NHL MORNING SKATE – MARCH 28, 2016

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

TODAY’S CLINCHING SCENARIOS

* The Capitals will clinch the Presidents’ Trophy and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs if they get at least one point against the Blue Jackets.
* The Sharks will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Kings in any fashion OR if they get one point against the Kings AND the Coyotes lose to the Flames in any fashion OR if the Coyotes lose to the Flames in regulation.
* The Predators will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Avalanche in regulation.

SNEAK PEEK AT MONDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Winnipeg @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., TSN3, CSN-PH
Columbus @ Washington, 7:00 p.m., FS-O, CSN-DC
Buffalo @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN, SNE, SNO, SNP, FS-D
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., TVAS, SNO, SUN
Colorado @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., ALT, FS-TN
Anaheim @ Edmonton, 9:00 p.m., FS-W, SNW
Calgary @ Arizona, 10:00 p.m., SNF, FS-A
Los Angeles @ San Jose, 10:00 p.m., NBCSN, SNE, SNP

SHARKS, PREDATORS ATTEMPT TO PUNCH PLAYOFF TICKETS

Both the Sharks and Predators will try to clinch playoff berths while facing division rivals:

* The Sharks (41-28-6, 88 points), who saw their 10-year playoff streak end in 2014-15, will attempt to return to the postseason when they welcome the Pacific Division-leading Kings (45-25-5, 95 points) to SAP Center. This marks the fifth and final meeting of 2015-16 between these California rivals, who have split their opening four matchups – with the road team winning each contest (SJS: 2-1-1, LAK: 2-2-0). That includes a 3-2 overtime victory by Los Angeles in their most recent head-to-head game on Jan. 24 in San Jose.
* The Predators (39-23-13, 91 points) will try to lock up their fifth postseason berth in the past seven years when they face the Avalanche (38-33-4, 80 points), the first team on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, at Bridgestone Arena. This marks the fourth of five meetings in 2015-16 between these Central Division rivals, who will close their season series on April 5 – also in Nashville. Colorado has won two of their opening three matchups (COL: 2-1-0, NSH: 1-2-0).

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
CAROLINA 3, New Jersey 2
Pittsburgh 3, NY RANGERS 2 (OT)
Chicago 3, VANCOUVER 2

LADD, BLACKHAWKS CLINCH EIGHTH STRAIGHT PLAYOFF BERTH

Andrew Ladd scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:27 remaining in regulation to power the Blackhawks to their eighth consecutive playoff berth.

* At 44-25-7 (95 points), the Blackhawks moved four points ahead of the idle Predators (39-23-13, 91 points) for third place in the Central Division. They also climbed within four points of the idle division leaders – the Stars and Blues (both 45-22-9, 99 points).
* Ladd, who posted 2-1—3 in Saturday’s win at CGY, has 6-3—9 in 13 games since rejoining the Blackhawks. His six goals pace the team in the span, while his nine points are tied for second on the club – behind only Patrick Kane (4-6—10 in 13 GP).

CROSBY, PENGUINS INCH AHEAD IN METROPOLITAN DIVISION RACE

Sidney Crosby scored with 29.5 seconds remaining in overtime to lead the Penguins past the Rangers and to their eighth victory in their last nine games, including five straight on the road.

* The Penguins, who moved within three points of second place in the Metropolitan Division, closed their season series with a 3-1-0 record against the Rangers (NYR: 1-2-1).
* Crosby picked up his eighth career overtime goal and first of 2015-16. He ranks third in the NHL with 32-46—78 this season, including at least one point in 14 of his past 15 contests (7-15—22).

LOOSE PUCKS
Forward Victor Rask (2-0—2) registered his second multi-goal game of the season to lift the Hurricanes within four points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Rask, who scored for the third straight game (4-0—4), reached the 20-goal milestone for the first time in his career (20-25—45) . . . Forward Eric Staal (2-0—2) posted his 50th career multi-goal game – and first with the Rangers (14 GP) . . . Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (25 SV) improved to 7-1-0 in his last eight appearances (1.98 GAA, .915 SV%).

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NHL MORNING SKATE – JAN. 28, 2016

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

REMINDER: NHL ALL-STAR BREAK

The NHL’s All-Star break begins today and runs through Monday, Feb. 1.
There will no scheduled practices and dressing rooms must be closed through Sunday, Jan. 31.

2016 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR GAME INFORMATION GUIDE

The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game Interactive Information Guide is now available for download via the League’s Media site.

The guide features this weekend’s schedule of events as well as a roster of participants and rules for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition and 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game. It also includes a complete history of the NHL All-Star Game as well as records and a register for skaters, goaltenders and head coaches.

NHL ADDS KUZNETSOV, NEAL TO ALL-STAR GAME ROSTER

The NHL announced that Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov and Predators forward James Neal have been added to the roster for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game.

Kuznetsov replaces Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin on the Metropolitan Division roster, while Neal replaces Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on the Central Division roster. Islanders captain John Tavares replaces Ovechkin as the captain of the Metropolitan Division team.

Click here for more information.

VOTING FOR BREAKAWAY CHALLENGE CLOSES TODAY

Voting for the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge – the second event in the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition – closes today at 5:00 p.m. ET.

While five shooters for this event will be determined by team captains, one guaranteed participant will be selected by fans via the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge Fan Vote. The three eligible candidates are forwards Matt Duchene (COL), Dylan Larkin (DET) and Brandon Saad (CBJ).

Fans can vote via Twitter for their favorite eligible player by including his corresponding hashtag: #NHLBreakawayDuchene, #NHLBreakawayLarkin or #NHLBreakawaySaad.

ICYMI: SCHNEIDER UNVEILS ALL-STAR GAME PADS

Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, who will represent the Metropolitan Division at the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Nashville, unveiled his pads for the midseason showcase that pay homage to Music City:

2016 BMO CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME

The 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game takes place tonight at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver (9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, SN, TVAS). All 40 players scheduled to participate in the game – representing the OHL, QMJHL and WHL – are eligible for selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Click here for the full rosters.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
TAMPA BAY 1, Toronto 0
Philadelphia 4, WASHINGTON 3 (OT)
Nashville 2, CALGARY 1
Colorado 4, LOS ANGELES 3

VORACEK, FLYERS SNAP CAPITALS’ HOME WINNING STREAK AT 12 GAMES

Washington erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, but Jakub Voracek (2-0—2) scored 38 seconds into overtime to help the Flyers end a three-game skid (0-3-0) and snap the Capitals’ home winning streak at 12 games.

* At 21-18-8 (50 points), the Flyers moved within five points of the idle Penguins (24-17-7, 55 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia holds one game in hand, but Pittsburgh owns the ROW tiebreaker (PIT: 23, PHI: 19).
* The Flyers earned their eighth overtime victory of the season (8-4), tied for first in the NHL with the Flames (8-1) and Blackhawks (8-4).
* Voracek recorded his sixth career overtime goal and second of the campaign (also Nov. 14 at CAR). He also posted his 14th career multi-goal game and first since Dec. 21, 2014 at WPG (2-0—2, including OT GWG).
* Voracek ranks second on the Flyers with 8-28—36 overall this season, including 4-6—10 in his past seven games.

VASILEVSKIY, STAMKOS POWER LIGHTNING PAST MAPLE LEAFS

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 30 shots he faced and Steven Stamkos scored the lone goal early in the first period to guide the Lightning to their eighth victory in their past nine games overall as well as their sixth straight win at Amalie Arena.

* At 27-18-4 (58 points), the Lightning climbed back into second place in the Atlantic Division, where teams Nos. 2-4 are separated by just one point. They also moved within five points of the idle Panthers (29-15-5, 63 points) for first place.
* Vasilevskiy – a native of Tyumen, Russia – earned his second career shutout (also March 3, 2015 vs. BUF: 28 SV) while playing his first NHL game in front of his parents.
* “It was their first NHL game and I did well . . . I showed them I can play in the NHL,” said Vasilevskiy, who won his sixth consecutive decision. “A shutout is always amazing for a goalie, but the most important thing is the win.”
* Stamkos notched his team-leading 21st goal of the season and 10th via the power play, tied for fifth in the NHL with Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin. He also picked up his fifth game-winning goal of the campaign.

AVALANCHE, PREDATORS CONTINUE WILD PLAYOFF PUSH

Both the Avalanche and Predators earned one-goal victories to head into the All-Star break occupying the two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference:

* Nathan MacKinnon scored the tiebreaking goal with 9:25 remaining in regulation to help the Avalanche rally from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits en route to their fifth victory in their last six games. Per Elias, Colorado overcame a two-goal deficit to win for the fourth time this season – second in the NHL behind Dallas (5x). MacKinnon posted his fifth game-winning goal of the campaign, while Gabriel Landeskog (2-0—2) registered his eighth career multi-goal game and second of 2015-16 (also Oct. 10 vs. DAL: 2-2—4).
* Shea Weber scored what stood as the game-winning goal and Carter Hutton made 26 saves to lead the Predators to a sweep of their four-game road trip through Western Canada. Weber ranks fifth among defensemen with 12 goals this season; his nine strikes via the power play also place second among blueliners, behind Carolina’s Justin Faulk (12). Hutton improved to 5-2-1 in eight appearances this season (2.36 GAA, .916 SV%, 1 SO).

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner played in his 423rd consecutive games (all w/ WSH) to pass Bobby Carpenter (422) for the longest such streak in franchise history.

LOOSE PUCKS

Despite suffering the overtime loss, Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (28 SV) has earned at least one point in 25 of his past 26 decisions dating to Nov. 12 (22-1-3) . . . Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scored his first career shorthanded goal (573 GP) . . . Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky (2-0—2) registered his second career multi-goal game (also Feb. 15, 2015 at ANA: 2-0—2) . . . Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier turned aside 28 of 29 shots . . . Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm (0-1—1) extended his assist/point streak to a career-high five games (1-5—6) . . . ICYMI: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (15 SV) made a helicopter paddle save.

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NHL MORNING SKATE – JAN. 22, 2016

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
Vancouver 4, BOSTON 2
NEW JERSEY 6, Ottawa 3
PITTSBURGH 4, Philadelphia 3
Calgary 4, COLUMBUS 2
Carolina 1, TORONTO 0 (OT)
TAMPA BAY 2, Chicago 1
Nashville 4, WINNIPEG 1
DALLAS 3, Edmonton 2
San Jose 3, ARIZONA 1
Minnesota 3, LOS ANGELES 0

LIGHTNING RUN WINNING STREAK TO SEVEN, HALT BLACKHAWKS’ AT 12 . . .

Nikita Kucherov scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period to power the Lightning to their seventh consecutive victory and halt the Blackhawks’ franchise-record winning streak at 12 games.

* At 26-17-4 (56 points), the Lightning moved within one point of the idle Panthers (26-15-5, 57 points) for first place in the Atlantic Division. Florida holds one game in hand, but Tampa Bay owns the ROW tiebreaker (TBL: 24, FLA: 21).
* The Lightning, who are one game shy of matching the longest winning streak in franchise history (Feb. 23 – March 6, 2004: 8-0-0), ranked sixth division and sat 12 points out of first place when their current seven-game run began on Jan. 8.
* Kucherov, who paces the Lightning in goals (t-20) and points (40) in 2015-16, reached the 20-goal milestone for the second consecutive season. He also extended his overall point streak to seven games (6-4—10) and home point streak to 12 contests (9-9—18).
* Ben Bishop made 17 saves to earn his fourth consecutive win. He ranks second in the NHL with a 1.94 goals-against average this season and also places eighth with a .928 save percentage.

. . . DID YOU KNOW?

Elias says that Thursday’s game between the Lightning (6 W) and Blackhawks (12 W) marked just the fourth contest in NHL history in which both teams entered on winning streaks of six or more games.

The other such instances:

Nov. 6, 1991: MTL (8 W) at NYR (6 W) – MTL won 4-1
Nov. 13, 1993: NYR (6 W) at WSH (6 W) – NYR won 2-0
Dec. 2, 2010: ATL (6 W) at PIT (7 W) – PIT won 3-2

D. SEDIN SETS FRANCHISE RECORD IN CANUCKS’ VICTORY

Daniel Sedin scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, to surpass Markus Naslund as the Canucks’ all-time leader in goals and help the team pick up points for the 12th time in its past 15 games (9-3-3).

* At 20-17-11 (51 points), the Canucks moved into third place in the Pacific Division, where teams Nos. 2-7 are separated by just eight points.
* Sedin, who now has 348 goals with the Canucks compared to Naslund’s 346, became the fifth active NHL player to become his franchise’s all-time leader in goals. The others: Arizona’s Shane Doan (384), New Jersey’s Patrik Elias (407), Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (503) and San Jose’s Patrick Marleau (470).
* Sedin, who has spent his entire career with the Canucks, also reached the 20-goal milestone for the 10th time in his 15 NHL seasons (21-22—43). Via Elias, Naslund is the only other player in franchise history to post 10 or more 20-goal seasons (also 10).
* Sedin added to another franchise record with his 78th career game-winning goal. His six such tallies in 2015-16 are one off the League lead, shared by San Jose’s Joe Pavelski and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.

FIVE FIRST-PERIOD GOALS POWER DEVILS PAST SENATORS

The Devils scored five goals in the first period – led by 1-3—4 from Travis Zajac – to knock off the Senators and pick up their third consecutive victory.

* At 24-19-5 (53 points), the Devils tied the Bruins (24-17-5, 53 points) – in terms of points – for the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston, however, holds two games in hand. The Devils also moved within one point of the idle Islanders (24-15-6, 54 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
* Elias says that the Devils tied a franchise record for goals in the first period, last achieved on March 11, 1997 vs. EDM (5x total).
* Elias adds that Zajac became just the second player in Devils history to record four points in the first period of a game. The other: Patrik Elias, who posted 1-3—4 in the first period of a 4-1 win over the Stars on Dec. 20, 2000.
* Zajac, who totaled 0-4—4 in his last 16 games and had not scored since Nov. 6 vs. CHI, also equaled a career high for points in one contest, last achieved March 31, 2014 vs. FLA (3-1—4).

SLUMP BUSTERS

Several teams snapped losing streaks with victories on Thursday:

* The Penguins scored four consecutive goals to overcome an early 2-0 deficit and snap an eight-game head-to-head losing streak against the intrastate rival Flyers (0-6-2). Phil Kessel (2-0—2) and Sidney Crosby (1-1—2) both collected multiple points. Kessel recorded his third multi-goal performance of the season, while Crosby extended his point streak to five games (3-5—8) – he has 9-11—20 in his past 15 outings.
* Darcy Kuemper stopped all 32 shots he faced, including 13 in the final period, to earn his seventh career shutout (second this season) and help the Wild end a five-game skid (0-5-0). Zach Parise provided what stood as the game-winning goal, his fifth of the season. He paces the team with 17 total goals in 2015-16 despite missing nine contests due to injury.
* Antti Niemi made 23 saves to backstop the Stars past the Oilers, helping the team halt a four-game slide (0-3-1) and pick up its first victory in regulation since Dec. 31 vs. NSH (1-5-2). Niemi improved to 12-1-3 in 16 career games vs. EDM (2.39 GAA, .909 SV%). He also upped his record to 17-8-5 in 2015-16 (2.45 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO).

AROUND THE RINKS

* Martin Jones turned aside 23 shots to backstop the Sharks to a 6-0-1 record in their last seven games, their longest point streak since March 2-16, 2014 (7-0-1). Jones, who has won his past five starts, improved to 14-3-2 on the road this season (2.25 GAA, .923 SV%, 2 SO) – tied for the most such wins in the NHL (w/ Washington’s Braden Holtby: also 14-3-2).
* Down 1-0 less than five minutes after the opening face-off, the Predators scored four unanswered goals to earn their second win in their last three outings on the heels of a five-game skid (0-4-1). Ryan Johansen led the way with 1-1—2; he has recorded 3-6—9 in seven games since joining Nashville on Jan. 6.
* Eddie Lack denied all 32 shots he faced and Jordan Staal scored at 2:54 of overtime to lift the Hurricanes to a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games. Lack earned his seventh career shutout and first with Carolina. Staal established a Hurricanes/Whalers record with his third overtime goal of the season (also Nov. 7 vs. OTT and Jan. 9 at CBJ).
* Sam Bennett scored twice and Johnny Gaudreau provided the tiebreaking goal to propel the Flames to a 1-1-1 record on their current five-game road trip. Bennett has eight goals over his past five outings, three more than his total from his first 40 career appearances. Gaudreau reached the 20-goal milestone for the second time in as many NHL seasons (20-26—46).

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Devils forward Joseph Blandisi (1-2—3), a sixth-round selection (162nd overall) by the Avalanche in the 2012 NHL Draft, scored his first career goal (9 GP).
* Maple Leafs forward Brad Boyes (800) and Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (300) both played in milestone games.

LOOSE PUCKS

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford (31 SV) saw his career-high winning streak end at nine games . . . Senators captain Erik Karlsson (0-2—2) reached the 40-assist milestone for the fourth time in his seven NHL seasons. Only Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (42) has more helpers in 2015-16 . . . Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 26 saves to snap a personal five-game losing streak (0-4-1) and improve to 9-2-1 in 13 career appearances vs. WPG/ATL (2.12 GAA, .920 SV%, 2 SO) . . . Sharks forward Joe Thornton (0-1—1) extended his point streak to seven games (2-7—9). He has posted at least one point in 15 of his past 16 outings (5-15—20) . . . Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer (40 SV) recorded his third 40-save performance of the season . . . The Kings aired a tribute video for Wild forward Jarret Stoll in his return to Los Angeles. Stoll won two Stanley Cups with the Kings over the past seven seasons (81-133—214 in 506 GP) . . . The Blackhawks acquired forward Jiri Sekac from the Ducks in exchange for forward Ryan Garbutt . . . The Rangers signed forward Daniel Paille . . . ICYMI: The NHL announced that country music stars Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Charles Kelley and Chris Young will serve as celebrity coaches for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game . . . Boston Pride forward Denna Laing, who was injured during the Outdoor Women’s Classic presented by Scotiabank, recorded an inspirational message for fans at TD Garden. Her sisters, Brianna and Lexie, then dropped the ceremonial opening puck prior to the Canucks-Bruins game. Visit BostonBruins.com/DennaLaing for more information about fundraising efforts . . . The Coyotes honored captain Shane Doan (384) for surpassing Dale Hawerchuk (379) as the franchise’s all-time leader in goals.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 21: Shane Doan #19 of the Arizona Coyotes and Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Maloney pose with a painting during a ceremony celebrating Doan being the all-time franchise goal scoring leader before a game against the San Jose Sharks at Gila River Arena on January 21, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Anaheim @ Washington, 5:00 p.m., FS-W, CSN-DC
Detroit @ Buffalo, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, FS-D, MSG-B, BELL TV
NY Rangers @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., MSG 2, FS-CR
NY Islanders @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., MSG+, TSN5, RDS
Chicago @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., CSN-CH, FS-F
St. Louis @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., FS-MW, ALT

ICYMI: TIME CHANGE FOR DUCKS-CAPITALS GAME

The NHL announced that the start time for tonight’s game between the Ducks (20-18-7, 47 points) and Capitals (35-8-3, 73 points) at Verizon Center has been changed from 7:00 p.m. ET to 5:00 p.m. ET due to the severe snowstorm impacting the Washington, D.C., area and in light of Metro’s service changes.

All tickets for tonight’s game will be honored for the new start time.

Click here for more information.

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