Expert Hockey Picks and Previews

Mammoth host Blues in final postseason tune-up A spirited surge has afforded the Utah Mammoth the luxury of kicking up their heels in their regular-season finale against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday in Salt Lake City. Nick Schmaltz scored a pair of power-play goals on Tuesday to help the Mammoth (43-32-6, 92 points) clinch the top wild-card spot in

Lightning, with home ice vs. Habs assured, oppose Rangers in tune-up When Tampa Bay hosts the New York Rangers in the regular-season finale on Wednesday, the Lightning know they won’t need to pack their bags postgame. Thanks to the Canadiens’ 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, the Lightning (50-25-6, 106 points) clinched second place in the Atlantic Division,

Leafs visit Senators for season-ending role reversal The Toronto Maple Leafs will end their season Wednesday night when they visit the Ottawa Senators, in a dramatic reversal from nearly a year ago. When the Maple Leafs (32-35-14, 78 points) visited the Senators (43-27-11, 97 points) last May 1, they won Game 6 to clinch a victory in the first-round playoff

Blackhawks face Sharks, seek positive to another non-playoff season The Chicago Blackhawks hope to leave a better impression on their fans when they play their season finale against the visiting San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks (28-39-14, 70 points) heard boos from their home crowd during a listless 5-1 loss to the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

Stars, Sabres meet on stellar runs ahead of playoffs The Buffalo Sabres wrap up the regular season Wednesday at the Dallas Stars, and for the first time since the 2010-11 season, the regular-season finale will not be Buffalo’s last game. Coach Lindy Ruff’s team has been one of the NHL’s hottest over the past four months, winning 39 out of

Surging Golden Knights can capture Pacific with win vs. Kraken The Vegas Golden Knights can clinch their third Pacific Division title in four years when they host the Seattle Kraken in their regular-season finale on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Vegas (38-26-17, 93 points) brings a season-best nine-game point streak (6-0-3) into the contest and has yet to lose in

Playoff-bound Mammoth seek winning touch against Jets The Utah Mammoth will try to get back in the win column when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. This is the third and final game between these Central Division rivals this season. The Mammoth won the two previous meetings, 3-2 in Winnipeg on Oct. 26 and 4-3 on Dec. 21

Kings within range of higher seed as they face lowly Canucks After clinching a Stanley Cup playoff spot, the Los Angeles Kings will look to track down the top wild-card seed in the Western Conference when they face the host Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. Quinton Byfield scored twice, while Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore each scored and added an

Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena has a strange feel to it. On paper, it looked like a win-and-stay-alive kind of spot, but Philadelphia’s win on Monday officially knocked both Washington and Columbus out of the playoff race before puck drop. So this 7 p.m. EDT matchup on ESPN is no longer about grabbing the final berth. It is about finishing