* Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy both reached the 40-goal mark in a Minnesota win that clinched their spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after the Hurricanes also secured a postseason berth for the eighth consecutive year.
* Wild Card and divisional races in the Atlantic and Pacific continued to heat up as teams look to secure the 12 remaining spots in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* A Sportsnet doubleheader features a pair of pivotal matchups as the Flyers continue to chase a Wild Card position in the East when they face the Islanders and the Blues look to inch closer to a playoff position when they clash with the Ducks.
WILD CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT IN HUGHES’ FIRST GAME AGAINST FORMER CLUB
Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild are officially back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year as they aim to cap their 25th anniversary season with the franchise’s first championship. Minnesota leads all clubs in playoff appearances since 2012-13 but seeks its first series win since 2015. The clinch came during the same game in which Quinn Hughes faced his former team for the first time since the blockbuster trade in December. Hughes, who has won at least one round in each of his first two trips to the postseason, has sparked a Wild offense that now has the most lethal power play in club history (24.8%; 1st) and one of its best offenses overall (3.24 G/GP; 2nd).
* Kaprizov reached the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in his career and tied Nikita Kucherov for the third most by an active player born outside North America. He now trails only Alex Ovechkin (14) and Leon Draisaitl (6).
* Kaprizov wasn’t the only one to reach the 40-goal mark as his teammate Matt Boldy hit it earlier in the night and became the fourth different player in Wild history to do so – the franchise’s first season to feature multiple 40-goal scorers. The duo marked the first time in 31 years a pair of teammates reached the benchmark in the same game, following Theo Fleury and Robert Reichel with Calgary on April 13, 1994.
* Click here for more #NHLStats on the Wild and all teams heading to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
carolina clinches franchise-record eighth consecutive playoff appearance
Logan Stankoven (2-0—2), Sebastian Aho (0-2—2) and Taylor Hall (0-2—2) had multiple points as the Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes (48-21-6, 102 points) clinched their franchise-record eighth consecutive playoff appearance by virtue of defeating the Blue Jackets in any fashion. Carolina can become the third team in NHL history with at least one series win in eight straight postseasons, following Montreal (10 from 1984-93 & 10 from 1951-60) and Philadelphia (9 from 1973-81).
* Aho is the franchise’s all-time leader in each playoff scoring category. He can become the fifth player in NHL history with 10-plus points in eight consecutive postseasons, following Wayne Gretzky (11 from 1981-91), Mark Messier (10 from 1983-92), Brad Marchand (8 from 2018-25) and Bernie Geoffrion (8 from 1953-60).
CANADIENS, LIGHTNING EARN WINS TO KEEP ATLANTIC DIVISION TIGHT
The Canadiens (44-21-10, 98 points) and Lightning (47-22-6, 100 points) both earned wins Thursday – for Montreal, it meant moving within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division, while for Tampa Bay it meant moving past Buffalo (46-22-8, 100 points) for that position.
* Cole Caufield scored two of his club’s three goals to move within one of becoming the Canadiens’ first 50-goal scorer since 1989-90 and helped Montreal extend its winning streak to seven games – its longest run since 2016-17 (8 GP from Oct. 18 to Nov. 2, 2016). Caufield moved up a number of franchise lists, including tying the second-most game-winning goals in a season (12), trailing only Guy Lafleur (13 in 1978-79). He also recorded his 12th multi-goal outing of 2025-26, which tied the fifth most in a campaign in franchise history. The last Canadiens player with that many in a season was Stephane Richer (12 in 1989-90).
* Nikita Kucherov (1-2—3) factored on three goals and Anthony Cirelli (3-0—3) netted a hat trick as the Lightning (47-22-6, 100 points) defeated the Penguins (38-22-16, 92 points) to reach 100 points on the season – the fourth time in franchise history they have reached the mark in 75 games or fewer (also 63 GP in 2018-19, 69 GP in 2017-18 & 75 GP in 2021-22). Kucherov recorded his 19th three-point game of the season and climbed an elite list of players born outside North America while also moving within two points of Connor McDavid (126) for first place in the Art Ross Trophy race.
SENATORS, RED WINGS IMPROVE POSITIONING IN EAST’S WILD CARD RACE
The Senators (39-26-10, 88 points) and Red Wings (40-27-8, 88 points) both earned crucial points – for Ottawa against a Buffalo team on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth and for Detroit against a Philadelphia roster they entered Thursday’s game tied in terms of standings points with. The Senators surpassed the Blue Jackets (38-26-12, 88 points) for the second Wild Card spot, while the Red Wings are now tied in terms of points with Ottawa but sit outside the playoff line due to the regulation wins tie breaker.
* Shane Pinto scored the last of Ottawa’s four straight goals to help the Senators move back into a playoff position and earn their 18th comeback win of 2025-26 – only four campaigns have featured more: 2011-12 (22), 2002-03 (22), 2014-15 (20) and 2009-10 (20). Pinto became the Senators’ fifth 20-goal scorer of the season, which is tied for their second most behind 2022-23 and 2005-06 (both w/ 6).
* Patrick Kane’s three-point night saw him pass Brett Hull (1,391) for the most points by an American in NHL history (1,393), tie Brad Marchand (85) for the sixth-most game-winning goals among active players and tie Evgeni Malkin (175) for the fifth-most multi-assist outings by an active skater. Kane is looking to bring the Red Wings back into the postseason for the first time since 2015-16 – one season removed from when he won his third Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks.
MARNER’S HAT TRICK HELPS GOLDEN KNIGHTS CLOSE GAP FOR FIRST IN PACIFIC…
Mitch Marner (3-2—5) factored on all three of the Golden Knights’ tying goals in the second period before adding two more points in the third period and capping his night with his first hat trick in a Vegas sweater. The win helped the Golden Knights (34-26-16, 84 points) inch closer to the idle Ducks (41-29-5, 87 points) for first in the Pacific Division.
* Marner matched the Golden Knights record for most points in a game, tying Mark Stone (2-3—5 on Feb. 6, 2020 & 0-5—5 on March 1, 2021) and Tomas Hertl (2-3—5 on Jan 11, 2026). His six career five-point games are the fifth most among all skaters since his debut season in 2016-17, trailing Connor McDavid (12), Nathan MacKinnon (11), Nikita Kucherov (9) and Leon Draisaitl (7).
* Marner’s five-point night started with two goals – his 25th multi-point game of the season – and ended with him becoming the 10th player in Golden Knights history with a hat trick. The forward boosted his 2025-26 totals to 23-53—76 and passed Jonathan Marchessault (75 in 2017-18) for the second-most points by a skater in their first season with Vegas, behind only William Karlsson (78 in 2017-18).
… WHILE ANOTHER PAIR OF PACIFIC DIVISION CLUBS ALSO PICKED UP WINS
The Oilers (39-28-9, 87 points) picked up two points as they continue to chase the Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, while the Sharks (36-31-7, 79 points) earned a regulation win to move back into a playoff position.
* Evan Bouchard (0-1—1) factored on the game-winning goal to help the Oilers earn their fifth consecutive win and move into a tie with the idle Ducks for the most standing points in the Pacific Division – Anaheim has the tiebreaker with a game in hand. Bouchard, who leads all defensemen in points this season, recorded his 67th assist of 2025-26 and matched Paul Coffey (67 in 1982-83) for the fourth most in a season by a blueliner in Oilers history.
* Michael Misa (0-1—1) factored on one of his team’s four goals to lift the Sharks to victory over the Maple Leafs and move them past the Kings (30-26-19, 79 points) for the second Wild Card spot. The Sharks’ young stars have played a key role in their rise from last place in the standings in 2024-25 to playoff contention in 2025-26, with Misa’s assist marking the club’s 135th point from players age 19 or younger this season, which is the sixth most in a single campaign in NHL history behind the Oilers in 1979-80 (170), Sabres in 1982-83 (165), Penguins in 2006-07 (164) and 1984-85 (147) as well as the Oilers in 1980-81 (137).
FIVE-POINT efforts BY HUGHES, BRATT FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Thursday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the 14-game slate, including Jack Hughes (2-3—5) and Jesper Bratt (1-4—5) becoming the first Devils teammates in more than 23 years to each record five points during the same contest.
QUICK CLICKS
* Kings celebrate Anze Kopitar’s franchise points record with special pregame ceremony
* Max Plante, Eric Pohlkamp, T.J. Hughes named Hobey Baker finalists
* 2026 NHL Draft Diary: Tynan Lawrence
* Longtime NHL player agent Jay Grossman remembered as friend to clients
* Women in Hockey: Katelyn Parker, Seattle Kraken Player Development Consultant
Doubleheader on Sportsnet, TVA Sports features pair of pivotal matchups
Friday’s two-game slate features a pair of pivotal intraconference matchups when the Flyers (37-26-12, 86 points) face the Islanders (42-29-5, 89 points) followed by the Blues (31-31-12, 74 points) battling the Pacific Division-leading Ducks (41-29-5, 87 points). Both contests are available on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.
WEEKLY PODCAST ROUNDUP
* NHL Fantasy on Ice (April 2): Porter Martone’s debut; Celebrini for MVP?
* NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers (April 2): Kevin Weekes Joins; Torts in Vegas
* Never Offside with Julie and Cat (April 1): Colleen Smith joins; Hockey Mom Life
* NHL @TheRink (April 1): Chris Pronger joins; Changes in Toronto & Vegas, Ovi Nets 30
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 1): Doug MacLean on Maple Leafs shakeup
* La Tasse de Café LNH (April 1): Les Maple Leafs devront s’inspirer des Canadiens
* NHL Fantasy on Ice (March 30): Fantasy playoff pickups; Tortorella joins Golden Knights
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (March 30): Colin Campbell, NHL SVP Hockey Ops
