What a crazy, crazy night we had in the NHL. Seven teams that are not currently in the playoffs beat teams that will be (or should be) in the playoffs, with only Montreal and San Jose saving face against inferior teams. Another, Calgary, squandered a chance to inch closer to idle Detroit as they gave up a lead against the Islanders.
As such, we didn’t see much movement among the bubble teams but we did see some shuffling at the top of the Western Conference. Complete standings and game updates after the jump.
Games that mattered:
Boston Bruins 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 5 - Tuukka Rask had an uncommonly off night, and the Bruins missed a prime opportunity to pad their lead for the 8th spot in the East. It wasn’t all bad, because....
Atlanta Thrashers 1, Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (OT) - It was a great game by Ondrej Pavelec in net for the Thrashers, but his team couldn’t generate more than 20 shots on the Leafs. Heading to overtime got Atlanta at leas one important point, but with Boston losing this missed out on a good chance to get closer.
New Jersey Devils 3, NY Rangers 4 (SO) - Big win for the Rangers, who seem to have finally woken up and realized they’re in a playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Devils picked up one point to temporarily grab the lead in the Atlantic division.
Games that mattered:
New York Islanders 3, Calgary Flames 2 - One big, giant Calgary facepalm.
Nashville 4, Phoenix 3 (SO) - The Predators most likely won’t be able to move any higher than 5th, yet the Coyotes are still hanging on to the hope they can challenge the Sharks for the division title. At least they secured a point, because....
San Jose 3, Dallas Stars 0 - Marty Turco was great, but not good enough in what should be his final game at the Shark Tank in a Stars jersey. The Sharks, meanwhile, played a fairly decent and complete game. For once.
Columbus Blue Jackets 8, Chicago Blackhawks 3 - I wonder who Cristobal Huet is playing for next season...
