* Tavares scored his eighth career overtime goal and fourth this season (also Nov. 5 at ANA, Nov. 26 vs. WSH and Jan. 9 at NJD) – both franchise records.

* Per Elias, Tavares became the first player to post four overtime goals in one season since 2011-12, when Steven Stamkos set an NHL record with five such tallies.

* Tavares added one assist for his 21st multi-point performance of the season. He leads the NHL with 33-39—72 overall, including 9-12—21 in his past 13 outings.

* Tavares, a native of Mississauga, Ont., has registered 6-11—17 in 11 career visits to Air Canada Centre – the most points by any visiting player since he made his NHL debut in 2009-10.

* The Islanders rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third period with two goals in 30 seconds – by Frans Nielsen and Casey Cizikas.

* Making his Islanders debut, Tyler Kennedy posted 1-1—2 for his first multi-point game since Dec. 4 vs. BOS (2-0—2 w/ SJS). Michal Neuvirth recorded 22 saves to earn his first win in an Islanders uniform.

* Anders Lee collected one assist to extend his point streak to five contests (2-3—5), matching a career high established Jan. 10-19 (4-1—5). Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic each added two helpers.

ZETTERBERG, RED WINGS GAIN GROUND IN ATLANTIC
Four different players registered multi-point games – highlighted by 0-3—3 from Henrik Zetterberg – to lead the Red Wings to their eighth straight win over the Oilers dating to Feb. 8, 2012.

* At 37-17-11 (85 points), the Red Wings moved within three points of the idle Lightning (41-20-6, 88 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit holds two games in hand, but Tampa Bay owns the ROW tiebreaker (TBL: 39, DET: 34). The teams face off two more times this season – March 20 at TBL and March 28 at DET.

* The Red Wings have earned at least one point in 29 of their last 30 meetings with the Oilers, posting a 22-1-7 head-to-head record dating to Nov. 8, 2006.

* Zetterberg notched his third game of at least three assists this season (also Oct. 17 at TOR: 0-4—4 and Jan. 20 vs. MIN: 0-3—3). He leads the team with 41 helpers and shares first on the club with 56 points (w/ Pavel Datsyuk: 23-33—56).

* Three other Red Wings players collected multiple points: Datsyuk (1-1—2), Teemu Pulkkinen (1-1—2) and Riley Sheahan (1-1—2). Pulkkinen posted his first career assist, multi-point game and game-winning goal.

* Jimmy Howard made 36 saves to reach the 20-win milestone for the sixth consecutive season. Elias says that matches a Red Wings record, set by Harry Lumley (1944-45 through 1949-50) and equaled by Chris Osgood (1995-96 through 2000-01).

* Only three other goaltenders have earned at least 20 wins in each of the last six or more NHL seasons: Henrik Lundqvist (10 straight), Marc-Andre Fleury (7 straight) and Antti Niemi (6 straight).

* Howard also improved to 12-1-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 career appearances vs. EDM.

KASSIAN’S HEROICS LIFT CANUCKS PAST DUCKS . . .
Zack Kassian scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:59 remaining in regulation to power the Canucks to their second straight overall win as well as their second victory in their last 11 meetings with the Ducks (dating to April 25, 2013: 2-6-3).

* At 38-24-4 (80 points), the Canucks moved three points ahead of the idle Flames (36-25-5, 77 points) for second place in the Pacific Division. Vancouver owns the ROW tiebreaker (VAN: 34, CGY: 32), but Calgary won the season series (CGY: 2-1-1, VAN: 2-2-0).

* After scoring just twice in his first 26 games of the season, Kassian has eight goals in his past 14 outings dating to Feb. 7. That includes three game-winning goals in his last seven contests (also Feb. 22 at NYI and Feb. 24 at BOS).

* Eddie Lack made 29 saves to improve to 10-8-3 this season (2.46 GAA, .920 SV%, 1 SO), including points in eight of his past 10 decisions dating to Feb. 3 (7-2-1).

* Bo Horvat supplied the other goal for the Canucks, who have earned points in eight of their last 11 outings dating to Feb. 16 (7-3-1).

. . . NIEMI, SHARKS EDGE PENGUINS TO CLIMB PACIFIC STANDINGS
Antti Niemi made 39 saves through overtime – and denied an additional seven attempts in the shootout – to help the Sharks extend their home winning streak against the Penguins to 10 games dating to Nov. 1, 2000.

* At 33-26-8 (74 points), the Sharks moved within three points of the idle Flames (36-25-5, 77 points) for third place in the Pacific Division. They also moved within four points of the idle Jets (33-21-12, 78 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

* Niemi improved to 26-18-7 in 51 appearances this season (2.58 GAA, .914 SV%, 4 SO). He also improved to 4-1-1 in seven career games vs. PIT (2.66 GAA, .913 SV%).

* Tommy Wingels provided the decisive goal in the eighth round of the tiebreaker, his first successful shootout attempt (1-for-3, 33.3%).

* Matt Nieto scored the club’s lone goal in regulation. He has 3-1—4 in his past three contests.

* After failing to earn a win in their first eight all-time meetings with the Penguins (0-6-2), the Sharks are 17-5-2 in their last 24 head-to-head games dating to Jan. 13, 1996.

NEAL’S OVERTIME MAGIC HELPS PREDATORS RECLAIM FIRST PLACE
James Neal scored at 2:45 of overtime to help the Predators snap a six-game skid and improve to 5-0-0 in their last five meetings with the Coyotes dating to Nov. 25, 2013.

* At 42-19-7 (91 points), the Predators leapfrogged the Ducks (42-19-7, 91 points) – who lost in regulation – for first place in the NHL standings. Though the teams are tied in points, Nashville owns the ROW tiebreaker (NSH: 36, ANA: 34). Anaheim, however, leads the season series (ANA: 2-0-0, NSH: 0-1-1); the clubs face off for a third and final time on March 15 at ANA.

* Neal has five overtime goals dating to the start of last season, including one other in 2014-15 (Feb. 10 vs. TBL). Elias says his five overtime goals over the past two campaigns are the most in the NHL, one ahead of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brad Marchand, Sean Monahan and John Tavares.

* Neal recorded his 22nd goal of the season to take over the team lead, one ahead of Filip Forsberg and Craig Smith. He also posted his sixth game-winning goal (62 GP), matching a career high established in 2012-13 (40 GP w/ PIT).

* Pekka Rinne made 27 saves to snap a five-game personal skid and pick up his 36th win of the season, second in the NHL to Carey Price (37).

* Paul Gaustad supplied the other goal for the Predators, who improved to 11-3-2 this season versus Pacific Division opponents.

DID YOU KNOW?
Four of the five games contested on Monday featured one-goal margins, including three that required extra time. The fifth game (EDM-DET) was decided by three goals following two empty-net scores.

* Of the 991 games played this season, 577 (58.2%) have been decided by one goal OR two goals following an empty-net score.

NHL, SAMSUNG CANADA ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP
The NHL and Samsung Canada today announced a multi-year partnership, making the global leader in innovative technology the first-ever exclusive partner in the mobile, tablet and wearable hardware category.

The partnership in Canada includes sponsorship across the League’s digital assets NHL.com, NHL Social and within the NHL app. Samsung also will bring fans closer to the game as the presenting sponsor of Inside the NHL Situation Room videos online and the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge.

Click here for more details.

LOOSE PUCKS
Captain Sidney Crosby scored the Penguins’ lone goal. He is tied for fourth in the NHL – with teammate Evgeni Malkin (28-39—67) – with 22-45—67 this season . . . Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk (1-1—2) recorded his 11th multi-point game of the season. He shares the team lead with 23 goals and ranks second on the club with 48 points . . . Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue made a career-high 38 saves. He has a .929 save percentage in four career appearances (79 SV / 85 SA) . . . Oilers forward Nail Yakupov snapped a six-game drought with his 10th goal of the season, reaching the mark for the third time in as many NHL campaigns . . . Maple Leafs forward David Booth scored for the third straight game (3-0—3), the first time he has achieved that feat since Feb. 11-15, 2012 (3-0—3 in 3 GP w/ VAN). He only had one goal in his first 41 contests this season . . . Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (0-1—1) established a career high with his 51st point of the season (60 GP), surpassing his previous best of 50 set in 2010-11 (82 GP). Letang leads all defensemen in assists (41) and points in 2014-15 . . . Maple Leafs forward Peter Holland (1-0—1) extended his point streak to a career-high four games (2-2—4) . . . Ducks forward Nate Thompson (0-1—1) recorded his 100th NHL point . . . Coyotes forward Kyle Chipchura notched his first career power-play goal (397 GP) . . . Celebrating his 30th birthday, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns played in his 700th NHL game . . . Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 39 saves . . . ICYMI: Flames forward Jiri Hudler, Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov and Rangers goaltender Cam Talbot were named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 8 . . . Evgeny Romasko became the first Russian-born referee to work an NHL game when he officiated the EDM-DET tilt. Click here to learn more about him.

SNEAK PEEK AT TUESDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
NY Rangers @ NY Islanders, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, SN1, SNO, TVA, MSG 2, MSG+
Dallas @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., FS-SW+, CSN-PH
Columbus @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., FS-O, FS-CR
Tampa Bay @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m., SUN, SNE, RDS
Boston @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., NESN, TSN5, RDS2
Winnipeg @ St. Louis, 8:00 p.m., TSN3, FS-MW
New Jersey @ Minnesota, 8:00 p.m., MSG+ 2, FS-N, FS-WI
Los Angeles @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., NBCSN, SNW, SNP
NBCSN Channel Finder
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DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS HIGHLIGHT TUESDAY’S GAMES
Four divisional matchups that will have a significant impact on the playoff race highlight Tuesday’s schedule:

* The Islanders (43-21-4, 90 points) and Rangers (40-17-7, 87 points) – the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division – meet for the fifth and final time this season. The Islanders won the first three matchups, but the Rangers earned a 6-5 come-from-behind victory in their most recent game on Feb. 16. The Rangers also hold four games in hand and own the ROW tiebreaker (NYR: 37, NYI: 36).

* The Canadiens (42-18-6, 90 points) and Lightning (41-20-6, 88 points) – the top two teams in the Atlantic Division – face off in the third of five meetings this season. Tampa Bay has won the first two matchups, picking up a 7-1 victory on Oct. 13 and a 4-2 win on Jan. 6. The teams close their season series with three meetings over the next three weeks, also March 16 at TBL and March 30 at MTL.

* The Bruins (33-22-10, 76 points) and Senators (30-23-11, 71 points) – Atlantic Division rivals who are battling for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference – meet in the fourth of five games this season. Boston won the clubs’ first matchup, but Ottawa has secured victories in each of the last two meetings, both in extra time (1 in OT, 1 in SO). The teams play for a fifth and final time on March 19, also at OTT.

* The Blues (41-19-5, 87 points) and Jets (33-21-12, 78 points) – Central Division foes who both are looking to advance their playoff positioning – face off in the third of five meetings this season. St. Louis has won each of their first two matchups (and six straight in the head-to-head series), including a 2-1 shootout victory in their most recent game on Feb. 26. The clubs also meet on March 19 at WPG and April 7 at STL.

A LOOK AHEAD
More games this week that will have an impact on playoff positioning:

Wednesday, March 11
NY Rangers @ Washington (NBCSN, SN1, TVA)
Anaheim @ Calgary

Thursday, March 12
Tampa Bay @ Boston (NHLN-US, SN360, TVA)
Ottawa @ Montreal
Winnipeg @ Florida
Los Angeles @ Vancouver

Friday, March 13
Ottawa @ NY Islanders
Anaheim @ Minnesota

Saturday, March 14
Boston @ Pittsburgh (NHLN-US, TVA)
Chicago @ San Jose (NHLN-US, SN)
Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay (SN)
Montreal @ NY Islanders (NBCSN, CITY, TVA)
Minnesota @ St. Louis
Nashville @ Los Angeles (SN)

Sunday, March 15
Detroit @ Pittsburgh (NBC, SN)
Boston @ Washington (NBCSN)
Nashville @ Anaheim

WHERE THEY STAND
If the playoffs began today:

thanks to the NHL PR department for the above information