Last night, on “As the NHL Qualifiers Turn”:
The Vancouver Canucks blanked the Minnesota Wild, 3-0, to put them on the brink of elimination while the Calgary Flames blanked the Winnipeg Jets, 4-0, to send them home early. Out east, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets played a thrilling overtime game which looked like it was going to head to a double-overtime before Pierre-Lus Dubois hit a hat trick with a late period game winner. The two will faceoff again tonight.
In round robin action, the Vegas Golden Knights beat the St. Louis Blues, 6-4, to set themselves up to duke it out with the Colorado Avalanche for the top seed. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers continue their dominance that ended the regular season with a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
With potentially six series ending today, we’re picking two of the more exciting elimination games, including one that could happen on Sidney Crosby’s birthday:
Today’s full slate of games:
- 11 AM CDT: New York Islanders @ Florida Panthers (NBCSN, 2-1 NYI)
- 1:30 PM CDT: Nashville Predators @ Arizona Coyotes (NHL Network, 2-1 ARI)
- 3 PM CDT: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Montreal Canadiens (NBCSN, 2-1 MTL)
- 5:45 PM CDT: Edmonton Oilers @ Chicago Blackhawks (NBCSN, 2-1 CHI)
- 7 PM CDT: Toronto Blue Jackets @ Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL Network, 2-1 CBJ)
- 9:45 PM CDT: Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota Wild (NBCSN, 2-1 VAN)/
Round Robin Standings:
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay Lightning (2-0-0, 4 points)
Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-0, 4 points)
Washington Capitals (0-1-1, 1 point)
Boston Bruins (0-2-0, 0 points)
Western Conference
Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0, 4 points)
Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-0, 4 points)
St. Louis Blues (0-2-0, 0 points)
Dallas Stars (0-2-0, 0 points)