Points are precious this time of year, and the results on Sunday for Toronto and Vancouver breathed new life into desperate hockey teams fighting for their playoff lives.
NHL Scores: Maple Leafs let Devils slip away as playoff race drama thickens
A couple of teams dropped some very important points on Sunday.
The Maple Leafs dug themselves a huge hole early in Newark, as goalie James Reimer got chased from the game after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Phil Kessel tried to will his team back into it, but Toronto dropped its fifth consecutive game. Those two points were massive for the Devils, who drew that much closer to overtaking the falling Leafs for the final wild card spot.
Out west, the Wild continued to separate themselves from the wild card contenders nipping at their heels with a big overtime win in Detroit. With Phoenix barreling up the standings and the Stars behind them, Minnesota should be satisfied with such a crucial win. So should Vancouver, who overcame an early deficit against the Sabres to wiggle their way back into the playoff conversation.
It appears a clear line is developing between teams taking care of business and those dropping the proverbial puck. Toronto needs to figure out which side it’s going to be on.
All the NHL Scores
Islanders 2, Blue Jackets 0
Devils 3, Maple Leafs 2
Predators 2, Blackhawks 0
Wild 4, Red Wings 3 (OT)
Canucks 4, Sabres 2
Three things we learned
1. Pekka Rinne is back.
Rinne's performance on Sunday was the one thing Predators fans have been aching for all season. The world-class goaltender missed most of the season due to a hip injury and the Predators sunk out of the playoff race quickly in his absence. Nashville is a defensive-minded team, but without Rinne behind them they've looked lost most of the year. But the healthy Rinne pitched a 29-save shutout against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Sunday. Chicago might have controlled play most of the game, but Rinne kept them at arm's length just enough to let the Predators gain and sit on a two-goal lead. That's the hockey Nashville plays, and they have to feel relieved that things are getting back to normal.
2. The Leafs are tanking at the worst possible time.
The numbers have been against the Leafs all season long: they give up too many quality scoring chances and play with too much puck luck to maintain a playoff pace. The same was true on Sunday, as they let the goal-challenged New Jersey Devils outshoot and outchance them in Newark. They’ve now lost five straight games and are in danger of getting overtaken by Washington and Columbus in the East.
Tumult in Toronto
3. Matt Moulson might be the best trade deadline acquisition.
It took awhile for him to warm up, but Moulson is getting hot at the right time for the Wild. Moulson’s overtime winner in Detroit was his third goal and sixth point in his last four games. Teams are chasing the Wild right now in the wild card hunt, and Moulson’s impact over the last week has been huge.
Impact Moment
The one play or moment from Sunday that is going to be making headlines over the next couple of days.
Vanouver was left for dead just two weeks ago, free-falling out of the Western Conference playoff race in occasionally embarrassing fashion. But the Canucks are 4-2 since March 12 after an impressive comeback win against Buffalo on Sunday. The Sabres took a quick 2-0 lead but John Tortorella’s group shrugged it off and reeled off four unanswered goals. They now sit just three points back of a wild card spot and one point back of ninth-place Dallas. The window is still open for Vancouver. The bad news? They might have to squeeze through it without their captain.
Stat of the Night
Panthers forward Krys Barch entered Sunday night on a 76-game goal drought. But then he scored on one of the prettiest snipes of the season!
And then the officials changed his goal to his teammate Jimmy Hayes. Poor Krys still hasn’t scored since 2012.
Stat of the Night (Part 2)
The Anaheim Ducks are averaging 3.09 goals per game since the Olympic Break. Ryan Getzlaf has one goal since the break, which he scored on Sunday.
Beware the Ducks come playoff time.
Post to Post
- Jimmy Howard was pretty great on Sunday. So was this save.
- Ryan Stanton has magic legs.
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