Predicting Who Captures The NHL’s Wild-Card Spots

The Hockey News Big Show is back to discuss some of the biggest NHL and hockey topics. Here’s what Katie Gaus, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed in this episode: 0:59: What's the driving force behind the Ottawa Senators’ success right now? 4:33: Do the Senators have a chance to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly steal third spot in the Atlantic? 6:13: Is Auston Matthews truly healthy? What if anything is really going on with the Leafs captain, and how concerned should fans be? 9:58: The Carolina Hurricanes are 4-0 since the trade deadline. Why are the Hurricanes rolling, and more importantly, do we believe it can last? 14:12: Sam Bennett is a pending UFA. Is it possible the Leafs could swing keeping Marner and adding Bennett in the off-season? 17:46: NHL GM meetings began on Monday. Which topic is up for discussion or possible rule change are you most interested in? 21:47: The St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Utah Hockey Club are making things very interesting for the final wild-card spot in the west. Which team are you making a case for to snag that last spot? Which team would be the toughest first-round matchup for the Winnipeg Jets? 24:54: Which team in contention for the final spot in the Eastern Conference wild-card race will put up the best or most interesting fight in the first round? 28:33: William Nylander has 38 goals this season with 15 games left. Will he hit 50 goals this season? 30:18: The San Jose Sharks are the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention. The Chicago Blackhawks will be next. Which team has more to be optimistic about next season? 32:38: What’s the bigger surprise? Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson scoring four goals in six games or Carolina’s Mark Jankowski getting four goals in his first four games as a Hurricane? 34:15: The PWHL broke the all-time American pro women's hockey attendance record on Sunday night, drawing a crowd of 14,288. It's the second-straight year Detroit has broken the U.S. record. Should Detroit be considered the favorite for an American expansion city? 37:20: A new Happy Gilmore 2 Trailer is out. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to see this movie? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices