The NHL playoff picture is slowly starting to come to fruition since the All-Star break, and the Eastern Conference specifically is starting to have the cream rise to the top. The Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to be at the top of that conversation, and stayed that way on Saturday night with a 4-3 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens. John Tavares scored 2:17 in to overtime, giving the Leafs a two-point advantage on the Habs for the second place spot in the Atlantic Division. Mitchell Marner had the assist on the game-winner for Tavares, who was able to backhand a shot over the glove of Carey Price for his team-leading 33rd goal of the season.
Frederik Andersen made 35 saves in the Leafs' fifth win in the past six games, and they have retrieved a point in all six of those contests. It was also Toronto's sixth straight win over the Canadiens, which is the longest such streak in the series since they won six in a row from 1950 to 1951. They also put an end to Price's personal seven-game winning streak, doing so in his 600th career NHL game. The Canadiens' loss was their first in the past four games, as they are 8-1-2 over their past 11. Price finished with 28 saves for Montreal, who will visit the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. The Maple Leafs take their second place record to Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Sunday.
At the very top of the playoff conversation sits the Tampa Bay Lightning, who improved their NHL-leading record on Saturday night with a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tyler Johnson and J.T. Miller netted goals in the third period to give their team the lead for good on the road, en route to their 40th win of the season. The victory puts an end to a mild two-game losing streak for the Bolts, who have 84 points to lead the entire league. Andrei Vasilevsky made 28 saves in the win for Tampa Bay, and they extended their Atlantic Division lead to 13 points.
On the other end, the Penguins have now dropped four games in a row, despite Sidney Crosby making a little bit of history. He appeared in his 916th career NHL game on Saturday, all of which with the Penguins, which moves him past Mario Lemiuex for the most games payed in team history. Crosby finished with an assist, on the night, while Garrett Wilson, Jared McCann, Bryan Rust, and Tanner Pearson all scored in the Penguins' 20th loss of the season. Pittsburgh sits two points out of a divisional spot in the Metropolitan, as they look to snap their skid on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Lightning will be right back at it on Sunday night against the Florida Panthers.
The team that the Penguins are currently chasing for that final divisional playoff spot in the Metropolitan is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who went to Las Vegas on Saturday night and came away as winners. Cam Atkinson scored twice, both in the third period, to rally the Blue Jackets past the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, at T-Mobile Arena. Atkinson's goals were just 2:33 apart in the third, which tied the game at three, and then put this team ahead for good. His game-winner came on the power play, right off a faceoff win for the Jackets, who went 3-0-0 in their Western Conference road trip. That snapped a five-game losing streak for Columbus, who also got a goal and two assists from Artemi Panarin. Their star player is expected to test free agency this summer, which came out earlier Saturday.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots in Saturday's victory, as they sent the Golden Knights to their first loss in three games, and fifth in their past seven. Nate Schmidt, Jon Merrill, and Cody Eakin all scored in the 22nd loss of the season for the Knights, who sit in third place with 66 points in the Pacific Division. They do hold a a comfortable nine-point lead on the Vancouver Canucks for the final divisional spot. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves, but the Golden Knights dropped their third in a row on their home ice after starting the season 16-4-3 at home. They will stay home to host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, while the Blue Jackets will return home to host the Washington Capitals that same night.
Frederik Andersen made 35 saves in the Leafs' fifth win in the past six games, and they have retrieved a point in all six of those contests. It was also Toronto's sixth straight win over the Canadiens, which is the longest such streak in the series since they won six in a row from 1950 to 1951. They also put an end to Price's personal seven-game winning streak, doing so in his 600th career NHL game. The Canadiens' loss was their first in the past four games, as they are 8-1-2 over their past 11. Price finished with 28 saves for Montreal, who will visit the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. The Maple Leafs take their second place record to Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Sunday.
At the very top of the playoff conversation sits the Tampa Bay Lightning, who improved their NHL-leading record on Saturday night with a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tyler Johnson and J.T. Miller netted goals in the third period to give their team the lead for good on the road, en route to their 40th win of the season. The victory puts an end to a mild two-game losing streak for the Bolts, who have 84 points to lead the entire league. Andrei Vasilevsky made 28 saves in the win for Tampa Bay, and they extended their Atlantic Division lead to 13 points.
On the other end, the Penguins have now dropped four games in a row, despite Sidney Crosby making a little bit of history. He appeared in his 916th career NHL game on Saturday, all of which with the Penguins, which moves him past Mario Lemiuex for the most games payed in team history. Crosby finished with an assist, on the night, while Garrett Wilson, Jared McCann, Bryan Rust, and Tanner Pearson all scored in the Penguins' 20th loss of the season. Pittsburgh sits two points out of a divisional spot in the Metropolitan, as they look to snap their skid on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Lightning will be right back at it on Sunday night against the Florida Panthers.
The team that the Penguins are currently chasing for that final divisional playoff spot in the Metropolitan is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who went to Las Vegas on Saturday night and came away as winners. Cam Atkinson scored twice, both in the third period, to rally the Blue Jackets past the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, at T-Mobile Arena. Atkinson's goals were just 2:33 apart in the third, which tied the game at three, and then put this team ahead for good. His game-winner came on the power play, right off a faceoff win for the Jackets, who went 3-0-0 in their Western Conference road trip. That snapped a five-game losing streak for Columbus, who also got a goal and two assists from Artemi Panarin. Their star player is expected to test free agency this summer, which came out earlier Saturday.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots in Saturday's victory, as they sent the Golden Knights to their first loss in three games, and fifth in their past seven. Nate Schmidt, Jon Merrill, and Cody Eakin all scored in the 22nd loss of the season for the Knights, who sit in third place with 66 points in the Pacific Division. They do hold a a comfortable nine-point lead on the Vancouver Canucks for the final divisional spot. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves, but the Golden Knights dropped their third in a row on their home ice after starting the season 16-4-3 at home. They will stay home to host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, while the Blue Jackets will return home to host the Washington Capitals that same night.
