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Host, TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge

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Thumbs up to NHL scoring champion Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars - what’s that, you say?

You thought the Art Ross Trophy race involved Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares - and it did. But in one of the craziest endings the NHL scoring race has ever seen, Benn finished the season with a hat trick and an assist with nine seconds remaining in the '4-1 win over Nashville.

His third goal of the night was an empty netter that tied him with Tavares, who, had it stayed that way, would have been the winner based on his 38 goals to Benn’s 35.

And with time ticking away and Carter Hutton back in the Nashville net, surely it would stay that way, right? Then came a Cody Eakin goal, assisted by Benn with nine seconds left and the Dallas Stars had the franchise’s first-ever scoring champion. Nice for Benn, but as Tavares, and Crosby and Ovechkin will undoubtedly say when they’re asked to react to coming close, it’s nicer to be in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Thumbs up to one very important aspect of the Calgary Flames' late-season push to their first playoff appearance since 2009 - their unwillingness to dwell upon, or to be deterred by, the season-ending injury to their captain and star defenceman Mark Giordano.

It was said that Giordano was the last player the Flames could afford to lose, and who doubted that? He was in line for Norris Trophy consideration - he logged 25 minutes of ice time per game and he was the team's MVP for just about every reason, because he led, defended, and scored equally well.

No one could replace him, and so the Flames determined that everyone would do that. Johnny Gaudreau could and should be the rookie of the year and Bob Hartley is no worse than a finalist for coach of the year honours, but the Flames have no bigger heroes than T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell, the other three of their top four on defence.