FINAL DAYS OF THE NHL SEASON, WNBA DRAFT & MORE

With the end of the NHL regular season coming soon, the end of college basketball and hockey, the rise of baseball and softball are inevitable. Much to be said about the season of winter sports in the United States marked by successes in NCAA Women's Basketball, for the first time posting more views in the Final Four than the Men's tournament, Caitlin Clark taking the World by storm and Connor Bedard marking his mark as the highly anticipated first overall draft pick for the Blackhawks.

Pictured: All 32 NHL team logos

NHL FINAL STRETCH

From today, there are only 5 more days of regular season NHL games. With only five days left, the Western Conference is all tied up with the Central Division sending the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, and the Colorado Avalanche. On the other side of the Western Conference, the Pacific Division will send Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. The wild card spots are solidified by the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights. The Eastern Conference is a frenzy for the final wild car spots, with 4 teams tied with 87 points for the second spot. The Atlantic Division will send the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Metropolitan Division will send the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and potentially the New York Islanders, who are three points up on the next closest team. The Tampa Bay Lightning has secured the top wild card spot, however the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers are all vying for the last wild card spot. Personally, I would love to see Detroit in the playoffs because I think that their team is the most fun to watch. It should be a fun couple of days in the NHL, and make sure to keep up to date on the scores. 

My beloved Blackhawks have been cut from playoff contention for sometime now but we are in the midst of one of the greatest generational talents on our team. Connor Bedard, the likely winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the best rookie in the NHL. Despite being injured for 7 weeks due to a broken jaw, Bedard remained the top scorer, most assists and points getter among all rookies. Bedard currently in 66 games played, has 22 goals, 38 assists, and 60 points and leads in all offensive categories. He is someone that will be the next generational talent in Chicago, following in the foot steps of Blackhawks legend, Patrick Kane. 

OTHER SPORTING NEWS:

- BYU upsets No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners on Friday to prevent the sweep. This season the Sooners have seen a record high amount of losses in the past 5 years and there is much speculation if they are going to win their fourth national championship in a row. Alyssa Brito not hitting like her normal self and people pointing to her as a huge factor of their play. However, if you ask me, this team will make that jump to the College World Series.

- The WNBA Draft will take place tonight in Brooklyn with the first pick expected at 7:30 p.m. going to the Indiana Fever who will get collegiate basketball phenom in Caitlin Clark. 

- Frank Nazar played in the NCAA Frozen Four just 4 days ago after the Michigan Wolverines lost to No. 1 ranked Boston College. However, Nazar the day following their exit from the playoffs signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks and making his NHL Debut last night and scoring his first goal of his NHL career. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What is your favorite spring sport/team?

Mine is college softball and I love to watch Oklahoma but also the MLB and the Cubs!

Comments

  1. Joshua FalcoApril 17, 2024 at 6:18 PM

    I am just an overall baseball fan for my favorite spring sport, and while I have been getting into college baseball more recently, the MLB still is so fun for me to watch. I am also a Cubs fan, and I am very happy with how this season is going so far, especially under new management. There were some games that they probably should have won when they didn't, and once they get healthy and start winning those close games, they will be a team to definitely look at come October.

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