Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

04/11/2015 at 11:33am EDT

Today’s clinching scenarios:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

* The Senators would clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the Flyers OR if the Penguins lose to the Sabres in regulation OR if the Bruins lose to the Lightning in any fashion.

* The Senators would clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division if they defeat the Flyers in any fashion AND the Red Wings lose to the Hurricanes in regulation.

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* The Penguins would clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Sabres in any fashion OR if they get one point against the Sabres AND either the Senators lose to the Flyers in regulation or the Bruins fail to defeat the Lightning in regulation or overtime OR if the Bruins lose to the Lightning in any fashion.

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* The Bruins would clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Lightning in any fashion AND either the Senators or Penguins lose in regulation. If the Bruins defeat the Lightning in regulation or overtime, they would qualify with either a Senators regulation loss or Penguins loss in any fashion.

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* The Canadiens would clinch the Atlantic Division title if they get at least one point against the Maple Leafs OR if the Lightning lose to the Bruins in any fashion.

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* The Lightning would clinch the Atlantic Division title if they defeat the Bruins in any fashion AND the Canadiens lose to the Maple Leafs in regulation.

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* The Red Wings would clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division if they get at least one point against the Hurricanes OR if the Senators lose to the Flyers in any fashion.

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* The Rangers, who are locked in as the top seed in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, will face the No. 2 Wild Card team in the First Round – either the Red Wings, Senators, Penguins or Bruins.

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* The Capitals would clinch the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division if they defeat the Rangers in any fashion OR if they get one point against the Rangers AND the Islanders fail to defeat the Blue Jackets in regulation or overtime OR if the Islanders lose to the Blue Jackets in any fashion.

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* The Islanders would clinch the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division if they defeat the Blue Jackets in regulation or overtime AND the Capitals lose to the Rangers in any fashion OR if they defeat the Blue Jackets in a shootout AND the Capitals lose to the Rangers in regulation.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

* The Ducks would clinch the top seed in the Western Conference if they defeat the Coyotes in regulation or overtime OR if they defeat the Coyotes in a shootout AND the Blues fail to defeat the Wild in regulation or overtime OR if they get one point against the Coyotes AND the Blues lose to the Wild in any fashion OR if the Blues lose to the Wild in regulation.

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* The Blues would clinch the top seed in the Western Conference if they defeat the Wild in regulation or overtime AND the Ducks post a shootout win or a loss of any kind against the Coyotes OR if they defeat the Wild in a shootout AND the Ducks lose to the Coyotes in any fashion OR if they get one point against the Wild AND the Ducks lose to the Coyotes in regulation.

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* The Predators, who are locked in as the No. 2 seed in the Central Division, will face the No. 3 seed in the division in the First Round – either the Blackhawks or the Wild.

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* The Blackhawks would clinch the No. 3 seed in the Central Division if they get at least one point against the Avalanche OR if the Wild lose to the Blues in any fashion.

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* The Wild would clinch the No. 3 seed in the Central Division if they defeat the Blues in any fashion AND the Blackhawks lose to the Avalanche in regulation.

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* The Canucks would clinch the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division if they get at least one point against the Oilers OR if the Flames lose to the Jets in any fashion.

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* The Flames would clinch the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division if they defeat the Jets in any fashion AND the Canucks lose to the Oilers in regulation.

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* The Jets, who are locked in as the No. 2 Wild Card, will face the Western Conference’s top seed in the First Round – either the Ducks or the Blues.

SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 12:30 p.m., SN, TSN5, RDS2, CSN-PH
NY Rangers @ Washington, 12:30 p.m., TVA, MSG, CSN-DC
Calgary @ Winnipeg, 3:00 p.m., SN, SNW, TSN3
San Jose @ Los Angeles, 3:00 p.m., NBC
Minnesota @ St. Louis, 3:00 p.m., NBC
Pittsburgh @ Buffalo, 7:00 p.m., CITY, ROOT, MSG-B
Montreal @ Toronto, 7:00 p.m., CBC, TVA
New Jersey @ Florida, 7:00 p.m., MSG+ 2, FS-F
Columbus @ NY Islanders, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, FS-O, MSG+
Detroit @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., FX-CA, FS-D, FS-CR
Boston @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN, SN1, NESN
Nashville @ Dallas, 8:00 p.m., FS-TN, TXA 21
Chicago @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., TVA2, WGN, ALT
Anaheim @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., FS-W, FS-A+
Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10:00 p.m., CBC
NBCSN Channel Finder
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EVERY GAME MATTERS
All 15 games on today’s schedule will have an impact on the final NHL standings (for both the playoffs and Draft Lottery).

Of the 15 contests, 12 could affect the seeding for the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

THREE TEAMS BATTLE FOR FINAL PLAYOFF SPOTS IN EAST
Three clubs look to clinch the two remaining playoff berths in the Eastern Conference:

* The Senators (42-26-13, 97 points) – who play a matinee at Wells Fargo Center – would guarantee themselves a playoff spot with at least one point against the Flyers. If Ottawa loses in regulation, it would need help from either Buffalo or Tampa Bay. Overall, the Senators are 20-3-3 in their last 26 games dating to Feb. 18. That includes points in six straight overall (5-0-1) and a franchise-record 13 straight on the road dating to Feb. 10 (10-0-3). Ottawa, however, has just two wins in its past eight visits to The City of Brotherly Love dating to Nov. 15, 2010 (2-4-2).

* The Penguins (42-27-12, 96 points) – who visit the Sabres at First Niagara Center – would clinch their ninth consecutive postseason berth with a win in any fashion. If Pittsburgh loses in any fashion, it would need help from either Philadelphia (who plays earlier in the day) or Tampa Bay. Overall, the Penguins have lost five consecutive games (0-4-1), including a 3-1 defeat to the Islanders on Friday. Pittsburgh, however, has won its past five contests against Buffalo dating to Oct. 5, 2013.

* The Bruins (41-27-13, 95 points) – who face the Lightning at Amalie Arena – need to win in any fashion in order to have a shot at their eighth straight trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston also needs help from either Philadelphia (who plays earlier in the day) or Buffalo. Overall, the Bruins have dropped two straight on the heels of a five-game winning streak. The Lightning snapped a 10-game losing streak (0-8-2) in the head-to-head series between these clubs with a 5-3 victory in their most recent meeting on March 22.

CANADIENS, LIGHTNING AIM FOR ATLANTIC CROWN
The Canadiens (49-22-10, 108 points) – who hold a two-point lead for first place in the Atlantic Division – look to wrap up their second division title in the past three seasons when they visit the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Though Montreal has the advantage, the Lightning (49-24-8, 106 points) would earn the division crown with a win in any fashion combined with a Canadiens loss in regulation. Overall, Montreal has points in four consecutive games (2-0-2), while Tampa Bay has points in three straight overall (2-0-1) and nine of their past 11 at home (9-2-0).

DUCKS, BLUES JOCKEY FOR WESTERN SUPREMACY
The Ducks and Blues, who are tied in terms of points, battle for the top seed in the Western Conference: Anaheim (50-24-7, 107 points) – who owns the ROW tiebreaker (ANA: 42, STL: 41) – visits Arizona at Gila River Arena, while St. Louis (50-24-7, 107 points) welcomes Minnesota to Scottrade Center. The Blues, who play a matinee, need at least one point to put pressure on the Ducks, who don’t take the ice until 9:00 p.m. ET. Overall, Anaheim has lost two straight following a four-game winning streak, while St. Louis is 4-1-0 in its past five.

FOUR CLUBS LOOK FOR HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE
Although two First Round matchups are locked, home-ice advantage remains undecided in both series:

* The Capitals (45-25-11, 101 points) and Islanders (47-28-6, 100 points) – the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the Metropolitan Division, respectively – both play their regular-season finales at home. Washington, who skates in a matinee, would lock up home ice in the First Round with a win in any fashion. New York, meanwhile, plays host to the final regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum – the home of the Islanders since their first season in 1972-73. Overall, the Capitals have points in six straight outings (5-0-1), while the Islanders are 3-1-1 in their last five.

* The Canucks (47-29-5, 99 points) and Flames (45-29-7, 97 points) – the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the Pacific Division, respectively – also are in quest of home-ice advantage in the First Round. Calgary, who plays a matinee at Winnipeg, needs to win in any fashion to have a shot at leapfrogging Vancouver. The Canucks, meanwhile, would lock up the No. 2 seed if they earn at least one point (or if the Flames fail to win earlier in the day). Overall, Calgary is 5-1-0 in its past six games, while Vancouver is 4-2-0 in its last six.

DID YOU KNOW?
For just the second time in NHL history, all 30 teams are in action on the final day of the regular season.

The only other such instance: April 7, 2012, when matchups for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs weren’t fully determined until the final game of the day/season – a 3-2 overtime victory by San Jose against Los Angeles. The Kings, who entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, went on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

April 7, 2012 – By the Numbers:

* First Puck Drop: 1:07 p.m. ET

* End of Last Game: 1:01 a.m. ET

* First Goal of the Day: Viktor Stalberg (CHI)

* Last Goal of the Day: Dan Boyle (SJS)

* Games: 15

* Total Minutes: 915 minutes and 6 seconds

* OT Games: 4

* Goals: 88 (5.87 per game)

* Shots: 905 (60.3 per game)

* Hits: 578 (38.5 per game)

* Blocked Shots: 379 (25.3 per game)

* Face-Offs: 781 (52.1 per game)

* Penalty Minutes: 337 (22.5 per game)

* Power-Play Goals: 18 (1.2 per game)

* Last-Minute Goals: 4

* Total Attendance: 274,230 (18,282 per game)

FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
NY Islanders 3, PITTSBURGH 1
COLUMBUS 4, Buffalo 2

TAVARES, ISLANDERS PUT PENGUINS ON THE ROPES . . .
John Tavares scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period to power the Islanders to a 3-1-1 record in their last five games overall and their fourth consecutive victory over the rival Penguins.

* At 47-28-6 (100 points), the Islanders reached the 100-point milestone for the eighth time in franchise history and first time since 1983-84 (50-26-4, 104 points) – when they last made the Stanley Cup Final.

* The Islanders also moved within one point of the idle Capitals (45-25-11, 101 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division and home-ice advantage in the First Round of the playoffs.

* Tavares extended career highs with his 37th goal and 84th point of the season. He (37-47—84) and Sidney Crosby (28-56—84) – who earned one assist on Friday – remain tied in the NHL scoring race. Tavares, however, would win the Art Ross Trophy via the first tiebreaker (1. Most goals, 2. Fewer games played, 3. Player who scored first goal of the season).

* Tavares also recorded his eighth game-winning goal of the season, matching a career high set in 2011-12. Per Elias, five of those goals have come on the road. Only three other players in Islanders history have scored five or more game-winning goals on the road in one season: Mike Bossy (6 in 1980-81), Pierre Turgeon (6 in 1992-93) andBryan Trottier (5 in 1978-79).

* Overall, Tavares has 3-7—10 during a five-game point streak. He also has 8-15—23 in 31 career regular-season games vs. PIT (3-2—5 in six playoff games).

* Jaroslav Halak made 37 saves, including 17 in the opening period, to extend his career high and franchise record with his 38th win of the season. That includes three victories vs. PIT (3-1-0, 1.76 GAA, .945 SV%).

* Casey Cizikas added his second career shorthanded goal (also Nov. 29 vs. NJD). The Islanders share first in the NHL with 10 shorthanded goals this season (w/ WPG).

* The Islanders improved to 21-6-2 this season against divisional opponents (10-3-2 on the road).

. . . SEAL OPENING-ROUND DATE WITH THE CAPITALS
By defeating the Penguins, the Islanders (47-28-6, 100 points) sealed a First Round playoff series against the Capitals (45-25-11, 101 points).

Though the matchup is set, home ice will not be determined until later today, when the Capitals welcome the Rangers to Verizon Center for a matinee (12:30 p.m. ET) and the Islanders play host to the Blue Jackets in the final regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum (7:00 p.m. ET). Washington currently holds a one-point lead for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The teams are tied in ROW (40), but the Capitals won the season series 2-0-2 (NYI: 2-1-1).

This marks the seventh time the Islanders and Capitals will meet in the playoffs and first time since 1993. New York holds a 5-1 edge in their all-time series. That includes a 4-2 victory in their most recent matchup in the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals.

BLUE JACKETS CONTINUE RECORD-SETTING FINISH TO SEASON
Cam Atkinson scored the tiebreaking goal with 9:25 remaining in regulation to help the Blue Jackets extend their point streak to 12 games (11-0-1), matching a franchise record established Feb. 26 – March 22, 2013 (8-0-4).

* The Blue Jackets tied another franchise record with their sixth consecutive home victory, equaling the mark set Dec. 26, 2007 – Jan. 15. 2008.

* Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots to extend his personal point streak to 11 games (10-0-1, 2.23 GAA, .934 SV%), matching a career high and franchise record set Feb. 26 – March 22, 2013 (8-0-3).

* Bobrovsky, who is 14-1-1 in his last 16 decisions, reached the 30-win milestone for the second time in his career (and second straight season).

* Three Blue Jackets players recorded multiple points: Matt Calvert (1-1—2), Jack Johnson (0-2—2) and David Savard (0-2—2).

* Brandon Dubinsky posted one assist to extend his point streak to a career-high seven games (3-7—10). Nick Foligno scored his team-leading 31st goal of the season to stretch his point streak to six contests (5-3—8).

* Atkinson matched a career high with his 21st goal of the season. It stood as his team-leading seventh game-winning tally (77 GP); he had six such goals in his career prior to this season (141 GP).

LOOSE PUCKS
Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi snapped a 180-game drought with his first goal since Jan. 19, 2013 vs. CHI (w/ LAK). It also served as his 100th NHL point (8-92—100 in 719 GP) . . . Sabres captain Brian Gionta (1-1—2) recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season. Six of those performances have come in his past nine outings (6-7—13) . . . Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (28-56—84) posted one assist to keep pace with Islanders captain John Tavares (37-47—84) in the race for the Art Ross Trophy . . . Sabres goaltender Anders Lindback made 36 saves. He has a .923 save percentage since joining Buffalo (15 GP) . . . Todd Richards (126-104-21) earned his 126th victory behind the Columbus bench to surpass Ken Hitchcock (125-123-36) as the winningest head coach in Blue Jackets history . . . The Flyers signed defensemanBrandon Manning to a one-year contract extension . . . The NHL fined Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment) . . . ICYMI: Blues forward T.J. Oshie and Wild forward Zach Parise showed off their skills while wearing GoPro cameras . . . REMINDER: Boston University, led by No. 2-ranked North American skater Jack Eichel – who on Fridaywas named the recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award – faces Providence College tonight in the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship.

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.

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