The Panthers didn't really need any dramatic comeback wins this week. Instead, they just played like the best team in the league and outscored opponents 15-4 while extending their winning streak to 10 games. Now it's a showdown with the Avalanche for the Presidents' Trophy.
2The top two Stanley Cup contenders are playing up to those expectations as the playoffs near. The Avalanche have the second-longest winning streak in the NHL at nine games, and they are lighting up teams in the process. Colorado combined for 16 goals in wins over the Kings and Hurricanes, two opponents with plenty left to play for.
3The Flames suffered a bad loss to a desperate Golden Knights squad on Thursday but bounced back to bludgeon the Coyotes on Saturday, 9-1. Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm each had four points as they torched Arizona in the final 40 minutes of the game.
4It is a somewhat small sample size, but the on-ice results for Mark Giordano have been encouraging. In roughly 210 minutes with Giordano in the game at five-on-five, the Maple Leafs have controlled 60.80% of the expected goals. He has provided a lot of stability to the blue line depth in Toronto.
5Igor Shesterkin is reminding everyone that he is fully capable of carrying this Rangers team to a deep playoff run. In his last four starts, Shesterkin has saved 88 of the 92 shots that he has faced while recording a pair of shutouts. I have some questions about the Rangers heading into the postseason, but they may not matter if Shesterkin stays hot.
6The Blues have asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference. They have won nine straight games and have not lost in regulation since Mar. 26. A big factor in that success has been Vladimir Tarasenko. To this point in April, Tarasenko has 10 goals and 18 points. It's fair to wonder where St. Louis would be if it had found a trade partner for him in the offseason.
7Kirill Kaprizov has set a new franchise record with 43 goals this season, but what might even be more impressive is that he has helped transform the Wild into must-see TV over the last couple of seasons. Now, he and the Wild have to focus on taking back the No. 2 seed in the Central Division.
8I was one of many people who rolled their eyes when the Oilers chose not to upgrade their goaltending ahead of the trade deadline, but Mike Smith seems to have found his rhythm at the right time. Since Apr. 3, Smith has started five games, and his 12.31 goals saved above average leads the league by a wide margin. Can he keep this going once the puck drops on Game 1 of the first round?
9Tampa Bay will need to get Brayden Point going before the playoffs begin. He has zero goals and just one point in his last seven games. Of course, some poor luck is involved in that drought, but Point has also struggled to create scoring chances.
10The Bruins have cooled off a little bit, and their offensive issues have returned. Since Apr. 1, Boston is tied for 27th in the NHL with just 14 goals at five-on-five. The team hasn't scored more than two goals in any of its last five games.
11The Capitals provided fans with all kinds of scoring this past week. In the three games involving Washington, there was an average of 11 total goals scored. Peter Laviolette will probably want to tighten things up on the defensive end, but the team was a lot of fun nonetheless.
12The Hurricanes have started to slip a little bit in April, and that has opened the door for the Rangers to steal the top spot in the Metro Division. The good news for Carolina is that five of its final six games are against non-playoff teams, so perhaps the team can hang onto the division crown.
13The Stars have come on strong down the stretch, and their overall game has really improved. Since the start of April, Dallas ranks fourth in the NHL in expected goals share at five-on-five (55.95%). As a result of those efforts, the Stars are now in the driver's seat for the first wild card spot.
14The Penguins were already slumping, and they got hit with some horrible injury luck last week. All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry is currently week-to-week with a lower body injury. Pittsburgh was already sliding back towards the wild card spots, and Jarry's injury will make it even harder to avoid a first-round date with the Panthers.
15Oddly enough, the only win the Golden Knights managed to notch on their Western Canada road trip came in a 6-1 drubbing of the Flames. Vegas missed an opportunity to pick up two points in Vancouver and got beaten pretty soundly by Edmonton. Now, the Golden Knights have just six games left to make up three points on the Kings.
16The Predators are coming off an 8-3 loss to the Blues in which they allowed seven goals in the second-period, and they don't have any time to lick their wounds. Nashville's upcoming schedule features games against the Flames, Lightning, Wild, Flames again, and Avalanche. That will make clinching a playoff spot extremely difficult for a team that hasn't been able to get in a groove.
17The Canucks probably won't make the playoffs, but they do seem to relish the role of spoiler. In the span of just over a week, Vancouver defeated the Golden Knights twice. The Canucks will try to keep that trend going in a big tilt against the Stars on Monday night.
18Drew Doughty is officially out for the rest of the season, and that will make it very difficult for the Kings to hang onto their playoff spot. Having said that, Los Angeles has a very favorable remaining schedule. All five games are against non-playoff teams, and four of them have been officially eliminated from contention.
19For a while, it seemed like Anders Lee was destined to reach 30 goals for the second time in his career. Instead, he has just one tally in his last 12 games. Now, Lee needs four goals in the Isles' final seven games to hit that number.
20How will the Jets handle the upcoming offseason? There might be some temptation to make some big changes, but the team did suffer some bad luck this year. Winnipeg ranks 10th in the NHL in expected goals for at five-on-five (161.26), but they rank 23rd in goals scored at five-on-five (144).
21The Ohio State spring game provided Columbus sports fans with a nice little distraction from a team that has won three of its last 10 games. The Blue Jackets are hobbling down the stretch after putting up a decent fight for much of the season.
22Brady Tkachuk has set career highs in goals (27), assists (32), and points (59) with seven games left to play. Tkachuk has taken an important step forward this season, but now he needs a lot more help if Ottawa is really going to get back to being an Eastern Conference contenders.
23Rasmus Dahlin has had a strong statistical season from an offensive standpoint. Dahlin has hit 50 points on the season, but 40% of those have come on the power play. On top of that, the Sabres have controlled just 46.58% of the expected goals with Dahlin in the game at five-on-five. Dahlin did play with Henri Jokiharju for much of the season, so that probably played a role in his poor underlying numbers as well.
24The Kraken will be a team to watch this offseason. They have a large amount of salary cap space and roughly infinity draft picks. They could take their time and be extremely patient in building this expansion team or they could try to take the express route with trades and a big free agent signing or two.
25As Ryan Getzlaf approaches the end of his NHL career, he had a cool moment in Tampa Bay when he took the opening face-off against long-time friend Corey Perry. Getzlaf will play his final home game in Anaheim on Sunday as he caps off a career that includes 1,000 points, three All-Star appearances, and one Stanley Cup championship.
26Few things have worked for the Blackhawks this season, but the team does seem to have found a little magic with Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane on the ice together at five-on-five. In those situations, Chicago has outscored opponents 34-25.
27Carey Price made his first start for the Candiens since last summer's improbable Stanley Cup Final run, and while Montreal didn't get the result, everyone in the arena got a jolt from seeing him back on the ice. It has been a rough stretch for the Canadiens, but Price's return provides some good news.
28Nico Hischier has bounced back incredibly well after his 2020-21 season was limited to 21 games due to injury. Hischier has matched his career high of 20 goals and has set a new career high in points with 58. The Devils need him to be at his best in order to complete their current rebuild.
29Over the last month, rookie defenseman Mo Seider has cooled off from an offensive perspective. Since Mar. 17, Seider has one goal and five points. That could negatively affect his Calder Trophy candidacy, but I don't think it should. Seider has been asked to do a lot on a bad team, and he has acquitted himself well in a top pairing role.
30Fresh off his NCAA Championship with Denver, Bobby Brink made his NHL debut last week and notched a pair of assists in four games. Brink was the No. 34 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and the Flyers hope he can be a big part of their future.
31The Sharks have not won a game since Mar. 26, but they have come painfully close on several different occasions. They have lost four games in overtime during this current losing streak, which somehow makes it even worse.
32It is tough to fall below a team riding a 10-game losing streak, but they Coyotes have found a way to do just that. Arizona has been getting trounced pretty frequently of late. The Coyotes suffered a 6-2 loss to the Devils and a 7-1 loss to the Canucks, and those look good when compared to the 9-1 drubbing at the hands of the Flames.
