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The Caps will have to go through a tougher division to make the playoffs and then to reach the East finals. They won the Southeast Division five of the past six seasons but went 8-10-2 against the Penguins, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Flyers and Hurricanes this year.
Islanders forward Matt Moulson, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Lightning forward Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the NHL's Lady Byng Trophy, the league's sportsmanship award.
Islanders forward Matt Moulson, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Lightning forward Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the NHL's Lady Byng Trophy, the league's sportsmanship award.
The Penguins should feel confident — and a bit fortunate — to escape the relentless Islanders. New York dominated for long stretches in the series, using its speed to fluster Pittsburgh's talented but sometimes plodding roster of veterans.
Three top NHL players are finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma insists he still believes in Marc-Andre Fleury, that the issues for the reeling Penguins go far beyond the struggles of their Stanley Cup-winning goaltender.
It's game on for Sidney Crosby.
A year ago, Brandon Saad was just a footnote when he made his postseason debut for Chicago against the Phoenix Coyotes. He skated for just over 10 minutes in two games and picked up his first career NHL point on an assist, but the Blackhawks were eliminated in the first round.
Budding New York Islanders star John Tavares anticipated the open space he found so easily during the regular season to be whittled away by the Pittsburgh Penguins in their opening-round playoff series.
Crosby said Wednesday his broken jaw will keep him out of Pittsburgh's playoff opener against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. He said he has been given no timetable for his return. Game 2 is Friday night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their quest for a Stanley Cup without Sidney Crosby.
The Chicago Blackhawks may have peaked in late January, the entire month of February or early March when they went the first 24 games of the season without a regulation or overtime loss. They made history, but the Presidents' Trophy winners don't want this to be just the year of the streak.
Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane are as good as hockey players get. Their teammates are pretty good, too.
The NHL's sprint of a season is over, ending a three-plus-month run that crammed 48 games into each team's schedule.
With one more game left that has no bearing on their seed, the Caps are left to wonder whether they'll face the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs or New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they begin next week.
