from Sean McIndoe of The Athletic,

So today, we’re going to break out a gimmick I’ve tried a few times in the past and see if we can come up with three positive thoughts for each of the 15 teams that will miss the playoffs. That’s it — no nitpicking, no complaining, just three nice things to say about each team.

Detroit Red Wings

The negative: They’re going to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year, and while their record will be better than it was during last year’s disaster, it’s on pace to be worse than in any of the first three years of the rebuild.

Positive thought #1: They finally escaped the bottom five! That was good, right? (Please don’t read this week’s rankings, where they might be right back in.)

Positive thought #2: The whole Yzerplan thing is going slowly, sure, but progress is being made. They’ve got some prospect help on the way, a ton of picks this year, lots of cap room to work with, and (maybe) a new set of eyes behind the bench to help it all along. The pain isn’t over yet, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Red Wings fans seem like they’re willing to be patient.

Positive thought #3: The new draft lottery system means they’ll only drop two spots this year instead of the customary three.

14 more ($$$) teams...

Watch the incident below.

THREE HARD LAPS

* Sebastian Aho found the score sheet yet again to help the NHL-leading Hurricanes pad their lead in the standings and extend their point streak to 12 games.

* Sidney Crosby leads the NHL with 151 three-point games since debuting in 2005-06 and helped Pittsburgh overtake Washington for first place in the MassMutual East Division.

* Connor McDavid inched closer to 100 points in 2020-21 and Leon Draisaitl scored twice as the duo collected multiple points in the same game for the 18th time this season.

Tom Wilson's antics on the ice overshadowed another big story in Washington: That Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov were benched for disciplinary reasons and as Pierre LeBrun explains, the Capitals may explore their options with Kuznetsov in the summer.

Plus some Norris talk.

Watch at TSN.

Evgeny Svechnikov mic'd up against his brother on April 29th.

Svechnikov remains on today's Covid list.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Gagner signed a one-year contract worth $850,000 last offseason as general manager Steve Yzerman gathered veteran complementary players to strengthen the Wings’ roster.

Yzerman has lengthy list of unrestricted free agents to deal with this summer, Gagner being one. But it wouldn’t be shocking to see the two sides reach some sort of agreement.

Gagner can help the Wings, and t a fair price. He doesn’t think the rebuild will last long.

“We’ll see what happens after the season but I really enjoy it here,” Gagner said. “I feel like my responsibility has grown over my time here. I really like my role and that we’re closer (to being competitive) than a lot of people would project.

“(There were) a lot of injuries this year. The division we’re in, we have an opportunity to turn things around quicker than people expect and I’d like to be part of it.”

much more

NEW YORK, May 4, 2021 – The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden. Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their Department of Player Safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely. Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season. We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.

from Michael Russo of The Athletic,

The playoffs are obviously a different animal than the regular season, and the path to where the Wild want to ultimately get to this postseason will have to go through Vegas or Colorado, and, quite frankly, probably both.

But doesn’t it feel like there’s something different about this team and that something possibly special could be brewing with the Wild?

They’ve got threats on every line, including two bonafide game breakers in Kevin Fiala and Kirill Kaprizov. They’ve got a goalie in Cam Talbot that makes the clutch stops when it most matters. They’ve got one of the best shutdown centers in the league in Joel Eriksson Ek who also happens to be on a near 30-goal pace over an 82-game season. They’ve got guys with Stanley Cup pedigree such as super-handy Nick Bonino, who’s consistently scoring, winning big draws and sacrificing his body to block shots. They’ve got defensive stalwarts such as Jonas Brodin, who in his ninth season is finally becoming an offensive threat.

Heck, even Victor Rask (yes, that Victor Rask) is making big plays of late.

Every time one counts this deep Wild team out, every time one questions their goaltending or the number of turnovers they commit or their thinness up the middle or confusing line combinations, the Wild find a new way to make the naysayers feel foolish.

continued

A little over 3 minutes long.

NEW YORK (May 4, 2021) – Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for roughing New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich during NHL Game No. 814 in New York on Monday, May 3, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 7:40 of the second period. Wilson was assessed two minor penalties for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

from Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun,

Now this is a losing streak with teeth.

The Winnipeg Jets’ skid has taken on a life of its own, baring its fangs in Ottawa on Monday.

Make it seven: Jets find another way to lose

These things don’t become living, breathing beasts until a team begins finding multiple ways to lose.

The Jets found a whole new way against the Senators: anemic on the power play, dominant at even strength but with just enough mistakes to ultimately wind up on the short end of a 2-1 score against a team out of playoff contention and playing its fifth goalie of the season.

Oh, and the dagger coming with just 1:13 to play.

You can almost hear the streak laughing as it grows, now seven games long – the ugliest run since this franchise relocated from Atlanta to Winnipeg.

continued

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Stock up
Thomas Greiss
What a performance he delivered. Back-to-back 33-save outings to set up 0-0 shootouts. The second game, against the Lightning, was a lopsided affair; the Wings were outshot, 11-4, after the first period and 33-15 after overtime. The shootout went eight rounds. Greiss posted a 1-0-1 record on the week, with a 1.00 save percentage and 0.00 goals-against average in 130 minutes to land on the stock up for a second straight week.

Jonathan Bernier
He continued his season-long role as the team’s rock, making 29 saves April 29 in a game in which the Wings were outshot, 32-17, and 40 saves in Sunday’s loss to the Lightning. Bernier’s performances last week yielded a .932 save percentage and 2.61 GAA in 114:48 minutes.

Joe Veleno
He’s played four NHL games, and looked like he belongs. That’s a good sign for the organization from the 30th overall pick in 2018. Veleno has made a favorable impression towards being a regular out of camp next season, playing with physicality and winning draws. He set up Sam Gagner for a good scoring chance. It’s a solid showing for a short time.

read on (paid) for the stock down players, Hronek and Stecher.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

It has been inevitable for some time now, so it’s easy for hockey fans in other markets to see the Edmonton Oilers clinch a playoff spot and simply shrug their shoulders.

But for long suffering Oilers fans, whose team has made the playoffs exactly five times now in this 21st century — and just twice in the past 14 seasons — it is time to stop, maybe crack a beer, and enjoy a long slow pull.

With a 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks Monday night, the Oilers clinched only their second playoff appearance since Connor McDavid joined the team six seasons ago. Even though they were a playoff lock when the pause hit last March, a loss in the Qualifying Round does not qualify as a playoff appearance.

That loss to Chicago counted for only one thing: a hard, embarrassing lesson that this Oilers team took to heart.

“Everyone left the bubble in a bad mood. No one felt great about where we were at, or how that series went,” said McDavid, fresh off of lighting the Canucks up with two goals and four points. “It was a good moment to step back and learn from it. Learn what it takes to win.”

continued

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

The NHL’s ultimate decision whether and for what duration to suspend Tom Wilson for twice body-slamming Artemi Panarin, who will miss the final three games of the season, to the ice after the Washington recidivist went upside a prone and defenseless Pavel Buchnevich’s head with a sucker punch during a second-period incident at the Garden on Monday will not be a reflection on Wilson, but instead on the league, itself.

This was not only bush-league stuff from this notorious headhunter who has been suspended five times in his NHL career, it was frightening how close his initial body slam of Panarin, on which the Washington winger grabbed a chunk of hair to gain leverage, came to causing calamitous damage.

Had Panarin’s head, rather than shoulder, hit the ice full force, the NHL might be presiding over a death.

This is reckless stuff that is repeated over and over again and is enabled over and over again by the Washington organization. Just as Caps coach Peter Laviolette shrugged off Wilson’s blow that concussed Boston’s Brandon Carlo in early March that earned Wilson a seven-game suspension, the coach did it again after Monday’s match.

continued

To watch the video, head to a previous KK post and discussion from last night.

THREE HARD LAPS

* Connor McDavid eclipsed 90 points on the season as the Oilers became the second Scotia North Division team to clinch a berth in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Bruins locked up a postseason berth and moved past the playoff-bound Islanders for third place in the MassMutual East Division.

* The Canadiens, Predators and Blues, who occupy fourth place in their respective divisions, earned wins to improve their playoff chances.

Caps/NYR penalties are listed below.

Feel free to comment on the games tonight.

Full schedule is below.

You may have missed a few of these goals.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

There is an issue at the top of the Rangers lineup that must be resolved before the hierarchy can move into what necessarily must be a Summer of Reconstruction to transform this collection of homogenous ingredients into a more diverse blend that can take the next step in its evolution.

And that is resolving what surely seems a disconnect between the team’s marquee forwards and head coach David Quinn. I am not suggesting that there has been a rebellion that has undermined the season. I am not saying this is tantamount to the Mark Messier-Roger Neilson schism of 1992-93 that resulted in the coach’s dismissal that ultimately cleared the way for the hiring of Mike Keenan, but it has been clear for months that the high-end players and Quinn do not see the game the same way.

But more consequential than that, it has also been clear that the high-end players have had little if any interest in changing their approach in order to accommodate the coach. It is their way, their increasingly obstinate way, in which there has been no quarter given by either side.

As frustrating as it must be for Quinn to watch the top two lines continue with a high-risk, high-reward approach that has provided diminishing returns this season despite constantly being counseled against it, it must be equally infuriating for, say, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich to hear the coach publicly complain about it after nearly every game, including victories.

continued

via the YouTube page of the NHL,

Braden Holtby does an around-the-world pad stack, Ilya Samsonov stones the Devils with a lunging glove, Cam Talbot sprawls to rob the Golden Knights and Mike Smith puts his hat in for save-of-the-year!

Watch 25 minutes of saves below.

NEW YORK (May 3, 2021) – Detroit Red Wings goaltender Thomas Greiss and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System regional director of pharmacy Joanne MacDonald have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending May 2.

Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”

MacDonald serves as a pharmacy leader within the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, overseeing five hospitals and providing support to more than 100 colleagues across the southeast Michigan region – including hospital and retail pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and clinical dietitians. MacDonald’s team, which is responsible for preparing and coordinating the distribution of medications and vaccinations to patients across the healthcare continuum, ensures that colleagues have the resources they need and clear processes in place to deliver safe, high-quality care to patients.

Just 7 ticks south of 6 minutes to watch.

from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Without being prompted last week, Flyers coach Alain Vigneault again brought up how the Flyers have missed defenseman Matt Niskanen in all situations this season.

Make no mistake, Niskanen was a good player and a very good leader for the Flyers last season, his first and only year with the team.

But by the way the Flyers collapsed after he retired, you might have thought he was Bobby Orr and Victor Hedman rolled into one.

It has been a mystifying season for the Flyers, with goaltender Carter Hart going from ultra-promising to one of the worst goalies in the league, with the special teams being a disaster, with poor starts to games becoming the norm.

The most mystifying part, however, was this: The way so many parts of the Flyers’ game became dreadfully bad without Niskanen, a veteran called “Steady Eddie” by his teammates.

Consider:

– The Flyers allowed just 2.77 goals per game last season, placing them tied for seventh in the league. This year, they are last in the NHL — 31st — as they have allowed 3.57 goals per game.

– The penalty kill was 11th last season, with a success rate of 81.8%. This year, it is 30th, clicking at 73.2%.

continued

from Emily Kaplan of ESPN,

So Robertson returned to his family home in Michigan, and got to work with a trainer. He made the Stars' opening night roster in 2021, but through his first few games wasn't making much of an impact. Robertson was a healthy scratch for a handful of early-season games. He says now that he may have been "uptight" or afraid to make mistakes.

"We had a discussion this year around that time, and watched some video together," Peverley said. "As much confidence as he had, not playing is hard. But he was willing to work. He loves the game so much, he'll go home and watch all of his shifts because he wants to get better. There's only so many players I've had, in my minimal time in this role, where they're there because they love it so much. They'll go home and they'll work on things, when everyone else is home doing other things. He naturally has the drive to be the best player."

Finally, it all came together. Over the past two-plus months, the offensively gifted winger has arguably been the Stars' best player, and certainly one of their most indispensable ones. Since Feb. 7, Robertson has scored a team-high 15 goals and 40 points as Dallas makes its final push for a playoff spot in the Central Division, following a sluggish start marred by injuries to key veterans. The 21-year-old was especially impressive in April, when he was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month after appearing on the scoresheet in 13 of 17 games, including a nine-game point streak.

more

The Wings are off until Friday when they will play a back to back 2 game series in Columbus to wrap up their season.

So we have some time to talk about the team.

Let's start off with a "what's on your mind" regarding the Wings.

Start the conversation and see where it goes.