Daily Nuggets: Ovi Buys Schmid a Drink; Promising Golden Knights Prospects

Good morning, folks. The Vegas Golden Knights are back in action on Saturday with another chance to clinch their fourth Pacific Division title in eight years. Not too shabby, eh? In other news, I’ve got another installment of my series breaking down what makes a Stanley Cup-winning team coming your way later today to tide you all over until the 7 p.m. puck drop. This time, we’ll tackle the big one, the make-or-break: goaltending.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, injuries keep piling up for the Edmonton Oilers. The NHL officially announced a start date for the Stanley Cup Playoffs: April 19th. Gabriel Landeskog played his first professional hockey game in nearly three years, and over 94 thousand people viewed the livestream. Elliotte Friedman reported on a potential blockbuster trade that fell through.

Golden Knights News

Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record is no longer news. However, here’s a fun bit of news– on Friday, the Golden Knights shared a picture of Akira Schmid armed with one of the beers Budweiser sent out to the 28 goaltenders who denied Ovi a goal. Schmid, who played 43 games for the New Jersey Devils, faced Ovechkin four times and stopped all eight shots he faced. Four of those shots came in one game, a 5-4 overtime win on April 13th, 2023.

Let’s do a little Q&A. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are less than two weeks away; beyond that, there’s the NHL Entry Draft and Free Agency. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the Golden Knights’ season, playoffs, etc, please submit them to the Vegas Hockey Now Mailbag.

The Athletic ($): Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille released a final power ranking before the playoffs. The Golden Knights landed at fourth.

Golden Knights Prospects News

Because the Golden Knights were off on Friday, I could watch the Henderson Silver Knights. They lost 2-0 to the Colorado Eagles, but since they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, watching the prospects mattered more than the outcome. I made sure to pay close attention to two prospects in particular.

I was very impressed by Cameron Whitehead in his first AHL start. I’m far from a goaltending expert, but his positioning looked sound. His reflexes were sharp, and he seemed to have the ‘it’ factor. Again, I’m not a goaltender whisperer, but I think Whitehead will be an NHL goaltender. 

I liked what I saw from Trevor Connelly. His playmaking was as advertised. He still prefers to pass, but his growing willingness to shoot the puck forces opponents to give him space. He needs some fine-tuning and time to adjust to the speed of the pro game, but Connelly will be a good player.

Playoff Clinches & Eliminations

The Edmonton Oilers punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday. Because the Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers live to fight another day.

Teams that can be eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday: Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, New York Rangers

Teams that can clinch a playoff berth on Saturday: Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: On Friday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared a deal that fell through at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The Montreal Canadiens were working on a deal for Trevor Zegras and offered “one player, a young defenseman,” and the 21st overall pick in the draft.

Sportsnet: The Edmonton Oilers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Unfortunately for them, their injury report grew. Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman exited the game with injuries. 

ESPN: The stage is set. At 4:30 p.m., the Western Michigan Broncos will meet the Boston University Terriers in the Frozen Four championship game. 

Colorado Hockey Now: On Friday, Gabriel Landeskog made his long-awaited return to hockey and took the ice with the Colorado Eagles against the Henderson Silver Knights. 

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: One of the most tired narratives in sports is the concept that players will “buy in” to a tank. Professional athletes— especially hockey players— have pride. They’ll never purposefully play poorly to give their team a better draft pick, and the Penguins will be no exception.

New Jersey Hockey Now: On Friday, the Devils suffered their second consecutive loss to a bottom-feeder team. However, head coach Sheldon Keefe disclosed some positive news after the game– star defenseman Dougie Hamilton “will be available” in the playoffs.

NHL History: On April 12th, 1960, Maurice Richard scored his 82nd and final goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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