by Holger Neumann, Wednesday April 12, 2023, reading time: approx. 3 minutes
The Chicago Blackhawks win against the Pittsburgh Penguins without Lukas Reichel.
The Buffalo Sabers were long in the running for the play-off spots, but in the end it wasn’t enough: JJ Peterka’s team lost their hopes of reaching the finals with a 6-2 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. Despite all the disappointment, there are definitely positive things to report: Compared to last season, the team already has eight more wins this season – two games are still to come – and was able to reverse its negative balance from last season: 40 wins are 33 defeats across from.
But because they’ve had fewer regulation wins or ROW wins than the New York Islanders, the Sabers can’t overtake the Isles, even if they have their last win both games and the Isles lose theirs, leaving both teams tied.
The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, are playing a very strong season: They are at least second in the Metropolitan Division and thus have home right in the first round. As things stand at the moment, they would compete against the New York Rangers in the derby. However, it cannot be ruled out that they will still grab the title in the division with a win – with 112 points they would also have issued a franchise record.
Jack Hughes set such a record. The Devils attacker scored the number 97 point this season, beating franchise legend Patrik Elias’ record by one. In the game, Jack’s brother Luke also made his NHL debut on Devils defense and received about eleven minutes of ice time. JJ Peterka didn’t have a point for the Sabers, but a goal he scored was disallowed for offside.
The Edmonton Oilers secured second place in the Pacific Division with a 2-1 win after overtime at champions Colorado. Evan Bouchard completed the win with his overtime goal in extra time on a pass from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
The Oilers still have a chance of winning first place in the division. They host the San Jose Sharks on the last day of the game, while leaders Vegas Golden Knights face the Seattle Kraken, who still have a chance of finishing third. Curious: Both teams met in a direct duel last night. Here the knights kept the upper hand with 4:1. With that, the Kraken must win this final game while also losing the LA Kings in the city derby to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Detroit Red Wings slipped into a negative season record for the first time in a long time with a 1:4 defeat at the Carolina Hurricanes, currently first in the Metroplitan. However, they can still correct this in the last game and achieve a conciliatory end to the season with a success rate of exactly .500. The team has definitely made a step forward and may already be able to make the participation in the playoffs clear in the next season.
Without Lukas Reichel, the Chicago Blackhawks put a real damper on the Pittsburgh Penguins: they won 5-2 in the “Steel City”. With that, the Pens need to win their last game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and need help from the Montreal Canadiens, who play against the New York Islanders. After nearly three months in Chicago, Lukas Reichel was sent back to Rockford to help the IceHogs reach the AHL playoffs. There, on his return, he immediately contributed an assist in the important 5-2 win against Manitoba Moose with Leon Gawanke.
An overview of the other games from last night:
Anaheim Ducks – Vancouver Canucks 2:3
Minnesota Wild – Winnipeg Jets 1:3
Boston Bruins – Washington Capitals 5:2
Tampa Bay Lightning – Toronto Maple Leafs 3:4
Philadelphia Flyers – Columbus Blue Jackets 4:3 (OT)
