NHL Wednesday: Blackhawks win Presidents’ Trophy

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1, Wednesday night to clinch first place in the league for the regular season and the Presidents’ Trophy.

They’re out.

Despite losing goaltender Ray Emery early in the game to a lower body injury, the Blackhawks didn’t lose a step all night.

The team began the season with an incredible point streak that made them the early favorites for the Presidents’ Trophy, and though they have come back down to earth in the second half of the season, they have continued earning points at an impressive rate. They are undoubtedly one of the favorites heading into the postseason.

The Blackhawks were leading 2-1 at the time, so clearly Emery wasn’t pulled from the net for performance reasons. There has been no update on Emery from the team, and he hasn’t returned to the bench or ice. Emery has a history of hip issues, so early speculation has centered around the possibility that they have recurred.

Both Emery and Crawford have had outstanding seasons for the Blackhawks, but if Emery’s injury -- if that is what it is -- causes him to miss a significant amount of time, Chicago will suddenly be without the 1A and 1B goalies that have been such a great strength for them all season long.

The Kings have two games remaining in the regular season, so Brown will rejoin the team for Game 1 of a Western Conference quarterfinal.

The play occurred around the midway mark of the second period with Minnesota leading Los Angeles, 2-0. Brown had the puck in the Kings’ defensive zone when Pominville attempted to make a play for the puck. The Kings captain decided to make an aggressive defensive move and attempted to battle Pominville off. In the process, he connected on an elbow to the head.

As a number of teams clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday evening, two teams watched their hopes begin to fall to pieces. The Jets had a chance of catching the Washington Capitals for the division lead, or keeping pace with the New York Rangers for the final spot, but after Tuesday’s 5-3 loss they see their postseason hopes and dreams dwindle to nearly nothing.

The Jets now must rely on the Rangers gaining no more than one point in their final two games, while they absolute must win their final game of the season on Thursday against Montreal.