NHL Week in Review: 4/15-4/18

Daily Headlines
Monday 4/15
  • Down 4-1 late in the second period, Lucas Raymond scores the game-tying goal to force overtime before winning it in overtime to keep Detroit's hopes alive in a 5-4 win over Montreal.
  • The New York Rangers clinch the Metropolitan Division and the President's Trophy by shutting down the Ottawa Senators.
  • Charlie Lindgren pitches a 16-save shutout to stone the Bruins 2-0 as Washington maintains its spot as a Wild Card team.
  • A quartet of Islanders finish with multi-point nights to beat the Devils 5-1, punching their ticket to the postseason as the third team out of the Metropolitan Division.
  • Connor McDavid becomes the fourth player in league history to record 100 assists in the season, reaching the milestone in Edmonton's 9-2 win over the Sharks.
Tuesday 4/16
  • Buffalo fires Head Coach Don Granato as the Sabres fail to make the playoffs for the 13th straight season.
  • Aided by Ottawa's 3-1 win over the Bruins, the Florida Panthers clinch the Atlantic Division title with a 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
  • Vancouver gets off to a hot start and extinguishes the Flames, beating them 4-1 to claim the Pacific Division title.
  • Philadelphia's gamble hurts them in the end, allowing TJ Oshie to score into an empty net to break a 1-1 tie as the Capitals clinch the final playoff spot in a 2-1 victory.
  • David Perron scores with 4.1 seconds left to force overtime, and Patrick Kane wins it in the shootout 5-4 in Montreal in what would ultimately be too little too late for the Red Wings.
Wednesday 4/17
  • Marc-Andre Fleury signs a one-year extension with Minnesota, announcing that next year will be his final NHL season. 
  • Dallas locks up the top spot in the Western Conference by knocking off the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in a shootout.
  • Arizona's three-goal third period helps them celebrate their final game in Arizona with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. 
Thursday 4/18
  • The NHL Board of Governors votes to approve the Coyotes' sale and relocation to Utah next season, leaving the door open for a team to return to Arizona in five years.
  • Viktor Arvidsson scores with 1:21 left on the power play to force overtime before Adrian Kempe wins it six seconds into OT to clinch the third spot in the Pacific Division in a 5-4 win over the Blackhawks.
  • Frank Vatrano's hat trick dooms the Golden Knights 4-1, setting the defending champions up with a battle against Dallas as the second Wild Card team.
Team of the Week- Detroit Red Wings
Unless you have a deep-seated reason for hating Detroit, it felt like everyone became a Red Wings fan for about 48 hours as they pushed for a playoff spot. Detroit needed a lot of heroics during their back-to-back against the Canadiens. On Monday night, they overcame a 4-1 deficit, tying the game in the final 1:17 on Lucas Raymond's 30th goal of the season. In overtime, Dylan Larkin set up Raymond to win it, keeping their hopes alive going into Tuesday. In Montreal, things were even more tense. David Perron scored with less than five seconds left to force overtime before they won it in a shootout. Before the end of the shootout, we knew Detroit hadn't made the playoffs because of the Flyers, but it was still one of the most exciting two-night stretches we could've asked for. 

Disappointing Team of the Week- Philadelphia Flyers
The reason we can't have nice things is because of the Philadelphia Flyers. Philly's collapse this season was the stuff of nightmares for John Tortorella and company, freefalling out of a playoff spot and missing out on the final night. The fashion in which they lost was also awful. Needing a regulation win against Washington, they pulled their goalie during a 1-1 tie, allowing TJ Oshie to score to give Washington the lead and the win. The Capitals' win also knocked Detroit out, making us all hate the Flyers a little more that night. 

Surprising Team of the Week- Boston Bruins
While all of the chaos in the Wild Card picture was going down, the Boston Bruins were falling out of first place in the Atlantic Division. Boston fumbled its final two games, losing 2-0 to the Capitals on Monday and 4-1 to the Senators at home on Tuesday. These losses, paired with Florida's win over Toronto, pushed Boston into the second spot, setting up another battle with the Maple Leafs in the first round. Boston's offense was nowhere to be found, scoring one goal in their final six periods. If not for everyone else's madness, this would likely have grabbed more headlines. 

Three Stars of the Week
3rd Star- Frank Vatrano (ANA)- 3 goals, 0 assists in 1 game
Even when your team is well out of a playoff spot, it's nice to go out with style. Frank Vatrano ended his career season by scoring a hat trick against the defending champions, helping the Ducks play the spoiler for Vegas. Vatrano finished the season with 37 goals, smashing his previous high of 24 from the 2018-19 season.

2nd Star- Lucas Raymond (DET)- 2 goals, 1 assist in 2 games
Without Lucas Raymond's heroics, the Red Wings wouldn't have stood a chance of threatening for a playoff spot. Raymond eclipsed the 30-goal mark with his tying goal on Monday night, helping to add another layer to a fantastic breakout season. While the final result wasn't what Detroit fans were looking for, they've found their next big star.

1st Star- Charlie Lindgren (WSH)- 2-0-0, .977 SV%, 0.50 GAA in 2 games
Washington controlled its destiny coming into the final half-week of the season, just needing to win out to make the playoffs. Charlie Lindgren made sure that was possible by putting in two spectacular performances. He started his week by shutting out the Boston Bruins and helped clinch a playoff spot by keeping the Flyers to one goal on 28 shots.

Power Ranking the Playoff Teams
1. Dallas Stars
2. Florida Panthers
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. New York Rangers
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Vegas Golden Knights
7. Boston Bruins
8. Winnipeg Jets
9. Colorado Avalanche
10. Tampa Bay Lightning
11. Vancouver Canucks
12. Toronto Maple Leafs
13. Nashville Predators
14. New York Islanders 
15. Los Angeles Kings 
16. Washington Capitals

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