Avalanche win, claim Central title
Nathan MacKinnon had three goals and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Friday night to win the Central Division title.
Devon Toews also scored and had an assist and Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves for Colorado, which finished a point ahead of Dallas in the division. Mikko Rantanen had two assists.
Kiefer Sherwood scored twice, Luke Evangelista added one and Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves for the Predators.
With 1:42 remaining in the third, MacKinnon skated into the Nashville zone on the right side before snapping a wrist shot by Lankinen. His third goal was his 42nd of the season, setting a career high. The hat trick was his first of the season and fourth of his career.
The reigning Stanley Cupwinning Avs will begin their title defense against Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. They will do so without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who announced Thursday that the knee injury that has sidelined him for the regular season will keep him out for the playoffs too.
SABRES 5, BLUE JACKETS 2 » Jeff Skinner had a goal and two assists, lifting Buffalo over Columbus in the season finale for both teams.
Casey Mittelstadt had a goal and an assist, and Victor Olofsson, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs also scored for the Sabres, who were eliminated from playoff contention for the 12th straight season, the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
Columbus ended its season in 31st place and are guaranteed one of the top four picks in the NHL draft.
BIG CHANGES IN PITTSBURGH » The Penguins asked GM Ron Hextall and director of hockey operations Brian Burke to find a way to prop open the championship window for stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang without sacrificing the club's long-term future when they were hired in February 2021.
After two sometimes turbulent years that produced a significant lack of progress, the Penguins fired Hextall, Burke and assistant GM Chris Pryor after the team failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
Pittsburgh went 40-3111 and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference to end the longest active postseason streak in major North American professional sports.
LAVIOLETTE OUT IN WASHINGTON » Peter Laviolette won't be back as coach of the Capitals, who have a big decision to make after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. The Capitals parted ways with Laviolette less than 24 hours after their season ended, a decision GM Brian MacLellan described as mutual. Washington went 115-78-27 in the regular season under Laviolette.
PLAYOFF MATCHUPS » After six weeks of hopeful excitement that his Devils would face the Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs, Erik Haula had a simple, sarcastic take: “Here we are.”
And the playoffs are finally here, too.
Devils vs. Rangers in another chapter of their bitter Hudson River rivalry is one of the juiciest of the eight first-round matchups.
The Eastern Conference is set, featuring the NHL-best Bruins against the Panthers and the Lightning against the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division bracket, along with Rangers-Devils and the Hurricanes against the Islanders in the Metropolitan.
In the West, MVP favorite Connor McDavid and the Oilers face the Kings, and the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights go up against the Jets. The defending champion Avalanche take on the Kraken, while the Stars will face the Wild in the Central Division.
The chase for the Cup begins Monday.