The Toronto Maple Leafs crushed the New York Islanders last night. While it was only a 4-2 win, it was decisive and also eliminated the Islanders from the playoffs. Here’s our play-by-play recap of last night’s game:

Maple Leafs end the Long Island playoff dreams

Notable last night was the absence of Auston Matthews. What was wrong and how long he will be out has not been specified, though Coach Sheldon Keefe indicated he won’t be gone for long.

The Leafs next game is on Tuesday at home in Toronto when they host the Flyers. The Flyers are already eliminated, and also an out-of-division team, so the playoff seeding implications are limited, though there is still a small amount of relevance as the Leafs need wins to cement home ice advantage. Who the Leafs will play in the first round is still not confirmed, but given the current Wild Card standings it’s increasingly likely it will be the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Other news

An Easter Miracle! Our old friend Calle Rosen scored his first and his second goal of the season last night in part of the St. Louis Blues 8-3 win over the Nashville Predators.

His two goals helped make history. If you think there were a lot of goals this weekend, you are correct.

Oilers’ Connor McDavid Will Score 50 - The Copper & Blue
[SPECIES: 50? Yawn.]

Joel Lundqvist points out important details for Frölunda against Luleå - Expressen
[Translated] Joel Lundqvist, 40, is in a record hour. The twin brother of Henrik is setting SHL records.

Sombreros: B-Sides to the Best of Mike Bossy - Lighthouse Hockey
Like a band whose greatest hits you can guess before you even turn the CD over, or an actor whose biggest movies you can list before even looking at their IMDB page, Mike Bossy - the man and the legend - have been cemented into the public consciousness of hockey fans for a very long time. Yet, there are still more legendary moments.

Secret negotiations, endless crisis management: How the '72 Summit Series became reality - CBC
An insider account of the intrigue on and off the ice that surrounded the famous Canada-Russia hockey series of 1972, written by former diplomat Gary J. Smith.

From The Branches