No Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson.
No problem for Kyle Turris and the Ottawa Senators as they beat the New York Islanders 5-1 on April 1 to clinch a playoff spot.
Turris, a New Westminster native and St. Thomas More Collegiate graduate, had two goals and two assists to pace the Senators to victory.
Turris had to play on Ottawa's top line against the Islanders because leading scorer Spezza was with his wife celebrating the birth of their second daughter and Alfredsson was waylaid by the flu.
The Senators finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and now face the New York Rangers.
Turris, who had asked for a trade from the Phoenix Coyotes earlier this season, got his wish in December when the Senators traded defensive prospect David Rundblad to the Coyotes for Turris.
Turris finished the season with a new career high in goals, assists and points, as his 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points in 55 games played have surpassed his 2011 total of 11 goals, 14 assists and 25 points.
The slick centre was one of Phoenix's best players in last year's playoffs, with a goal and two assists in four games against Detroit.
Another Burnaby product, 2011 first overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, finished his first NHL season in Vancouver as his Edmonton Oilers lost 3-0 to the Vancouver Canucks on April 7.
Nugent-Hopkins finished the year as the league's top rookie scorer, as his 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points in only 62 games played was the best mark for a freshman, nipping New Jersey's Adam Henrique by one point.
Nugent-Hopkins got himself on the wrong side of Canucks' fans on Saturday when his crosscheck to the face of Sami Salo earned him a double minor in the third period.
David Booth would make the Oilers pay by scoring the insurance marker for the Canucks, who won the Presidents' Trophy - which denotes the top regular season team in the NHL - with the win.
alau@royalcityrecord.com
