Dan’s Daily: Wild Night Across NHL, Latest UFA Rumors (Letang Included)

By nature, hockey players want to play hockey but not necessarily the constrained or limited version that hockey coaches preach. The collision was evident on the final night of the NHL regular season as teams battled for playoff seeding against their more fun nature. The Pittsburgh Penguins lit it up and worked on a few wrinkles for the New York Rangers. Sportsnet rolled out the latest on the top 12 UFAs, including Kris Letang. The Minnesota Wild are still deciding between Cam Talbot or Marc-Andre Fleury for Round One. The Montreal Canadiens thew caution to the wind and destroyed the Florida Panthers, who didn’t much care about the final game. And the Washington Capitals drew those same Panthers in the playoffs.

There are some tremendous Round One matchups. There will be a few teams going home who don’t deserve to lose in Round One. Did we also see the end of the Carey Price era in Montreal? Did we see the final game for Zdeno Chara?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now Video: The PHN 5-Minute postgame. It’s like Minute Rice but five times better. What little things did the Penguins work on that will help them against the Rangers? Who shined, and he smiled broadly at PHN’s postgame questioning? Pittsburgh Penguins postgame.

Here is the Round One New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins schedule.

Washington Hockey Now: The Capitals squandered their two chances to overtake the Penguins for third place and avoid the President’s Trophy-winning Florida Panthers. Lars Eller and coach Peter Laviolette ripped the Washington Capitals.

NHL & National Hockey Now:

NHL: Here’s the entire Round One schedule and all of the matchups so you can play your off-night viewing.

The Minnesota Wild are undecided. Will it be Cam Talbot or Marc-Andre Fleury in net?

Sportsnet: The latest on the Top 12 UFAs. Kris Letang is No. 2. Johnny Gaudreau is No. 1, and there’s lots of speculation.

Thank you, Sportsnet Editors, for linking back to our story on Kris Letang. Too many outlets lift the quote or story without noting from where it came. Appreciated!

Montreal: How’s this for a finale to wash out the sour taste: 10-2. Carey Price returned to the net in Montreal. The Florida Panthers had a vacation and were drilled by the Montreal Canadiens.

Was the win the end of the Carey Price era in Montreal?

NYI: Players lined up to shake his hand. He went out in style with one more bomb from the blue line. Was it the final game for Zdeno Chara? New York Islanders news.

Time keeps marching. Is there a pause button on this thing?

Detroit: The end of a painful and later pathetic season. The 5 takeaways and Jeff Blashill doesn’t yet have a scheduled meeting with the GM… Detroit Red Wings –fin–

Vegas: (*Fleury, ahem). No playoffs in the desert. No no. There were a handful of reasons the Vegas Golden Knights missed out.

Calgary: Here’s Johnny! It’s time to translate regular-season dynamics into playoff success for Johnny Gaudreau.

It’s been an exhausting and trying regular season for everyone. I don’t think the Penguins are as toast as they’ve led everyone to believe, but the Rangers? That’s an Everest of a challenge.