear up for the NHL playoffs, the other 14 have begun to focus on the upcoming draft, licking their chops at an enhanced chance for a lottery pick thanks to the new field-friendly system.
Auston Matthews, who has been the consensus No. 1 pick since Connor McDavid was selected first overall in last years draft, remains atop NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, leading an impressive group of European skaters.
Finnish phenoms Patrick Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the European list, while Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Matthew Tkachuk of the London Knights lead the North American skaters.
Projected top five picks
Rank
Player
Position
Height
Weight
League
1
Auston Matthews
C
6-1.5
210
Swiss
2
Patrick Laine
RW
6-4
206
Finland
3
Jesse Puljujarvi
RW
6-3.5
203
Finland
4
Pierre-Luc Dubois
LW
6-3
201
QMJHL
5
Matthew Tkachuk
LW
6-0
194
OHL
"Auston Matthews is an extraordinary prospect with NHL size, speed, and smarts combined with an exceptional work ethic and a relentless compete level,” said Dan Marr, director of Central Scouting. "The other players in the mix for the top five selections have all improved their stock, but Matthews is our clear choice as the top prospect available for the 2016 NHL Draft."
Matthews has had a tremendous draft year, scoring 46 points in 36 games for the Zurich Lions, and representing Team USA at the World Junior Hockey Championship with 11 points in seven contests.
Laine switched spots with fellow Finn Puljujarvi from the midseason rankings. Both won gold at the World Juniors but Laine's scoring prowess pushed him slightly above his countryman.
Dubois was ranked seventh among North American skaters in the midseason rankings, but 99 points in 62 games propelled him to the top of the list, supplanting Tkachuk.
Jakob Chychrun of the Sarnia Sting and Olli Juolevi of the Knights are the top defensemen in the North American rankings, and could prove to be valuable picks for teams seeking a defender early in the first round.
The draft lottery takes place April 30, with the Toronto Maple Leafs holding the best odds (20 percent) for the No. 1 pick. The draft goes June 24-25 in Buffalo, N.Y.
After relieving Don Maloney of his general manager duties Monday, and in accordance with a desire to take a more analytics-based approach, the club reportedly expressed an interest in Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Kyle Dubas.
It doesn't sound like he's going anywhere, though:
(1/2) Hearing there was interest expressed by ARIZ about TOR Assistant GM Kyle Dubas. Dubas (in media jail) did not comment, but...
The move was made after only 138 regular-seasons games with Cameron as bench boss, with last year's first-round playoff loss to Montreal also on his resume.
The club will reportedly be looking for a coach with NHL experience, allowing us to narrow the field to three top candidates:
Mike Yeo
One name that jumped out soon after Cameron's firing was former Minnesota Wild head coach Yeo.
Former Wild coach Mike Yeo will come highly recommended by the people in Minnesota. My guess is he'll be a candidate. #Sens
Spending parts of five seasons with the Wild, Yeo guided the club to three straight playoff appearances, all of which ended with losses to Chicago.
Deposed by Minnesota in favor of John Torchetti earlier this year, he boasts a 173-132-44 career regular-season record. He also knows how to make use of a high-end defenseman, like Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, after relying heavily on a lesser player like Ryan Suter in Minnesota.
Guy Boucher
As a rookie head coach in 2010-11, Boucher led the Tampa Bay Lightning to within one win of the Stanley Cup Final.
Replaced by Jon Cooper two years later - after a loss to the Senators, no less - Boucher spent two seasons coaching SC Bern of the Swiss League before being let go in January.
In 195 games with the Lightning, he amassed a 97-78-20 record, and was well known for his defensively minded structure that's much needed in Ottawa.
Claude Julien
Certainly the most attractive option would be Julien, should he be relieved of his duties by the Boston Bruins.
He's someone Dorion is very familiar with:
#Sens GM Pierre Dorion gave Julien his first coaching job 23 years ago with the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Junior Hockey League
Julien, of course, has been on an incredible run with the Bruins, setting the club's career wins record this season (393) after leading Boston to a Stanley Cup in 2011 and another final appearance in 2013.
Considered to be one of the NHL's better coaches today, his tenure with the Bruins may be coming to an end following a second straight year out of the playoffs.
Many teams would jump at the chance to secure his services, and Ottawa would be no different, assuming they're willing to shell out the necessary dollars to get him while continuing to compensate Cameron.
The Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers haven't been to the playoffs a whole lot recently. In fact, they've only reached the postseason once in the past 15 years.
Experience is often linked to playoff success, but that doesn't matter to Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant.
"I don't care if some guys haven't played in the playoffs yet," Gallant told George Richards of the Miami Herald. "They're young guys, so they haven't been there yet. We're a 103-point team, won our division. We're a good hockey team."
Included on the list of Panthers who've yet to compete in the playoffs are Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and Aaron Ekblad, but if you look through Florida's roster, the veterans surrounding the young core have plenty of postseason games under their belts.
Ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr has won two Stanley Cups, albeit many moons ago. Roberto Luongo was one win away from a ring of his own during his time in Vancouver, while Willie Mitchell - who won't suit up but is a strong influence in the dressing room - and Shawn Thornton have each won hockey's ultimate prize twice.
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon shares Gallant's sentiments in believing Florida's mixture of youth and experience will be just fine.
"We have a young team, a good blend with guys who have won Cups and played in a lot of playoff games," Tallon said. " We're counting on them to pass on the message to our young guys about being focused and elevating their game and their focus and all those things. We have to embrace the process. This is Game 83. We have to keep doing what we're doing, only do it better."
Florida kicks off its first playoff series since 2012 on Thursday when it hosts the New York Islanders.
For only the second time in NHL history, there will be no Canadian teams competing for the Stanley Cup.
Fear not, there are still plenty of reasons to remain affixed on the playoffs.
Here are three for your consideration.
Chase for Triple Gold
Hockey's Triple Gold Club is made up of players who have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold, and the Stanley Cup.
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins became the 10th member of Canada's contingent after winning WC gold in 2015, joining Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Toews, Eric Staal, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Brendan Shanahan, Joe Sakic, and Rob Blake.
These five players have the opportunity to join the club with a Cup win this season:
Player
NHL team
Olympic gold
World Championship gold
Jay Bouwmeester
St. Louis Blues
2014
2003 / 2004
Roberto Luongo
Florida Panthers
2010 / 2014
2003 / 2004
Patrick Marleau
San Jose Sharks
2010 / 2014
2003
Rick Nash
New York Rangers
2010 / 2014
2007
Shea Weber
Nashville Predators
2010 / 2014
2007
Sweden also has nine members, meaning Canada can take the lead if one of these players gets their name on the Cup in 2016.
Hockey is fun, and so are the Panthers
Once the disappointment that comes from realizing one's favorite hockey team isn't all that great fades away, we remember that hockey is a game meant to be enjoyed. In 2016, it's hard to find a team that typifies this reality more than the Florida Panthers.
Roberto Luongo has long been seen as the NHL's social media gem, dropping tweets on the hockey world that are always a must-share. Jaromir Jagr's legend knows no bounds, and, at age 44, he continues to churn out zen quotes and rock a killer mullet. The Panthers also boast a plethora of young, high-end talent due to be showcased on the national stage.
And, of course, there's the rats.
But, as Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated writes, what sets this team apart is a truly unique postgame ritual that must be seen to be believed.
But no higher honor exists for the Panthers than their screwball cousin of hard hats and championship belts, postgame awards bestowed in the dressing rooms of more, well, normal clubs. Here, the treasured prize for the player of the game is a blue hoodie, adult size XL, with purple streaks of star clusters across the chest serving as the backdrop for the translucent, disembodied, floating head of actor Kevin Spacey.
Perhaps the Oscar-winning actor will make another appearance at BB&T Center this spring.
Finally, the Panthers are the most Canadian team in the playoffs with no fewer than 16 Canucks on the roster.
No ordinary Joe
If you're not into any of the above, why not root for a great Canadian player in search of his first Cup?
Among active NHL players, Joe Thornton - who has recorded 377 goals and 964 assists in 1,367 regular-season games - ranks second in career points only to Jagr.
On top of that, the San Jose Sharks center has the third-highest career points per game average (0.98) among all Canadians, behind Crosby and Steven Stamkos.
Already a surefire Hall of Famer, the Cup is a big omission from his resume. That he's not vying to be a Triple Gold member speaks to the fact he simply hasn't been available for WC action as a result of leading his teams to the playoffs most springs, up until last season that is.
And don't believe the narrative that Thornton doesn't bring it in the postseason. He ranks 13th among all NHL players in career playoff points with 100 in 132 games, and his 0.76 postseason point per game average is good for eighth among Canadian players.
The Western Conference is clearly superior to the East, and it looks like it could stay that way for a while.
More than a few teams in the West are set up for success beyond this season thanks to solid drafting, smart signings, and some shrewd trades.
Here are three Western Conference playoff teams with solid foundations for the future.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are already one of the most dangerous teams entering the playoffs, and general manager Bob Murray has done an admirable job stockpiling and securing young talent to ensure they stay competitive for years.
The blue line also has plenty of promise with the likes of Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Sami Vatanen, although the latter two are pending restricted free agents.
Throw in defensive prospect Shea Theodore and 20-year-old forward Nick Ritchie - the 10th overall pick in 2014 - and Anaheim is well positioned for a prolonged run.
Nashville Predators
The Predators are probably not getting Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey, but given the foundation they already have in place, they shouldn't be too concerned.
Filip Forsberg is a superstar in the making and fellow 30-goal scorer James Neal is signed for another two seasons.
Ryan Johansen's production has increased since he was acquired for Seth Jones, and signing him is looking like a move the Predators could afford to make.
Captain Shea Weber is under contract until 2026, but they should get four or five more solid seasons from the dominant defenseman. His partner on the blue line, Roman Josi, is emerging as a star in his own right.
Nashville also has a few solid prospects, with 2014 11th-overall pick Kevin Fiala and goaltender Juuse Saros knocking on the door. Winger Viktor Arvidsson is also getting regular third-line minutes in his first full season.
Dallas Stars
The Stars were built to make a deep run this spring, but there are several reasons they'll be tough to beat beyond 2016.
Tyler Seguin, one of the game's best young scorers, and Jason Spezza, one of the league's best second-line centers, are both signed through 2019.
General manager Jim Nill inked John Klingberg, the Stars' potential franchise cornerstone on the blue line, to a seven-year extension at a team-friendly rate of $4.25 million per season until 2021-22.
Dallas goaltenders Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi are both locked in for another two seasons after 2015-16.
If 21-year-old Valeri Nichushkin can develop into a top-six forward over the next few years, the Stars could have an influx of secondary scoring along with fellow first-round pick Radek Faksa.
Dallas' top defensive prospect, 20-year-old Julius Honka, has more than 40 points in his second AHL season, and might be ready for the NHL sooner rather than later.
A pair of Chicago Blackhawks boast the NHL's highest-selling jerseys this season.
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane rank 1-2 on the list, while young Connor McDavid cracked the top 10, despite missing a large chunk of his rookie season to injury.
