NHL Playoff Death Watch: Flyers, Wild ease into wild cards Since we're down to the final moments of postseason life for teams in contention, Puck Daddy solemnly begins a daily countdown to annihilation.  Sometimes reading the NHL standings is like reading the box score without having watched the game: The numbers can be deceiving. Right now, the Philadelphia Flyers are in the last wild card … [Read more...]

Wed.'s Picks: Bruins to end trip with win at NYR Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day's games. Boston Bruins at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have little to worry about when it comes to making the playoffs. Barring an epic collapse for either team, they'll be … [Read more...]

Brutal loss for Flyers, but knot Red Wings in points When you’re chasing a playoff spot with 11 games remaining in the NHL regular season, there are a few hard and fast rules a team needs to follow. Such as: - Beat the teams you’re “supposed” to beat. - Take advantage when the teams you’re chasing are losing. - If possible, win in regulation for tie-breaker purposes. - Don’t, under any … [Read more...]

Capitals clinch top seed in East but lack ‘urgency’ The Washington Capitals clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday, which is what you expect when you’re up roughly a jillion points on the next-closest team. (A “jillion” in this case being 19 points.)  It was a 4-2 win at the Ottawa Senators, powered by Alex Ovechkin’s 43rd goal of the season. First in the East was an … [Read more...]

Caps clinch Metropolitan title, top seed in East With their 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, already their 52nd win of the season, the Washington Capitals not only became the first team in the league to clinch a division championship this season (which they did by winning the Metropolitan Division title), they also secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals … [Read more...]

Blue Jackets' Boll booted for late hit on Flyers The Columbus Blue Jackets are a really physical hockey team -- perhaps one of the most physical teams in the league -- a style of play that can sometimes get them in trouble. It happened Tuesday night when forward Jared Boll was ejected early in the second period for interference on Philadelphia Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Here is … [Read more...]

Has Patrick Kane lost his grip on Hart Trophy? On January 18, the Chicago Sun-Times noted that Patrick Kane was on his way to one of the finest offensive seasons in Chicago Blackhawks history.  “Kane’s season, which has already reached historic heights after his record breaking point streak, could rank as one of the best in franchise history. At this pace, Kane would finish in Blackhawks top … [Read more...]

Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Tuesday's bargains and values By Neil Parker There are 10 games scheduled Tuesday, and marquee matchups include Western Conference bouts between the Blackhawks and Stars, Sharks and Blues and Kings and Wild.In the Eastern Conference, the Lightning host the Red Wings and the Ottawa-Washington game should be a nice matchup from which to target a few Capitals. … [Read more...]

Yahoo Free NHL Live Stream of the Day: Red Wings vs. Lightning Playoff seeding and playoff hopes are on the line Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are chasing the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division while also fighting off the Boston Bruins for home-ice as the division’s second seed. Detroit, meanwhile, is battling … [Read more...]

NHL Three Stars: Predators make statement; Nylander breaks out No. 1 Star: Ryan Johansen, Nashville Predators Nashville’s first-line center had a big game with one goal and two assists in a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Johansen has 25 points in 33 games since he was traded to the Preds for Seth Jones in January. The current Western Conference standings have the Kings and … [Read more...]