Alex Ovechkin was one of five goal scorers for Washington as they knocked off the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 to claim the Southeast Division title and the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
SPIN: The Capitals needed a big run to save their season and they got it. Ovechkin is making a late run to be fantasy MVP. Nicklas Backstrom scored a rare goal for the Capitals , his eighth of the season. Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler continue to have solid seasons for the Jets with their 17th and 18th goals of the season, respectively.
Minnesota took down Los Angeles 2-1 to keep the Wild in a playoff spot for now.
SPIN: Charlie Coyle and Cal Clutterbuck scored less than 20 seconds apart to give Minnesota all the offense it needed. Jeff Carter picked up his 26th goal of the season in the loss and has been a pleasant surprise for the Kings. Niklas Backstrom turned aside 22 shots for the Wild win and his 23rd win of the season.
New Jersey knocked off Montreal 3-2 to keep the Habs from wrapping up a playoff spot. Steve Sullivan led the Devils with a goal and an assist.
SPIN: Patrick Elias picked up a goal for the Devils, the 375th of his career. The Devils went 2-of-3 on the power play to keep Montreal from the playoffs. Carey Price took another loss for Montreal and the Canadiens’ faithful have some question marks about their netminder with the playoffs right around the corner.
Carolina escaped the NY Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. Jordan Staal had a goal and an assist in the win.
SPIN: Carolina’s trudge to the finish line continues and the win is a small bright spot. The Islanders clinched a playoff spot with the overtime point and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. John Tavares scored his 27th of the season to tie the game and secure the point the Islanders needed. Jiri Tlusty quietly has a six-game point streak here at the end of the season for Carolina.
Buffalo doubled up Pittsburgh 4-2 with Thomas Vanek’s two goals and an assist leading the charge for Buffalo.
SPIN: Ryan Miller stopped 40 shots in the win but Pittsburgh didn’t have much to play for as they already wrapped up the top spot in the East. Buffalo has been a thorn in the side of the Penguins as they have dealt Pittsburgh 2 of the only 3 losses they have suffered in their last 25 games.
Philly beat Boston 5-2 as the Flyers try to close out at the break-even point, a record that has been very elusive this season. Matt Read and Oliver Lauridsen scored seven seconds apart to break open a 1-1 tie.
SPIN: Jakub Voracek scored his 21st of the season for the Flyers and Steve Mason made 39 saves for the Flyers in the win.
Florida upset the Rangers 3-2. Jacob Markstrom made 36 saves for the Panthers and Tomas Flesichmann added a goal and an assist for Florida.
SPIN: The Rangers missed on a chance to get closer to the playoffs by losing to lowly Florida, in regulation no less.
St. Louis knocked off Colorado 3-1 to give them two necessary points. Chris Stewart and Patrick Berglund lit the lamp for the Blues
SPIN: The Blues scored twice on the power play after going 1-of-24 in their previous nine games.
Nashville beat Calgary 4-3 in a meaningless game. Roman Cervenka scored twice for the Flames.
SPIN: And that’s about all there is to see here, moving on.
San Jose downed Dallas 3-2 with Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scoring for the Sharks as they clinched a playoff spot.
SPIN: The Sharks are still tied with Los Angeles at 57 points and both teams have a grip on the final home-ice spot in the first round. Each team has two games left but Los Angeles has a 24-17 edge in regulation wins which serves as a tiebreaker.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Vanek-BUF, Cervenka-CGY
Stat of the Night-Baker’s Dozen
Ovechkin scored a league-best 13th goal in the month of April.
Three Stars of the Night
1 Backstrom (the goaltender)
2 Vanek
3 Miller
Wednesday’s Games (all times ET)
Toronto at Tampa Bay 7pm
Los Angeles at Detroit 730pm
Chicago at Edmonton 930pm
San Jose at Phoenix 10pm
