NHL Weekly Recap: April 24

Story posted April 24, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by James Morrison

Atlantic Division

The Florida Panthers are cruising with 120 points on the season. The question that has not been talked about enough is whether center Joe Thornton will finally capture the Stanley Cup that has long eluded him.

Toronto just suffered an embarrassing defeat against the Lightning, who they are on track to play in the first round of the playoffs. The defense and goaltending need to figure it out heading into this final week.

Tampa Bay has looked really good on both sides of the ice, but it remains to be seen whether depth players such as Brandon Hagel can provide the same spark that the Goodrow-Gourde-Coleman line did in the playoffs.

Boston has struggled as of late, but with this team, there is always the potential for a deep playoff run, especially with time running out on the current core to win one more.

Metropolitan Division

The Hurricanes played a close game with the 27-44 Devils yesterday — the opposite of what this team should be doing this time of the year.

The Rangers have three games to pass Carolina, and they have a good chance at it as forward Artemi Panarin continues the chase to 100 points.

Pittsburgh still does not have Tristan Jarry back and it has shown as the Penguins have a record of 4-5-1 in their past ten games with Casey DeSmith in net.

Washington has played tremendous hockey recently and is within striking distance of third place in the Metro or the top wild card seed.

Central Division

The Avalanche may not be back as President’s Trophy winners, but they will face the worst wild card seed in the Western Conference as they have all but clinched the top seed.

Minnesota is tied with the Blues for second and have been one of the top teams since it acquired a trio of gritty players at the trade deadline.

The Blues have relied on goaltending to get them where they are today as Ville Husso and Jordan Binnington have been top-tier so far.

Nashville saw Roman Josi become the first defenseman since Ray Bourque to score 90 points in a season and is most likely on its way to a playoff berth.

The Stars are still fighting for a playoff spot with just three games remaining, and their 4-4-2 mark in the past ten games show they have not always had their best performances recently.

Pacific Division

Calgary is the best team in the Pacific Division and is the most likely to come out of this division in the playoffs.

The Oilers are heading back to the playoffs but goaltending remains an issue with Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen leaving much to be desired.

Los Angeles should clinch the playoffs soon with its 96 points and just two games remaining.

The Golden Knights are still in the playoff hunt even after all the Robin Lehner drama. They have slowly clawed back to relevance, but this week will tell us if it was too little too late.

James Morrison is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jpm6920@psu.edu.