Wednesday's hockey: Wings prospect Cossa sets record for playoff-bound Griffins
Goaltender Sebastian Cossa set a franchise record with a point in 16 consecutive games with the playoff-bound Grand Rapids Griffins, the top farm team of the Detroit Red Wings.
A first-round draft pick and the 15th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Cossa made 17 saves in a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Monsters on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
The 6-6, 210-pound netminder extended his point streak to 16 games (11-0-5), breaking Mark Lamothe's record of 9-0-4-2 from Oct. 19-Nov. 30, 2002.
The Griffins also clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2019, ending a drought that included two postseasons (2020 and 2021) that were canceled due to COVID-19.
It marks the team’s earliest clinching date since 2017, when the AHL’s eventual Calder Cup champions secured their spot on March 26.
Seeding, matchup and dates for the Griffins’ 18th playoff appearance in 28 seasons will be determined in the coming weeks.
Wednesday's NHL games
Ottawa 6, (at) Buffalo 2: Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Ottawa enjoyed a five-goal first-period surge in cruising to the victory.
Artem Zub opened the scoring 2:37 in an outing the Senators led 4-0 by the 8:49 mark of the opening period, and Pinto closed the scoring with an empty-net goal. Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and assist.
Joonas Korpisalo had 34 saves to improve to 5-1 in his past six starts.
JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for Buffalo in a matchup of two Atlantic Division teams all but mathematically out of playoff contention.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was yanked after allowing four goals on nine shots. Devon Levi mopped up in allowing one goal on 32 shots.
(At) Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1: Brayden Point scored his 42nd goal of the season to break a second-period tie, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves, and surging Tampa Bay beat Atlantic Division-leading Boston.
Tampa Bay also got goals from Mitchell Chaffee and Nikita Kucherov as the Lightning improved to 7-0-1 over their last eight games. The Lightning moved within two points of third-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division.
Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Point both returned after missing one game with lower-body injuries.
Linus Ullmark stopped 28 shots, and Danton Heinen scored for the Bruins. Boston was coming off a 4-3 win Tuesday night at Florida.
Playoff tracker
Atlantic
▶ Bruins (99)
▶ Panthers (97)
▶ Maple Leafs (89)
Metropolitan
▶ Rangers (100)
▶ Hurricanes (97)
▶ Flyers (82)
Wild card
▶ Lightning (87)
▶ Capitals (81)
(Top two wild-card teams make the playoffs)
▶ Red Wings (79)
▶ Devils (76)
▶ Islanders (75)
▶ Sabres (73)
▶ Penguins (72)
If playoffs started Thursday
Eastern Conference playoff matchups
▶ (1M) Rangers vs. Capitals (WC2)
▶ (A2) Panthers vs. Maple Leafs (A3)
▶ (1A) Bruins vs. Lightning (WC1)
▶ (2M) Hurricanes vs. (3M) Flyers
Remaining games in wild-card race
Capitals (81 points)
▶ Home (5): Bruins, Penguins, Senators, Lightning, Bruins
▶ Away (6): Leafs, Sabres, Hurricanes, Wings, Sabres, Flyers
Red Wings (79)
▶ Home (4): Rangers, Sabres, Capitals, Canadiens
▶ Away (6): Hurricanes, Panthers, Lightning, Penguins, Leafs, Canadiens
Islanders (75)
▶ Home (5): Blackhawks, Predators, Rangers, Canadiens, Penguins
▶ Away (6): Panthers, Lightning, Flyers, Blue Jackets, Rangers, Devils
Predators 16-0-2 since U2 trip canceled
Barry Trotz watched his Nashville Predators lose a game at home 9-2, their second consecutive defeat and a third poor effort in a row and he decided they'd be better without a trip to see U2 perform at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Trotz talked it over with coach Andrew Brunette, called captain Roman Josi to tell him the plan to go to Vegas early was off and pulled the plug because the team's play wasn't up to par.
"Just as a team, you have to earn the right," Trotz recalled. “It’s a big expense, and we said, ‘No, it’s not acceptable,’ and we made a decision to come back.”
They didn't get to see Bono, but the Predators have enjoyed plenty of beautiful days since.
They've gone 16-0-2 in their past 18 games, the longest point streak in franchise history or of anyone in the NHL this season. This stretch has shored up Nashville’s playoff positioning after looking to be on the bubble for several months.
“I think you see a galvanized group that have made a commitment to playing consistently,” Trotz, in his first year as general manager after a lengthy stint as coach of the team from its inception through 2014, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “They've played the right way and they’ve stayed focused. And they prepare to compete every game to win.”
Their latest trick was erasing a three-goal deficit at the second intermission and winning in overtime Tuesday night, fittingly against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, who play down the Strip from the Sphere.
“We never stop,” former Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist told reporters afterward. “This team never stops. We believe in ourselves."
That belief is easy to justify given Nashville has scored more than four goals a game and allowed fewer than two since this run began. The power play is clicking at 24% and the penalty kill over 84%.
“Our confidence is high,” said winger Filip Forsberg, who leads the team with 40 goals. “We keep working, keep wearing teams down.”
The Predators are at 94 points – just four back of the Central Division third-place Winnipeg Jets, whom they trailed by 13 points when this run began. But with the playoffs less than a month away, players are eager to say they haven't accomplished anything yet.
“We still know that there’s tons of hockey left to be played: 10 games, lots of points on the board,” Nyquist said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good spot, but we’re not in by any measure, in the playoffs, yet, so we’ve got lots of work to do still.”
Capitals' Bear enters assistance program
Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Bear will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care. The league and union, which jointly run the program, made the announcement Wednesday.
He is fifth player this season announced to be in the program after Columbus’ Patrik Laine, Colorado’s Samuel Girard and Valeri Nichushkin and former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals put Kuznetsov on waivers after he was cleared to practice, sent him to the minors and then traded him to Carolina.
Bear, 26, has played 24 games since signing a two-year contract with Washington in December. He has been a healthy scratch for the past seven, as the team has won five of those to move into playoff position.
Michigan-area hockey this week
Wednesday
▶ Grand Rapids 5, Cleveland 2
Thursday
▶ Red Wings at Carolina, 7 p.m. (BSD/97.1)
▶ Madison at NTDP U17s, 7 p.m.
Friday
▶ Grand Rapids at Chicago, 8 p.m. (AHL/106.9/97.1)
▶ Michigan State vs. Western Michigan, 5 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN+)
▶ Michigan vs. North Dakota, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
▶ Michigan Tech vs. Boston College, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
▶ NTDP U18s at Dubuque, 8 p.m.
Saturday
▶ Red Wings at Florida, 12:30 p.m. (NHL/BSD Extra/97.1)
▶ Grand Rapids at Milwaukee, 7 p.m. (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ NTDP U18s at Dubuque, 8 p.m.
Sunday
▶ Frozen Four regional final, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Tuesday
▶ Capitals 4, Red Wings 3 (OT)