NHL Short Notes

* The Panthers moved into a playoff position for the first time in nearly a month as Aleksander Barkov took sole possession of the franchise’s all-time lead in points.

* In his first career game as a starter, Ottawa’s Dylan Ferguson stopped 48 of 49 shots he faced and recorded the second-highest save total on record by a goaltender in their first NHL start.

* The Kings erupted for eight goals for the second time this season and gained ground on the Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division standings

* Tonight’s slate is highlighted by the Hurricanes hoping to hit the 100-point mark when they take on the Rangers, who enter play having scored 15 unanswered goals dating to last week.

PANTHERS GRAB PLAYOFF SPOT AS BARKOV BECOMES FRANCHISE’S POINTS LEADER
Aleksander Barkov (238-376—614 in 652 GP) assisted on the game-winning goal to pass former teammate Jonathan Huberdeau (198-415—613 in 671 GP) for sole possession of the most points in franchise history and help the Panthers (36-27-7, 79 points) leapfrog the Penguins (34-26-10, 78 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Florida, which extended its point streak to seven contests (6-0-1), occupies a playoff spot for the first time since entering play on Feb. 23.

* Pittsburgh fell to Ottawa, which received a 48-save effort from Dylan Ferguson in the first start of his NHL career. He became the fourth NHL goaltender with 48 in his first career win (since 1955-56 when shots on goal were officially tracked), joining Andrei Trefilov (52 on Jan. 5, 1994), Bob Janecyk (48 on Feb. 29, 1984) and Ken Wregget (48 on Dec. 8, 1983).

TRIO OF WESTERN CONFERENCE CLUBS PICK UP WINS MONDAY
A trio of teams looking to secure their playoff spot in the tight Western Conference standings each picked up crucial wins Monday.

* Adrian Kempe (2-1—3) and Carl Grundstrom (2-0—2) both found the back of the net twice as Los Angeles erupted for eight goals for the second time this season (8 on Nov. 29 vs. SEA), extending its overall point streak to 10 games (8-0-2) and its home point streak to 11 outings (9-0-2). The Kings (41-20-10, 92 points) moved into a tie in standing points with the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights (43-21-6, 92 points) – Vegas, which is in action Tuesday, holds a game in hand.

* The Oilers found themselves down 4-3 heading into the third period, but Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2) factored on the tying goal for his 200th career multi-point game before Darnell Nurse (1-0—1) completed the comeback with his fourth career overtime tally – the most by a defenseman in franchise history – to help Edmonton (40-23-8, 88 points) keep pace with Los Angeles for second in the Pacific Division standings.

* Mikko Rantanen (1-1—2) factored on two of his team’s five goals and Alexandar Georgiev turned aside all 27 shots he faced as the Avalanche (41-22-6, 88 points) blanked the Blackhawks to extend their win streak to six games and move ahead of the idle Wild (40-22-88, 88 points) for second place in the Central Division, with a game in hand. Rantanen’s goal marked his 47th of the season, the most by an Avalanche player since Milan Hejduk had 50 in 2002-03.

NIETO’S CHARITY WORK ON WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY

On World Down Syndrome Day, we take a look at Avalanche forward Matt Nieto, whose sister Erin has Down syndrome and autism. The pair have a special relationship, with Erin being his biggest fan. Despite being Non-Verbal, Erin can say about 20 words including Matt’s number, 83 – one of the reasons it’s important for him to be able to keep his number regardless of the team he is playing on. The foundation of Matt’s passion to give back is his commitment to diversity, inclusion and support of persons with disabilities.

QUICK CLICKS

* #NHLStats: Live Updates – March 20, 2023
* Mika Zibanejad, Cale Makar and Jeremy Swayman named NHL's "Three Stars" of the week

* Alex Ovechkin to be honored by Capitals for passing Howe on NHL goals list

* Zdeno Chara announces he will run Boston Marathon next month
* John Paddock talks expected 2023 NHL Draft top pick Connor Bedard in Q&A with NHL.com

13-GAME TUESDAY HEADLINED BY HURRICANES-RANGERS ON BROADWAY
Tuesday’s 13-game slate is highlighted by the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes (45-15-8, 98 points) visiting the third-place Rangers (41-19-10, 92 points) at Madison Square Garden as well as the Islanders (36-27-8, 80 points) hosting the Maple Leafs (42-18-9, 93 points) at UBS Arena on Hulu, ESPN+ and TVA Sports.

* Carolina can reach the 100-point mark for a second straight season and third time in franchise history. The Hurricanes, who will play their 69th game of the season Tuesday, would require their fewest contests to hit the milestone – they needed 71 to reach a triple-digit point total in both 2021-22 (46-17-8, 100 points) and 2005-06 (47-18-6, 100 points).

* New York enters play with two straight shutout wins and 15 unanswered goals dating to its 3-2 tally versus Pittsburgh on March 16. The Rangers can become the first team to score 16 or more unanswered goals since the Penguins potted 18 in a row across four games from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4, 2014.

DUNN, HEISKANEN SET TO PUT POINT STREAKS ON THE LINE IN FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND GAMESeattle’s Vince Dunn (4-13—17 in 12 GP) and Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen (3-14—17 in 10 GP) will go head-to-head during the first game in NHL history to feature multiple defensemen with a double-digit point streak (as opponents or teammates).

* Dunn can move within one game of matching the longest point streak by a blueliner this season, set by San Jose’s Erik Karlsson from Dec. 3, 2022 to Jan. 6, 2023 (2-20—22 in 14 GP). Heiskanen can equal the Stars/North Stars franchise record for lengthiest by a defenseman, a mark held by Craig Hartsburg from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15, 1986 (4-14—18 in 11 GP).

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.

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