NHL Daily: Nikita Zaitsev, Tyson Jost, Edmonton Oilers

NHL Daily: Leafs Offering Extension to Nikita Zaitsev, Tyson Jost Ready for the NHL Now, Edmonton is Poised and Ready to Cause Damage and More! (Morning NHL Headlines)

Grab your morning cup of coffee and join us here at Puck Prose for a compilation of NHL daily links that will help keep you updated with everything going on in the hockey world.

Thursday night was a busy one around the NHL with a total of nine games being played. Toronto beat Nashville 3-1, Philadelphia thumped the Islanders 6-3, Carolina upset Columbus with a 2-1 overtime win, Boston shut out the Stars 2-0, Montreal took it to Florida 6-2, Tampa Bay beat the Red Wings 5-3, Minnesota beat the Sens 5-1, Winnipeg took the overtime win beating Anaheim 4-3, and Edmonton beat San Jose 3-2.

NHL Daily: Morning NHL Headlines

Florida Has Been Officially Eliminated from the Playoffs.
After a 6-2 loss to the Habs, the Panthers have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. This brings the end to a tough season for the Panthers where they experienced a lot of injuries, mostly in the pre-season that got them off to a horrid start. They made a deal to acquire Thomas Vanek from Detroit in hopes they would break through the slump with the help of his scoring, unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Jonathan Huberdeau's five-month injury didn't help either. (The Rat Trick)

Toronto Hoping to Sign Nikita Zaitsev to an Extension.
Nikita Zaitsev has been tremendous all season for the Leafs as a first-year NHLer, often going back and forth with Jake Gardiner for the team's scoring lead for a defenseman. He's put up 34 points for the Leafs so far and it's not surprising he's being offered an extension. But for seven years? that leaves a lot of things unknown, can he continue his solid play for the next seven seasons or will he tank knowing he has a long term deal? Only time will tell I suppose, but as for now it's looking like he's gonna get it and for $4.5 million a year, also he'll be 32 when this contract expires. (Tip Of The Tower)

Colorado Signs Top Prospect Tyson Jost.
Tyson Jost finally got a contract, and he's most likely going to appear sooner rather than later. Given how Colorado has played this season it's not too surprising, what will be surprising, however, is if Tyson comes in and starts impressing immediately. (Mile High Sticking)

Stars Prospect Julius Honka is Ready for Consistent NHL Play.
Dallas has been eliminated from the playoffs, meaning the team has nothing much to do now but evaluate upcoming rookies. One, in particular, being Julius Honka selected 14th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Honka has been a workhorse for the Texas Stars being a very solid d-man. He appeared in 10 games this season already and in doing so put up an assist and a plus-two rating. But how Dallas' defensive game has been all season, putting Honka in a full-time role may help the team. (Blackout Dallas)

Hurricanes Make Statement that they're Not Done Yet.
After a huge overtime win against Columbus Thursday night in overtime, Carolina has shown their not done yet. They were relaxed and composed and took the game to its limit against one of the best in the NHL. Also, this was their third game in four nights, so being able to pull it off is huge and the Canes will be carrying a lot of momentum and excitement into their next one (Cardiac Cane)

Edmonton Oilers Ready for Playoff Hockey.
The Oilers have finally made the playoffs for the first time since they went to the cup final in 2005-06. And Thursday night they gained a huge win over one of the best teams in the West when they beat the Sharks 3-2. The Oilers possess everything needed to be successful in the playoffs, four scoring lines, three strong defensive lines and a wicked goaltender. The Oilers are poised to do a lot of damage in the playoffs and who knows, maybe cause a few upsets. (Oil On Whyte)