Four teams, two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference: Who wants them? Wes Goldstein says it looks like a battle of attrition, not a stretch run.
Stars returning, playoff pushes (or not), psychotherapy in Dallas, a for-sale sign in Montreal and hubbub over Ovechkin's antics get Wes Goldstein's attention in News and Views.
Look out for the Hurricanes. With the addition of Erik Cole and the hot goaltending of Cam Ward, Carolina is doing something it hasn't done in years: winning pretty, ugly and everything in between, Wes Goldstein says.
The Ducks and Senators spent most of the season competing in the most-disappointing category. But late charges might not be too late for the playoffs, Wes Goldstein says.
Take an 18-year-old kid, put the weight of a franchise on his shoulders and saddle him with a coach who doesn't believe in him. That was Steven Stamkos' introduction to the NHL, but the Lightning prodigy has turned it around, Wes Goldstein says.
Although NHL etiquette has generally meant teams don't try to sign the restricted free agents of others, Wes Goldstein says economic considerations might lead to less-than-gentlemanly behavior this summer and looks at seven players who might be targets.
Just a few weeks ago, the Panthers looked like a playoff team for the first time in this century. But a flat-line slide has them looking more like stretch-run chokers, Wes Goldstein says.
The debate if Martin Brodeur is the greatest goalie of all time or not can begin, Wes Goldstein says. Arguments are pro and con, but one thing that can't be argued is that Brodeur is the greatest franchise goaltender.
The league wanted parity. Mission accomplished. Teams rushing for playoff spots are finding no easy stretch wins or points, even in expected 'gimme' territory.
League GMs blustered for public consumption at meetings this week, but Wes Goldstein lets you know what they meant instead of what they said in News and Views.
The Blue Jackets have never been to the playoffs, but this season, they're right in the mix. The difference? Rookie goalie Steve Mason, a 20-year-old who has already been given the nickname 'Stevie Franchise,' and who captain Rick Nash says 'can win games all by himself.'
Nashville's improbable charge for the playoffs is pushing its status as one of the league's troubled franchises into the background, Wes Goldstein says in Power Rankings.
The Capitals and Penguins meet again Sunday and the big story is ... Alexander Ovechkin's bad foot? No, it's Pittsburgh's resurgence under Dan Bylsma, Wes Goldstein says.
As usual, the NHL trade deadline passes with some players and teams improving their lots and others going in the opposite direction. Wes Goldstein counts Mark Recchi and Calgary among the winners, but tops his list of losers with the inept Islanders.
The Blues want to be sellers at the trade deadline. But a recent surge has fans thinking playoffs, and deals might sour their view of hockey in St. Louis, Wes Goldstein says.
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