NHL short takes

Short takes

• The Sedin twins dazzled with their offensive skill and unique chemistry for years, and their final NHL home game was no different. On Thursday Henrik set up Daniel for the overtime winner, sealing a 4-3 win for Vancouver over Arizona — a fitting finish for two elite scorers and playmakers who headlined the Canucks for 17 seasons. They announced on Monday they were retiring at the age of 37.

• The field of candidates for this season's Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP seems deeper than it's been in years, a reflection of how many teams are enjoying successful seasons. Anze Kopitar has eclipsed 90 points with the Kings, and Nikita Kucherov has shined with the Lightning. Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) and Claude Giroux (Flyers) also had terrific seasons. It might be tough, though, to trump the impact of the Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon and the Devils' Taylor Hall. Their teams have been wildly competitive after each finished last in its conference a year ago. They look like the front-runners for the award.

• What a neat scene in Washington on Thursday night, as Predators players huddled around a cellphone to catch the end of the Panthers-Bruins game, a 3-2 win for Florida that clinched the Presidents' Trophy for Nashville as the league's top point-getter. The distinction continued a whirlwind year for the Predators, as they parlayed the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference last season into an invite to the Stanley Cup Final. And now, after falling short to the Penguins, they're favorites to win it all — a nod to their ability to combine drafted talent with timely outside acquisitions.