SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
NY Islanders @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, SN360, TVA2, MSG+, ROOT
Buffalo @ Columbus, 7:00 p.m., MSG-B, BELL TV, FS-O
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PENGUINS LOOK TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT AGAINST ISLANDERS
The Penguins (42-26-12, 96 points) attempt to clinch their ninth consecutive playoff berth when they play host to the Islanders (46-28-6, 98 points) at CONSOL Energy Center. This marks the fifth and final meeting of the season between these division rivals; New York is 3-1-0 (PIT: 1-2-1), including three consecutive victories. While the Penguins are trying to solidify their spot in the postseason, the Islanders are looking to climb the Metropolitan Division standings – they trail the Capitals (45-25-11, 101 points) by three points for second place and home-ice advantage in the First Round. Overall, Pittsburgh has lost four straight (0-3-1), while New York has dropped five of its last seven (2-3-2).

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
Ottawa 3, NY RANGERS 0
Carolina 3, PHILADELPHIA 1
MONTREAL 4, Detroit 3 (OT)
TAMPA BAY 4, New Jersey 3 (OT)
FLORIDA 4, Boston 2
ST. LOUIS 2, Chicago 1
Minnesota 4, NASHVILLE 2
COLORADO 1, Winnipeg 0 (SO)
CALGARY 3, Los Angeles 1
San Jose 3, EDMONTON 1
VANCOUVER 5, Arizona 0

FLAMES CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH, OUST DEFENDING CHAMPS . . .
Jiri Hudler posted 2-1—3, including the winning and insurance goals, to power the Flames to their 27th playoff berth in franchise history and first since 2008-09.

* Hudler recorded his fourth multi-goal and three-point performances of the season. He also reached the 30-goal milestone for the first time.

* Hudler paces the Flames and ranks eighth in the NHL with 31-45—76 this season (78 GP), establishing career highs in goals, assists, points and game-winning goals (5). That includes 12-16—28 (and 3 GWGs) since the start of March (19 GP).

* Hudler joined Sean Monahan (31-31—62) as a 30-goal scorer for the Flames this season. The last time multiple Flames players reached the milestone in the same campaign was in 2008-09, when they last made the playoffs (Mike Cammalleri: 39,Jarome Iginla: 35).

* Monahan posted one assist to extend his point streak to six games (2-4—6).

* Johnny Gaudreau registered 1-1—2 to move two points ahead in the rookie scoring race (24-40—64). His 64 points are tied for the fifth-most by a Flames rookie (w/ Tom Lysiak: 19-45—64 in 1973-74).

* Dennis Wideman collected two assists. He ranks fourth among defensemen with 15-41—56, establishing career highs in goals, assists and points. Wideman also has posted multiple points in three consecutive games (1-6—7), a first in his career.

* The Flames completed their season series against the Kings with a 4-1-0 record (LAK: 1-2-2).

. . . SEAL OPENING-ROUND DATE WITH THE CANUCKS
By defeating the Kings, the Flames (45-29-7, 97 points) sealed a First Round playoff series against the Canucks (47-29-5, 99 points).

Though the matchup is set, home ice will not be determined until Saturday, when the Flames visit the Jets (3:00 p.m. ET) and the Canucks play host to the Oilers (10:00 p.m. ET). Vancouver currently holds a two-point lead for second place in the Pacific Division, but the teams are tied in ROW (41) and Calgary won the season series 2-1-1 (VAN: 2-2-0).

This marks the seventh time the Flames and Canucks will meet in the playoffs; Calgary holds a 4-2 edge in their all-time series. They last met in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals, when Martin Gelinas scored at 1:25 of overtime in Game 7 to give the Flames a 4-3 series victory (en route to a trip to the Stanley Cup Final).

HAMMOND, SENATORS CLIMB BACK INTO PLAYOFF SPOT . . .
Andrew Hammond stopped all 26 shots he faced, including 12 in the final period, to record his third career shutout and help the Senators extend their point streak to six games (5-0-1).

* At 42-26-13 (97 points), the Senators leapfrogged the idle Penguins (42-26-12, 96 points) and Bruins (41-27-13, 95 points) – who lost in regulation – to move back into a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

* The Senators also moved within one point of the Red Wings (42-25-14, 98 points) – who lost in overtime – for third place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit, however, owns the ROW tiebreaker (DET: 38, OTT: 36).

* The Senators improved to 20-3-3 in their last 26 games dating to Feb. 18. They also have recorded at least one point in a franchise-record 13 consecutive road games dating to Feb. 10 (10-0-3).

* Hammond improved to 19-1-2 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. That includes a 9-0-2 record on the road, where he has a 1.06 goals-against average, .965 save percentage and all three of his shutouts.

* Per Elias, Hammond became the second goaltender in NHL history to earn at least one point in each of his first 11 career road starts. The other: Brent Johnson, who went 11-0-0 in his first 11 road starts while playing for the Blues from 1999-01.

* Clarke MacArthur (3-5—8) and Kyle Turris (2-6—8) both posted 1-1—2 to extend their point streaks to six and five games, respectively.

* Mark Stone also collected one assist to stretch his point streak to eight contests (6-5—11), the longest by a rookie in Senators history. Overall, Stone (24-38—62) is tied for second in rookie scoring, two points behind Johnny Gaudreau (24-40—64).

* The Senators improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine regular-season visits to Madison Square Garden dating to Jan. 14, 2010.

. . . JAGR REACHES (ANOTHER) MILESTONE AS PANTHERS HELP CAUSE . . .
Jaromir Jagr registered the primary assist on the tying and go-ahead goals to help the Panthers overcome a 1-0 deficit and defeat the Bruins in regulation for the first time since March 15, 2012 (2-9-1).

* Jagr (721-1,079—1,800) became the fourth player in NHL history to reach the 1,800-point milestone. He also tied Adam Oates for sixth place on the League’s all-time assists list.

MOST POINTS, NHL HISTORY
1. Wayne Gretzky: 894-1,963—2,857
2. Mark Messier: 694-1,193—1,887
3. Gordie Howe: 801-1,049—1,850
4. Jaromir Jagr: 721-1,079—1,800

MOST ASSISTS, NHL HISTORY
1. Wayne Gretzky: 1,963
2. Ron Francis: 1,249
3. Mark Messier: 1,193
4. Ray Bourque: 1,169
5. Paul Coffey: 1,135
t-6. Jaromir Jagr: 1,079
t-6. Adam Oates: 1,079

Jaromir Jagr shows off the milestone puck with teenage teammates Aaron Ekblad (L) and Aleksander Barkov (R).

* Jagr has 5-11—16 in 19 games since joining the Panthers, including six multi-point performances (11-18—29 in 57 GP w/ NJD).

* The trio of Jonathan Huberdeau (5-15—20), Jagr (5-11—16) and Aleksander Barkov (7-7—14) has combined for 17-33—50 since Jagr joined the team on Feb. 27(19 GP).

* Roberto Luongo, who was honored before the game for recording his 400th career victory, made 34 saves to improve to 28-19-12. He also tied Chris Osgood for 10th on the NHL’s all-time wins list (401).

* Barkov, Brad Boyes, Jimmy Hayes and Huberdeau supplied the goals for the Panthers, who improved to 6-3-1 in their last 10 games at BB&T Center.

. . . IDLE ISLANDERS CLINCH VIA BRUINS’ LOSS
By virtue of the Bruins’ loss, the Islanders (idle) clinched their 23rd playoff berth in franchise history and second in the past three seasons.

ALLEN, BLUES WRAP UP CENTRAL DIVISION TITLE . . .
Jake Allen made 21 saves to backstop the Blues to their fourth victory in their past five outings, helping the team clinch its ninth division title in franchise history and first since 2011-12.

* At 50-24-7 (107 points), the Blues reached the 50-win milestone for the second consecutive season and third time in franchise history (also 1999-00).

* The Blues also tied the idle Ducks (50-24-7, 107 points) – in terms of points – for first place in the Western Conference. Anaheim, however, owns the ROW tiebreaker (ANA: 42, STL: 41).

* Allen yielded one goal for the fourth consecutive game (3-1-0, .964 SV%). Elias says only two other rookies in Blues history have allowed no more than one goal in four straight games: Bob Johnson (1972-73) and Curtis Sanford (2x, 2002-03 and 2005-06).

* Overall, Allen paces all rookie goaltenders with 22 wins this season (2.28 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 SO). Only two other Blues goaltenders have led all rookies in wins: Wayne Stephenson (1972-73) and Mike Liut (1979-80).

* Dmitrij Jaskin and Paul Stastny provided the goals. Stastny scored his team-leading seventh game-winning goal of the season, establishing a career high in that category.

* The Blues completed their season series against the Blackhawks with a 3-2-0 record (CHI: 2-3-0). That includes a pair of 2-1 victories in the past week (also on Sunday at CHI).

. . . WILD TIE NHL RECORD WITH VICTORY IN THE MUSIC CITY
Down 2-0 after the first period, the Wild scored four unanswered goals to earn their 12th consecutive road victory, equaling an NHL record established by the Red Wings in 2005-06.

* At 46-27-8 (100 points), the Wild reached the 100-point milestone for the second time in franchise history (also 2006-07: 48-26-8, 104 points). Their 46 overall wins rank second behind the 2006-07 squad, while their 24 road victories are a club record.

* The Wild moved within two points of the Blackhawks (48-27-6, 102 points) – who lost in regulation – for third place in the Central Division. Minnesota owns the tiebreaker with 42 regulation/overtime wins (CHI: 39).

* Jason Zucker and Marco Scandella scored 31 seconds apart late in the second period to erase the Wild’s deficit. Zucker, who reached the 20-goal milestone for the first time, also added an insurance marker for his fourth career multi-goal performance (all this season).

* Jason Pominville recorded the tiebreaking goal with 2:03 remaining in regulation. It stood as his 30th career game-winning goal and fourth this season.

* Mikko Koivu posted one assist to become the first player in Wild history to reach the 500-point milestone (144-356—500). He also is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (356).

* Making his first start since Jan. 6, Darcy Kuemper stopped 32 shots to improve to 14-12-2 (2.59 GAA, .906 SV%, 3 SO).

* The Wild completed their season series against the Predators with a 3-1-1 record (NSH: 2-2-1).

PRICE SETS FRANCHISE RECORD IN CANADIENS’ WIN . . .
Lars Eller scored the winning goal at 1:21 of overtime to power the Canadiens to a sweep of their four-game season series with the Red Wings.

* At 49-22-10 (108 points), the Canadiens maintained a two-point lead over the Lightning (49-24-8, 106 points) – who also won in overtime – for first place in the Atlantic Division. The division title will not be settled until Saturday, when Montreal visits Toronto (7:00 p.m. ET) and Tampa Bay plays host to Boston (7:30 p.m. ET).

* Carey Price made 24 saves to set a Canadiens record with his 43rd win of the season, surpassing the mark of 42 shared by Jacques Plante (1955-56 and 1961-62) and Ken Dryden (1975-76).

* Price leads the NHL in wins, goals-against average (1.95), save percentage (.934) and shutouts (t-9) this season. Per Sportsnet, Ed Belfour was the last goaltender to pace in the League in wins, goals-against average and save percentage in one season, doing so in 1990-91 with the Blackhawks (43-19-7, 2.47 GAA, .910 SV%).

* Eller notched his first career overtime goal and seventh game-winning tally of the season (76 GP); he had eight such goals in his first 286 career appearances.

* Jeff Petry posted 1-1—2 to extend his point streak to a career-high six games (3-4—7).

* Andrei Markov (1-1—2) and P.K. Subban (0-2—2) also registered multiple points, while Tomas Plekanec scored the tying goal at 11:39 of the third period.

. . . RED WINGS CLINCH 24TH CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF BERTH . . .
By earning one point against the Canadiens and the Bruins losing in regulation to the Panthers, the Red Wings clinched their 24th consecutive playoff berth – the longest active streak in North American professional sports – and 63rd in franchise history.

Detroit’s 24 consecutive postseason trips also is tied for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history:

MOST CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES, NHL HISTORY
29 – Boston Bruins (1967-68 to 1995-96)
28 – Chicago Blackhawks (1969-70 to 1996-97)
25 – St. Louis Blues (1979-80 to 2003-04)
24 – Montreal Canadiens (1970-71 to 1993-94) and Detroit Red Wings (1990-91 to present)

. . . JOHNSON, LIGHTNING KEEP PACE IN ATLANTIC DIVISION RACE
Tyler Johnson registered 2-1—3, including the winning goal at 1:22 of overtime, to spark the Lightning to their fifth victory in their past six home games.

* At 49-24-8 (106 points), the Lightning tied a franchise record for points in one season (set in 2003-04: 46-22-14, 106 points). Their 49 wins are a club record.

* The Lightning also improved to 31-8-1 (63 points) this season at Amalie Arena – they lead the NHL in home wins and points (also both franchise records).

* Johnson recorded his seventh multi-goal and sixth three-point performances of the season. He also scored his second career overtime goal, both in the past month (alsoMarch 10 at MTL).

* Steven Stamkos moved into sole possession of second place in the NHL with his 43rd goal of the season. He (43-29—72) and Johnson (29-43—72) share the team lead with 72 points apiece.

* Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat each collected three assists, equaling a career high for both players.

* Ben Bishop made 21 saves to improve on his franchise record with his 39th win of the season. That includes a 26-6-1 record at home (2.16 GAA, .924 SV%, 2 SO).

BERRA, AVALANCHE BLANKET WINNIPEG . . .
Reto Berra stopped all 41 shots he faced through overtime – and an additional two attempts in the shootout – to earn his first career shutout and lead the Avalanche to their third victory in their past four outings.

* Berra improved to 5-4-1 in 19 appearances this season (2.65 GAA, .918 SV%). That includes three wins in his past four starts.

* Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene both scored in the shootout. O’Reilly posted his sixth career game-deciding goal and second of the season (also Feb. 27 at DAL).

* The Avalanche improved to 5-1-2 in their last eight home games against the Jets/Thrashers dating to Feb. 10, 2010. They closed the season series with a 2-2-1 record (WPG: 3-0-2).

. . . BUT JETS CLINCH SECOND PLAYOFF BERTH IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
By earning one point against the Avalanche and the Kings losing to the Flames, the Jets clinched their second playoff berth in franchise history (and first since relocating to Winnipeg).

At 42-26-13 (97 points), they also matched a franchise record for points in one season – set in 2006-07 (43-28-11) when the team made its lone other postseason appearance.

DID YOU KNOW?
Despite suffering the shootout loss, Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made 21 saves through overtime to earn his third consecutive shutout – also on Monday at MIN (32 SV) and Tuesday at STL (30 SV).

Elias says he became the first goaltender in Jets/Thrashers history to post three straight shutouts. The last goaltender to accomplish that feat for any team: Brian Elliott, who did so for the Blues from April 7-11, 2013.

Pavelec improved to 9-2-1 in his last 12 appearances – he has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of those games. Overall, he is 22-16-8 this season (2.28 GAA, .920 SV%, 5 SO).

LACK HELPS CANUCKS IN QUEST OF HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE
Eddie Lack stopped all 28 shots he faced to record his sixth career shutout (second this season) and lead the Canucks to their fourth victory in their past six games.

* At 47-29-5 (99 points), the Canucks maintained a two-point lead over the Flames (45-29-7, 97 points) – who also won on Thursday – for second place in the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the First Round of the playoffs.

* Lack improved to 18-13-4 this season (2.45 GAA, .921 SV%, 2 SO). That includes a 10-5-1 record in his last 16 starts dating to March 7.

* Lack also earned his first victory in four career appearances vs. ARI (1-2-1, 0.99 GAA, .966 SV%, 1 SO).

* Yannick Weber (2-0—2) recorded his first career multi-goal game. He has 11 goals in 64 contests this season, equaling his total from his first 164 career games.

* Alexander Edler matched a career high with three assists. His only other such game was on Feb. 7, 2009 vs. CHI (1-3—4).

* Brothers Daniel (1-1—2) and Henrik Sedin (0-2—2) both registered two points. Daniel paces the club with 19-55—74, while Henrik ranks second with 18-53—71. It marks the eighth time Henrik has reached the 70-point milestone (and first time since 2011-12).

* Dan Hamhuis snapped a 69-game drought with his first goal since March 16, 2014 at FLA.

* The Canucks improved to 5-1-0 in their last six home games against the Coyotes dating to April 8, 2013. They closed the season series with a 3-1-1 record (ARI: 2-3-0).

LOOSE PUCKS
Making his NHL debut, undrafted 29-year-old forward Bryan Lerg scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:52 remaining in regulation to lift the Sharks to their 12th victory in their past 17 meetings with the Oilers dating to Dec. 17, 2011 (12-2-3) . . . Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward made 27 saves to improve to 4-0-0 this season vs. PHI (1.23 GAA, .949 SV%). Jordan Staal posted 1-1—2, while Ryan Murphy supplied the game-winning goal . . . Devils forward Steve Bernier (2-0—2) recorded his third multi-goal game of the season – all in the calendar year – to match career highs in goals and points (16-16—32) . . . Predators forward Filip Forsberg scored his 25th goal of the season, tied for second among rookies (w/ Anders Lee). He also shares second among rookies with 62 points (w/ Mark Stone) . . . Red Wings teammates Pavel Datsyuk (1-1—2) and Henrik Zetterberg (0-2—2) each registered multiple points . . . Flyers forward Sean Couturier (2-4—6) and Sharks forward Chris Tierney (2-4—6) both extended their point streaks to five games . . . Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyksaw his consecutive starts streak end at 39 games (ARI: 1, MIN: 38) . . . Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle appeared in his 83rd game of the season (ARI: 63, NYR: 20), as did Red Wings defenseman Marek Zidlicky (NJD: 63, DET: 20) . . . Coyotes forward David Moss (500) and Predators defenseman Cody Franson (400) both played in milestone games . . . Oilers goaltender Laurent Brossoit stopped 49 shots while making his NHL debut . . . Rangers forward Ryan Bourque, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, played in his first career NHL game . . . Oilers forward Curtis Hamilton, Devils defenseman Raman Hrabarenka and Hurricanes defenseman Keegan Lowe also made their NHL debuts . . . Paul Maurice (WPG) became the 14th head coach in NHL history to serve in 1,200 games behind the bench . . . ICYMI: Boston University and Providence College advanced to the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship game . . . Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly presented the Rangers with the Presidents’ Trophy prior to their game vs. OTT.

thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above