WESTERN CONFERENCE

* The Ducks clinched the top seed in the Western Conference by defeating the Coyotes in regulation.

* The Blackhawks clinched the No. 3 seed in the Central Division by virtue of the Wild’s loss to the Blues.

* The Canucks clinched the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division by virtue of the Flames’ loss to the Jets.

DID YOU KNOW?
Just 16 points separate the 16 teams that qualified for the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s the narrowest gap in the 16-team postseason era. The last time there was a smaller gap (in any playoff format) was in 1964-65, when just four teams qualified for the postseason.

POINTS SEPARATING ENTIRE PLAYOFF FIELD, SINCE 1994-95
2014-15: 16
2013-14: 26
2012-13: 22
2011-12: 19
2010-11: 24
2009-10: 33
2008-09: 26
2007-08: 24
2006-07: 21
2005-06: 32
2003-04: 18
2002-03: 30
2001-02: 29
2000-01: 30
1999-00: 29
1998-99: 36
1997-98: 31
1996-97: 30
1995-96: 53
1994-95: 28

REGULAR-SEASON TROPHY WINNERS
The regular season concluded on Saturday with Stars captain Jamie Benn capturing his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League’s scoring champion, Capitals captainAlex Ovechkin claiming his fifth career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader, and Corey Crawford of the Blackhawks and Carey Price of the Canadiens winning the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender(s) who play at least 25 games for the club(s) allowing the fewest goals.

Two races – for the Art Ross Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy – came down to the final moments of the regular season.

* Benn, who entered the final day of the regular season one point behind the League leaders, recorded 3-1—4, including his second career hat trick and an assist with 8.5 seconds remaining in regulation, to finish with 35-52—87 – one point ahead of Islanders captain John Tavares (38-48—86), who registered 1-1—2 on Saturday. Benn became the first player in Stars/North Stars history to win the Art Ross Trophy, finishing the season with career highs in goals, assists and points. He posted 12-11—23 in the final 12 games of the season, highlighted by five three-point performances and 5-5—10 in the last week of the campaign (3 GP). No player has repeated as the Art Ross Trophy winner since 2000-01 (Jaromir Jagr: 4x).

* Ovechkin scored 53 goals to capture his third consecutive and fifth overall Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, adding to the ones he earned in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2013-14. Ovechkin became the sixth player in NHL history to record six 50-goal seasons, joining Mike Bossy (9), Wayne Gretzky (9), Marcel Dionne (6), Guy Lafleur (6) and Mario Lemieux (6). He also led the League and set a career high/franchise record with 25 power-play goals, while his 11 game-winning goals paced the NHL and matched a personal best. Ovechkin, who finished the season ahead of Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (43) and Rangers forward Rick Nash (42), scored 41 of his 53 goals in the final 55 games of season (0.75 GPG).

* The Blackhawks and Canadiens finished the regular season tied with a League-low 189 goals against, with Crawford and Price seeing the most action for their respective teams. This marks the first time that goaltenders on two teams claimed the William M. Jennings Trophy since 2002-03, when Martin Brodeur and Roman Cechmanek/Robert Esche split the honors for the Devils and Flyers, respectively. The Blackhawks, who held a one-goal lead in the race for the trophy, allowed the decisive goal in their game on Saturday with 32.9 seconds remaining in regulation to produce the tie.

* Crawford captured the William M. Jennings Trophy for the second time in three seasons (also 2012-13), posting a 32-20-5 record with a 2.27 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and two shutouts in 57 appearances. Price, who won his first career William M. Jennings Trophy, set a franchise record for victories by going 44-16-6, surpassing the previous mark of 42 achieved twice by Jacques Plante (1955-56 and 1961-62) and once by Ken Dryden (1975-76). He led the NHL in wins, goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933), becoming the first goaltender to pace the League in all three categories since Ed Belfour did so with the Blackhawks in 1990-91.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
Ottawa 3, PHILADELPHIA 1
NY Rangers 4, WASHINGTON 2
WINNIPEG 5, Calgary 1
LOS ANGELES 4, San Jose 1
ST. LOUIS 4, Minnesota 2
Pittsburgh 2, BUFFALO 0
Montreal 4, TORONTO 3 (SO)
FLORIDA 3, New Jersey 2
Columbus 5, NY ISLANDERS 4 (SO)
Detroit 2, CAROLINA 0
TAMPA BAY 3, Boston 2 (SO)
DALLAS 4, Nashville 1
COLORADO 3, Chicago 2
Anaheim 2, ARIZONA 1
VANCOUVER 6, Edmonton 5 (OT)

STONE, SENATORS CAP LATE-SEASON RUN BY REACHING PLAYOFFS . . .
Mark Stone scored twice to power the Senators past the Flyers and to a 6-0-1 record in their final seven games, helping the team clinch its 15th playoff berth in franchise history.

* The Senators (43-26-13, 99 points), who were 14 points outside of the playoff picture on Feb. 10, went 23-4-4 in their final 31 games to earn a spot in the postseason. Per Elias, they became the first team in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to overcome a 14-point deficit in the standings (at any point in the season) to reach the playoffs.

* All of Ottawa’s 15 playoff appearances have come in the past 18 seasons. Elias says the Red Wings (18) are the only team that has qualified for the postseason more times in that span.

* Stone recorded his second career multi-goal game, both in the past week (alsoTuesday vs. PIT: 2-0—2), to finish the season on a nine-game point streak (8-5—13) – the longest by a rookie in Senators history.

* Stone posted 26-38—64 overall to edge Johnny Gaudreau (24-40—64) atop the rookie scoring race. Thirty-five of those 64 points came during the team’s 23-4-4 run to end the season (14-21—35).

* Stone’s 64 points rank second among rookies in Senators history, behind Alexei Yashin (1993-94: 30-49—79). His 26 goals also are tied for third (w/ Daniel Alfredsson in 1995-96), behind Yashin and teammate Mike Hoffman (27).

* Andrew Hammond made 34 saves, including 15 in the second period, to finish the season with a 20-1-2 record (1.79 GAA, .941 SV%, 3 SO). That includes a 10-0-2 mark on the road, where he had a 1.06 goals-against average, .966 save percentage and all three of his shutouts.

* Via Elias, Hammond became the first goaltender in the NHL’s modern era to earn at least one point in each of his first 12 career road starts.

* Clarke MacArthur (3-6—9) and Kyle Turris (2-7—9) extended their point streaks to seven and six games, respectively.

* The Senators closed the season on a franchise-record, 14-game road point streak (11-0-3).

. . . SET UP OPENING-ROUND MEETING WITH CANADIENS
The Canadiens overcame a trio of one-goal deficits before ultimately prevailing in a shootout and clinching their 18th division title since 1967-68.

* At 50-22-10 (110 points), the Canadiens reached the 50-win milestone for the seventh time in franchise history and first time since 1988-89 (53-18-9, 115 points).

* By clinching the Atlantic Division title, the Canadiens set up a First Round date with the Senators – the No. 1 Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference. These teams have met one other time in the playoffs, a 4-1 series victory by Ottawa in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

* Carey Price made 19 saves through overtime and denied both shootout attempts he faced to extend his franchise-record and League-leading win total (44). He also finished the season first in goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933), while his nine shutouts tied for second and were the most by a Canadiens goaltender since 1976-77 (Ken Dryden: 10).

* Per Elias, Price’s save percentage was the third-highest in a single season since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1976-77 (minimum: 40 GP):

HIGHEST SINGLE-SEASON SAVE PERCENTAGE, SINCE 1976-77
1. Tim Thomas (2010-11 w/ BOS): .938 SV% (57 GP)
2. Dominik Hasek (1998-99 w/ BUF): .937 SV% (64 GP)
3. Carey Price (2014-15 w/ MTL): .933 SV% (66 GP)
4. Dwayne Roloson (2003-04 w/ MIN): .933 SV% (48 GP)
5. Tim Thomas (2008-09 w/ BOS): .933 SV% (54 GP)

* David Desharnais scored in regulation and the shootout. Alex Galchenyuk also hit the back of the net in the tiebreaker, while Jacob De La Rose and Tomas Plekanecprovided the other goals before overtime.

* The Canadiens finished the season with three consecutive wins and points in five straight contests (3-0-2). They picked up their sixth consecutive victory over the Maple Leafs dating to March 1, 2014, including a sweep of their four-game season series.

FLEURY, SUTTER POWER PENGUINS INTO POSTSEASON . . .
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 28 shots he faced and Brandon Sutter scored twice to help the Penguins snap a five-game skid (0-4-1) and clinch their ninth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Pittsburgh’s nine consecutive postseason appearances is the second-longest active streak in the NHL, behind Detroit (24).

* Finishing as the No. 2 Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins (43-27-12, 98 points) will face the Rangers (53-22-7, 113 points) in the First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This marks the sixth time and second straight year these teams will meet in the postseason; New York overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat Pittsburgh (for the first time) in the Second Round in 2014.

* Fleury finished the season with the most shutouts in the NHL (10), extending his career high and franchise record. Overall, he went 34-20-9 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.

* Fleury improved to 18-5-2 in 27 career appearances vs. BUF (2.16 GAA, .921 SV%, 4 SO). That includes a 13-2-0 record in his last 15 starts against the Sabres (1.61 GAA, .941 SV%, 4 SO).

* Sutter registered his eighth career multi-goal game and second of the season (alsoMarch 12 vs. EDM: 2-0—2). With 21 overall goals, he matched a career high established during his sophomore campaign in 2009-10 (w/ CAR).

* The Penguins recorded their sixth consecutive victory over the Sabres dating to Oct. 5, 2013, including a sweep of their three-game season series.

. . . RANGERS COMPLETE RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore each posted 1-1—2 to lead the Rangers to their sixth victory in their final seven games of the season.

* Playing in their 89th NHL season, the Rangers (53-22-7, 113 points) established franchise records for wins and points, surpassing the previous marks set in 1993-94 (52-24-8 in 84 GP, 112 points) – when they last won the Stanley Cup.

* The Rangers (28-11-2) also led the NHL and set franchise records for road wins (28) and points (58). Per Elias, only the 2005-06 Red Wings have posted more road victories in one season (31-7-3).

* Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves to reach the 30-win milestone for ninth time in his 10 NHL seasons. Elias says he is the first goaltender in NHL history to record 30-plus victories in nine of his first 10 campaigns.

* Only three other goaltenders have registered at least nine 30-win seasons in their entire careers: Martin Brodeur (14), Patrick Roy (13) and Ed Belfour (9).

* Overall, Lundqvist went 5-1-0 in his final six starts of the season, compiling a 1.99 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in that span.

* Martin St. Louis added two assists, while Derick Brassard and Jesper Fastsupplied the other goals.

LIGHTNING, RED WINGS WIN FINALES AHEAD OF PLAYOFF MATCHUP
Both the Lightning (50-24-8, 108 points) and Red Wings (43-25-14, 100 points) picked up wins on Saturday in advance of their First Round matchup. It marks the first time these teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Bruins scored the tying goal with 1:06 remaining in regulation, but Victor Hedman potted the lone marker in the shootout to help the Lightning set franchise records in wins (50) and points (108). They also completed the season with 32 wins and 65 points at home – tops in the NHL and franchise records in both categories.

* Ben Bishop made 36 saves through overtime and denied all three shootout attempts he faced to extend his career high and franchise record with his 40th victory of the season. That includes 27 wins at home, where he had a 2.15 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts.

* Undrafted forward Jonathan Marchessault posted 1-1—2 for his first NHL goal/points. Nikita Nesterov added the other tally in regulation.

* Petr Mrazek turned aside all 35 shots he faced to earn his fifth career shutout (third this season) and help the Red Wings end the season with three wins in their final five outings (3-1-1). Detroit reached the 100-point milestone for the 19th time in franchise history and first time since posting 12 straight 100-point campaigns from 1999-00 through 2011-12.

* Landon Ferraro, the son of former NHL forward Ray Ferraro, scored his first NHL goal 48 seconds after the opening face-off. Joakim Andersson provided the other tally into an empty net.

* The Red Wings improved to 9-2-0 in their last 11 meetings with the Hurricanes dating to Dec. 9, 2007, including a sweep of their three-game season series.

DUCKS CLAIM WESTERN CONFERENCE CROWN . . .
Frederik Andersen made 23 saves to backstop the Ducks past the Coyotes and to their second consecutive Western Conference title (and second in franchise history).

* Although the Ducks (51-24-7, 109 points) tied the Blues (51-24-7, 109 points) in terms of points, Anaheim earned the top seed in the Western Conference by virtue of the ROW tiebreaker (ANA: 43, STL: 42).

* With the win, the Ducks set up a First Round date with the Jets (43-26-13, 99 points) – the No. 2 Wild Card team in the conference. It marks the first time these teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Ducks (25-12-4) finished second in the NHL in both road wins (25) and points (54), establishing franchise records in both categories. That includes four straight wins as visitors to end the season.

* Andersen completed the season with a 35-12-5 record; only Jean-Sebastien Giguere (36-10-8 in 2006-07) has posted more wins for the Ducks in one campaign.

* Ryan Getzlaf notched 1-1—2, including the first goal less than six minutes after the opening face-off. He paced the team with 25-45—70 overall, marking the fifth time he has reached the 70-point milestone (and second straight season).

* The Ducks finished the season with a 34-11-5 mark versus Western Conference opponents, the top intraconference record in the NHL. That includes an 18-6-5 clip against Pacific Division foes.

* The Ducks extended their point streak against the Coyotes to 10 games dating to Oct. 18, 2013 (8-0-2).

. . . JETS ROLL INTO PLAYOFFS ON FIVE-GAME POINT STREAK
Down 1-0 just 33 seconds after the opening face-off, the Jets scored five unanswered goals to complete the season on a five-game point streak (4-0-1).

* At 43-26-13 (99 points), the Jets set a franchise record for points in one campaign. They also equaled the club mark for wins, set in 2006-07 when they last qualified for the playoffs (43-28-11).

* Five different players accounted for the Jets’ goals: Lee Stempniak (1-1—2),Michael Frolik, Matt Halischuk, Adam Lowry and Drew Stafford.

* Stafford, who scored just 17 seconds after the Flames took the lead, posted 9-10—19 in 26 games after joining the Jets. He had 9-15—24 in 50 contests this season with the Sabres.

* DID YOU KNOW?: Via Elias, this marked the second game this season in which both teams scored in the opening minute of regulation. The other such contest: March 19, when both the Senators (Kyle Turris) and Bruins (Carl Soderberg) scored in the first minute of an eventual 6-4 Ottawa victory.

* Michael Hutchinson made 24 saves to pick up his first victory since March 7. He finished the season with 21 wins, the most by a rookie in Jets/Thrashers history and second among rookies this season (behind Jake Allen: 22).

* The Jets saw their franchise-record shutout streak end at 187:38, 35:43 better than the previous mark of 151:55 set over a four-game span from Dec. 22-28, 2005.

BLUES DEFEAT WILD IN OPENING-ROUND PREVIEW
Jori Lehtera (2-0—2) notched his second career multi-goal performance to lift the Blues past the Wild in a preview of their First Round series – the first time these clubs will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Blues finished the season with a 51-24-7 record (109 points), tied for the second-most wins in franchise history behind only last season’s squad (52-23-7, 111 points). That includes victories in five of their final six games.

* Lehtera also recorded the game-winning goal, the second such tally of his career. His other multi-goal performance and game-winning marker both came in the same contest, on Nov. 11 vs. BUF (3-0—3).

* Vladimir Tarasenko posted 1-1—2 to finish the season tied for 10th in the NHL with 37-36—73. It marked the most points by a Blues player in one campaign since 2002-03 (Pavol Demitra: 36-57—93).

* Alexander Steen (0-2—2) also registered multiple points, while Dmitrij Jaskinscored the other goal for the Blues, who snapped the Wild’s NHL record-tying road winning streak at 12 games.

* ICYMI: The Blues wore St. Louis Cardinals-themed jerseys during pregame warm-ups.

WITH HOME ICE IN HAND, CANUCKS SECURE OT VICTORY
Alexander Edler (1-2—3) recorded his second consecutive three-point performance, including the winning goal at 2:29 of overtime, to lead the Canucks to their third straight victory.

* The Canucks (48-29-5, 101 points) reached the 100-point milestone for the ninth time in franchise history (and first time since 2011-12).

* Edler also posted three points in his last outing, on Thursday vs. ARI (0-3—3). It marks the second time he has registered consecutive three-point performances, also Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, 2011 (3-3—6).

* Edler scored his first career overtime goal and second game-winner of the season (74 GP), matching his total from his first 494 career contests.

* Sven Baertschi (2-0—2) added his first career multi-goal game as well as first goals in a Canucks uniform (3 GP).

* Brothers Daniel (1-1—2) and Henrik Sedin (0-2—2) both registered multiple points. They finished first and second in team scoring with 20-56—76 and 18-55—73, respectively.

* Radim Vrbata collected two assists to set a career high in points (31-32—63), surpassing his previous best by one (35-37—62 w/ PHX in 2011-12).

* Making his first start since Feb. 22, Ryan Miller stopped 23 shots to finish the season with a 29-15-1 record (2.53 GAA, .911 SV%, 6 SO).

JAGR CONTINUES TO CLIMB THE ALL-TIME CHARTS
Jaromir Jagr posted 1-1—2, including the tiebreaking goal with 7:37 remaining in regulation, to help the Panthers close the season with a pair of victories.

* Jagr registered his 1,080th career assist to move past Adam Oates (1,079) and into sole possession of sixth place in NHL history. He also extended his NHL record with his 129th career game-winning goal.

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: 722-1,080—1,802

MOST GOALS, NHL HISTORY
1. Wayne Gretzky: 894
2. Gordie Howe: 801
3. Brett Hull: 741
4. Marcel Dionne: 731
5. Jaromir Jagr: 722

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
6. Jaromir Jagr: 1,080

* Jagr compiled 6-12—18 in 20 games with the Panthers, including seven multi-point performances (11-18—29 in 57 GP w/ NJD).

* The trio of Jonathan Huberdeau (6-15—21), Jagr (6-12—18) and Aleksander Barkov (7-8—15) combined for 19-35—54 after Jagr joined the team on Feb. 27 (20 GP).

BLUE JACKETS CLOSE SEASON ON RECORD-SETTING RUN
The Blue Jackets overcame two-goal and one-goal deficits in the third period before ultimately prevailing in a shootout in the final regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum. With the victory, Columbus set a franchise record with points in 13 consecutive games (12-0-1).

* The Blue Jackets also finished the season with franchise records in road wins (23) and points (49), surpassing the previous highs set in 2013-14 (21-17-3, 45 points).

* The Blue Jackets posted their eighth multi-goal comeback victory of the season (another franchise record).

* Curtis McElhinney made a career-high 48 saves through overtime (and also denied three attempts in the shootout). He set a personal best with 12 wins this season.

* Cam Atkinson also set a career high with his 22nd goal of the season, whileBrandon Dubinsky scored to extend his point streak to a career-high eight games (4-7—11).

* Scott Hartnell (28-32—60) registered 1-1—2, including the tying goal with 1:35remaining in regulation, to reach the 60-point milestone for the third time in his career (and first time since 2011-12 w/ PHI).

DID YOU KNOW?
For just the second time in NHL history, all 30 teams played on the final day of the regular season (also April 7, 2012).

By the Numbers:

* First Puck Drop: 12:40 p.m. ET

* End of Last Game: 12:37 a.m. ET

* First Goal of the Day: Mark Stone (OTT)

* Last Goal of the Day: Alexander Edler (VAN)

* Games: 15

* Total Minutes: 917 minutes and 29 seconds

* OT Games: 4

* Goals: 78 (5.20 per game)

LOOSE PUCKS
Islanders captain John Tavares posted 1-1—2, including his 400th NHL point, to finish the season on a six-game point streak (4-8—12) . . . Forward Jarome Iginla scored twice, including the winning goal with 32.9 seconds remaining in regulation, to power the Avalanche to their third consecutive victory. At 37 years, 284 days, Elias says Iginla became the oldest player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to lead the team in goals (29) . . . Predators forward Filip Forsberg notched his 26th goal of the season to finish one point behind the leaders in the rookie scoring race (26-37—63) . . . The Kings scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Sharks and tie a franchise record for home points in one season (25-9-7, 57 points) . . . Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his League-leading 25th power-play goal of the season, also a career high and franchise record. The last player to post that many power-play goals in one season was Teemu Selanne in 2006-07 (also w/ 25) . . . Oilers forward Benoit Pouliot registered 1-2—3 to match a career high for points in one game, last accomplished Feb. 19, 2013 vs. TOR (0-3—3 w/ TBL) . . . Flyers forward Sean Couturier collected one assist to extend his point streak to six games (2-5—7), equaling a career high also achieved Dec. 2-13 (3-4—7) . . . Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom reached the 60-assist mark for the fourth time in his career (and second straight season). He finished as the League leader in that category . . . Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf recorded his 400th NHL point . . . Maple Leafs forward Casey Bailey and Capitals forward Stanislav Galiev scored their first NHL goals . . . Flames forward Sam Bennett, the fourth overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, picked up an assist just 33 seconds into his NHL debut . . . Jets forward Andrew Copp, Flames defenseman Brett Kulak, Blackhawks defensemanMichael Paliotta, Flames defenseman John Ramage and Avalanche defensemanDuncan Siemens also made their NHL debuts . . . ICYMI: The NHL announced the top 10 communities for “Kraft Hockeyville USA.” Nearly 70% of all rinks in the U.S. were nominated . . . Providence College posted a 4-3 comeback victory to capture their first NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship . . . Claire Arbour, the wife of longtime Islanders head coach Al Arbour, dropped the ceremonial opening puck prior to the final regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum . . .Sgt. Daniel Urmanreturned home to surprise his parents at the ANA-ARI game.

thanks to the NHL PR department for the above information