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NHL playoff standings: Key games to watch on the final day
Thursday is the final night of the 2023-24 NHL regular season, with the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin Saturday. Although the identity of all 16 playoff teams is known, the eight matchups are not all locked in. So which games matter most? Sadly for those with early bedtimes on the East Coast, the […]
Continue readingNHL playoff watch: How the wild card can be won Tuesday
A certain sequence of events had to happen Monday night for four teams to remain in the running for the second Eastern wild card — and that sequence of events occurred. So where do things stand heading into Tuesday? It’s a little complicated. But here is the path to the postseason for the Washington Capitals […]
Continue readingSidney Crosby hits 1,000 assists, keeps Penguins surging
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby is too consumed with the moment to think about the history he’s making. Too focused on trying to will the Pittsburgh Penguins into a playoff berth that seemed unlikely a month ago to consider the weight of all that he’s done. Besides, there’s really no need. The heights Crosby is reaching […]
Continue readingNHL playoff standings: Who will win the Presidents’ Trophy?
As we’ve written previously in this space, the winner of the Presidents’ Trophy is by no means guaranteed a Stanley Cup championship. Since the trophy was first awarded in 1985-86, only eight teams have won the regular-season points race and the Cup in the same campaign, the most recent being the Chicago Blackhawks in the […]
Continue readingNHL playoff standings: Latest on the East’s second wild card
The final day of the 2023-24 NHL regular season is Thursday, but the Eastern Conference teams will close things out by Wednesday. And it may take that long before we know the identity of all eight playoff teams in that conference. Monday is a big night in the race for the second wild card, with […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey awards: Scorers, rookies, and surprises who thrilled the fantasy world
Finalists: Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov (Likely) Winner: Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche We still have another week and change to play out, but MacKinnon has a commanding enough lead that it’s probably safe to call it. Heading into Tuesday’s action, he has 280.8 fantasy points, leading Matthews by 13.9 points and Kucherov by […]
Continue readingNHL playoff watch: Capitals-Red Wings is Tuesday’s key game
All 16 teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference will have completed their 82-game seasons by the end of April 17. At that time — and perhaps not a moment earlier — we will officially know the identities of the eight Eastern clubs moving on to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Eight of Tuesday’s 13 games include […]
Continue readingNHL playoff standings: Key matchups on Super Saturday
The homestretch of the 2023-24 NHL season is here. Eleven tickets to the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs dance have been printed, and five remain. Much will be gained and lost by the end of the 11-game slate on Super Saturday. Here are the key matchups to watch: Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (1 p.m. […]
Continue readingNHL playoff standings: Vegas-Vancouver a first-round preview?
Rare is the night in the NHL when every team in action is in playoff position, or at least close to it. Monday is such a night — though it helps that there are only two games. The early game pits the Pittsburgh Penguins (one point out of the second wild card) against the Toronto […]
Continue readingNHL playoff standings: Big stakes for Flyers, Sabres Friday
As the chaotic final stretch of the Eastern Conference wild-card race continues, Friday’s schedule includes four teams that could occupy the final spot when the Eastern schedule concludes April 17. The Washington Capitals, fresh off a loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, are skating against the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). […]
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