There’s nothing like NHL trade deadline week. General managers talk on two phones at once, hockey insiders attempt to leak any scoops they can get their hands on and we fans get to enjoy watching the deals come to fruition. This season, the deadline has been busier than ever with over 25 (and counting!) trades being made in the 14 days prior to March 2.
With the “dog days” of the NHL season in full swing, the Boston Bruins are continuing their incredible start. After their win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday, they became the second fastest team in NHL history to reach 35 wins — an absurd statistic. While their great play continues to puzzle hockey pundits, the foundation was there for years before head coach Jim Montgomery took the helm; since the Bruins have adopted Montgomery’s offensive-minded system, the team has achieved their full potential.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how I believed the Bruins were actively ignoring the inevitable rebuild facing the franchise. They have since proved me wrong. Not only are these Bruins playing playoff-level hockey through six games, they lead the league in points. Sure, some of their wins have been against weaker competition, but the team seems to be skating in midseason form and has formed a strong chemistry through only two weeks.
With just four games left to play, the Vegas Golden Knights’ season is teetering on edge. Yes, the same Golden Knights who had the third best odds to win the Stanley Cup at the year’s commencement, and yes, the same Golden Knights who acquired superstar center Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in November.
Deadline Day in the NHL has come and gone, with some intriguing movement and surprises taking place. Now that general managers have put down their pencils, clubs will jockey for playoff positioning in the home stretch of the regular season. Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from last week’s trade deadline:
No matter where teams are in the standings, the NHL trade deadline is a pivotal point in the season. Top contenders have a chance to add the final piece to the puzzle that is their roster, while bottom feeders can stockpile draft picks and prospects to fuel their rebuilds. Some general managers look at the deadline as a great opportunity to patch holes while others, like Carolina’s Don Waddell, see it as “one of the most dangerous days in hockey”.
82 games, 246 periods, 4,920 minutes. That’s a lot of time spent doing anything, let alone throwing your body around on ice skates.
In Ontario, Canada, Toronto Maple Leafs fans don blue and white jerseys with the number “34” on their backs. Auston Matthews is their hero — their superstar — and he’s playing like one this season. With a sneaky release and lethal shot accuracy, Matthews is tied for the league-lead with 37 goals and can easily hit 50 with the pace that he's on.
There’s no mistake. The Olympics are the time to shine for women’s hockey. Beijing 2022 furthered this trend with another classic final between the United States and Canada. After an upsetting American victory in Pyeongchang in 2018, Canada brought back the gold with a 3–2 win on Feb. 16. Superstar forward Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals and one assist, and 27-year-old netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens backstopped the Canadians with 38 saves. But as fans only get treated to this display once every four years, it prompts the question, should the women’s hockey spectacle be limited to an Olympic sport?
In the final weekend series of the regular season, Tufts men’s ice hockey played two competitive games, losing Friday night 3–0 to Colby College as well as their Saturday game against Bowdoin College 4–3 in overtime. Entering the weekend, the Jumbos’ record stood at 5–13–2 with a NESCAC record of 5–9–2. The two proceeding games would determine the seeding for the upcoming NESCAC conference championship tournament.
A quick pass through the neutral zone lands on the stick of Artturi Lehkonen, and he buries it! The Montreal Canadiens are headed to the Stanley Cup Final. That moment was just eight months ago but it seems like a lifetime. Today, the Habs are projected to finish the year with 39 points, a total that would eclipse the 2016–17 Colorado Avalanche for worst in the salary cap era.
Hi! Welcome to "The Wraparound," the professional hockey column of The Tufts Daily. Whether you’re a diehard NHL fan or someone who likes the occasional diving save, you’re in the right place. Every Thursday, I’ll recap what’s going on around the National Hockey League — scores, stats, standings, trades — while adding some of my own thoughts and opinions toward the end. Let’s get right to it!
Before the tournament takes off, Tufts faces a gauntlet of eight more NESCAC conference games. Each and every one of these games is crucial as the team looks ahead to the playoffs. With the exception of two meetings against last-place Conn. College, these games feature familiar opponents. In these games, Tufts went 2–4 and was outscored 21–17; however, these games included two massive victories over Williams and Bowdoin, 6–2 and 6–1 respectively.
Tufts hockey will be losing a fantastic goal-tender this year in graduating senior Mason Pulde.In 2016, the Lexington, Mass. native was awarded the Academic All-America At-Large Honors, an award that recognizes student athletes for peak athletic and academic performance. To qualify, athletes must have ...
Tufts suffered more than a few setbacks this weekend after two major losses against Trinity and Wesleyan 7-1 and 4-1 respectively. Additionally, senior goaltender Mason Pulde tore his ACL after leaning awkwardly on his leg in an attempt to prevent Wesleyan from scoring on Saturday and will be out for ...
The No. 2-seeded Trinity Bantams ended the No. 8-seeded Tufts Jumbos' Cinderella story postseason by handing them a 4-3 loss on Saturday in the NESCAC semifinals. For the Bantams, the win avenged last season's 2-1 defeat in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the bottom-seeded Jumbos, ...
In what is quickly becoming a familiar story, No. 8-seeded Tufts defeated the No. 1 seed Williams 2-1 in the first round of the NESCAC Championship on Saturday. The win was the second in Tufts' NESCAC tournament history after last year's victory where Tufts, also the bottom seed then, beat ...
Tufts ice hockey repeated last year's David-taking-down-Goliath feat this weekend to stay alive in the NESCAC hockey tournament. Going into the tournament as the eighth seed, Tufts played top-seeded Williams on Saturday and upset the favorites 2-1 in the quarterfinals once again, despite being ...
Though several teams have already wrapped up their seasons, the winter season — and more importantly, the championship season — isn't over yet. Several teams are still battling their ways through the postseason, with their targets set on NESCAC crowns or even bigger prizes, and the Daily is ...
Tufts was unable to come away with wins in either leg of the team's two-game homestand this weekend, losing 3-2 to Middlebury on Saturday, Dec. 5 after falling 2-0 to Williams on Friday, Dec. 4. With the results from the weekend, the Jumbos are now 1-4-2 for the season and 0-3-1 in conference ...
