Presidents Trophy Belongs to the New York Rangers

Tonight is the final night of play in the 2023-24 NHL regular season, but the Presidents Trophy has already been decided. The annual award, which goes to the team with the highest point total, belongs to the New York Rangers. The Rangers finished their season on Monday with a 4-0 shutout victory against the Ottawa Senators. The win gave New York 114 points, a number that no other NHL team could catch.

The Presidents Trophy is awarded each season to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points. The NHL point system works like this. Two points are awarded for a win in regulation play. One point is awarded for a loss in overtime. A team scores no points for a loss in regulation play. 

Winning the Presidents Trophy typically means that a team had the best record in the NHL for that season. It would be expected that the Presidents Trophy winner would end up winning a lot of Stanley Cup trophies too. That is not the case. 

Presidents Trophy & the Stanley Cup

Last year, the Boston Bruins won the Presidents Trophy with the most points ever accumulated since the institution of the award in the 1985-86 season. Boston finished with 135 points, outscoring the next closest competitor by 22 points. The Bruins were dominant during the regular season. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.

Since the 2012-13 season, the Presidents Trophy winner has lost in the first round of the NHL playoffs twice. The Presidents Trophy winner has lost in the second round seven times and only made its conference finals once since the 2012-13 season. In 2012-13, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Presidents Trophy (in a lockout-shortened season) and became the last team to win the award and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

The Presidents Trophy was started in 1985-86. The Edmonton Oilers won the first two Presidents Trophies. The Oilers also won the Stanley Cup in 1986-87. Since the Presidents Trophy started, only eight teams have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Can the Rangers become the ninth? 

Sports Hub Cappers Sweep Top 5…Again

It was just another Wednesday here at the Sports Hub headquarters in Costa Rica. It was a day when Sports Hub’s handicappers simply did what they do on a daily basis – win. Robert Ferguson, who you will only find here at Sports Hub, was yesterday’s leader, taking home a nice four hundo for his efforts.

A total of 38 handicappers won at least $100 yesterday. Uncle Sal Lombardi didn’t make the Top 5, but he was among the Top 10 cappers yesterday and added another $205 to his ever-growing bankroll.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s top cappers.

• Fergie: Robert Ferguson nailed all four of his picks. He correctly predicted both NBA play-in games against the spread. Robert took home $400 in profits for his efforts yesterday.
• Super Mario: Mario Deluca put three picks in the system yesterday and won all three. He also hit on the Heat against the spread versus the Sixers in the NBA play-in. Mario had the Orioles at +104 over the Twins and collected a total of $304 yesterday. That gives him a total of $597 earned for the last seven days.
• Super Seth: Seth Cohen went 3-0 for the second consecutive day and added another $300 to his bankroll. Over the last three days, Seth is 6-1 with winnings of $500.
• Doyle Rules: Patrick Doyle was feeling it yesterday. He backed two underdogs to win $215 on his two picks. He also had the Heat +5 along with the Angels at +115 against the Rays.
• King James: James Anderson put together another nice day to round out yesterday’s Top 5. He went 3-1 on four picks and earned $212. 

Sixers Advance, Coyotes Peace Out

The Eastern Conference play-in games were played last night and one team claimed its place in the playoffs. Two more will play on Friday night for the No. 8 seed and a date with the Boston Celtics. 

The state of Arizona says good-bye to one of its professional sports franchises, and Iowa women’s basketball gets a boost with a transfer. 

Let’s take a look at what’s trending in the sports world.

• Coyotes moving: The Arizona Coyotes have never really come close to winning a Presidents Trophy. Last night, Arizona beat Edmonton in its final game of the regular season. It’s likely also the final game in Arizona. The Coyotes will relocate to Salt Lake City next season.  
• Sixers win: Philadelphia was thoroughly outplayed in the first half of last night’s play-in game. The Sixers came back and beat Miami 105-104 to advance to the Eastern Conference playoffs. They will face the New York Knicks in the first round.

• Lucy Olsen to Iowa: You probably haven’t heard of Olsen, but she was No. 3 in the nation in scoring in NCAA women’s basketball last season. Olsen averaged 23.3 points per game for Villanova. Olsen is transferring to Iowa to help fill the void left by Caitlin Clark who was the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Olsen, a 5-9 guard, has one year of eligibility remaining.
• Coby White: The Bulls guard came through last night with 42 points in Chicago’s 131-116 win over Atlanta in last night’s No. 9-No. 10 game. The win sets up a rematch of last year’s final play-in game that was won by Miami. The Heat went on to advance to the NBA Finals.

Two PGA Events Start Today

Not one, but two PGA Tour events begin today. With the Presidents Trophy already decided, the NHL will play its final day of the regular season. The NBA takes a day off to get ready for the final play-in games tomorrow night. 

What else is on the schedule today?

1. Only 5: There are only five MLB games today as most teams get a day off to prepare for their weekend series. The big one tonight is a matchup of NL West rivals, Arizona and San Francisco. Ryne Nelson goes up against Logan Webb in a game that starts at 9:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by FS1.
2. Presidents Trophy decided: As mentioned, the New York Rangers have already won the President Trophy with 114 points. None of the 12 teams playing tonight can catch the Rangers. You can catch Seattle at Minnesota and Edmonton at Colorado in tonight’s ESPN doubleheader.
3. UEFA all day: Soccer bettors can find action in the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Europa Conference League. 
4. RBC Heritage: The RBC Heritage held at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C. is already underway. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler will play and he is the overwhelming (+400) favorite to win. 2022 winner Jordan Spieth is off to a hot start.

5. Corales Puntacana Championship: The RBC is not the only PGA event this weekend. The Corales Puntacana Championship is also underway today at Puntacana Resort & Club. Alex Noren is favored to win.
6. Tennis: Rounds 2 and 3 take place today for both the men and women competing in the following tournaments. ATP Tour: the BMX Open in Munich, the Barcelona Open, and the Tiriac Open in Bucharest. WTA Tour: the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole in France, and the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal.

Can Presidents Trophy Winner Win Stanley Cup?

It doesn’t happen very often and it has only happened twice in the last 22 years. The Presidents Trophy winner rarely even makes the Stanley Cup Finals. In addition to the Blackhawks in 2012-13, the 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings won both the Presidents Trophy and the Stanley Cup. 

The only other NHL team to win the Presidents Trophy and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in the past 22 years was the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks. They lost in the finals to Boston. Can the Rangers break that streak?We’ll see. The NHL playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 20. Stay tuned to Sports Hub for all of your NHL playoff needs, including NHL odds and scores, as well as the best NHL picks in the industry.