Every NHL team was in action Saturday, on the final marquee day and night of the regular season. And what a 13 hours of hockey it was.
Let's go in order, shall we?
- The Detroit Red Wings' consecutive postseason appearances streak hit 25 after the Boston Bruins lost a must-win game to the Ottawa Senators in the afternoon. Detroit lost its final game too, but Ottawa did the Red Wings a solid.
- The Bruins, needing a miracle after their loss, were eliminated in the evening, after the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, clinching the second wild-card and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. It's soul-searching time in Boston.
- The Lightning somehow lost another key player to injury - Tyler Johnson. He was cross-checked into the boards against the Montreal Canadiens, left the game and didn't return.
- A number of players hit nice, round goal-scoring numbers Saturday night. Artemi Panarin's dream rookie season ends with him at 30 goals. New Jersey Devils forwards Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique became 30-goal scorers for the first time, along with Canadiens young gun Alex Galchenyuk. Max Pacioretty also finishes with 30 for the third straight season after a two-goal game. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 20-goal scorer in P.A. Parenteau, and Jonathan Huberdeau and Jakob Silfverberg hit that mark for the first time in their careers. Patrick Kane, meanwhile, finishes with a career-high 46 goals after another two-goal effort.
- The Anaheim Ducks crossed the century mark for points with a win in game No. 81. Remarkable, considering how their season began.
- By losing Saturday night, the Maple Leafs finish last in the standings, ensuring they'll have the best odds of winning the draft lottery on April 30. The Edmonton Oilers finish 29th, and the Vancouver Canucks 28th. Canada's great shame.
- Alex Ovechkin needed a hat trick to become the only player to score 50 goals this season, and he went out and did just that. He does everything in style. It's his third straight season hitting the mark, and the seventh time in his career he's scored 50 or more. He's a once-in-a-lifetime scorer.
- Ovechkin's hat trick paced the Washington Capitals to another win, and it was goaltender Braden Holtby's 48th of the season, tying legend Martin Brodeur's single-season record. Holtby did it in 12 fewer starts, 66 to Brodeur's 78. Holtby's not expected to start the Capitals' final regular-season game Sunday.
- The Dallas Stars are Central Division champions, and will have home-ice advantage for as long as they're in the playoffs. They beat the Nashville Predators to capture the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
