Flames, Blues headed to Stanley Cup Playoffs

FLAMES BACK IN PLAYOFFS

* Johnny Gaudreau opened the scoring to extend his point streak to seven games (3-8-11) and reach the 60-point mark for the third consecutive season (18-42-60).
* Brian Elliott (36 saves) improved to 18-3-1 in his last 23 appearances dating to Jan. 26 (2.08 GAA, .930 SV%, 2 SO).

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
Pittsburgh 4, NY RANGERS 3 (SO)
NY ISLANDERS 2, New Jersey 1
CHICAGO 3, Columbus 1
COLORADO 2, St. Louis 1 (SO)
CALGARY 5, San Jose 2
Los Angeles 2, VANCOUVER 0
ARIZONA 6, Washington 3

#

BLUES EXTEND POINT STREAK, CLINCH SIXTH CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF BERTH
The St. Louis Blues (42-28-7, 91 points), who hold third place in the Central Division, clinched a berth in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of a shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. It's their sixth consecutive postseason appearance. St. Louis concluded the month of March with a record of 11-2-2, including points in their last eight games (6-0-2).

#

BLACKHAWKS, PENGUINS GAIN GROUND IN PRESIDENTS' TROPHY RACE
The Chicago Blackhawks (50-21-7, 107 points) and Pittsburgh Penguins (47-19-11, 105 points) each won to inch closer to the League-leading Washington Capitals (51-18-8, 110 points), who lost in regulation:
* Marian Hossa (GWG) scored the 525th goal of his NHL career to pass Bryan Trottier (524) for sole possession of 34th on the all-time list and help the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks reach the 50-win mark for the second time in franchise history (52 W in 2009-10). Patrick Kane (0-3-3) moved into sole possession of second in League scoring this season (34-53-87), while Artemi Panarin (1-1-2) eclipsed the 70-point mark for the second time in as many NHL seasons (28-43-71).
* Sidney Crosby registered 1-1-2 and scored in the shootout to help the Penguins snap a four-game slide (0-2-2). Crosby leads the League with 43 goals (71 GP). The assist was the 641st of his NHL career (all w/ Pittsburgh) to pass Jaromir Jagr (640) for sole possession of second on the franchise's all-time list.

#

IGINLA CLIMBS ALL-TIME LISTS IN KINGS VICTORY
Jarome Iginla tallied the game-winning goal for the second straight contest to help the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-0 victory.
* Iginla scored the 625th goal of his NHL career to tie Joe Sakic for 15th on the all-time list and move within one point of becoming the 34th player in League history to reach the 1,300-point milestone (625-674-1,299).
* Iginla also skated in his 1,549th career NHL game to tie Alex Delvecchio for 12th all-time.

#

LOOSE PUCKS
The New York Islanders (36-29-12, 84 points) snapped a three-game slide (0-3-0) to move within four points of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. … Alexander Burmistrov and Christian Dvorak each scored twice to lead the Arizona Coyotes to victory. … Islanders forward Jason Chimera (0-1-1) reached the 400-point milestone (181-219-400). … Capitals forward Marcus Johansson (0-2-2) extended his point streak to five games (1-9-10). … Avalanche forward Tyson Jost, the 10th player selected in the 2016 draft, made his NHL debut. … Canucks forward Griffen Molino and Devils defenseman Michael Kapla also made their NHL debuts. … The Islanders hosted Autism Awareness Night at Barclays Center, and the Coyotes hosted Pat Tillman Military Appreciation Night at Gila River Arena. … Forward Patrik Elias announced his retirement from the NHL after 20 seasons, all with the New Jersey Devils. … Fei Liu of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver dropped the ceremonial puck at Rogers Arena to celebrate the recent announcement of the Kings and Canucks facing off in the 2017 NHL China Games presented by O.R.G. Packaging.

#

SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY'S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Florida @ Boston, 1 p.m., SN , NESN, FS-F
Minnesota @ Nashville, 2 p.m., FS-TN, FS-N, FS-WI
Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 7 p.m., SN
Toronto @ Detroit, 7 p.m., CBC, NHLN, FS-D
Montreal @ Tampa Bay, 7 p.m., CITY, TVA Sports, SUN
New Jersey @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m., CSN-PH, MSG+
Dallas @ Carolina, 7 p.m., FS-CR, FS-SW
Anaheim @ Edmonton, 10 p.m., CBC, SN, PRIME

#

BATTLE FOR PACIFIC, ATLANTIC RACE HIGHLIGHT HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
Hockey Night in Canada's four-game schedule features the top two teams in the Pacific Division and three Atlantic Division clubs in the hunt for playoff berths:
* First place in the Pacific Division is on the line when the Anaheim Ducks (42-23-12, 96 points), who hold the top spot in the division, visit the Edmonton Oilers (43-25-9, 95 points) in the conclusion of their five-game season series (ANA: 2-1-1, EDM: 2-2-0). Each team clinched a berth in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday.
* The Ottawa Senators (41-26-9, 91 points) aim to improve their chances of clinching their fourth postseason appearance in the past six seasons when they visit the Winnipeg Jets (36-35-7, 79 points) at MTS Centre.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs (37-24-15, 89 points) look to keep pace with the Senators when they make their final visit to Joe Louis Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings (31-34-12, 74 points).
* The Lightning (38-29-9, 85 points) will try to inch closer to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference -- currently held by the Boston Bruins (41-30-6, 88 points), who face the Florida Panthers (33-33-11, 77 points) on Saturday afternoon -- when they host the Montreal Canadiens (44-24-9, 97 points), who clinched a berth in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday.