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Good morning to everyone except anyone who wears one of those jerseys where it’s two teams sewn together, unless two brothers are playing each other and you’re their mom. We’ve got a very busy night ahead of us, so let’s get into it …
Settle In
There was only one game last night, in which the Ottawa Senators took care of business against the New York Rangers. That’s OK, though, because the schedule is packed with 15 matchups tonight, one short of the maximum. This sort of firehose-inspired schedule will be a thing over the next few weeks, with 15-game nights coming on each of the season’s final three Saturdays.
As you’d expect, some of tonight’s games are better than others. Let’s break them down.
📈 Tonight’s schedule, in tiers 📉
(Not to be confused with a schedule in tears, which is what the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the rest of the way.)
S-Tier: Drop what you’re doing and watch
📺 Senators @ Red Wings
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / TSN5 / RDS2
This is all but a must-win for the Senators, and not far off for the Red Wings. There’s a good chance we’ll look back on this one in a few weeks as the game that decided an Eastern playoff spot.
📺 Blue Jackets @ Flyers
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / Hulu
Is there room for more than one late-season underdog story in the Metro race? Probably not, meaning this one feels like a potential eliminator game for the surging Flyers.
📺 Sharks @ Predators
8 p.m. ET on ESPN+
These are two of the four teams fighting for one remaining spot in the West, and they’re headed in opposite directions. The Sharks’ feel-good chase is basically over if they lose this one.
A-Tier: Frequent commercial break check-ins
📺 Hurricanes @ Canadiens
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / TSN2 / TDS
It’s two playoff teams who don’t like each other, on or off the ice. The Bell Centre should be jumping after Cole Caufield and friends lit up the Islanders last time out.
📺 Avalanche @ Penguins
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / Sportsnet
It’s Sidney Crosby’s first game back in Pittsburgh after he was traded to Colorado at the deadline, according to all of us back in October. Today, it looks more like a sneaky Stanley Cup Final preview.
📺 Wild @ Lightning
7:30 p.m. ET on TNT / HBO Max
Speaking of potential Cup final previews … this is the best game on the slate purely in terms of both teams’ records.
📺 Oilers @ Mammoth
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / Hulu / SN1 / TVA
It’s not out of the question that this could be a first-round preview in the Pacific “pillow fight.” It’s also our first chance to see how the Oilers respond to Connor McDavid’s comments in which he seemed to imply Jon Cooper’s Lightning are a better-coached team.
B-Tier: Playoff and lottery implications
📺 Blackhawks @ Islanders
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+
📺 Kraken @ Panthers
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+
📺 Capitals @ Blues
8 p.m. ET on ESPN+
📺 Golden Knights @ Jets
8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / TSN3
📺 Kings @ Flames
9 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / SNW
We’ll group these five together, since they each feature one team that’s in a playoff fight and one that’s more focused on lottery odds. Both of which are important at this time of year!
📺 Maple Leafs @ Bruins
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / TSN4 / TVA
Another battle between a playoff contender and an also-ran, only with a twist: The Bruins own the Leafs’ first-round pick unless it’s in the top five, meaning Boston fans have implications to watch on both sides of this one.
C-Tier: Not entirely meaningless
📺 Devils @ Stars
8 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Their hopes of catching Colorado are thin, but if it’s going to happen, the Stars need to bank points in games like this.
📺 Ducks @ Canucks
10 p.m. ET on ESPN / SNP
The Canucks have locked up dead last and the Ducks have basically clinched a playoff spot, but Anaheim still has seeding to play for.
D-Tier: No redeeming qualities
… none? I don’t think there’s anything on tonight’s schedule that isn’t worth at least an occasional check-in. Nice work, NHL schedule guy. Now about staggering those start times …
Full NHL schedule here. Try streaming games like these for free on Fubo.
Explaining the Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
The Buffalo Sabres may be the story of the season, with every two-bit hack pumping their tires these days. But while one midseason turnaround story is being written in Buffalo, an even more shocking one may be playing out in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have surged up the standings and now hold down a playoff spot.
If you’re like me, watching the Blue Jackets roll through the league is confusing and a little frightening. So I asked our Columbus beat writer Aaron Portzline to explain it to me.
The Blue Jackets were 19-19-7 when they fired Dean Evason on Jan. 12, and were dead last in the East. Since then, they’ve gone 18-3-4 under Rick Bowness and have moved into a playoff spot. What the heck happened in Columbus since the coaching change?
There were several players who were quietly frustrated under Evason. Communication was a serious issue, especially for young players. But there were also issues with the Blue Jackets blowing late leads, and there didn’t seem to be any answers for how it was going to change.
Bowness, 71, is a master communicator. He’s not an appeaser — he can and will deliver a tough message when it’s needed — but he’s constantly checking in with players in the dressing room and on the bench.
He’s also been around long enough to see almost everything, and he’s a good enough coach to fix it. He doesn’t lament shortcomings or shrug his shoulders, he says plainly, “This is what’s wrong and here’s how we’re going to fix it.”
The players clearly love playing for him. Their vital signs are better across the board since he was hired.
One of the big stories has been rookie goalie Jet Greaves, who’s taken over as the starter and put up excellent numbers. Is Greaves getting enough attention for what he’s been able to do?
Greaves, 24, has never looked out of place in the NHL. He’s never had a bad stretch of games in the NHL. He’s not in contention for the Vezina and he can’t win the Calder (too many games the past two seasons), but it looks like the Blue Jackets have found their goalie.
There was always some doubt about Greaves’ ability to thrive at the NHL level, mostly because he’s “only” 6 feet tall. But his remarkable run at the end of last season was enough to convince the Blue Jackets that he’s the real deal.
That glove, guys. It might be the best glove in the league.
How’s deadline addition Conor Garland looked so far?
Garland looks like Garland is supposed to look. He’s fearless, relentless and a marvel to watch on his skates. In a world for Ford F-150s, he’s got the turning radius of a Prius. Incredible edges.
He scored four goals in his first three games with Columbus and has fit in well with center Sean Monahan and left winger Kent Johnson on the Jackets’ second line.
And yes, fans in Nationwide Arena have already started to embrace him.
Finally, what’s the outlook for this team? As much as fun as this season has been, is this a building block to something bigger, or are we already seeing the best-case scenario?
The Blue Jackets face some tough decisions and some big contracts this summer, with forwards Charlie Coyle, Mason Marchment and Boone Jenner, as well as defenseman Erik Gudbranson, all potential UFAs on July 1.
Coyle has become a very important player for them, and it’d be a big hit if he wasn’t part of this next season.They’d like to keep the other three, too.
But the foundation of this roster is either in its prime or heading toward that. No. 1 center Adam Fantilli is 21 years old. Kirill Marchenko is 25. Kent Johnson is 23. Denton Mateychuk is 21. Jet Greaves is 24. They’re still pretty young.
No reason to believe this is a one-off. The painful rebuild started in 2021. Five years later, there’s something to celebrate.
Trivia time💡: We’ll keep this one nice and simple. Can you name the only Hockey Hall of Famer to have ever played for the Blue Jackets?
(We’re looking for players who are already inducted, so future candidates like Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin and Zach Werenski don’t count. And no, Rick Nash isn’t in it.)
Coast to Coast
❤️ If you missed it, this tribute to Jessi Pierce is a must-read.
🏆 Dom Luszczyszyn’s latest awards watch features a pair of late-charging stars who are tightening up the races for the Hart and Norris.
⚔️ Matt Fairburn digs into the Jarmo Kekäläinen effect and how it’s helped transform the Sabres.
🥅 Harman Dayal has a look at the NHL’s growing goaltending crisis. “Everybody’s making bad decisions?” That doesn’t sound like any front offices I know.
🐻 I’m told that Chris Johnston has the inside story of one of last year’s biggest trades and how it’s (checks description) nope, not reading that one, no thank you.
🗽 Two excellent features on Rangers players: Peter Baugh on newly minted 1,000-game man Mika Zibanejad, and Vince Mercogliano on the debut of rookie Drew Fortescue.
🎙️ Want more Portzline? “The Athletic Hockey Show” welcomed him on Monday to talk Blue Jackets. Plus, did A.J. Greer’s three-game suspension miss the mark? And what’s at stake down the stretch for teams like the Panthers, Avalanche, Penguins, and more? Listen here.
No Dumb Questions
Blackhawks alternate captain Connor Bedard. Michael Reaves / Getty Images
We believe that in hockey, as in life, there are no dumb questions. So if you have something you’ve always wondered about the sport, ask away by emailing us at redlight@theathletic.com.
Alternate reality 🅰️
Does the “A” on players’ jerseys stand for “alternate” or “assistant” captain? I grew up with the late, great Al Shaver calling Minnesota North Stars games and he occasionally referred to teams’ ALTERNATE captains. But it seems like most people talk about ASSISTANT captains these days. — John S.
Thanks for sending this, John. I’m going to answer your question, and then I’m going to say something controversial.
First things first: Shaver was, of course, correct. It’s alternate, not assistant. That’s the term used in Rule 6.1 and 6.2, which outline the duty of the captain and his … well, alternates.
Now the controversial part: Both are fine.
Really, it’s OK if you get it wrong. Some hockey fans disagree, and get very finicky about this stuff. But if you refer to somebody wearing an “A” as an assistant captain, we all know what you mean. And unless you’re an editor or the guy who engraves the Stanley Cup, there’s no need to pull a “well actually” on any fan who makes the mistake.
The same holds true for “offsides” instead of offside, or for calling it the Stanley Cup finals instead of final. And let’s not even get started on whether it’s a loser point or a bonus point. (The correct answer: Somehow it’s both.)
The point is, we don’t have to be pedants about this stuff, especially for new fans. While “alternate” is technically correct, there’s nothing wrong with saying “assistant.”
(But if you call it “ice hockey,” get out.)
Your trivia answer
The only Blue Jacket in the Hockey Hall of Fame is Sergei Fedorov, who spent parts of three seasons in Columbus towards the end of his career. He was traded from the Ducks to the Jackets in 2005 for Francois Beauchemin and Tyler Wright, then was sent to Washington in 2008 for Theo Ruth. Yes, it’s OK if you don’t know who that is.
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