So … hockey.
No. 1 Star: Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks
The veteran defenseman sent the Sharks into the No. 7 seed with a goal 3:58 into overtime, as San Jose defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2. Earlier in the game, he gave the Sharks new life when he scored 35 seconds into the third period to cut their deficit to 2-1. Justin Williams had a goal and an assist in a losing effort.
No. 2 Star: Teddy Purcell, Tampa Bay Lightning
While his teammate Steven Stamkos got all the attention for scoring his 60th goal, Purcell's hat trick sent the Lightning home winners in their 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Purcell scored the OT game-winner at 1:08 of the extra session, and was a plus-4. Jim Slater had two goals in a losing effort.
No. 3 Star: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
The Bruins center assisted on goals by Tyler Seguin (2) and Brad Marchand, and then scored the only goal in the shootout to lead the B's to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Seguin finished with 29 goals; Marchand with 28.
Honorable mention: Patrick Kane's brilliant shootout goal was the difference in the Chicago Blackhawks' 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings, in which the Wings rallied for a crucial point with two third-period goals. … Stephen Gionta's first NHL goal was the game winner as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Ottawa Senators, 4-2, sending them to the No. 8 seed. Ilya Kovalchuk had two goals. … Jason Pominville scored his 30th goal in the Sabres' loss. … Congrats to Akim Aliu, who scored his first two NHL goals in the Calgary Flames' 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Bobby Ryan scored goals 30 and 31 for Anaheim. … Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Here's No. 50 for the Hart Trophy favorite:
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin's goal just 32 seconds into the game sparked a 3-goal first period, and Braden Holtby's 35 saves made it stand up in a 4-1 victory at the New York Rangers. … Max Pacioretty had a goal and an assist in the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Erik Cole scored Goal No. 35. … The Columbus Blue Jackets ended the season with good vibes, as rookie Cam Atkinson scored two goals and added an assist in their 7-3 win over the New York Islanders. Rick Nash, in perhaps his final game as a Jacket, scored his 30th goal. Diminutive, un-drafted goalie Shawn Hunwick got 2:33 of playing time in his NHL debut. … The Florida Panthers got first-period goals from Marcel Goc and John Madden and didn't look back, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, and winning their first division title in franchise history. Scott Clemmensen made 34 saves. … Taylor Pyatt scored two goals and Radim Vrbata added his 35th as the Phoenix Coyotes won their first division title in franchise history with a 4-1 win at the Minnesota Wild. … Power-play goals by Alex Steen and David Perron powered the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars. … In a meaningless game for them, the Nashville Predators still went out and defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 6-1. Craig Smith had a goal and two assists. Goalie Anders Lindback left the game in the third period with a upper body injury after making 34 saves. … Roberto Luongo stopped 17 of 17 shots for the 3-0 shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers, giving the Canucks the President's Trophy. Henrik Sedin, Sammy Pahlsson and David Booth had the goals. … Devan Dubnyk made 39 saves in a losing cause, none better than this; save of the year candidate?
Did you know? Pascal Dupuis' first-period goal pushed his points streak to 17, the longest in the NHL this season and the longest in the league since Crosby's 25-game run during the 2010-11 season. (AP)
Dishonorable mention: Francois Beauchemin was a minus-3. … Tim Connolly was a minus-4. … Eric Staal was a minus-3. … Milan Hejduk, Matt Hunwick and Erik Johnson were a minus-3. … Antti Niemi was pulled after the second period to give the Sharks a spark. … The Kings had two controversial boarding penalties that some felt should have been 5-minute majors rather than 2-minute minors. ... The Flyers' Zac Rinaldo was ejected for a hit from behind vs. Pittsburgh. ... Finally, Aliu was a pest against the Ducks, and Coach Bruce Boudreau dogged him on the occasion of his first NHL goal(s): "He did nothing," Boudreau said. "One hit a skate and one hit him on the back of the ass and went in. His play was nothing to me. Nothing. Let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill."