Monday, April 3, 2023

Weekend rankings: Leafs vs. Lightning preview, key games this week and more

Two weeks. That’s all we’ve got left, and if you’re like me, the finish line suddenly appearing at this time of year is always a bit jarring. The NHL season tends to unfold with predictable beats – the excitement of opening night, the “it’s still early” vibe of the first month or two, the depressing December realization that there’s still four months to go, the weeks of deadline hype, and then a stretch run that seems way too long right up until it isn’t. That’s where we’re at now. It’s April, do you know where your favorite team is?

Maybe not, as there are still a few teams with plenty to play for. And that means it’s worth looking ahead and the biggest games on this week’s schedule.

It’s a bit of a weird one, especially later in the week. We get 14 games on Thursday, an unusually busy slate for a weeknight. On Friday, nothing at all – not even a single game. And then on Saturday we’re all in, with all 32 teams in action over the course of about 13 hours, starting at 12:30 ET. If you save room for dessert, there’s two games on Sunday, although neither of them are any good.

So sure, make alternate plans on Friday and Sunday. But the rest of the week is busy, and packed with important matchups. So many, in fact, that it wasn’t easy to narrow the list down to five. Here’s what to watch for over the coming days.

>> Read the full post at The Athletic

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