Poll: Who Will Be The Wild Card Teams In The Eastern Conference?
Now that the NHL and AHL trade deadlines have passed, the league is full speed ahead toward the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With between 15-18 games left in the regular season, there are only nine points separating the seventh-place and 13th-place teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
If the season ended today, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins would cross the finish line as the wild-card winners in the East. In their last ten games, respectively, the Islanders are 7-2-1, while the Penguins are 5-4-1. Whether or not they have the rosters to get it done, both teams made moves at the deadline in hopes of making the playoffs this year.
Following behind them, the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators are making the strongest case to move past the Islanders and Penguins. In their last ten, the Panthers are 6-4-0, while the Senators are 7-3-0. The Panthers are not the same dominant team that they were last year, but they still have an extremely talented roster led by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Senators are following a much different course. After a few seasons of rebuilding, the Senators are finally a fun hockey team to watch again. After signing Claude Giroux and making a trade for Alex DeBrincat, the Senators had hope for meaningful games in April at the beginning of the season. Starting slow out of the gate, it seems this team has put it all together as the season has progressed. By acquiring top trade candidate Jakob Chychrun at the deadline, the Senators have the team to bring the Eastern wild-card race down to the wire.
Rounding out the last of the group that could theoretically reach the playoffs, the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings are still within striking distance. The Capitals and Red Wings both chose to sell at the deadline, while the Sabres’ biggest move was acquiring Jordan Greenway from the Minnesota Wild. The Sabres have a similar aura around them as the Senators, after they too have an exciting team after years of rebuilding. However, all three of these teams have a losing record in their last ten games, with the Sabres’ last game being a 10-4 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars.
So who will it be PHR readers? Cast your vote and let us know which two teams will win the wild-card race in the East.
Penguins Recall Alex Nylander
Alex Nylander’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled the winger from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. The 25-year-old had an assist in his debut with Pittsburgh on Tuesday but was sent back to the minors soon after. In order to qualify to use an emergency recall, the Penguins appear to have a forward that won’t be available to play on Saturday against Philadelphia but with no practice today, it’s not known which player could be missing. Nylander has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, notching 25 goals and 25 assists in 54 games.
PPG Paints Arena Announces Major Renovations
The Pittsburgh Penguins roster went through a bit of a face-lift leading up to the trade deadline when Mikael Granlund, Nick Bonino and Dmitry Kulikov were acquired. The next major renovation in Pittsburgh will be happening to the arena itself as the team announced PPG Paints Arena will undergo major upgrades in the coming months.
The Penguins have teamed up with Aramark, their food and beverage provider to improve the dining experience at PPG Paints Arena for fans. The goal is to make it a contactless and quicker experience to grab a snack or a drink while attending events such as Penguins games. They have also set the beginning of next season as a target date to have the renovations completed.
Some of the key features that will enhance the fan experience starting next season include self-checkout scanners and self-ordering including mobile ordering for food and beverages. So, a fan would be able to enter one of the five Drink MKT’s which are essentially small convenience stores inside the arena and order their own food and drinks on their phone and scan the items at a self-scanner to pay on their way out. This should drastically decrease wait times and get fans back in their seats quicker between periods.
As a hockey fan, there aren’t many things more frustrating about the in-game experience than rushing to the concourse as soon as the second period ends, and missing the start of period three because you were standing in line for so long trying to use the washroom and grab a snack and/or beverage to enjoy during the final 20 minutes of action.
It sounds like the Penguins have come up with a method to expedite the worst parts of the hockey fan experience. Other teams around the league will surely be monitoring as they try to improve the experience for fans in their own arenas. Now, if they can just do something about finding parking anywhere near an area that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, we will really be talking.
Snapshots: Nylander, Walker, Philp
The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Alex Nylander down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, per a team release. Nylander was called up on an emergency basis as Bryan Rust and Mikael Granlund were out of the lineup. The Swedish winger helped the Pens storm back from a 4-0 deficit to the Columbus Blue Jackets by picking up an assist on the team’s first goal in an eventual 5-4 overtime victory. It was Nylander’s first NHL game of the season.
The 25-year-old winger is having a tremendous season in the AHL. He has piled up 25 goals and 50 points in 54 games for the minor-league Penguins, leading the team in goals and points. He hadn’t played a game in the NHL since the 2020-21 season, when he scored ten goals and 26 points in 65 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have called up forward Sammy Walker from the Iowa Wild. This comes shortly after announcing star winger Kirill Kaprizov will be out of the lineup for 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. Walker is a 24-year-old center who has scored 24 goals and 44 points in 50 AHL games this season. He has also played six NHL games already in Minnesota this season, adding one goal in that time.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced forward Luke Philp has signed a one-year contract extension. The 27-year-old forward starred for the University of Alberta Golden Bears for three seasons before signing to play in the AHL. This is his fourth season in the AHL, and he is putting up big numbers with 18 goals and 38 points in 45 games for the Rockford Ice Hogs. He was called up earlier this season to make his NHL debut with the Blackhawks and picked up his first career NHL point with an assist in a pair of games.
East Injury Notes: Penguins, Pageau, Sabres
According to a team release, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without a couple of key wingers. The good news is both absences are likely to be short term. Newly acquired Mikael Granlund, as well as Bryan Rust, will not play tonight when the Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Granlund was ruled out due to an illness, while Rust is missing the game for personal reasons. Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports added that Rust and his wife are expecting their second child any day now, which could explain his unexpected absence.
The Penguins are facing the league’s worst team in Columbus, but can’t afford to give up any points right now. They are holding on to the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, but have four teams within three points of them. Alex Nylander was called up from the AHL to fill in the void for tonight’s contest.
- New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of the lineup according to a team release. The Islanders announced the veteran is still day-to-day and will not play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Pageau has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since he last played on February 11th against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com added some clarity to the Buffalo Sabres injury situation. The team called up Lawrence Pilut earlier today and LaBarber reported it was because Riley Stillman and Mattias Samuelsson remain out of the lineup with injury. Both are listed as day-to-day and will miss a second straight game after sitting out the team’s 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. In good news, LaBarber also mentioned Tyson Jost returns to the lineup tonight after missing last night’s game to nurse an undisclosed injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins Place Ryan Poehling On LTIR, Recall Alex Nylander
The Pittsburgh Penguins today placed forward Ryan Poehling on long-term injured reserve and used an emergency recall on forward Alex Nylander, per a team release.
Poehling’s LTIR placement is retroactive to February 14, meaning he’s eligible to be activated as soon as tomorrow. The 24-year-old forward has missed the past 10 games with a lingering upper-body injury.
Nylander, the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and the younger brother of William Nylander, earns his first recall as a member of the Penguins organization. Acquired in a one-for-one swap for Sam Lafferty with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, Nylander is amidst a breakout season in the AHL with 25 goals and 50 points in 54 games.
While he won’t reach the ceiling of a top-ten draft pick, his steady offensive increase in the minors over the past few years suggests Nylander can carve out a consistent NHL role for himself shortly. It wasn’t long ago that he produced decent numbers in a full-time opportunity with Chicago, recording 26 points in 65 games in 2019-20 before a knee injury held him out of the 2020-21 season.
Dmitry Kulikov Expected To Make Pittsburgh Penguins Debut Tomorrow
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall spent much of the week leading up to the trade deadline rebuilding a struggling bottom-six. However, lost in the shuffle was the acquisition of defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in exchange for Brock McGinn and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Kulikov has spent most of this season playing over 20 minutes a night in Anaheim’s top-two, but Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive is reporting that Kulikov will shuffle into a spot in the Penguins lineup that is much more suitable to his skillset.
Kulikov spent much of the Penguins practice on Monday paired with Jan Rutta, supplanting P.O. Joseph on the third pairing. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan praised Kulikov’s size and strength, as well as his ability on the penalty kill.
Kulikov’s acquisition likely means less time on the penalty kill for fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin is creeping up on playing a career high in shorthanded minutes and has seen his game fall off considerably this season. Although he has been better in recent weeks, easing Dumoulin’s workload could be a positive development for the pending unrestricted free agent, and the Penguins playoff aspirations.
Kulikov doesn’t offer much offensively with just 15 points in 61 games, but is defensively conscience and should bring an awareness that has been lacking for the Penguins throughout this season.
Injury Notes: Sabres, Penguins, Bruins, Islanders, Jets
Mattias Samuelsson and Riley Stillman will not play tonight for the Buffalo Sabres against the Edmonton Oilers as both are out with upper-body injuries, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
Both played for Buffalo in the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. Samuelsson has recorded one goal and seven assists for eight points this season. The Sabres hope he becomes a secondary anchor of their blueline behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, as next season he will enter the first year of a seven-year contract paying him an AAV of $4.285MM. Stillman is a depth piece who is already a bit of a journeyman at 24, having suited up for four different franchises over parts of the past five seasons, and has played two games for Buffalo since being acquired from Vancouver Feb. 27.
Other notes from around the NHL this morning:
- Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, who didn’t play on Saturday against the Florida Panthers, was back on the ice for practice Monday morning, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Jarry has been strong this season for the Pens, with a .916 save percentage and 2.77 GAA in 32 games played. Pittsburgh next plays on Tuesday as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Veteran centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci did not practice Monday morning, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. Bergeron scored in each of the past two games, both Bruins wins, and has 23 goals and 25 assists for 48 points this season. Krejci has 50 points in 57 games this season in his return to the NHL. The Bruins play next on Thursday as the host the Edmonton Oilers.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mason Appleton participated in the morning skate for the Winnipeg Jets, according to John Lu of TSN. Dubois hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and Lu reports the lower-body injury that kept him out of the past three games wasn’t too bothersome and just needed to heal. Dubois has 55 points (24G, 31A) in 60 games for the Jets this season. Appleton also hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and has nine points in 22 games this season. Both will play tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
- Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to ice for the New York Islanders practice Monday morning, according to Neil Best of Newsday. Pageau hasn’t played since Feb. 11, and has 29 points in 56 games for the Islanders this season. The Islanders are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
Penguins Recall Drew O'Connor
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) the recall of forward Drew O’Connor from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 24-year-old last played in the AHL three months ago and since then, he has been a regular most nights with Pittsburgh, recording five goals and three assists in 27 games.
Trade Deadline Roundup: Eastern Conference
While trade deadline day was largely a dud in itself, that was because so many moves were made in the days leading up to March 3rd. With that in mind, here is a recap of the trades made in the Eastern Conference in the ten days leading up to deadline day to show who all moved where in what was a busy trade period overall. Players and picks that were acquired and then flipped are only noted for their final destination.
Boston Bruins
Acquired: F Shane Bowers, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Garnet Hathaway, D Dmitry Orlov, F Andrei Svetlakov
Traded: G Keith Kinkaid, F Craig Smith, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
Buffalo Sabres
Acquired: F Jordan Greenway, D Riley Stillman, D Austin Strand, 2023 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (NSH)
Traded: F Rasmus Asplund, F Josh Bloom, F Anders Bjork, G Erik Portillo, D Chase Priskie, 2023 second-round pick (VGK), 2024 fifth-round pick
Carolina Hurricanes
Acquired: D Shayne Gostisbehere, F Jesse Puljujarvi
Traded: F Patrik Puistola, 2026 third-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets
Acquired: G Jon Gillies, G Michael Hutchinson, 2023 first-round pick (LA), 2023 fifth-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (VGK)
Traded: D Vladislav Gavrikov, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Voracek, 2023 sixth-round pick
Detroit Red Wings
Acquired: F Dylan McLaughlin, 2023 first-round pick (NYI), 2023 second-round pick (VAN), 2023 fourth-round pick (MIN), 2024 first-round pick (BOS), 2025 fourth-round pick (BOS), 2025 seventh-round pick (STL)
Traded: F Tyler Bertuzzi, D Filip Hronek, F Oskar Sundqvist, F Jakub Vrana
Florida Panthers
No trades made
Montreal Canadiens
Acquired: D Frederic Allard, F Denis Gurianov, D Tony Sund, 2024 fifth-round pick (SJ)
Traded: F Evgenii Dadonov, D Arvid Henrikson, F Nate Schnarr
New Jersey Devils
Acquired: G Zacharie Emond, F Timur Ibragimov, F Curtis Lazar, F Timo Meier, D Santeri Hatakka, 2024 fifth-round pick (COL)
Traded: F Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotyuk, F Fabian Zetterlund, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick, 2024 seventh-round pick
New York Islanders
Acquired: F Pierre Engvall
Traded: 2024 third-round pick
New York Rangers
Acquired: F Anton Blidh, D Wyatt Kalynuk, F Patrick Kane, F William Lockwood, D Cooper Zech, 2026 seventh-round pick (VAN)
Traded: F Vitali Kravtsov, F Austin Rueschhoff, F Gustav Rydahl, D Andy Welinski, 2023 second-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
Ottawa Senators
Acquired: F Patrick Brown, D Jakob Chychrun
Traded: D Nikita Zaitsev, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick
Philadelphia Flyers
Acquired: F Brendan Lemieux, 2023 sixth-round pick (OTT), 2024 fourth-round pick (LA)
Traded: F Patrick Brown, F Zack MacEwen, F Isaac Ratcliffe
Pittsburgh Penguins
Acquired: F Nick Bonino, F Peter DiLiberatore, F Mikael Granlund, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2024 third-round pick (VGK)
Traded: F Teddy Blueger, F Brock McGinn, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Acquired: F Michael Eyssimont, F Tanner Jeannot
Traded: D Cal Foote, F Vladislav Namestnikov, 2023 third-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2025 first-round pick
Toronto Maple Leafs
Acquired: D Erik Gustafsson, F Sam Lafferty, D Jake McCabe, D Luke Schenn, F Radim Zohorna, 2023 first-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (NYI), 2024 fifth-round pick (CHI), 2025 fifth-round pick (CHI)
Traded: F Joey Anderson, F Pierre Engvall, F Pavel Gogolev, F Dryden Hunt, D Rasmus Sandin, 2023 third-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
Washington Capitals
Acquired: D Rasmus Sandin, F Craig Smith, 2024 third-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (MIN), 2025 second-round pick (BOS), 2025 second-round pick (COL)
Traded: F Lars Eller, D Erik Gustafsson, F Garnet Hathaway, F Marcus Johansson, D Dmitry Orlov