. . . BOEDKER LIFTS AVALANCHE BACK INTO POSTSEASON PICTURE
Mikkel Boedker (2-0—2) posted his fourth multi-goal game of the season – and first with Colorado – to power the Avalanche to their fourth victory in their past six games and back into the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

* The Avalanche, who moved one point ahead of Minnesota, face the Wild once more in their remaining 11 games: March 26 at Pepsi Center. Minnesota has won three of their first four head-to-head matchups this season (MIN: 3-0-1, COL: 1-3-0).

* Boedker, who has 3-2—5 in seven games since joining the Avalanche, picked up his 15th career game-winning goal (452 GP) and career-high fifth of the season (69 GP).

AROUND THE RINKS
* Kevin Klein (2-0—2) recorded his first career multi-goal performance (555 GP) to lift the Rangers back into second place in the Metropolitan Division with a victory in the opener of their three-game swing through California. Klein also posted his 10th career game-winning goal, eight of which have come in the past two seasons (122 GP).

* Michael Frolik (1-2—3) notched his second consecutive three-point game – also Monday vs. STL (3-0—3) – to power the Flames past the Jets, his former team, and to a 4-1-1 record in their last six outings. Joe Colborne (1-1—2), Mark Giordano (1-1—2) and Mikael Backlund (0-2—2) also collected multiple points in the victory.

* Mark Letestu (2-1—3) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2-0—2) each scored twice to help the Oilers snap an eight-game skid in their head-to-head series with the Blues. Letestu posted his second career three-point game (also April 21, 2013 at SJS: 2-1—3 w/ CBJ), while Nugent-Hopkins registered his first goals since Dec. 14 (18 GP).

* The Sabres tied the game midway through the third period, but Paul Byron scored at 3:15 of overtime to lead the Canadiens to their third victory in their past five contests. Byron notched his fourth career game-winning goal, two of which have come this season (also Jan. 1 at BOS), and first in overtime.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla (0-1—1) recorded his 1,268th career point (608-660—1,268) to move past Jean Ratelle (491-776—1,267) and into sole possession of 36th place in NHL history.

* Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn, a fifth-round selection (128th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2008 NHL Draft, scored his first career goal (47 GP).

* Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk played in his 400th NHL game.

* Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin (0-1—1), a third-round selection (66th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, made his League debut.

LOOSE PUCKS
The Ducks suffered their first regulation loss at home since Jan. 17 (9-0-1) . . . Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (0-1—1), who holds a 13-point lead in the Art Ross Trophy race, reached the 90-point milestone for the first time (38-52—90) . . . Oilers forward Connor McDavid (0-2—2) shares second place in the NHL with 9-17—26 in 23 games since returning from injury on Feb. 2 . . . Blues captain David Backes (2-0—2) registered his third multi-goal game of the season . . . Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty(0-1—1) extended his point streak to six games (1-7—8), while teammate Ben Scrivensmade a season-high 41 saves . . . The Oilers (4-for-6) scored four power-play goals in one game for the first time since Jan. 28, 2013 vs. COL (4-for-6) . . . Brothers Dougieand Freddie Hamilton (CGY) played on the same team for the first time in the NHL . . . ICYMI: GoPro released the latest video in its NHL After Dark series, featuring Flyers captain Claude Giroux.

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Minnesota @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m., FS-N, MSG
Carolina @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., FS-CR, ROOT
Detroit @ Columbus, 7:00 p.m., FS-D, FS-O
Florida @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m., TVAS, FS-F, SNO
NY Islanders @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., SN360, MSG+, FS-TN
Tampa Bay @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., SUN, FS-SW
San Jose @ Arizona, 10:00 p.m., CSN-CA, FS-A+
NY Rangers @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., NHLN-US, SN360, SNE, SNO, MSG, FS-W
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2014 STANLEY CUP FINALISTS MEET IN LOS ANGELES
The Rangers (40-23-7, 87 points) continue their three-game California road trip when they visit the Pacific Division-leading Kings (42-22-5, 89 points) at STAPLES Center. Los Angeles has won two of the three meetings between these clubs since defeating New York in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final (LAK: 2-1-0, NYR: 1-1-1). That includes a come-from-behind victory in their first matchup of the season on Feb. 12, when Anze Kopitar (3-0—3) tied the game with 29.7 seconds left in regulation and Tanner Pearson scored at 3:10 of overtime to lift the Kings to a 5-4 win at Madison Square Garden. Overall, Los Angeles is 4-0-1 in its past five contests, while New York is 3-2-1 in its last six.

the information above was supplied by the NHL PR department