Evan’s NHL Daily: MacDermid/Rempe Start Line Brawl, Central Out Of Reach?

Nothing gets the NHL in the news quite like a line brawl, and we got a good one Wednesday. Everyone already had April 3 circled on their calendar because of the potential for a Kurtis MacDermid/Matt Rempe bought. We got that, plus a lot more.

The Dallas Stars dominated the Edmonton Oilers on home ice, extending their lead in the Central. Should I just start planning a trip to Winnipeg at the end of the month?

There’s a chance the Avalanche will get Valeri Nichushkin back at the end of this road trip, but that’s not a guarantee at this point.

All that and more in this Thursday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

He skated again at Family Sports on Wednesday, and will do so again Thursday before catching a flight to Minnesota. Is Valeri Nichushkin going to play against the Oilers?

Colorado must be happy with what they’ve seen from Chris Wagner, as he got an extension from the team.

Line Brawl

It’s getting rarer and rarer to see a good old line brawl in the NHL, but the Rangers and Devils delivered one on Wednesday. As soon as Kurtis MacDermid and Matt Rempe were announced as starters for their team, everyone knew we were in for some shenanigans, but I don’t know if anyone expected this.

MacDermid and Rempe went for quite a while, and they were two of eight players kicked out of the game just two seconds in. For a second it looked like we might get a rumble between the coaches, but that didn’t happen. Dawson Mercer was later kicked out for a separate fight, which means the Devils were down to just 13 skaters most of the night. That’s mens league territory.

There was a hockey game played, and the Rangers won on a late goal in regulation, crushing New Jersey’s already low chances of making the NHL playoffs.

Dallas Won’t Stop

If there was one team that could have slowed down the Dallas Stars, it would be the Edmonton Oilers, who have been on fire since firing their coach months ago.

That didn’t happen.

Dallas took care of business on home ice in emphatic fashion with a 5-0 win, extending their lead in the Central over the Avalanche to five points. Colorado has a game in hand, but if Dallas won’t stop winning, it will be very difficult to catch them. I’ll admit I’ve already started checking out hotels in Winnipeg for late April, as that seems increasingly more likely at this point. Still seven games to be played, so we’ll see how this all works out.

National Hockey Now

After taking heat, which he’s used to, John Tortorella delivered a fiery message to everyone about what he’s trying to do in Philadelphia.

Another year without the playoffs in Montreal, but a big breakout year for Nick Suzuki.