As the week draws to a close, it’s time to go around the rink and bring you the latest news in the NHL. There are plenty of headline making stories to tackle right now that will take us through both conferences. We’ve got drama in Philly, red hot teams out west, potential rule changes and musical chairs in the Eastern wild card picture. Let’s dive in!

No Brotherly Love in Philly: As much as I am happy to sing the praises of John Tortorella, I have to admit that where Torts goes, drama typically follows. This impressive turn around season in Philly has seen its fair share of off-ice noise, thanks to the Cutter Gauthier saga. But Torts and company have managed to stay above the fray until now, as the Flyers bench boss decided to scratch his captain, Sean Couturier. The decision was questioned outside the organization and by Couturier himself who said “I’ve been putting the work in for a while. I’ve been struggling, but I’ve been working on my game, and it’s frustrating the way I’ve been treated around here lately. But it is what it is.” Of course, Tortorella offered a rebuttal…or at least his version of one. “I’m not talking on Sean. I’m not debating with you. I’m not conversing with it. It’s between Sean and I. So, just talk to me about the game, guys.” Torts is certainly entitled to run his team the way he sees fit, if you haven’t noticed, it’s working. But this is the kind of choice that could splinter the room, and it wouldn’t be the first time in Tortorella’s career that embarrassing a team leader (Brad Richards) eventually led to his dismissal. For what it’s worth, the Flyers won the game Couturier was scratched for and maintained their hold on the third spot in the Metro.

Heavyweight Fight: Back on the ice there is a furious race out west in the Central division as three Cup Contenders are in a neck and neck race for the Central crown. The Jets, Stars, and Avalanche are all absolutely loaded and are running neck and neck to secure the top spot. Dallas has looked very strong all year with rookie Logan Stankoven and new addition Chris Tanev making an impact of late. Meanwhile the Avalanche got aggressive at the deadline and flipped Bowen Byram to the Sabres for impact center Casey Mittlestadt and Flyers d-man Sean Walker. Not to be outdone in the arms race, the Jets added Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli to help lengthen this already deep lineup. Whoever claims the top seed in the division will breathe a sigh of relief come playoff time, but the runner up will have to prepare to do battle the third-place finisher. All three are good enough to win the cup…one of them won’t even get out of the first round.

Musical Chairs in the East: Switching gears to another tight race back East, albeit of a different variety, where the final two wild card spots will come down to the wire. The final two spots are presently held by the Lightning and the Red Wings, but they are pursued by three teams, all within five points of them. The Capitals and their shockingly bad goal differential are just off the pace, while the Islanders continue to stockpile “loser’s points” which have kept them afloat this season, and even the selling Sabres have closed the gap thanks to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s play in goal and Bowen Byram’s impact. It feels like the Lightning are pretty secure in their spot, but the Red Wings have been struggling and are being dragged along by Patrick Kane’s surgically repaired hip. Eventually the music is going to stop and three teams will be left out. Let us know who you think will make the dance on the social feed and in the comments below.

Smashing Good Time in Smashville: Staying with the wild card, let’s talk about the Nashville Predators. The current occupiers of the first wild card spot in the west are enjoying an absolutely dominating stretch where they have posted a 13-0-2 record in their last 15 games, making them one of the league’s best stories. Barry Trotz (GM and President) and head coach Andrew Brunette have their fingers on the pulse of this group, and they have been repaid for keeping faith in them. They even went out and added veteran winger Jason Zucker after rumors swirled that they would be selling come deadline day. They probably have played over the head in this run, but they need to stay hot to secure their playoff spot.

Changes to Overtime?: This week, the NHL’s GM’s convened for their annual meetings to discuss matters related to the league as a whole. The topic that led the agenda seems to have been potential changes to the 3-on-3 overtime rules and format. The GM’s and the league are looking for ways to ensure more games that go to OT, actually end there instead of in the shootout. Potential tweaks to the rules are aimed at addressing possession in an effort to “make sure the excitement’s still there” according to Stars GM Jim Nill. Personally, if there is to be a change I’d like to see it be the shootout going away entirely, but we will have to keep tabs on this story as it develops.

He’s Still Got It: I’ll let the clip do the talking here, but there is no doubt that Matt Duchene’s still got it!

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