It'd be difficult to overstate how much adversity the Pittsburgh Penguins have endured this year. Over the last few months, they've had to brush aside constant drama from inside and outside the organization. They've been plagued by injuries to key players like Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Christian Ehrhoff, among others. The wild, often unfounded speculation -- which included hints that the Crosby/Malkin era may be ending -- only fanned the flames.
NHL scores 2015: Penguins clinch playoff berth, Bruins fall just short
Fittingly, the 2014-15 regular season provided some crazy finishes.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
And yet, none this was enough to derail their postseason hopes.
Pittsburgh clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, doing so by beating the Sabres, 2-0. Brandon Sutter potted each of the Pens' two goals. This victory eliminated Boston, who, after an unusually rocky campaign, will have plenty of questions to answer in the coming weeks.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Boston head coach Claude Julien. “We probably could have used a lot more [passion] as we were battling for playoffs.”
Joining the Pens in celebration were the Ottawa Senators. All the Sens needed to do on Saturday was earn a point, and they double that with a 3-1 win over the Flyers. Somehow, they'll compete for Lord Stanley's Cup after falling 14 points behind eighth place in the conference earlier in the season.
Scores
Ottawa Senators 3, Philadelphia Flyers 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Buffalo Sabres 0
Montreal Canadiens 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 3 (SO)
Columbus Blue Jackets 5, New York Islanders 4 (SO)
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Boston Bruins 2 (SO)
Vancouver Canucks 6, Edmonton Oilers 5 (OT)
3 things we learned
1. The Nashville Predators picked a bad time to slump
When asked about Nashville’s current six-game skid, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said this tough stretch “Doesn’t mean a thing.” Quenneville’s ‘Hawks will take on the Predators in the first round of the playoffs, and while regular season results may not translate to the postseason, it’s hard to feel optimistic about Nashville’s chances right now.
The Preds have been far less impressive in the second half of the season than they were in the first few months. Pekka Rinne hasn't been elite for a while; what's more, secondary scoring has dried up, and the trade the brought Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli back to the Music City looks like a bust. Nashville is a talented club, but if these last couple months are any indication, Peter Laviolette's group will have a tough time winning a single round -- let alone the whole thing.
2. The Eastern Conference is wide, wide open
There are a number of teams in the East that are capable of winning the Cup, but it’s hard to feel especially good about any of them. The Lightning are very solid, yes, but their special teams are dreadful. Montreal’s Carey Price can take over between the pipes, however the Canadiens are thin up front and have a pedestrian blue line. Washington or either of New York’s teams could make a push, but none have separated themselves from the pack.
3. Jamie Benn took just about all the time he could to win the Art Ross Trophy
Impact moment
Sutter’s first goal of the day proved to be the game-winner for Pittsburgh -- sealing a playoff berth.
Stat of the night
Ottawa closed the regular season with a 23-4-4 record, earning 50 of 62 possible points in that stretch.
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