Thursday LNN: Habs Clinch, Fleury Retires and More
Thursday's Edition of the Links, News and Notes
- In a dramatic fashion, the Habs had to wait until the end to clinch their playoff spot. Threatened by the Blue Jackets and missing an opportunity to clinch against the Blackhawks, the Habs only needed one point against the Hurricanes last night. They became the final team to clinch a spot, bringing the total Canadian teams to make the playoffs to 5. They are now set to face the Washington Capitals in the first round.
- It is now confirmed the Battle of Ontario playoff edition will see life again! With their win against the Buffalo Sabres this week, the Leafs clinched the Atlantic Division title and secured a matchup with the Ottawa Senators. After missing the playoffs for 8 years, what a way to get back into action for the Sens.
- While the full playoff schedule will be released later on today, the NHL has announced that the playoffs will start on Saturday with the Winnipeg Jets hosting the St Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars hosting the Colorado Avalanche.
- With the Minnesota Wild securing a playoff spot, the team decided to treat their retiring goalie with a nice send-off last night. As the game against the Anaheim Ducks approached OT, Filip Gustavsson decided to give up his bet in the extra time to give Fleury a chance to retire with one more play. The Wild won the game and gave Fleury a fitting exit.
- In retirement news, Logan Couture has officially announced that he will not be returning to the NHL. At 36 years old, Couture has been contending with osteitis pubis, a condition that has significantly impacted his ability to play. After missing the majority of the past year, he has confirmed that he is no longer physically able to compete at a professional level.
- As much as we talk about Connor McDavid, it still seems like we don't talk enough about how good he is. The Edmonton Oilers' superstar just reached his 8th 100-point season of his career. He has only missed that mark in his 48-game rookie season, and the 64-game 2019-20 season that was cut short by Covid
