Three months ago, the thought of a three-way race between Florida, Boston and Ottawa for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot was comical.
NHL scores 2015: Panthers, Senators tighten wild card race with Bruins
Boston is running out of breathing room in the Eastern Conference after a big loss on Saturday.
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Florida hadn't proven they could stick around competitively yet. Ottawa had quickly fallen out of the conversation in the conference. And the Bruins were the Bruins; there's no way they'd come close to missing the playoffs.
But now, each team is in (arguably) the NHL’s best playoff race dogfight that only intensified after results came in on Saturday.
Boston, in the final spot and the driver's seat of this race, squandered a prime opportunity to distance itself from the other two by losing in Florida. The Bruins' only saving grace was the point gained by making it to overtime, but conceding two to the Panthers is a sting that won't wear off soon.
Meanwhile, the Senators continued the torrid streak that began upon the arrival of rookie goalie Andrew Hammond a few weeks ago. Ottawa eked out a 5-3 win against Toronto, its sixth consecutive win and ninth in its last 10. Of all three teams, the Senators look like the likeliest to pull away. Which is amazing considering how far out of the race they were just a month ago.
With 10 games to go, the Senators sit one point back of the Bruins while the Panthers hover back just four points out. Boston missing the playoffs is hard enough to believe. That they might miss the dance because of the Senators or Panthers is just further proof of how bonkers (and awesome) this season has been.
Scores
Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)
New York Rangers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (SO)
Florida Panthers 2, Boston Bruins 1 (SO)
Ottawa Senators 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
Edmonton Oilers 5, Philadelphia Flyers 4 (OT)
3 things we learned
1. Nobody is slipping up in the Western Conference wild card race.
If the Eastern Conference race for eighth seems like a compelling mess, the Western Conference’s version might be even more so. Seemingly every team involved in the chase is clicking right now. Pick a team: the Kings, Canucks, Flames, Sharks, Avs, Stars and Jets have all won at least five of their last 10 games, and all but the Sharks have won at least six in that stretch. But Calgary, San Jose and Los Angeles all lost on Saturday, which could provide a slight window in which their competitors can finally separate themselves or gain ground.
2. Mike Smith has a serious butt goal problem.
He scored his third butt-related own goal on Saturday. It’s truly amazing.
3. Dallas is playing like they still have something to fight for.
Technically, they do. The Stars haven't been eliminated from playoff contention yet, although they sit eight points behind the Jets for the final wild card spot and the Kings, Avalanche and Sharks still stand in front of them. But despite those odds, the Stars have played inspired hockey over their last ten games. They've gone 7-3-1 in that stretch thanks to stellar play from Kari Lehtonen and the defense, culminating in consecutive wins over the Penguins and Blackhawks at home. This all begs the question: where the heck was this a few weeks ago when they were digging holes for themselves? Dallas is playing the kind of hockey that saw them sneak them into the playoffs last year, but this year it seems it's too little, too late.
Impact Moment
There were a number of moments from Saturday that could've qualified here, but Tuukka Rask's incredible save on Dave Bolland was the only one with long-term repercussions. It came at a late stage of a 1-1 game between the Bruins and Panthers, and essentially ensured the Bruins would earn at least a point in their shootout loss. The way that three-horse race is stacking up, that one point could be the difference between playing hockey or scheduling tee times when the Stanley Cup Playoffs come around.
And it’ll all come back to this save.
Stat of the Night
With win over @SanJoseSharks, @CP0031 is 1st @CanadiensMTL goalie to reach 40W in a season since Ken Dryden in 1977. pic.twitter.com/infvztsXBu
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) March 22, 2015
Post to Post
- The Senators won, so everyone got McDonald’s!
- Jack Eichel won the Hockey East tournament MVP thanks to brilliant goals like this one.
- Finally, a Sabres trainer had to pick up a player’s teeth off the ice. Yuck.
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