Game recaps, Dustin Byfuglien suspended, Anton Lander re-signed and more in your NHL Canadian Corner.
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Patrick Wiercioch scored in overtime to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Senators (90 points) remained three points behind the Boston Bruins (93 points) in the race for the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
Washington Capitals forward Troy Brouwer scores the game winner against the Montreal Canadiens.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Troy Brouwer’s shootout goal lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin scored twice, including his 473rd career goal, surpassing Peter Bondra for the Capitals’ all-time franchise goalscoring lead.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens goalie Carey Price did not look sharp in this game, illustrating the fact that the Canadiens aren’t very good when he’s not at his best. Ovechkin, meanwhile, is making a convincing case to win his fourth Hart Trophy this season.
THE VANCOUVER SUN: The Chicago Blackhawks clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
CALGARY HERALD: The St. Louis Blues also clinched a playoff berth, downing the Calgary Flames 4-1. 20-year-old Flames center Sean Monahan became the youngest player in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames (91 points) maintain a slim hold on a playoff berth, sitting one point ahead of the LA Kings.
EDMONTON SUN: The Los Angeles Kings crushed the hapless Oilers 8-2. Earlier in the day, the Oilers announced the re-signing of center Anton Lander to a two-year contract extension worth $950K in 2015-16 and $1.05 million in 2016-17.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Good for Lander, who was placed on waivers earlier this season amid questions over his NHL potential. He worked very hard this season to prove himself and earned that new deal. The Kings’ victory moves them into a tie with the Winnipeg Jets (both have 90 points) and currently give them the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference on the basis of one fewer loss than the Jets.
WINNIPEG SUN: Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien received a four-game suspension for his crosscheck to the neck of New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: With their top defenseman out of action for four of their remaining five games this season, the Jets must now prove they can overcome Byfuglien’s absence and clinch a playoff berth. If they don’t, Jets fans will look upon Byfuglien’s suspension as the factor which killed their club’s postseason hopes.
TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs can still influence the upcoming playoff picture.
Damn Oilers…wasted their game in hand and could have moved with in 3 of the Leafs, all those years of getting top pick has given them the edge in experience. Its really paying off down the stretch, their tank game is strong, doesnt look like only winning 8 games in the new year is going to be enough for the Leafs this year, it was a valiant effort but the Buds got down (up?) early in this one and just weren’t able to claw their way back in it
Buff should have atleast got the rest of the regular season.
The oilers should also consider Roy back if he would take a cheap short year possibly 2 year “show me” contract and either use Draisaitil on wing or continue to develop…
Monahan and Bennett are going to be soooo good for sooo long for the Flames, glad as Leaf fans there is a little glimpse of hope that if a team gets built kinda properly rebuilds dont need to take a decade. Not saying there isnt work to be done in Calgary but what a great start.
My Sens just won’t die. I’m loving it although I realize the improbability of them making it but it is fun.
How in the hell does detroit give up a 2 goal lead with 13 mins left. I am so glad that didn’t go to over time. Now Ottawa has another team to chase and quite frankly the way Detroit is playing and Boston is I am glad to have a new target as it looks like Boston will make it and deservedly so.
Ottawa has Washington on Saturday. Another tough task
Boston has Toronto. Come on Toronto I am going to be cheering you on like a leaf fan. Help us out.
Detroit has Minni a tough team to get a win against.
Bottom line as always, Ottawa needs to win. Losing is not an option with only 5 games left.
What a tease they are.
Speculating is fun. If pittsburgh loses to Columbus who is playo well then to their state rival Philly and Ottawa beats bot Washinton and Toronto the next game each would have would be against one another and only one point between then.
So many possibilities for my Sens to get in but they need to win and teams need to lose.
I think the NHL dropped the ball on Byfuglien’s suspension it should have been longer. The fact that Miller was not hurt is a miracle. there is no place that in the game in any time period. The problem is that the NHL talks a good game but I listened to EJ Hradek state that the league did not want to hurt the Jets team. Really? Really? That is the most absurd things i ever heard.
Agreed they dropped the ball and it rolled out in to trafic and then got flattened by a truck…could be the biggest joke of a suspension Ive seen in a while, not like Buff is exactly small that easily could have resulted in a broken neck. 4 games is a joke, 5 6 games easy, since they have the dumb code that a playoff games = 2 regular season he should have atleast been done for the regular season…
Agreed I would of handed out 12 games to cover the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs. If the peg don’t make it it carries into next year.
Head shots are exactly what the league wants to remove so when a blatant hit to the head arises throw the book at the perpetrator.