Islanders Now Five Points Up In Eastern Playoff Race

Good morning and happy Thursday, March 16th.

45% of participants in yesterday's poll think the NHL should handle fights as a result of a clean body check just as the rules state — strictly enforce the instigator. With a fairly even mix of voters saying they should remove the instigator rule altogether or up the stakes by steepening the penalty or even adding a fine or suspension to the play.

But the biggest surprise was one reader suggesting the NHL should ban fighting altogether. We didn't see that response coming but appreciate the feedback as the game and its fans never stops evolving. 👊

When the New York Islanders lost Mathew Barzal to injury on Feb. 20, naysayers offered gloom and doom predictions about their playoff chances because of their weakened offense.

But this morning moneypuck.com pegs the Islanders’ chances of making the playoffs at 58.8% with 12 games remaining.

The Islanders are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top Eastern Conference wild-card position after thumping the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 in their second stop on a three-game Western road trip. Pittsburgh and the Islanders hold a five-point lead over their nearest rival.

The Islanders still rank 23rd in NHL scoring average (2.91 goals per game) and 29th in power play percentage (16.4%), but had more than enough offense to grind up the Ducks.

Kyle Palmieri had a goal and three assists for a career-high four points to fuel the Islanders’ win. Brock Nelson also scored twice for New York, making him the first Islanders player to produce back-to-back 30-goal seasons since Anders Lee (2016-17 and 2017-18).

The Islanders are 7-3-1 in their past 11 games. Odds are now with the Islanders, but their  playoff lead is far from safe: the Florida Panthers are closest to the Islanders and Penguins and the Panthers have three games in hand over the Islanders. Pittsburgh also has three games in hand over the Islanders.

Of the Islanders’ 12 remaining games, seven are against teams currently not in the playoffs. But they also play the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Lightning twice. The 12 games are equally split between home and away. The Islanders are 20-12-3 at home and 15-15-5 on the road.

🦅 Tom Wilson ties it with a 1:08 left in 3rd, Capitals rally to defeat the Sabres 5-4 in the shootout. The 28-year-old forward buried his 8th goal, arguably the most important of the Capitals' season to date, in just his 20th game of the year. Caps' captain Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each collected a goal and an assist, and Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie scored in the shootout to seal the come-from-behind victory. With the win, the Capitals leapfrog Buffalo in the Eastern Conference standings but remain 5 points back from a wild card spot.

💥 Ryan Hartman scores twice & Jordan Binnington loses his cool again as Wild down the Blues 8-5. Hartman scored his 1st of the game, 11th on the season, and proceeded to clip Jordan Binnington en route to celebrating his goal. Hothead Binnington quickly reacted, throwing a punch with his blocker at Hartman leading to Marc-Andre Fleury skating the length of the ice to defend his teammate only to have the linesmen step in and distinguish the fight before it ever started. With the win the Wild extended their point streak to a franchise record 14 games and move within one point of the Dallas Stars for the top of the Central Division. 

Who holds the NHL's all-time record for most penalty minutes collected as a goaltender?

• MacKinnon, Avalanche edge Maple Leafs in shootout for 3rd straight win

• Cup-hungry Bruins shrug off shot at NHL records

• Bettman: Senators sale enters Phase 2, could close in a ‘matter of weeks’

• NHL salary cap could increase by more than $1 million next season

• How losing Andrei Svechnikov impacts Hurricanes' Stanley Cup hopes

• Rumors persist linking Pierre-Luc Dubois to Montreal Canadiens

• NHL games on ABC, ESPN+, TNT experiencing significant ratings increases

• QMJHL plans to ban fighting

• Fantilli, Cooley among 10 Hobey Baker finalists

• Mercyhurst's Carson Briere, son of Flyers GM, 'deeply sorry' for wheelchair incident

• 🔥 Trevor Zegras goes between-the-legs to set up Shattenkirk's goal

• 😍 Evgeny Kuznetsov & T.J. Oshie score a couple of shootout beauties

• 🤢 Tyson Jost with a sick cutback before going bar and in

• 🍎 Leafs' equipment manager deserves 2nd assist on Morgan Rielly's goal

• 🚨 Alex Goligoski goes five-hole with slick move on the breakaway

• 3 Regroup 3v2 Drill

• Quick reaction blue line keep-in drill for defenseman

• Top 10 lower body strength exercises for hockey players

Ron Hextall holds the NHL's record for most PIMs as a goalie with 569