The defending Stanley Cup champions are heading to the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, as the Chicago Blackhawks clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. It will mark their 61st postseason appearance in franchise history.
The Blackhawks needed just one point to book their ticket to the playoffs, but they picked up two thanks to Andrew Ladd, who scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes remaining. The trade-deadline acquisition now has three goals and four points in his past two games.
With Corey Crawford sidelined for the sixth game in a row due to an upper-body injury, Scott Darling filled in and picked up his second win in as many days with a 26-save performance.
Kuznetsov is having a breakout season with the Capitals, leading the team with 53 assists and 73 points, and was named a NHL All-Star. His rookie campaign last year was rather unimpressive, seeing him manufacture just 37 points. But then the playoffs happened.
The 23-year-old shared the team lead with five goals in 14 games during the postseason while giving a sneak peak of his pure offensive skill with an incredible solo-effort goal that would hold up as the game-winner in the first round against the New York Islanders.
One year later such pretty goals have become the norm for Kuznetsov, and who can forget that deadly no-look pass he seems to have mastered.
The Capitals will be a fun team to watch this spring, and you can thank the new kid on the block for that.
The 20-year-old rookie has really started to produce like a pro with 11 points in his last 12 games. He's shown he belongs at the NHL level, scoring 18 goals and chipping in 19 assists, while earning his minutes on the second line and the second power-play unit.
The playoffs are a different beast, though, and the pressure is squarely on Hitchcock and the Blues, who've been ousted in the first round in each of the last three seasons.
Alex Steen should be back for the playoffs, but St. Louis' additional forward depth should continue to allow Fabbri to succeed in a supporting role. While much will be expected of the Blues, Fabbri won't be held to the same standard as his veteran teammates in his first postseason experience, and that lack of pressure could help him extend his recent success into the playoffs.
Andrew Ladd
Ben Whyte: After being traded by the Winnipeg Jets in late February, Ladd started his second stint with the Chicago Blackhawks at an impressive pace with points in four of his first five games, but his play - and the team's - has since gone sour.
Prior to his three-point night Saturday, the forward had just one point in six games, which came in the Blackhawks lone win over that stretch.
The reigning Cup champions remain at risk to drop into a wild-card position if their struggles continue. If the Blackhawks hope to defend their title, and the 30-year-old hopes to take a second drink out of Lord Stanley's Mug in the Windy City, he will need to be a key contributor come playoff time.
While many expected him to push for 40 goals while playing wingman to either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, he's sitting on a modest 22 through 74 games, and is on pace for his lowest point total since his first year in Toronto back in 2009-10.
The potent winger leads the Penguins in total shots (242), but his shooting percentage sits below his career average and is well down from the success rate posted during his two 37-goal seasons with the Maple Leafs.
The 28-year-old has scored an impressive 13 goals in the 22 playoff games on his NHL resume, and he will be called upon to step things up in the first round especially, to make up for the absence of the injured Evgeni Malkin.
Kessel, who carries a hefty $8-million cap hit (part of which is still being paid by Toronto), broke out in a big way with a five-point game Saturday against Detroit, and can write a new story about his first year with the suddenly rolling Penguins by making an impact when it matters most.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Shane Doan and Mike Stone scored in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the second period, Mike Smith made 34 saves and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Saturday night.
The loss prevented the Flyers from moving...
TORONTO - In dire need of a win, the Boston Bruins were determined not to take the young Toronto Maple Leafs lightly.
"I think that would be the biggest mistake we can make," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said before the Saturday night affair. "...
ST. LOUIS - Brian Elliott made 15 saves for his third straight shutout and the St. Louis Blues beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Friday night to clinch a playoff spot and tie Dallas for the Central Division lead.
Robby Fabbri had a goal and a...
St. Louis is off to the playoffs for a fifth straight season, and for the 40th time in franchise history, clinching a berth in the best tournament in sports Friday night with a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Brian Elliott wasn't busy in net for the Blues, making only 15 saves and two in the third period, but a shutout's a shutout, and it's his third straight since returning from injury. He's clearly in postseason form.
.@StLouisBlues' @KidElls1 has posted three straight shutouts for the third time in his career (also March 22-27, 2012 and April 7-11, 2013).
It's Ken Hitchcock's fourth straight playoff appearance as St. Louis' head coach, but this year's Stanley Cup playoffs take on extra significance for the 64-year-old. The Blues have been knocked out in the first round the past two seasons, and should that happen again, Hitchcock will likely be looking for work in the summer.
Most importantly, St. Louis is peaking at the right time. The Blues are 8-2 in March, and will face the Washington Capitals in D.C. on Saturday. That's a measuring-stick game if there ever was one. Jake Allen will start in goal. Let's face it: Elliott's earned some rest.
While the playoffs may be just weeks away, San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer is still not ready to name his starting goaltender.
Martin Jones and the newly-acquired James Reimer have shared netminding duties over the past few weeks and Deboer expects to stay the course as the team heads down the stretch.
"All kinds of things can happen here over the next two weeks. We're just going to worry about tomorrow," DeBoer said, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. "We think we've got two guys that we're very comfortable with, and we'll see where we are when we have to make those decisions."
The two have split the team's last 12 games going 7-5-0 and have both fared admirably with Jones posting a .932 save percentage and Reimer riding a .920 in that span.
Okay, fine, it was in doubt for the first half of the season, and much of Thursday night, but the Anaheim Ducks clinched a postseason berth despite losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in overtime.
It's Anaheim's fourth straight postseason berth and the 12th in club history.
Anaheim has rode a resurgent second half to the playoffs, winning 12 in a row from Feb. 13 through March 5. The team isn't playing its best hockey right now, though, having lost six of nine.
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs were up 4-1 with three minutes to play in the second period. That's when the Ducks began to fly: Anaheim scored twice in nine seconds to cut the lead to 4-3, and took a 5-4 lead in the third period before Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown tied it up with his first NHL goal. Nazem Kadri scored the overtime winner, tying a career-high with four points.
The Ducks' top-ranked penalty-killing unit had a night to forget, allowing three power-play goals to Toronto's 30th-ranked man advantage unit.
The Ducks have 90 points, good for second in the Pacific Division. They're within striking distance of the Los Angeles Kings, who lost to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. The Kings have 93 points, and the Ducks have a game in hand.
CHICAGO - Vernon Fiddler scored two of Dallas' four goals in the first period, and the Stars clinched a playoff spot with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Dallas stretched its win streak to three and improved to 4-1...
Texas' team clinched a Western Conference playoff berth with a rather convincing win over the division-rival Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
The Stars, who were playing without top center Tyler Seguin, earned the convincing victory thanks to a host of depth players, namely Colton Sceviour, Vernon Fiddler, and Patrick Eaves, who all scored in the first period en route to an early 4-0 lead that would not be relinquished.
Strange but true: This is the fourth game this season in which the Stars have held a 4-0 lead over the Blackhawks
The postseason-clinching win marked the fourth time the Stars have beaten the Blackhawks in five meetings this season, with Dallas outscoring Chicago 20-11 in those contests.
It also strengthened the Stars' hold on both the Central Division and Western Conference leads.
Not bad for a team that was on the outside looking in this time last year.
