After a thrilling shootout win in New Jersey, the New York Islanders secured the last spot in the East and bounced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the process. Sure, they now get to go on to face the President’s Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres and more than likely get sent home quickly, but at least they can say “we made it†and stick it in the faces of Leaf fans everywhere. You might know the type; they’re the ones who’ve convinced themselves into believing their team has a chance every year. People with any knowledge of hockey realized how bad the team is long ago.
In the West, the Calgary Flames punched their playoff ticket when Colorado lost to Nashville on Saturday night. The Avalanche made quite the run at the playoffs going 14-2-2 in March and April combined but ultimately fell short. The odd thing is that Colorado was only failed by the NHL’s point system which awards a point in the standings if a team loses in overtime or a shootout. If the league had only gone by wins and losses, the Avs would be playoff bound and Flames would be booking tee times. Looks like there’s another thing to chalk up in the “things that are wrong with the NHL†column.