* The Oilers, Maple Leafs and Lightning all clinched a berth into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, leaving just five more spots up for grabs – two in the East and three in the West – with 13 days left in the regular season.
* Connor McDavid became the fifth active player with eight-plus 30-goal campaigns, while teammate Leon Draisaitl joined a group of six other skaters this season to have reached the century mark for points.
* Playoff races take center stage during the second-last Saturday of the regular season as all eight First Round matchups remain uncertain.
McDAVID, DRAISAITL PROPEL OILERS INTO 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Connor McDavid (2-0—2) and Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2) surpassed the 30-goal and 100-point mark, respectively, to propel the Oilers (45-24-5, 95 points) into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They became the 20th team in NHL history – and 12th in the past 30 years – to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs after facing a standings deficit of 10-plus points behind the lowest-ranked playoff team. Edmonton’s largest deficit was 10 points at U.S. Thanksgiving but they now own a fifth consecutive postseason berth.
* McDavid (29-46—75 in 49 GP) and Draisaitl (31-46—77 in 49 GP) will enter Game 1 already as two of four players in NHL history with 75-plus points through their first 50 career playoff games – Wayne Gretzky (35-69—104) and Mario Lemieux (46-55—101) are the others. Click here for more on Edmonton’s clinch.
* McDavid (31-97—128 in 73 GP) – who continued his pursuit of Nikita Kucherov (43-90—133 in 75 GP) and the NHL scoring lead – became the fourth player in Oilers history to record eight straight 30-goal seasons. The Oilers captain also became the fifth active player with eight 30-goal campaigns overall, joining Alex Ovechkin (17), Sidney Crosby (12), Auston Matthews (8) and Steven Stamkos (8).
* Draisaitl (39-62—101 in 75 GP) became the seventh player this season to reach the 100-point mark and tied Mark Messier (5) for the fourth-most 100-point campaigns in Oilers history. He trails Gretzky (9), McDavid (7) and Jari Kurri (6).
MAPLE LEAFS, LIGHTNING ALSO LOCK UP BERTHS IN 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS The idle Maple Leafs (43-23-9, 95 points) clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of the Flyers losing to the Sabres and the Capitals losing to the Hurricanes in regulation, while the Lightning (43-26-7, 93 points) also punched their ticket to the postseason thanks to the Capitals, Red Wings and Flyers all losing in regulation.
* Nikita Kucherov (53-107—160 in 142 GP) enters the postseason tied for the 22nd-most playoff points in NHL history as Tampa Bay aims to become the first team to capture three Stanley Cups in a five-year span since Edmonton did so within four years from 1987 to 1990. Click here to read more.
RANGERS, HURRICANES EARN COMEBACK WINS, REMAIN FIVE POINTS APART IN DIVISION
The Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (52-21-4, 108 points) rallied past the Red Wings, while the second-place Hurricanes (48-22-7, 103 points) had a come-from-behind victory against the Capitals to keep pace:
* Chris Kreider scored the game-winning goal to help the Rangers complete their 26th comeback win of the season and tied the Avalanche for the most among all teams. It marked the 108th power-play goal of Kreider’s career, matching Rod Gilbert for second most in franchise history behind only Camille Henry (116).
* Jake Guentzel scored the first and last of Carolina’s four unanswered goals and assisted on the winner by Sebastian Aho as the Hurricanes rallied past the Capitals. Guentzel (5-15—20 in 13 GP) became the second-fastest player to reach 20 career points with the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise behind Hartford’s John Anderson (10 GP in 1985-86).
COYOTES STUN GOLDEN KNIGHTS WITH SIX STRAIGHT GOALS Michael Carcone (2-0—2), Josh Doan (1-0—1), Nick Bjugstad (1-0—1), Josh Brown (1-0—1) and Logan Cooley (1-0—1) combined for six straight goals in the third period to help the Coyotes stun the Golden Knights and record their second three-goal, third-period comeback win of 2023-24 (also Dec. 27) – the most among all teams. This marked the first time in franchise history they’ve done so multiple times in a campaign while Arizona became the first club with multiple such victories in a season since Florida in 2021-22 (2).
* Arizona’s first three third-period goals were scored in 1:07, marking the fourth-fastest three tallies in franchise history and fastest since the club relocated in 1996-97. Their six goals came in a span of 9:06, marking the fastest six in the third period by any team since Oct. 30, 1988. Coincidentally, it was the original Jets (who later relocated to Arizona) that did so (8:14 vs. LAK).
* The Coyotes matched their franchise record for most goals in a period – a feat they last achieved on March 28, 2013 (6 in P1 at NSH). They also scored six consecutivetallies in the third period for the second time in franchise history, along with the aforementioned Oct. 30, 1988.
SABRES CONTINUE PLAYOFF PUSH IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES Friday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the six-game slate, including Tage Thompson (6-3—9 in 4 GP) tallying his sixth goal over the last four games to help the Sabres (37-35-5, 79 points) move within four points of the Flyers (36-30-11, 83 points). Philadelphia now occupies the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot, with Buffalo’s victory vaulting the idle Islanders (34-27-15, 83 points) into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
SATURDAY FULL OF KEY GAMES TWO WEEKS BEFORE START OF PLAYOFFS The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in exactly two weeks (Saturday, April 20) and almost all of Saturday’s 11 games, including multiple national contests on ABC, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, have implications on the playoff races and potential First Round matchups. Eleven of 16 postseason spots have been secured while all eight First Round matchups are still to be decided.
* A tightly-contested race in the Eastern Conference includes the Metropolitan Division’s third-place Islanders (34-27-15, 83 points) and second Wild Card team, the Flyers (36-30-11, 83 points), trying to fend off the Capitals (36-30-10, 82 points), Red Wings (37-31-8, 82 points), Penguins (35-30-11, 81 points) and Sabres (37-35-5, 79 points) in what is shaping up to be a six-team race for two playoff spots. The Flyers, Islanders and Penguins are all in action Saturday.
* The Pacific Division-leading Canucks (47-21-8, 102 points) visit the Kings (40-25-11, 91 points), who hold the second Wild Card position, in a preview of what could be a First Round matchup. The Canucks and Kings were last in the same postseason in 2013 and most recently faced each other in a playoff series in the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals (LAK: 4-1 W) on Los Angeles’ road to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Kings could overtake the Pacific Division’s third-place Golden Knights (42-26-8, 92 points) on Saturday.
* While the Lightning (43-26-7, 93 points) can’t overtake the Maple Leafs (43-23-9, 95 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division on Saturday, they could match Toronto’s point total with a win over the Penguins and a Maple Leafs regulation loss to the Canadiens. Toronto and Tampa Bay will face off in each team’s season finale on Wednesday, April 17 (TNT, Max, SN, TVAS).
BLACKHAWKS CELEBRATE TOMMY HAWK’S BIRTHDAY WITH ANIMATED TELECAST The Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago, in collaboration with the NHL, will bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast. The alternate presentation of the Blackhawks-Stars game will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on NHL.com and NHL Network in the United States, and on NBC Sports Chicago Plus (NBCSCH+) in the local market.
* An animated broadcast for all ages, the presentation will feature real-time volumetric animation of the Blackhawks and Stars players and include a celebration of ‘Tommy Hawk’s Birthday Party’ with some surprise visits from Tommy’s friends.
McDAVID, DRAISAITL PROPEL OILERS INTO 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Connor McDavid (2-0—2) and Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2) surpassed the 30-goal and 100-point mark, respectively, to propel the Oilers (45-24-5, 95 points) into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They became the 20th team in NHL history – and 12th in the past 30 years – to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs after facing a standings deficit of 10-plus points behind the lowest-ranked playoff team. Edmonton’s largest deficit was 10 points at U.S. Thanksgiving but they now own a fifth consecutive postseason berth.
* McDavid (29-46—75 in 49 GP) and Draisaitl (31-46—77 in 49 GP) will enter Game 1 already as two of four players in NHL history with 75-plus points through their first 50 career playoff games – Wayne Gretzky (35-69—104) and Mario Lemieux (46-55—101) are the others. Click here for more on Edmonton’s clinch.
* McDavid (31-97—128 in 73 GP) – who continued his pursuit of Nikita Kucherov (43-90—133 in 75 GP) and the NHL scoring lead – became the fourth player in Oilers history to record eight straight 30-goal seasons. The Oilers captain also became the fifth active player with eight 30-goal campaigns overall, joining Alex Ovechkin (17), Sidney Crosby (12), Auston Matthews (8) and Steven Stamkos (8).
* Draisaitl (39-62—101 in 75 GP) became the seventh player this season to reach the 100-point mark and tied Mark Messier (5) for the fourth-most 100-point campaigns in Oilers history. He trails Gretzky (9), McDavid (7) and Jari Kurri (6).
MAPLE LEAFS, LIGHTNING ALSO LOCK UP BERTHS IN 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS The idle Maple Leafs (43-23-9, 95 points) clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of the Flyers losing to the Sabres and the Capitals losing to the Hurricanes in regulation, while the Lightning (43-26-7, 93 points) also punched their ticket to the postseason thanks to the Capitals, Red Wings and Flyers all losing in regulation.
* Nikita Kucherov (53-107—160 in 142 GP) enters the postseason tied for the 22nd-most playoff points in NHL history as Tampa Bay aims to become the first team to capture three Stanley Cups in a five-year span since Edmonton did so within four years from 1987 to 1990. Click here to read more.
RANGERS, HURRICANES EARN COMEBACK WINS, REMAIN FIVE POINTS APART IN DIVISION
The Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (52-21-4, 108 points) rallied past the Red Wings, while the second-place Hurricanes (48-22-7, 103 points) had a come-from-behind victory against the Capitals to keep pace:
* Chris Kreider scored the game-winning goal to help the Rangers complete their 26th comeback win of the season and tied the Avalanche for the most among all teams. It marked the 108th power-play goal of Kreider’s career, matching Rod Gilbert for second most in franchise history behind only Camille Henry (116).
* Jake Guentzel scored the first and last of Carolina’s four unanswered goals and assisted on the winner by Sebastian Aho as the Hurricanes rallied past the Capitals. Guentzel (5-15—20 in 13 GP) became the second-fastest player to reach 20 career points with the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise behind Hartford’s John Anderson (10 GP in 1985-86).
COYOTES STUN GOLDEN KNIGHTS WITH SIX STRAIGHT GOALS Michael Carcone (2-0—2), Josh Doan (1-0—1), Nick Bjugstad (1-0—1), Josh Brown (1-0—1) and Logan Cooley (1-0—1) combined for six straight goals in the third period to help the Coyotes stun the Golden Knights and record their second three-goal, third-period comeback win of 2023-24 (also Dec. 27) – the most among all teams. This marked the first time in franchise history they’ve done so multiple times in a campaign while Arizona became the first club with multiple such victories in a season since Florida in 2021-22 (2).
* Arizona’s first three third-period goals were scored in 1:07, marking the fourth-fastest three tallies in franchise history and fastest since the club relocated in 1996-97. Their six goals came in a span of 9:06, marking the fastest six in the third period by any team since Oct. 30, 1988. Coincidentally, it was the original Jets (who later relocated to Arizona) that did so (8:14 vs. LAK).
* The Coyotes matched their franchise record for most goals in a period – a feat they last achieved on March 28, 2013 (6 in P1 at NSH). They also scored six consecutivetallies in the third period for the second time in franchise history, along with the aforementioned Oct. 30, 1988.
SABRES CONTINUE PLAYOFF PUSH IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES Friday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the six-game slate, including Tage Thompson (6-3—9 in 4 GP) tallying his sixth goal over the last four games to help the Sabres (37-35-5, 79 points) move within four points of the Flyers (36-30-11, 83 points). Philadelphia now occupies the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot, with Buffalo’s victory vaulting the idle Islanders (34-27-15, 83 points) into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
SATURDAY FULL OF KEY GAMES TWO WEEKS BEFORE START OF PLAYOFFS The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in exactly two weeks (Saturday, April 20) and almost all of Saturday’s 11 games, including multiple national contests on ABC, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, have implications on the playoff races and potential First Round matchups. Eleven of 16 postseason spots have been secured while all eight First Round matchups are still to be decided.
* A tightly-contested race in the Eastern Conference includes the Metropolitan Division’s third-place Islanders (34-27-15, 83 points) and second Wild Card team, the Flyers (36-30-11, 83 points), trying to fend off the Capitals (36-30-10, 82 points), Red Wings (37-31-8, 82 points), Penguins (35-30-11, 81 points) and Sabres (37-35-5, 79 points) in what is shaping up to be a six-team race for two playoff spots. The Flyers, Islanders and Penguins are all in action Saturday.
* The Pacific Division-leading Canucks (47-21-8, 102 points) visit the Kings (40-25-11, 91 points), who hold the second Wild Card position, in a preview of what could be a First Round matchup. The Canucks and Kings were last in the same postseason in 2013 and most recently faced each other in a playoff series in the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals (LAK: 4-1 W) on Los Angeles’ road to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Kings could overtake the Pacific Division’s third-place Golden Knights (42-26-8, 92 points) on Saturday.
* While the Lightning (43-26-7, 93 points) can’t overtake the Maple Leafs (43-23-9, 95 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division on Saturday, they could match Toronto’s point total with a win over the Penguins and a Maple Leafs regulation loss to the Canadiens. Toronto and Tampa Bay will face off in each team’s season finale on Wednesday, April 17 (TNT, Max, SN, TVAS).
BLACKHAWKS CELEBRATE TOMMY HAWK’S BIRTHDAY WITH ANIMATED TELECAST The Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago, in collaboration with the NHL, will bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast. The alternate presentation of the Blackhawks-Stars game will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on NHL.com and NHL Network in the United States, and on NBC Sports Chicago Plus (NBCSCH+) in the local market.
* An animated broadcast for all ages, the presentation will feature real-time volumetric animation of the Blackhawks and Stars players and include a celebration of ‘Tommy Hawk’s Birthday Party’ with some surprise visits from Tommy’s friends.
Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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