The Leafs are in Ottawa to play the Senators! Are you excited? No, well, understandable. That was some hotly attended GDT last night as the Leafs took Carollina to an OT that lasted about three seconds. Final score was 4-3 Carolina.

All you can take from that game is the cautionary tale about wanting losses late in the season. The good teams dial it back as much if not more than the bad ones. Tanking is hard work.

What is going on in the NHL? Some teams are extending their lower-ranked players. This is a "put out some good news" strategy you often see at this time of the year in the hopes you don't notice how bad the bad teams are and how bad the good teams locked into playoff slots suddenly have become.

Hey, does that whole parity thing make for less of that? I wonder if that was the plan?

Anyhow, let's find some news.

Leafs expect Matthews will ‘find a way to come back even better’
Toronto captain underwent surgery in New York on Thursday to repair a torn MCL in his left knee.
TSNMark Masters

I know everyone will just read the headline, but that's actually a quote from Max Domi, not "the Leafs".

It's a mostly positive spin on what is likely not a very serious injury, but no one will believe that until they see Matthews actually play next season.

Matt Knies does not care what you think about his injury, he's in charge of it:

- TSN
Matthew Knies is not fully healthy but says there is no concern with him doing any further damage if he continues to play the rest of the season. The Leafs forward said he will evaluate more in the summer and addressed the thought of shutting things down.
TSN

Good news for temp-fans of the Kings:

NHL Status Report: Armia to return for Kings against Sabres | NHL.com
Girard could play for Penguins against Jets; Toffoli sidelined for Sharks
NHL logoNHLMedia

The Avalanche may or may not have clinched a playoff spot last night long after the internet suffered a strange disruption on my end (I turned it off).

The preview will come later, but tonight all right-thinking people will cheer for the Leafs because we don't want Ottawa to make the playoffs.

Have a great Saturday! See you later today.

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