Things could change at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket between now and April 11th.But they won’t – minus some reshuffling, the eight teams you see this morning at the top of the standings are the ones that will be in the second season.
Just go back and watch the Rangers lose to the Canadiens, 3-1, last night at Madison Square Garden.Relive the Bruins running over the Hurricanes in Carolina, 5-2.And don’t read too much into Atlanta chasing Ryan Miller from the Buffalo net in a 4-3 victory.Once you do that, you’ll know what I mean.
Montreal’s winning streak is now six games.The run has propelled them into 6th in the East, one point ahead of Philadelphia and seven clear of the 9th-place Rangers.
“We’ve still got a lot of games left,” cautioned Scott Gomez.“The last thing that we’re worried about is these other teams.”
The Canadiens, though, no longer need to waste time on the Rangers.Forty-eight hours after an impressive defeat of the Flyers, the Blueshirts mustered little on offense and would’ve been beaten more badly if not for another sterling effort from Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves).
“Again, it is consistency.It is so obvious how we have to play and see how successful we can be with it,” said head coach John Tortorella.“We are just not consistent with it.What we did well against Philly, we were on the opposite end of the spectrum tonight.”
The Rangers sit three points behind the Bruins for the 8th-and-final playoff spot.New York may win Sunday in Beantown, but could lose the following three contests.They are just not good enough to sustain a run into the postseason.
Boston got the big win last night, meanwhile, closing out a seven-game road trip with five different goal scorers supporting Tuukka Rask (30 saves).The Bruins also received good news postgame with head coach Claude Julien saying Patrice Bergeron suffered only a bruise after being hit by a shot in the leg.
TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD (home team in CAPS)
Islanders 5 – CANUCKS 2 … John Tavares 2G, 3A after just 9 pts in his prev. 37 gms
Capitals 7 – PANTHERS 3 … in game one of Alex Ovechkin’s 2-game suspension
Coyotes 2 – LIGHTNING 1
Maple Leafs 4 – SENATORS 1
THRASHERS 4 – Sabres 3
IN OTHER NEWS
- A report in this morning’s Toronto Globe and Mail says the NHL is working to implement new headshot rules immediately.A DVD of case studies is being finalized and will then be sent out to all 30 teams.This is an unprecedented move from league headquarters, and would need support from the owners AND players to be enacted before the postseason.
- The puck Sidney Crosby slipped through Ryan Miller to win the gold medal in Vancouver is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.A linesman from the game actually brought the puck back to his native Finland, then it was sent to the IIHF Hall of Fame.After settling into Toronto, the puck will periodically tour Canada.
- The Blackhawks put a timetable on Brian Campbell’s return from the injuries suffered Sunday at the hands of Alex Ovechkin.The defenseman will need 7-8 weeks to recover from a broken collarbone and rib.Ovechkin, meanwhile, issued this statement in response to Monday’s two-game suspension:
“I am very sorry that Brian was injured and I hope he is able to return to his team soon. NHL hockey is a physical game. We all play hard every time we are on the ice and have battles each shift in every game we play so we can do our jobs and win. As players we must accept responsibility for our actions and I am no different but I did not intend to injure Brian and that is why I was disappointed with the NHL’s decision yesterday. Every time I have the honor to play for my team, I will continue to do what I have done since I was taught to play. I will play hard, play with passion and play with respect for my teammates, opponents and fans. I look forward to returning to my team and doing everything I can to be the best player I can be.”
Also from the injury report, Tampa Bay winger Ryan Malone will miss up to two weeks after a “minor arthroscopic procedure” on his left knee. Malone is also dealing with an upper body injury, which caused him to miss three of the previous four games.And Columbus defenseman Jan Hejda is out 3-4 weeks with a Grade-2 sprain of the MCL in his right knee.
- In Montreal, the Canadiens and center Tomas Plekanec are pausing their extension negotiations.The team and pending UFA made the mutual decision to avoid distractions as the Habs push towards the postseason.Agent Rick Curran told RDS talks remain cordial.
- Tyler Seguin is the #1 prospect, according to the International Scouting Services mid-season rankings for March.The 18-year-old Plymouth Whalers (OHL) forward replaces F Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires.Seguin led the OHL in scoring this season with 48 goals and 106 points.
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