Hockey headlines for April 7, 2023

Friday, April 7, 2023

Second-season joy! Kraken beat Coyotes to clinch the franchise’s first playoff berth (Seattle Times)
Leafs lock up home-ice advantage against Lightning with valuable point in Boston (Toronto Star)
Stars take care of business, remain in hunt for Central Division title with win vs. Flyers (Dallas Morning News)
Isles win big over Lightning, keep pace in playoff chase (New York Newsday)
Penguins keep playoff hopes afloat with vital win against Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Nashville Predators pull within a point of second wild-card spot with win over Hurricanes (The Tennessean)
Senators officially eliminated from playoff picture with ugly 7-2 loss to Panthers (Ottawa Sun)
Red Wings eliminated from playoff contention, fall to Sabres 7-6 in shootout (MLive.com)
Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman fined for embellishment (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Devils’ Jack Hughes closing in on Patrik Elias’ single-season franchise points record: ‘I want to break that bad boy!’ (NJ.com)
Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick completes Avalanche’s first 50-goal season in 20 years, as Avs beat Sharks (Denver Post)
Bruins turn back Maple Leafs in overtime (Boston Globe)
Hurricanes beat Senators in OT to earn two points, maintain Metro Division lead (Raleigh News & Observer)
Vladimir Tarasenko scores goal in return to St. Louis, says 'the fans will be in our hearts forever' (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Akito Hirose's poise helps in first shutout since 2021 (Vancouver Province)
Four fights, 166 penalty minutes and 56 saves for Lyon: Panthers win wild one with Sens (Miami Herald)
Canadiens end four-game losing streak with 'nice, solid win' over Capitals (Montreal Gazette)
Kings’ division title hopes buried beneath Golden Knights’ early barrage (Los Angeles Daily News)
Eriksson Ek, Sundqvist hurt as Wild drop 3rd straight in loss to Penguins (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Flyers losing streak reaches five games with a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Blackhawks shut out by Canucks as own-goal epidemic continues (Chicago Sun-Times)
Rangers, without Patrick Kane, come up short in OT loss to Blues (New York Post)
Lightning’s injuries pile up in loss to Islanders (Tampa Bay Times)
‘The effort needs to be better’: Listless Caps pounded at Montreal (Washington Post)
Blue Jackets routed by Devils, stay 31st with four games left (Columbus Dispatch)
Rangers' Trouba returns to lineup in St. Louis (New York Newsday)
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy may have avoided a serious injury against Leafs, may sit weekend games (Boston Globe)
Rangers' Vladimir Tarasenko emotional in St. Louis return (New York Post)
Goalie Carter Hart to return against the Stars following lower-body injury (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Devils’ Lindy Ruff weighs in on possible load management ahead of postseason (NJ.com)
Who will be the Carolina Hurricanes’ No. 1 goalie in the playoffs? Don’t ask just yet (Raleigh News & Observer)
‘Marky has been a rock’ — and Flames need him to roll for next three games (Calgary Sun)
Dallas Stars still hopeful winger Mason Marchment can return before postseason (Dallas Morning News)
Playing in Grand Rapids proved to be beneficial for Red Wings' Edvinsson (Detroit News)
Penguins assign forward Alex Nylander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after quick recall (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Hurricanes exploring options for 2023-24 AHL affiliation after Chicago Wolves end deal (Raleigh News & Observer)