The Jets hung in the playoff race and spoiled the Wild’s chance to clinch, Henrik Sedin hit a career milestone, and the Rangers came one step closer to becoming regular season champions. Check out what happened on Monday in the NHL.
Jets getting by without Byfuglien
The Winnipeg Jets’ playoff hopes were thought to have been dealt a potentially fatal blow when Dustin Byfuglien was handed a four-game suspension for the vicious cross-check he delivered to the neck of Rangers forward J.T. Miller.
But in the two games Winnipeg has been without its imposing defender, the Jets have come through with a pair of crucial victories. First, they edged the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 on Sunday before taking down the wild card-leading Minnesota Wild on Monday, preventing their opponent from clinching while keeping themselves alive and in contention for the post-season.
The Jets’ two-goal margin over the Wild in Monday’s contest proved to be a rarity: It’s first time a team has beaten Minnesota by more than a goal since January. It’s also the first time this season a game between the two teams — they’ve met five times — has been decided by more than a goal.
Rangers and Blue Jackets turn in another close one
The New York Rangers stormed back to snap the Blue Jackets’ nine-game winning streak with a 4-3 overtime victory. It marked the third time in 2015 that a match between the two sides was decided by a single goal. The Rangers won all three, mind you, by scores of 4-3, 2-1 and 2-1.
With their win over the Blue Jackets, the Rangers have an opportunity to claim their first Presidents’ Trophy since 1993-94, the same season they went on to win the Stanley Cup. A win versus the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday will do it; a single point in that game will clinch the Eastern Conference.
Methot’s mystery shot solved: it was no goal
Even if Marc Methot had scored on his mystery shot in overtime of the Senators’ eventual shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday, by the time the league reviewed the play it would’ve been too late to retroactively change the result, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston wrote Monday.
The league did in fact review the shot — which some originally believed beat Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier and somehow went through the net — and determined the shot did not result in a goal. Replay angles made it difficult to tell whether or not the puck had gone in or missed wide. See for yourself.
Still, Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul weighed in on the matter before the NHL had definitively debunked the phantom goal.
Canucks’ Sedin notches 700th assist
Henrik Sedin rang up his 700th career assist in style, beautifully setting up brother Daniel’s game-tying goal against the Kings in the third period. Henrik delivered a no-look, backhand pass as Daniel blasted a one-timer past L.A. netminder Jonathan Quick. The Canucks went on to win in a shootout.
