* Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick and moved to the brink of his NHL-record 20th career 30-goal season, while Mikael Granlund also tallied three times during the Ducks’ third-period comeback win.

* Connor McDavid reclaimed the lead in the Art Ross Trophy race in a game that saw Evan Bouchard become the sixth defenseman to reach the 20-goal mark in 2025-26 – tied for the third highest single-season total in NHL history.

* Friday features a potential First Round matchup when the Red Wings spar with the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres on NHL Network. Detroit sits three points back of the “playoff line” in the Eastern Conference.

OVECHKIN HAS 34TH CAREER HAT TRICK TO PASS HULL FOR FOURTH MOST ALL-TIME

Alex Ovechkin tallied his third goal of the game with 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation to complete his 34th career hat trick and pass Brett Hull (33) for fourth place on the NHL’s all-time list. Wayne Gretzky (50), Mario Lemieux (40) and Mike Bossy (39) round out the top three.

* Ovechkin scored his second hat trick this season (also Nov. 20, 2025) and became the third player in League history with more than one at age 40 or older, following Gordie Howe (3; Nov. 2, 1969, Feb. 16, 1969 & Feb. 6, 1969) and Johnny Bucyk (2; March 3, 1976 & Jan. 11, 1976). Ovechkin has at least one hat trick against 21 different franchises and passed Hull (20) for the most in NHL history.
 

GRANLUND CAPS COMEBACK WIN WITH BUZZER-BEATING HAT TRICK IN OVERTIME

Mikael Granlund scored two tying goals, including one in the final five minutes of regulation, before completing his hat trick with one second left in overtime to give Anaheim (41-27-4, 86 points) its League-leading 11th third-period comeback win of 2025-26 and 25th overall come-from-behind win of any fashion – the second-highest single-season total in franchise history.

* Granlund tied Peter Douris (4:59 on Nov. 17, 1995) for the latest overtime goal in Ducks history and became the sixth Anaheim player to cap a hat trick with an extra-time tally. The others are Beckett Sennecke (Jan. 25, 2026), Troy Terry (Nov. 1, 2023), Cam Fowler (Nov. 4, 2018), Hampus Lindholm (Dec. 21, 2017) and Lubomir Visnovsky (March 4, 2011).

* Granlund recorded his second hat trick since joining Anaheim this season and also recorded his second four-game goal streak with the club. He became the fifth Ducks player with multiple goal streaks of at least four games in a single season, joining Teemu Selanne (4 in 1998-99, 3 in 1996-97 & 2 in 1997-98), Terry (2 in 2021-22), Rickard Rakell (2 in 2017-18) and Corey Perry (2 in 2011-12).

McDAVID RECLAIMS ART ROSS RACE LEAD AS OILERS OUTLAST GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Connor McDavid reached the 800-assist milestone, added a goal and factored on the overtime winner as the Oilers (36-28-9, 81 points) opened a two-point lead on the Golden Knights (32-26-15, 79 points) for second place in the Pacific Division. McDavid (785 GP) became the third-fastest player in NHL history to 800 career helpers behind Wayne Gretzky (527 GP on Feb. 6, 1986) and Mario Lemieux (661 GP on March 26, 1996), the latter of whom hit the mark exactly 30 years before McDavid.

* McDavid reached 121 points on the season to reclaim the Art Ross Trophy race lead from Nikita Kucherov (121) by virtue of having more goals. McDavid hit 41 on the campaign to pass Kucherov (40) for third place in the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race which is led by Nathan MacKinnon (48), who tallied twice in the League-leading Avalanche’s win Thursday.



Kings, Kraken close gap on “playoff line” in Western Conference
The Kings (29-25-18, 76 points) and Kraken (32-29-10, 74 points) earned wins to climb within one and three points, respectively, of the Predators (34-29-9, 77 points) – who occupy the Western Conference’s final Wild Card spot and fell to the Devils on Thursday.

* Darcy Kuemper (19 saves) recorded his 11th career shutout with Los Angeles to surpass Kelly Hrudey as well as Stephane Fiset for fifth most in franchise history, while Quinton Byfield (1-1—2) joined Adrian Kempe (4 GP in 2025-26) as the second Kings player in the past 30 years to record multiple points in four straight road games.

* Brandon Montour (2-0—2) scored twice, including netting the winner in overtime, to help the Kraken survive a Lightning rally. Montour had a 101.56 mph blast at 8:37 of the third period according to NHL EDGE, which marked his second 100+ mph shot this season (also 101.38 mph on Feb. 26).
 

Canadiens, Penguins AND ISLANDERS IGNITED BY ROOKIES, VETERANS IN victories

The Canadiens inched closer to second place in the Atlantic Division, the Penguins climbed the Metropolitan Division and the Islanders reclaimed the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot after spending two days outside of the playoff picture.

* Zachary Bolduc (1-1—2) buried the winner to snap a 31-game goal drought and Jakub Dobes (25 saves) delivered his 24th victory of the season – most among all rookies – as the Canadiens (40-21-10, 90 points) opened a two-point lead on the idle Bruins (40-24-8, 88 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division. Dobes’ 24 wins on the campaign tied Carey Price (24 in 2007-08) for the seventh highest single-season total by a rookie in franchise history.
 

* Erik Karlsson (1-2—3) put up another three-point performance as the Penguins (36-20-16, 88 points) earned a shootout victory against his former team in Ottawa and leapfrogged the Blue Jackets (38-23-11, 87 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division standings. Karlsson recorded his third consecutive road game with three or more points – tied for the second-longest stretch by a defenseman in NHL history – and also surpassed former Senators captain and teammate Daniel Alfredsson (713) for the fifth-most assists by a Swedish player in NHL history.

* Matthew Schaefer (0-2—2) factored on both New York goals to record his 53rd and 54th points of the season, matching Denis Potvin (54 in 1973-74) for the second most in a campaign by an Islanders rookie defenseman behind Stefan Persson (56 in 1977-78). The Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points) overtook the Senators (38-24-10, 86 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the East, while elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers (35-24-12, 82 points) stayed within five points of the “playoff line” with a win.

ERIKSSON EK’S LATE GO-AHEAD GOAL FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
After Marcus Foligno opened the scoring in his return to the lineup – and his first game as teammates with his brother Nick – the Panthers pulled even in the third period, but Joel Eriksson Ek found the back of the net with just five seconds remaining in regulation (59:55) to move the Wild (41-20-12, 94 points) within three points of the Stars (43-18-11, 97 points) for second place in the Central Division. Click here to read more #NHLStats from across the 13-game slate in Live Updates.

QUICK CLICKS

* Jake Neighbours promotes Blues, Penguins game in ASL

* Matt Savoie welcomes new role with Connor McDavid on Oilers’ top line
* 2026 NHL Draft notebook: Tobias Trejbal developed ‘unflappability’ with Youngstown

ATLANTIC DIVISION ADVERSARIES MEET IN POTENTIAL FIRST ROUND PREVIEW

The Atlantic Division-leading Sabres (44-20-8, 96 points) welcome the Red Wings (38-25-8, 84 points) to KeyBank Center as the latter looks to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture after spending 123 game days in that position in 2025-26. Buffalo and Detroit, which last made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010-11 and 2015-16, could meet in the First Round should the Red Wings overtake the Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points) and Senators (38-24-10, 86 points) in the East’s crowded Wild Card race.

* The Sabres are among the NHL’s leaders in goals per game at home in 2025-26 (3.57 G/GP) – the franchise’s third highest in one season since 1994-95 (3.93 in 2006-07 & 3.68 in 2005-06) – and have done so with the aid of Tage Thompson (36-38—74 in 72 GP).

* Another American star suits up on the visiting side as Dylan Larkin (29-27—56 in 64 GP) leads Detroit’s playoff push. Larkin sits one goal shy of becoming the fifth player in franchise history with six career 30-goal seasons alongside Gordie Howe (14), Steve Yzerman (11), Sergei Fedorov (9) and Brendan Shanahan (7).

FINAL “HOCKEY DAY” OF SEASON APPROACHING IN KUOPIO, FINLAND
Saturday marks the last of four “Hockey Day” celebrations in Europe this season – the most ever – when the Islanders host the Panthers (1 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CET) as part of the two-day event hosted in Kuopio, Finland (March 27-28). Finland has made up at least 5% of NHL players for eight consecutive seasons (2018-19 to 2025-26) after never exceeding 4% across the first 100 campaigns in League history. The all-time high is 6% (2020-21, 2021-22 & 2024-25).

* Earlier this month, the NHL announced a pair of events in Finland and Germany next season as part of the 2026 Global Series in Helsinki (Nov. 12-14) and Düsseldorf (Dec. 18-20), respectively. As part of its commitment to best-on-best international hockey, the NHL will also return to Czechia, which hosted a “Hockey Day” this season, as part of the World Cup of Hockey which will take place in February 2028 and feature seven games at the O2 Arena in Prague with the remainder being split between Calgary and Edmonton.

* Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and the Bruins beat the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres, who earned a point to tie the idle Hurricanes for the most in the Eastern Conference.

* John Tavares scored the game-winning goal to help the Maple Leafs stave off a Rangers rally and climb the franchise’s all-time list.

* The Rush to the Playoffs continues tonight with a 13-game slate highlighted by a potential First Round matchup on ESPN, Sportsnet ONE and TVA Sports.
 

BOSTON BEATS BUFFALO, INCHES CLOSER TO THIRD PLACE IN Atlantic division

Casey Mittelstadt tallied the tying goal against his former team and Pavel Zacha zipped the overtime winner into the Sabres’ net as the Bruins (40-24-8, 88 points) strengthened their grip on the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card spot. Boston tied the point total of idle Montreal (39-21-10, 88 points), which occupies third place in the Atlantic Division by virtue of holding two games in hand.

* David Pastrnak (1-2—3) pocketed three points and extended his scoring streak to 11 games, which marks the longest active run in the NHL. He needs one tally to record his ninth career 30-goal season and pass Phil Esposito as well as Rick Middleton (both w/ 8) for the most in franchise history.



TAVARES, ZIBANEJAD CLIMB FRANCHISE LISTS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a pair of veterans climbing franchise all-time lists as John Tavares (1-0—1) scored the game-winning goal to lift the Maple Leafs to victory over the Rangers after Mika Zibanejad (2-0—2) scored twice to lead a multi-goal rally.



* Zibanejad (282) surpassed Adam Graves (280) for fourth place on the Rangers’ all-time goals list. He also recorded his 42nd career multi-goal game with New York and tied Camille Henry for the sixth most in franchise history.

NHL to Celebrate Blues’ ASL Awareness Night with Alternate Telecast

The NHL and P‑X‑P will produce a special alternate telecast as part of the Blues’ ASL Awareness Night on April 14. Designed specifically for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, NHL in ASL will feature real-time play‑by‑play and color commentary delivered entirely in American Sign Language (ASL). Available in the U.S. to stream exclusively on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers, the three-time Sports Emmy-nominated broadcast will feature Jason Altmann, Chief Operating Officer of P‑X‑P, alongside co‑host Jeff Mansfield.

* A first-of-its-kind production, NHL in ASL has given Deaf fans unprecedented access to the energy and drama of NHL action, delivering ASL-driven coverage at the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Winter Classic and the NHL Stadium Series since 2024. The NHL’s partnership with P-X-P, established in 2022, has been instrumental in expanding accessibility support services across League events. This will be the first broadcast dedicated to a Club regional game.

* Exclusive NHL in ASL merchandise is also available for fans on shop.nhl.com.

QUICK CLICKS

* Carter Yakemchuk makes immediate impact for Senators in NHL debut
* NHL EDGE stats behind debuts for Anton Frondell, Carter Yakemchuk
* Victor Hedman takes temporary leave from Lightning for personal reasons
* NCAA Tournament players to watch include Gavin McKenna, Jake Livanavage
* Sabres fans give Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancée, Carolina, warm ovation during 1st game back in Buffalo
 

PACIFIC DIVISION SHOWDOWN, PLAYOFF RACES HIGHLIGHT 13-GAME THURSDAY
Standings implications are on the line when the Oilers and Golden Knights face off in a Pacific Division duel on ESPN and Sportsnet ONE, while several other teams fighting for playoff spots hit the ice Thursday, including the Predators, who have surged into a Wild Card position thanks to a five-game winning streak.
 

* The Oilers (35-28-9, 79 points) and Golden Knights (32-26-14, 78 points) collide in the third of four meetings this season as the clubs jostle for second place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton has won four straight games against Vegas dating to Dec. 14, 2024, and can become the fourth team to win five straight versus the Golden Knights since they joined the NHL in 2017-18, following the Jets (5 GP from 2019-20 – 2021-22), Wild (5 GP in 2020-21) and Bruins (5 GP from 2017-18 – 2019-20).

* Connor McDavid scored twice to hit the 400-goal and 1,200-point milestones Tuesday and has his sights set on yet another benchmark Thursday, sitting two points shy of his fourth career 120-point campaign. The Oilers captain can become the ninth player in NHL history with at least four 120-point seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (14), Mario Lemieux (8), Marcel Dionne (6), Phil Esposito (6), Guy Lafleur (5), Nikita Kucherov (4), Jaromir Jagr (4), and Bobby Orr (4).

* The Predators enter Thursday on a five-game winning streak, the longest active run in the NHL, as they look to win six straight for the first time in exactly two years (6 GP from March 13-26, 2024). Nashville, which was 11 points out of a playoff spot on Nov. 25, has catapulted into the second Wild Card spot in the West thanks in part to the resurgence of Steven Stamkos, who can become the first player in franchise history to record a four-game goal streak at age 35 or older.

* The Blue Jackets and Canadiens, who occupy second and third place in their respective division, go head-to-head with crucial standings points on the line and a pair of defensemen on the brink of personal plateaus. Zach Werenski (21-56—77 in 64 GP) can become the third American defenseman in NHL history to post consecutive 80-point seasons, following Phil Housley (2 from 1991-92 – 1992-93) and Brian Leetch (2 from 1990-91 – 1991-92), while Lane Hutson (11-58—69 in 70 GP) can become the fourth different Canadiens blueliner to post a 70-point campaign alongside Larry Robinson (3x; most: 85 in 1976-77), Guy Lapointe (2x; most: 76 in 1976-77) and Chris Chelios (73 in 1988-89).

* Seven teams surrounding the Eastern Conference Wild Card race are separated by four points or fewer, with five of those clubs hitting the ice tonight and four of them going head-to-head (CBJ-MTL & PIT-OTT). Since March 16, four different teams have occupied the second Wild Card spot: Detroit (5 days), Ottawa (2 days), NY Islanders (2 days) and Boston (1 day).