NHL Horoscopes Week 18: A Taurus finale and Cancer postseason

By Marisa IngemiMay 11, 2021, 12:00 PM EDT

Well folks, this is where we end. The first season of NHL Horoscopes are coming to a close.

Right as Taurus season is about to transition into Gemini season, an absolutely wild time for the NHL playoffs to begin. Who knows what will happen? The energy isn’t going to stay consistent, that’s for sure.

The postseason will shift into Cancer at some point and will end with the first ever Cancer Stanley Cup Final, so that’ll be fun.

Here’s some final horoscopes for the postseason-bound clubs and the ones who won’t be back on the ice again in a competitive setting until *Virgo* season at the earliest. Best of luck!

Stat Leaders

Connor McDavid: 102 points, 69 assists (Capricorn)
Auston Matthews: 40 goals (Virgo)
Tom Wilson: 86 PIM (Aries)
Marc-Andre Fleury: .927 Save % (Taurus)

EAST DIVISION

• Boston Bruins: Highest concentration in Taurus

Taurus Brad Marchand is finishing another stellar season.

Horoscope: Maybe they peaked at the right time, maybe the playoffs aligning with their main sun sign is just a good sign.

Do: Taylor Hall Don’t: Step off the gas x2

• Buffalo Sabres: Highest concentration in Sagittarius

Scorpio Jack Eichel had some choice words at availability this week.

Horoscope: Welp. See you next season.

Do: Idk man the Jack Eichel stuff was rough Don’t: Idk where to begin

• Washington Capitals: Highest concentration in Taurus/Virgo

Virgo Alex Ovechkin is going to need a strong postseason.

Horoscope: Injuries and inconsistencies should be a concern.

Do: Prep for the Bruins Don’t: Dangerous hits maybe

• New York Rangers: Highest concentration in Aquarius

The Rangers were officially eliminated last week.

Horoscope: Well that’s one less Aquarius team.

Do: Offseason shuffle Don’t: Drama for like 5 minutes

• New York Islanders: Highest concentration in Aquarius

Taurus goalie Semyon Varlamov has been solid.

Horoscope: Do they have it in them to surge offensively in the postseason? They’ve done it before and now they have to again.

Do: Scoring Don’t: Overthink the Pens

• New Jersey Devils: Highest concentration in Scorpio/Sagittarius

The season is nearly over, mercifully.

Horoscope: It’s a limp to the finish line.

Do: Positive finish Don’t: Discourage young guys

• Philadelphia Flyers: Highest concentration in Taurus

Pisces Joel Farabee finished with 20 goals.

Horoscope: Can the Flyers assume Leo goalie Carter Hart is going to bounce back? That’s a huge key to the offseason.

Do: Joel Farabee future Don’t: Boring offseason

• Pittsburgh Penguins: Highest concentration in Leo/Taurus

Leo Sidney Crosby might not be a Hart candidate but he’s sure playing well.

Horoscope: Taurus season is always time to shine for the Penguins, we’ll see if they can keep it up during a Gemini sun, too.

Do: Offense Don’t: Forget Jarry could win the goalie scoring title

CENTRAL DIVISION

• Detroit Red Wings: Highest concentration in Aquarius

Well at least there is Scorpio Filip Hronek.

Horoscope: Alright, we’re here. Step on the gas.

Do: Draft prep x2 Don’t: Rely on defensive scoring.

[Your 2020-21 NHL on NBC TV schedule]

• Tampa Bay Lightning: Highest concentration in Gemini

Gemini Nikita Kucherov, soon.

Horoscope: Are the Lightning being kind of forgotten? Feels dangerous.

Do: Ignore the salary cap Don’t: Too much for Stamkos

• Florida Panthers: Highest concentration in Virgo

Leo Carter Verhaeghe is back.

Horoscope: Florida has been arguably the hottest team in the league heading into the playoffs. That’s good news since they have the Lightning in the First Round.

Do: Wins at homes Don’t: Overthinking

• Carolina Hurricanes: Highest concentration in Cancer/Aries

Leo Sebastian Aho has stayed hot.

Horoscope: Are we ready to talk about the Hurricanes being the best team in the league?

Do: Stay surging Don’t: Too much

• Nashville Predators: Highest concentration in Gemini

Taurus goalie Juuse Saros deserves a ton of credit.

Horoscope: Which Predators are we going to see in the postseason? The ones who can go on an extended run or the ones who look severely overmatched?

Do: Juuse Saros Don’t: Gemini it up too bad

• Dallas Stars: Highest concentration in Gemini and Cancer

Aquarius Tyler Seguin‘s return was just a tad too late.

Horoscope: A season of what could have been and a season of what didn’t.

Do: Regroup x2 Don’t: Overanalyze

• Chicago Blackhawks: Heaviest concentration in Aries

Sagittarius Alex DeBrincat had a stellar season.

Horoscope: Perhaps there’s something to their future after all. They have to feel good about some of the young guys.

Do: Alex DeBrincat Don’t: Sit around

• Columbus Blue Jackets: Heaviest concentration in Cancer

Cancer coach John Tortorella is out.

Horoscope: How does the Tortorella era get remembered in Columbus? The bad stretches were bad but the last six years were by far the most competitive they have ever been.

Do: New coach new era Don’t: Stay stagnant on defense

WEST DIVISION

• Minnesota Wild: Highest concentration in Virgo and Cancer

Taurus Kirill Kaprizov might be *the* guy to watch in the playoffs.

Horoscope: Is it even a hot take to say the Wild might be one of the scariest teams in the postseason?

Do: Home cooking Don’t: Get cocky with Vegas

• St. Louis Blues: Highest concentration in Cancer and Aries

Bleh.

Horoscope: Just not feeling it.

Do: Scoring Don’t: Get swept

[NHL Power Rankings: Hurricanes take top spot; Beware of Lightning]

• Arizona Coyotes: Highest concentration in Leo

Not a super exciting team and now a whimper into the offseason.

Horoscope: Arizona needs to find a way to insert any offense into their lineup. They need more than what they have.

Do: Movin’ on Don’t: Stand pat

• San Jose Sharks: Highest concentration in Aries

Well there is Scorpio Tomas Hertl.

Horoscope: It feels like this might be the Sharks for like, a while? Is there much evidence they’re going to contend again soon?

Do: Regroup for next season Don’t: Stagnation

• Vegas Golden Knights: Highest concentration in Leo

Capricorn Jonathan Marchessault needs to stay hot for the playoffs.

Horoscope: Playing with 15 skaters isn’t a recipe for winning eh? Bad luck finish.

Do: 18 skaters Don’t: Play Minnesota

• Anaheim Ducks: Heaviest concentration in Aquarius

Don’t cry because it’s over, cry because it happened.

Horoscope: Have to build around Cancer goalie John Gibson.

Do: Game plan Don’t: Bad contracts

• Los Angeles Kings: Highest concentration in Libra

We simply do not talk about Virgo Anze Kopitar enough.

Horoscope: Not sure what direction they go in but feels like some eras need to end.

Do: Goaltending Don’t: All old guys

• Colorado Avalanche: Highest concentration in Scorpio

Sagittarius goalie Philipp Grubauer will be key in the postseason

Horoscope: The Avalanche control their own destiny, but do Scorpios really control anything in Taurus season.

Do: Goaltending Don’t: Lose to the Kings

NORTH DIVISION

• Vancouver Canucks: Heaviest concentration in Cancer and Libra

Boy this is a tough one.

Horoscope: How do the Canucks get better in this cap situation? It might be a long offseason.

Do: Regroup Don’t: Ignore cap situation

• Calgary Flames: Heaviest concentration in Pisces

It’s too late to get hot, guys!

Horoscope: So close to a hot girl summer and yet so far. They’re actually playing well but aren’t heading to the postseason.

Do: Evaluate Don’t: Return the same team

• Edmonton Oilers: Heaviest concentration in Cancer and Libra

Capricorn Connor McDavid hit 102 points, like come on.

Horoscope: The Oilers will avoid the Leafs until the second round, so at least that is good news.

Do: Rely on top guys Don’t: Overhype

• Winnipeg Jets: Heaviest concentration in Aries

Not great vibes.

Horoscope: Boy it doesn’t feel great for the Jets right now, does it?

Do: Connor Hellebuyck Don’t: Not help Connor Hellebuyck

• Ottawa Senators: Heaviest concentration in Pisces

Ottawa didn’t even have that bad of a season.

Horoscope: Hear me out, competitive Ottawa Senators next season?

Do: Take the good vibes Don’t: Stand pat with cap space

• Montreal Canadiens: Heaviest concentration in Leo and Taurus

Taurus Josh Anderson has slowed down considerably.

Horoscope: Montreal can finish in third and end up with an Oilers matchup instead of the Leafs.

Do: Cole Caufield goals Don’t: Lose bad games

• Toronto Maple Leafs: Heaviest concentration in Gemini

Virgo Auston Matthews keeps on scoring.

Horoscope: What does a successful playoff run look like for the Leafs? Feels like there’s a lot of pressure there.

Do: Auston Matthews lol Don’t: Leafs

—

Marisa Ingemi is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop her a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Ingemi.

Nashville Predators hire Andrew Brunette after firing John Hynes

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 10:54 AM EDT

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– The coaching shuffle in Nashville is complete, with Andrew Brunette officially hired as the Predators coach a little over 12 hours after the team announced that John Hynes was fired.

The moves are the first being made by incoming general manager Barry Trotz and come about six weeks after the Predators missed the playoffs.

The 49-year-old Brunette spent the past season as a New Jersey Devils associate coach under Lindy Ruff and has previous head-coaching experience.

He was promoted to interim coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season and oversaw a team that set franchise records for wins (58) and points (122) in claiming the Presidents’ Trophy before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Brunette finished second in the Jack Adams Award voting for the NHL’s coach of the year.

He becomes just the fourth coach in the history of a Predators franchise and returns to Nashville, where Brunette played for the Trotz-coached team during its inaugural season in 1998-99. Their relationship goes back to 1993-94, when Brunette played under Trotz, who was head coach of the Washington Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine.

“I feel like this is coming full circle for my career – from pulling on the jersey for the first time 25 years ago to returning now to take care of some unfinished business,” Brunette said in a statement. “It has been awesome to see how this city and its fanbase have grown since I played here and I look forward to continuing the legacy and the culture behind the bench that Barry cultivated that inaugural season.”

Trotz, meantime, has an eye on building on the Predators’ youth and offensively skilled players as he takes over as GM for David Poile, who is retiring at the end of June after 26 years overseeing the franchise.

“We want to become more of an offensive team and Andrew specializes on that side of the ice – he lived it as a player, and he coaches it as a coach, Trotz said. “He is as good of an offensive teacher and power-play coach as there is in the game today. He will be great with our young players, and I know, because of his background as a player, he will connect well with our top, skilled players.”

In Florida, Brunette coached a Panthers team that led the NHL with 337 goals and had the league’s fourth-best power-play unit.

The Predators missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and the first under Hynes, who took over as coach during the 2019-20 season after Peter Laviolette was fired.

Brunette, who is from Sudbury, Ontario, spent 16 seasons playing in the NHL, ending with a one-year stint with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011-12. He finished with 268 goals and 733 points in 1,110 career games split among six teams, including two separate stints in Minnesota. Brunette is one of 25 players selected in the seventh round or later to appear in more than 1,000 NHL games.

Upon his retirement, Brunette spent seven seasons with the Wild in various off-ice roles, including assistant coach and assistant GM, before being hired by the Panthers as an assistant coach in 2019-2020.

Spencer Carbery hired as Capitals coach after 2 seasons as Maple Leafs assistant

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 12:58 PM EDT

Getty Images

Spencer Carbery got his start in coaching in the minors with the Washington Capitals watching closely.

They liked what they saw, and they brought him back to fill the job they envisioned he would get.

The Capitals hired Carbery as their next coach, ending their search for Peter Laviolette‘s successor by landing on a favorite of the organization who in recent years had become one of the NHL’s most intriguing candidates. He now is tasked with getting Washington back in the playoffs with an aging roster and extending the organization’s run of success a few more years while Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky’s goals record.

“Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who’s had success at every level at which he has coached,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career.”

Carbery spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, running the power play that ranked second in the league over that time. Before the Leafs hired him, he was considered the heir apparent to Laviolette because of his time with the Capitals’ top minor league affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears.

When Hershey VP of hockey operations Bryan Helmer was interviewing candidates for his head-coaching gig in 2018, he asked Carbery how long until he saw himself in that kind of role in the NHL. Carbery gave himself five years and nailed that projection.

“He did an incredible job for us when he was here, and I knew that he would be an NHL coach at one point down the road,” Helmer told The Associated Press by phone. “He wanted to make sure that he was ready to make that step. He went through the steps, and I think he’s ready for the NHL.”

Carbery coached Hershey for three years before getting the NHL promotion to Sheldon Keefe’s staff in Toronto. At the time, there wasn’t an opening for an assistant in Washington.

There is now, and Carbery at 41 usurps Keefe as the youngest coach in the league after going from a Capitals’ homegrown prospect who began with their ECHL team in South Carolina to one of the hottest names on the market. He interviewed with the San Jose Sharks for their vacancy last year and multiple others this spring.

The Capitals got him back before a rival team could scoop him up. They chose Carbery from a pool of candidates that also included former captain-turned-Tampa Bay assistant Jeff Halpern, Philadelphia associate coach Brad Shaw and others with more experience.

“I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team,” Carbery said. “I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place. I would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for all their support over the past two years.”

Carbery’s job won’t be an easy one. Five years removed from Washington winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, the team is coming off missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade and could be on the verge of changes beyond coaching.

MacLellan must decide how much to shuffle the roster, but in no way is he beginning the process of rebuilding. With Ovechkin, the 2018 playoff MVP and longtime face of the franchise, about to turn 38 and sitting 73 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s career record, the organization from owner Ted Leonsis down has set a goal of continuing to contend while the Russian star is under contract for three more seasons.

Helmer, who played with Ovechkin briefly in 2008-09, said Carbery’s relationships with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and other Leafs stars will only help him moving forward.

“It’s going to be a great mix,” Helmer said. “Spencer really stays on top of it. He expects a lot out of his players and he holds them accountable, which is a great thing. I see big things coming from Spencer and what he can do with the Caps.”

Golden Knights reach second Stanley Cup Final after Game 6 win over Stars

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 1:20 AM EDT

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — William Karlsson scored two goals and had an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 rout over the Dallas Stars, who had extended the Western Conference Final to six games after losing the first three.

William Carrier, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio each had a goal and an assist for the Knights, and Jonathan Marchessault had a goal. Carrier, Marschessault and Karlsson were all part of the inaugural 2017-18 Knights season that ended in their Cup Final.

Adin Hill stopped 23 shots for his second career playoff shutout – both against the Stars. The other was 4-0 in Game 3 last Tuesday, when the Knights were already within one win of clinching the series before Dallas overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits in both Games 4 and 5.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida will be Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Vegas led the Western Conference in the regular season with 51 wins and 111 points. The Panthers completed a four-game sweep of Carolina in the East final last Wednesday, but their 40 wins and 92 points in the regular season were the fewest among the 16 teams that began these NHL playoffs.

Instead of having to face a do-or-die Game 7 at home against the Stars, coach Bruce Cassidy and the Knights got off to another fast start and never left any doubt about the outcome of this series that included three overtime games.

It was the most lopsided playoff loss for the Stars since the franchise moved south from Minnesota before the 1993-94 season.

“You just expect more from yourself in a game like this,” said Stars forward Joe Pavelski, the 38-year-old veteran still without a Stanley Cup after 17 seasons.

The Stars got captain Jamie Benn back after his two-game suspension for a cross-check to the neck area of Vegas captain Mark Stone early in Game 3. But Benn already had a minus-2 rating without a shot after playing only 3:46 in the first period, and finished minus-2 with only one shot his 12 1/2 minutes on the ice.

Vegas led for good when Carrier scored 3:41 into the game after a puck poked from behind the net in the vicinity of three Dallas players. Carrier skated across the front of the crease and put a backhander in the net, the ninth time this postseason the Knights scored in the first five minutes of a game.

Karlsson’s power-play goal came midway through the first period made it 2-0, and after a penalty that likely had prevented him from scoring.

Nicolas Roy took a shot that deflected off Jake Oettinger’s glove and popped up in the air behind the goalie. Karlsson was charging into the crease when Stars defenseman Esa Lindell raised his stick and swatted the puck out of play, drawing a delay of game penalty.

With the man advantage, Reilly Smith took a shot from the circle to the left, which was deflected in front by Roy and then off Oettinger’s extended skate before Karlsson knocked in the rebound.

After Kolesar made it 3-0 in the first, and Marchessault scored his ninth goal in the second, Karlsson’s franchise record 10th goal for a playoff series extended the lead to 5-0 only two minutes into the third period.

Oettinger had been 3-0 when the Stars were facing elimination this postseason, including Game 7 in the second round against Seattle before stopping 64 of 68 shots the past two games against the Knights.

That was after Vegas had scored three goals on five shots in the first 7:10 to chase him from Game 3, which was the only lopsided game in the series until the finale. Two of their three regular season game went to shootouts.

Dallas was only the fifth team to force a Game 6 in an conference final or NHL semifinal after being down 0-3, and the first since the Stars lost to Detroit in a sixth game in 2008. Only two teams got to a Game 7, which both lost – the New York Islanders to Philadelphia in 1975; and the New York Rangers to Boston in 1939.

Vegas avoided a Game 7 at home against the Stars and coach Peter DeBoer, who is 7-0 in such do-or-die games, including the Seattle series finale two weeks ago. DeBoer was the Vegas coach for its only Game 7 wins – in the second round in 2020 against Vancouver and 2021 in the first round against Minnesota. But he was fired by the Golden Knights after they missed the playoffs last season for the only time in their short existence.

Dellandrea scores twice in 3rd, Stars stay alive with 4-2 victory over Golden Knights

Associated PressMay 28, 2023, 9:33 AM EDT

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — With Dallas’ season on the line, the Stars got two critical goals from a player who was a healthy scratch the first two games of the Western Conference Final.

Ty Dellandrea‘s goals came within a 1:27 span midway through the third period, and the Stars beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final to face the Florida Panthers.

“He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever played with,” said Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who made 27 saves. “He deserves every opportunity he gets, and there’s no one happier for him than the guys in this room. It shows how special you are when you get taken out. He didn’t make it about him. He needed the opportunity to step up, and that’s what he did.”

The Stars escaped elimination for the second game in a row and head to Dallas for Game 6 down 3-2. Dallas is attempting to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after being down 3-0.

And look who’s back for the Stars? Captain Jamie Benn returns after a two-game suspension for his cross-check to the neck of Vegas captain Mark Stone in Game 3. That was the only game in this series that was decided early, and the Stars hadn’t even had a multigoal lead.

“I know our group, and we weren’t happy about being in the hole we were in, and they decided to do something about it,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “And now we’re rolling.”

The only problem for DeBoer was waiting two days to play Game 6.

“Drop the puck,” he said.

DeBoer said before the game if his team won, the pressure would shift to the Knights. Now it’s up to them to respond after twice being a period away from playing in the Stanley Cup Final and letting both opportunities slip away.

“I don’t think we brought our best the last two games,” Stone said. “We were still in a good spot to win the game. We’ve got to bring a little bit better effort and start playing a little more desperate.”

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said “it’s a very good question” why his team didn’t play with more desperation, but he also wasn’t thrilled with the Knights’ execution.

“We had 24 giveaways,” Cassidy said. “I’m not sure you’re beating the Arizona Coyotes in January with 24 giveaways. That’s no disrespect to Arizona, but it’s not the right way to play.”

Dellandrea found the right way to play and put together the first multigoal playoff game of his career. Jason Robertson and Luke Glendening also scored, and Thomas Harley had two assists.

Chandler Stephenson and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Knights, and Jonathan Marchessault had two assists to extend his points streak to four games. Adin Hill made 30 saves.

Dellandrea scored from the right circle to put Dallas ahead, the puck deflecting off Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo with 9:25 left for a 3-2 lead. Then, Dellandrea scored from the slot with 7:58 remaining.

Dellandrea said the older players kept him motivated when he was temporarily sidelined.

“There’s no denying it’s hard,” he said. “I’m thankful for a good group of character guys, and you’ve just got to stay ready.”

The teams traded goals in the first two periods.

Jack Eichel battled two Stars players for the puck in Vegas’ offensive zone, and then Barbashev swooped in and made a fantastic move to glide past Oettinger and score with 6:24 left in the first period. The Stars wasted little time in answering when Glendening scored on a deflection less than two minutes later.

Dallas was robbed of what looked like a sure goal when Hill snagged a point-blank shot from Roope Hintz, who then threw his back in disbelief.

Like in the first period, the Knights had a goal in the second quickly answered by one from the Stars. Stephenson scored from the left circle at 16:40 of the period, and Robertson knocked his own rebounds 2:09 later to make it 2-2. Stephenson tied the Knights’ record with his eight playoff goal this year, and Robertson had his fifth of the series.