The Bruins defeat the Sabres, the Rangers are officially eliminated from the playoff race, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Pavel Zacha lifted the Boston Bruins over the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists for the 40-24-8 Bruins, who hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 88 points. Jason Zucker tallied twice for the Sabres (44-20-8), who remain in second place in the conference standings with 96 points.
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancée, Carolina Matovac, attended her first Sabres game since her heart transplant last year. She’s spent the seven months recovering in the couple’s native Sweden.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll kicked out 40 shots in a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers, officially eliminating the latter from this season’s playoff race. Dakota Joshua had a goal and an assist for the 31-29-13 Maple Leafs. Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and two assists, and Mika Zibanejad tallied twice for the 28-35-9 Rangers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers are the first Eastern Conference team, and the second overall, to be eliminated from the postseason chase. On Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks’ postseason hopes were ended.
HEADLINES
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning captain Victor Hedman has taken a temporary leave of absence from the club for personal reasons. He missed the last three games with an ailment.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Another member of the Panthers has been sidelined by an injury. Center Anton Lundell could miss the rest of this season with an injured rib. He’s not expected to require surgery, but his recovery time could be between two and six weeks.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators might have to continue their playoff push without Thomas Chabot. The 29-year-old defenseman suffered an injured arm after being cross-checked by New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller on Monday. It’s speculated that Chabot could be out of the lineup for six weeks.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins winger Anthony Mantha is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.6 million.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Jacob Winterton, brother of Kraken forward Ryan Winterton, died Tuesday at age 25 following a battle with cancer. Jacob spent two seasons in the OHL from 2018-19 and 2019-20 with the Flint Firebirds and Oshawa Generals, followed by four seasons playing for the University of Guelph
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Winterton family and Jacob’s friends and former teammates.
THE ATHLETIC: Harman Dayal recently examined why NHL goaltending has become one of the most volatile positions in all major sports.
Several reasons explain this problem. One is that offenses have improved while goalies haven’t caught up. There’s also been a generational loss of workhorse goalies in recent years, as stars such as Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price, and Marc-Andre Fleury have retired.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dayal’s column is behind a paywall, but it’s well worth the read if you have access to it.