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The Buzzer: Jost helps Avalanche clinch Presidents’ Trophy; Playoff matchups set

NHL Scores

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 12: Tyson Jost #17 of the Colorado Avalanche controls the puck against Jaret Anderson-Dolan #28 of the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on May 12, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Three Stars

1. Tyson Jost, Colorado Avalanche. The Colorado Avalanche clinched the Presidents’ Trophy on Thursday night with their 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, and it was Jost helping to drive the offense with two goals in the win. It is the third time in franchise history that the Avalanche have had the league’s best regular season record, having also won the Trophy during the 1996-97 (lost in Western Conference Finals) and 2000-01 (won Stanley Cup) seasons. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Joonas Donskoi, and Andre Burakovsky also scored goals in the win on Thursday. This win also sets all of the playoff matchups for the 2020-21 First Round. The Avalanche will play the St. Louis Blues, while the Vegas Golden Knights will play the Minnesota Wild.

2. David Perron, St. Louis Blues. The Blues closed out their regular season with an impressive come-from-behind win against the Minnesota Wild. After surrendering the first three goals of the game, the Blues rallied to score seven consecutive goals. Perron, Brayden Schenn, and Jordan Kyrou both scored two goals in the win, while Perron added an assist and finished with a game-high five shots on goal. Since re-joining the Blues (for a third time) three years ago he has been one of their steadiest offensive players and wraps up the 2020-21 season with 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists) in 56 games. He is the team’s leading scorer for the regular season.

3. Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames. The Flames and Canucks began a four-game series on Thursday night where both teams are simply playing for pride. The Flames were the winners on Thursday, 4-1, thanks to a two-point effort from forward Elias Lindholm. Lindholm has been a steady bright spot for the Flames in an otherwise disappointing regular season. He is one of the few players on the roster that has actually seen an increase in his offensive production this season. Mathew Tkachuk also had a goal and an assist for the Flames on Thursday night, while Rasmus Andersson and Andrew Mangiapane also scored goals. Jacob Markstrom stopped 24 out of 25 shots in the win.

Highlights Of The Night

The Blues comeback started in the second period with this incredible shot from Zach Sanford.

The Avalanche are loaded with young defensemen and Connor Timmins is next on the list. Great pass here.

He did not get much help from the team around him but Thatcher Demko did make this incredible glove save on Thursday night.

Scores

Blues 7, Wild 3
Flames 4, Canucks 1
Avalanche 5, Kings 1

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.