Preview Roundups
April 13, 2014
Detroit at St. Louis 12:30 PM ET
After breezing through the majority of the season, the St. Louis Blues picked an inopportune time to endure quite the rough patch. The Blues look to snap a five-game losing streak and put themselves in position to win the Central Division when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon. St. Louis is even in points with Colorado, but the Avalanche hold the tiebreaker by virtue of more wins in regulation and overtime heading into their tilt with Anaheim.
Boston at New Jersey 3:00 PM ET
Martin Brodeur will be in net for potentially his last start with the New Jersey Devils when the Boston Bruins pay a visit to the Garden State in Sunday's regular-season finale. The future Hall-of-Famer is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is looking to continue his career in 2014-15. The Devils intend to turn over the reins to Cory Schneider, leaving the 41-year-old Brodeur to examine his options.
Carolina at Philadelphia 3:00 PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes have an opportunity to take a small triumph from their season finale when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. The Hurricanes can sweep the Flyers in their season series - something the franchise has not done since moving from Hartford. Carolina posted a 2-1 victory at home on Oct. 6, a 2-1 win in overtime at home on Nov. 5 and a 3-2 triumph at Philadelphia on Jan. 22 in the first three contests of their four-game season series.
Tampa Bay at Washington 3:00 PM ET
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper joked after his team’s victory on Friday that he did his postgame speech in the trainer’s room. It’s uncertain who will be healthy enough to go for the Lightning when they end the regular season at the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. With four other key performers already sitting out with injuries or illness, top defenseman Victor Hedman and Calder Trophy candidate Ondrej Palat were hurt in Friday’s contest.
NY Islanders at Buffalo 5:00 PM ET
The finish line can't come soon enough for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, who will close out the regular season with a late-afternoon matinee on Sunday in western New York. Both teams are assured of finishing last in their respective divisions, although the Islanders have shown some life down the stretch by earning points in nine of their last 11 games (7-2-2). The teams have split a pair of meetings this season - both of them held on Long Island.
Ottawa at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM ET
With the playoffs on the horizon, the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to rest many of their regulars for Sunday's regular-season finale against the visiting Ottawa Senators. Coach Dan Bylsma didn't exercise that plan on Saturday afternoon, as captain Sidney Crosby and company were on the ice in the Penguins' 4-3 overtime loss to Keystone State-rival Philadelphia.
Nashville at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Wild attempt to reach triple digits in points for the second time in franchise history when they host the Nashville Predators on Sunday. The Wild, who have 98 points, own the top wild-card spot and still await their opponent in the opening round of the playoffs. Minnesota has been on a roll, improving to 6-0-1 in its last seven games with a spirited 4-2 victory over St. Louis on Thursday.
Colorado at Anaheim 8:00 PM ET
The formula is simple for the Colorado Avalance heading into Sunday's regular-season finale at the Anaheim Ducks - win and they wrap up the Central Division title and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Colorado's task became much easier when the Ducks clinched the top seed in the West with a 4-3 shootout win over Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Avalanche are tied with St. Louis atop the Central but they hold the tiebreaker thanks to an 8-1-1 surge over the past 10 games.
Calgary at Vancouver 9:00 PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks look to complete a sweep of the five-game season series when they host the Calgary Flames on Sunday in the final contest of the campaign for both clubs. Vancouver posted a pair of victories in Calgary before winning twice at home, with three of the four triumphs coming by one goal. Vancouver's most recent win came on March 8, when defenseman Yannick Weber scored five minutes into the third period to snap a 1-1 tie.
Dallas at Phoenix 9:00 PM ET
The Phoenix Coyotes attempt to end a disappointing season on a high note when they host the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Phoenix failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season after reaching the Western Conference final in 2011-12, thanks in part to a winless streak that reached seven games (0-4-3) on Saturday.