NHL catchup: What to know as the playoffs approach

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Get up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here .

With fewer than 10 games left in the regular season for most teams and the playoffs coming up in a couple weeks, it's a good time to catch up on what's happening in the NHL. Here are a few things to know as we enter the homestretch.

The Leafs got a jump on their housecleaning.

On its way to missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Toronto abruptly fired general manager Brad Treliving last night after less than three seasons in charge. The Leafs failed to get past the second round on Treliving's watch, and it's now been 22 years since the franchise's last trip to the conference final.

Head coach Craig Berube kept his job, for now, though you have to figure he'll be out too once ownership-group president Keith Pelley finds a replacement for Treliving. And, clearly, some changes are needed on the ice with the team ranking 27th in regulation wins following last summer's departure of star forward Mitch Marner and the season-ending knee injury suffered by captain Auston Matthews earlier this month.

The Leafs were heavily criticized for not immediately retaliating against Anaheim's Radko Gudas for his knee-on-knee hit on Matthews, which landed Gudas a five-game suspension from the league. They finally sought their pound of flesh last night as Max Domi fought Gudas off the opening faceoff of Toronto's rematch against the Ducks. But it was too little, too late, and Gudas actually earned more respect by suiting up to face the music despite a lower-body injury that kept him out of Saturday's key divisional matchup against Edmonton. Here's more on the Leafs' disastrous