from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep....

A great get by The Cam & Strick Podcast this week as Andy Strickland conducts the first thorough interview with exiled and decorated coach Joel Quenneville about his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks' egregious blind eye to video coach Brad Aldrich's alleged sexual abuse of Kyle Beach in 2010.

I recommend watching the interview in full and drawing your own conclusions:

Quenneville does takes some ownership for turning a blind eye and assuming upper management (a group of we'll-handle-it execs he labeled "The Firm") would deal with the situation.

"I definitely didn't handle it properly. I definitely should've handled it differently. I should've ... confront(ed) Brad from what I heard, or follow up and ask more questions to get to the seriousness of it, and then report it correctly and make sure there's follow-up off of that, whether it was the head of HR or top management, making sure they follow through on the whole process," Quenneville says, in part.

more on Quenneville, watch the interview too plus other hockey topics...

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Lucas Raymond was having a strong, bounce-back season for the Detroit Red Wings. Then he elevated to a higher plane Thursday in the most important game of the season.

Raymond was the driver in the first period, scoring twice. He was clutch in the final seven minutes, setting up Dylan Larkin’s goal and notching the game-tying tally to complete his second career hat trick.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won 6-5 in overtime, but the Red Wings’ point could loom large as the playoff race wraps up over the next few days.

Even if the Red Wings don’t make it in, Raymond has displayed the skills and fortitude of a young player emerging as a star.

“He showed some stones tonight to play the way he played in a game like that,” Larkin told reporters after the game. “He was the best player on the ice with some world-class players. That’s how you show up and play in a game like that. For a young guy to do that, it’s unbelievable.

“I think the way Lucas played tonight, if you’re looking at a step in his career, then that’s a performance that I’m very impressed by. I think that was a good statement to the hockey world.”

continnued

* The final weekend of the 2023-24 regular season is stocked with storylines. If it weren’t enough that two playoff spots are available, all 16 playoff seeds are to-be-determined and none of the eight matchups for the First Round are locked in, we also are one day away from the first-ever NHL showdown between Batman and Superman.

* The Golden Knights erupted for seven goals en route to clinching the Western Conference’s final playoff berth as they continue their pursuit of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

* Filip Forsberg found the back of the net three times to establish a franchise record for most goals in a season.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

“This is the last season. It’ll be announced tomorrow.”

Reggie Dunlop, playing coach for the Charlestown Chiefs, just stood there dumbfounded — in full uniform — as Chiefs owner Joe McGrath looked up from his desk chair and laid down the bad news in the movie "Slap Shot".

It is expected that the address by Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong to his team and staff Friday afternoon in Edmonton was a longer version of the "Slap Shot" shtick, but with the same message.

After 27 seasons in the desert, it’s over for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes.

The rumours that every staff member and player have been fending off for the better part of the franchise's history have finally hit critical mass, with the pending announcement that the Coyotes will close up shop expected to come after Wednesday’s season finale at home against Edmonton.

By September they’ll be in Salt Lake City with a new identity and a new owner — but playing in a basketball-first, NBA building that is nearly identical to the one that greeted this franchise in downtown Phoenix when it left Winnipeg back in 1996.

continued

As KK member rwbill pointed out earlier today,

And they are 5-12-3 since adding the Priority Waste Management logo on 29 Feb, losing a 10 pt lead on both the NYI and the Pens.

Imagine if the Wings played .500 hockey over the last 20 games. They would have an additional 7 points heading into the last three games. They would be very comfortable in the second spot of the wild card race instead of hoping other teams lose while the Wings try to win their last three games.

That my friends is why the Detroit Red Wings have a 37.1% chance of making the playoffs.

from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

When it comes to the debate over the Kings’ soul-sucking neutral zone clog, Drew Doughty has an admission to make.

“I’d rather play a different system,” chuckled the gap-toothed veteran in a quiet one-on-one chat.

“But this is the system we’ve chosen, and all bought into.”

Unfortunately for the game of hockey, it works.

Case in point, Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Flames at Crypto.com Arena.

On a night when a rink-side shot of Will Ferrell provided the bulk of the entertainment, the Kings perfectly executed their 1-3-1 system, stymying the potential of controlled entries, and limiting the Flames to just 23 shots.

Only five were of the high-danger variety, giving former Flame Cam Talbot an easy path to clinching the team’s official playoff pass as the Pacific division’s third-place team.

continued

* Sidney Crosby had a night to remember as he moved into the NHL’s top 10 for points, became the 14th player in League history to record 1,000 assists and helped boost his team back into the second Eastern Conference Wild Card position, marking the fifth time in the past seven days that spot has changed hands.

* The Kings guaranteed their place in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs as they extended their home winning streak to seven games, their longest run since 2012-13 (also 7-0-0).

* It was another night of noteworthy performances for the current leaders in both the Art Ross Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy races as Nikita Kucherov surpassed 140 points and Auston Matthews hit 68 goals.

* The Rush to the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Friday with 10 teams in action, including the Golden Knights who hold the final Wild Card spot and the Blues who are just three points outside the playoff picture.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Lalonde, and many players, have talked about the Wings' resiliency this season, all the comebacks, and specifically the third-period comebacks.

There was no better example of this team's ability to keep battling than against Pittsburgh, being down two goals midway in the third period, and rallying once again.

"The guys did a great job," Lalonde said. "I don't usually address the guys after a game but I had to. I said to them after this that was a huge point. To be down two goals with seven minutes left on the road, I give our guys a ton of credit for battling and staying in the fight and getting a point.

"There's still a path there because of that point."

Larkin and Raymond propelled the late comeback, but the push came from so many different directions.

"This team has great battle," Lalonde said. "We're still in the fight and there's a still a path. I won't second guess this group's will and compete. They've battled all year and literally our season is over and our backs are to the wall if we don't get a point in this building.

"We gave it our all and got ourselves a point."

more post game talk...

In the third, the Wings were down 5-3 with 6 minutes to go, scored 2 goals quickly to force overtime.

Pittsburgh gets the extra point in overtime with a 6-5 win.

Team Stats

Detroit goals are below.

Good evening and welcome to all. Here we are almost down to the wire, and the Red Wings are still in the mix. I’m an optimist and a realist. The optimist sees the numbers still bear out the possible playoff appearance. The realist see the numbers which show the same conclusion. Yeah it’s a stretch, but I’m all in, burning with optimism’s flame.

Lyon has the net tonight. No Rasmussen(injury), no Copp(injury). Walman seem to be sitting. No other changes to the lineup have been announced as of 2:45 PM.

It’s the Red Wings vs the Penguins. The puck drops around 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit, and on the Red Wings Radio Network 97.1 (The Ticket in Detroit) for your listening pleasure. Also available on ESPN+/NHLPP, SN-PIT, SPORTSNET+, and TVAS.

It’s a Live Blog!

TSN’s Hockey Insiders have the latest on the league and the Coyotes-Salt Lake City speculation, its effect on the Coyotes players, the Flyers and head coach John Tortorella, Noah Hanifin’s extension with Vegas and Canada’s 4-Nations GM

Watch at TSN

10 of them.

12 minutes to watch.

from ESPN,

Frozen Four schedule

All times Eastern

at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota

National semifinals, April 11

Denver vs. Boston University, 5 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN+)

Boston College vs. Michigan, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN+)

National championship game, April 13
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+)

more on the teams

* The West is not set thanks to the Blues, who are now three points back of the reigning Stanley Cup champions for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

* The regular-season will end one week from today, with four playoff spots still up for grabs (two in each conference) and all eight First Round matchups to be determined.

* None of the 12 teams that have clinched a playoff spot have secured a specific seed, and each of them have at least four potential opponents in the First Round. Click here to see all the possible outcomes.

* All five contenders in the Eastern Conference playoff race are in action tonight, with the Capitals able to overtake the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division standings. If that doesn’t happen, the winner of the Red Wings-Penguins matchup could move back into the second Wild Card spot.

from Rachel Doerrie of ESPN,

To qualify as a "prospect" for the purposes of this list, the player must be under 23 years old, not a full-time NHL player -- to allow for players bouncing between levels (Brendan Brisson, Thomas Bordeleau) -- selected in the entry draft, and have his rights owned or signed an entry-level contract as a free agent (Collin Graf). Players who were undrafted and signed to AHL contracts are excluded.

#4 Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have collected some top talent in recent drafts, giving them the fourth most valuable prospect pool. Simon Edvinsson leads the way on the back end, but he's not the only notable defensive prospect in the Red Wings' pipeline.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka had a fantastic season and has the makings of an impact defenseman. William Willander and Shai Buium are two other candidates to be solid defenders at the NHL level.

The Red Wings have a few high-value prospects in Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson at center and Trey Augustine in goal.

At least four of the players in the Red Wings pool are projected to be impactful NHL players, with three more projected to be NHL-caliber. There is a lot to like about Detroit's future with the level of prospects they have at every position.

31 more ($) teams

9 minutes to watch.

Over 18 minutes of talk.

from Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff,

The NHL is concurrently drafting two versions of a league schedule matrix for the 2024-25 season, one with the Arizona Coyotes and another with the Coyotes franchise playing in Salt Lake City in the event of relocation, multiple sources told Daily Faceoff.

That does not mean the NHL has firmed up plans to relocate the franchise yet, just that the league has a viable contingency plan for next season. But the news comes on the heels of billionaire prospective owner Ryan Smith publicly soliciting potential names for an NHL team in Utah earlier this week.

As the NHL has been working on dual paths, multiple sources indicate Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is intimately involved in both. The first, of course, involves the Coyotes remaining in the Phoenix area by building a new arena via Arizona State Land Trust auction, which is scheduled for June 27.

continued