As we head into the Wednesday NHL slate, it’s time to take a look at the top stories from the NHL. With only a handful of games remaining for every team around the league, its crunch time in the playoff race. Whether you’re making the field or not, every club is trying to finish on a high note and go into the playoffs or offseason feeling good about themselves. This week we’ll highlight some big goals, faltering playoff teams, musical chairs in the East and another epic Torts presser. Let’s go around the rink!

60 for 34: We begin north of the border, the home to NHL’s best goal scorer. For the second time in his brilliant career, Auston Matthews has scored 60 goals in a season, as he bagged the historic lamp lighter in Buffalo this past weekend. To say number 34’s career has lived up to the hype so far would be an understatement, as he is already taking the goal scorers crown from Ovie. The Leafs will need Matthews to stay hot if they are going to make a run in the East this spring…the good news is, he looks up to the challenge.

Pretenders?: Let’s stay in the great white north but switch coasts as we take a look at the Vancouver Canucks. Now you may ask why they’re featured here this week, after all they’re in first place by five points and have gone a respectable 5-4-1 in their last ten games. But two of those four losses have come at the hands of west rivals Dallas and Las Vegas, whom they will have to go through if they want to win it all this postseason. For as good as the Canucks are, they have gone a combined 2-5-2 against the Knights, Stars and Avalanche. While the playoffs are essentially a clean slate, they’ll need to raise their level to beat the cream of the crop out west. The good news for them is goalie Thatcher Demko will be back in the pipes for the playoffs.

Dark Skies in Sunrise: Let’s head south to Sunrise Florida, where dark clouds are gathering over one of the league’s top teams. Last year’s Eastern Conference Champs were one of the league’s best squads for much of the 23-24 campaign but are presently enduring a 2-7-1 stretch that has seen them fall to second place in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the first place Bruins. Over those last ten games the cats have given up close four goals per game (or more) as they seem to have gotten away from their usual strong 200-foot game. They are playoff bound but will be looking to put together a better run here in their final six so their game is much sharper when the playoffs begin.

Saad Sends ’em home Happy: Let’s go back out west and talk about the race for the final playoff spot, and how one team is keeping the heat on the Kings who occupy the final Wild Card spot. The St. Louis Blues have been red hot, putting up a 7-2-1 record in their last ten contests to get within three points of Los Angeles. Their latest win came courtesy of a clutch OT game winner by veteran sniper Brandon Saad, as his 25th of the year got the Notes past the Oilers Monday night. Give the Blues credit, after a poor start and a coaching change, they have played themselves to the brink of a playoff berth with seven games remaining. LA has a game at hand on them but the team from the Gateway City has plenty of life in this tight race.

When the Music Stops: Meanwhile back in the Eastern Conference the game of musical chairs we referenced a short while ago on this site is still in full swing, as five teams are battling for the final two playoff spots. The two spots in question are the second wild card spot and the third-place spot in the Metro division, which have been occupied by a different team on a seemingly nightly basis. After an ugly stretch the Red Wings came to life Monday night with a big win in Tampa Bay while the Capitals dropped one in Buffalo on Tuesday. The Islanders topped the Flyers in OT on Monday night and then followed that up with a 2-1 win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Of course, just to heighten the drama the Penguins didn’t get the memo about their pending rebuild and were dragged to a pair of wins in the New York area by Sid and friends. These five are separated by just four points between them as they do battle down the stretch, making for an exhilarating finish to the season.

Coaching Philosophy: To wrap things up I want to stick with one of the teams in the Eastern playoff race, the Philadelphia Flyers. A lot has been made of head coach John Tortorella and some of his antics of late. As I have said before Torts can be his own worst enemy at times, but I have always held a deep respect for the work he does and how he handles his players as a coach who works hard to teach them “the right way to play.” The clip above is well worth the watch as the Philly bench boss was in a reflective mood in his off-day presser with analysis of his team’s recent struggles and his own failings as a coach in that span. Whether his methods always resonate with the modern player is a different matter, what’s clear is something we have long suspected about Torts. His philosophy comes from a good place, one of a lifelong hockey teacher trying to help his players improve every day based off what he knows works…judging by his track record, I’d say he is onto something.

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