* Alex Ovechkin and The Gr8 Chase nearly kickstarted a third-period comeback for Washington, but the Capitals captain netted No. 890 in a losing cause against Buffalo. Ovechkin’s 37 goals in 2024-25 are the third most by a player age 39 or older in one campaign in NHL history.
* Lane Hutson’s rookie season continued for the Canadiens with a three-assist outing as Montreal ousted the reigning Stanley Cup champions and climbed back into a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
* March will conclude with a four-game slate which features Nazem Kadri and the Flames taking on Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche on Prime Monday Night Hockey as the latter pursues his first career Art Ross Trophy.
SABRES SCORE EIGHT AGAINST CAPITALS, OVECHKIN CONTINUES GR8 CHASE
After Buffalo took at 6-3 lead, Alex Ovechkin (1-2—3) attempted to spur a late rally with his 890th career goal – five back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record – but a pair of three-point showings by Jack Quinn (1-2—3) and Alex Tuch (2-1—3) helped the Sabres to victory against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals. Buffalo scored eight goals in a game for the second time this season, which is tied with Ottawa, Washington and Winnipeg for the second most among all teams behind Tampa Bay (5x).
* Ovechkin is on the brink of becoming the 10th player in NHL history to hold the title of all-time goals leader and third in the last 61 years, following Gretzky and Gordie Howe. Gretzky was five back of passing Howe when he scored his 797th career goal on Feb. 26, 1994, while Howe moved within five of overtaking Maurice Richard when he got his 540th career goal during the season finale on March 24, 1963.
* Ovechkin scored his 37th goal of the season – tied for the sixth most in the NHL. He has a goals-per-game rate of 0.65 this season, which puts him on pace to pass Gretzky and complete The Gr8 Chase against the Islanders at UBS Arena on April 15 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). Ovechkin’s career average of 0.60 also has him tracking to break the record on the last day of the regular season at Pittsburgh on April 17 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN and SN).
* While creating a legacy on the ice, Ovechkin also is dedicated to leaving a lasting impact on childhood cancer research. From March 5, 2025, through the remainder of his career, Ovechkin will personally donate to pediatric cancer research for each goal he scores and his donations will be matched by Monumental Sports & Entertainment! Click here to help make The Gr8 Chase mean even more by joining Ovi in donating to pediatric cancer research – 100% of funds raised go to lifesaving childhood cancer research through the V Foundation and Hockey Fights Cancer. 
HUTSON CONTINUES TO SHINE AS CANADIENS CLIMB INTO WILD CARD SPOT
Lane Hutson (0-3—3) factored on three of Montreal’s four goals, including Nick Suzuki’s game winner, to help the Canadiens (34-30-9, 77 points) defeat the Panthers (44-26-3, 91 points) and leapfrog the idle Rangers (35-32-7, 77 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
* Hutson boosted his 2024-25 totals to 5-54—59 (73 GP) – the most points in a season by a rookie defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom (11-49—60 in 80 GP) in 1991-92 – and reclaimed the rookie scoring lead from Matvei Michkov (24-32—56 in 73 GP). Should he conclude the season in the top spot, Hutson would become the fourth defenseman in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to lead all rookies in points following Quinn Hughes in 2019-20, Brian Leetch in 1988-89 and Bobby Orr in 1966-67.
* Hutson also moved into a tie with Lightning captain Victor Hedman (13-46—59 in 70 GP) for fourth place in points by defensemen in 2024-25 and can become the fifth rookie defenseman in the past 50 years to finish a season top five in the League in points among blueliners. He would join Quinn Hughes (4th in 2019-20: 8-45—53), Brian Leetch (5th in 1988-89: 23-48—71), Larry Murphy (2nd in 1980-81: 16-60—76) and Ray Bourque (5th in 1979-80: 17-48—65).
KOPITAR HELPS KINGS SET FRANCHISE RECORD ON ESPN
Anze Kopitar (0-3—3) notched his 316th career multi-point game and Adrian Kempe (2-0—2) reached the 30-goal mark for the third time as the Kings (41-23-9, 91 points) benefited from an eight-goal showing to establish a franchise record for home wins in a single season (27-4-4).
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* Los Angeles opened up a two-point cushion on idle Edmonton (42-26-5, 89 points) for second place in the Pacific Division – a club trending to be its First Round opponent for the fourth time in as many postseasons. The Oilers – who have won each of the previous three playoff meetings and have done so with home-ice advantage – and Kings can become the second pair of teams in the NHL’s expansion era to meet in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four consecutive years, following the Canadiens and Bruins (4 from 1984 – 1987).
* The Kings have six games remaining at Crypto.com Arena this season. Should the franchise conclude the regular season without another regulation loss there, they would join the 1995-96 Red Wings (3), 2022-23 Bruins (4), 2019-20 Bruins (3), 2006-07 Red Wings (4), 1988-89 Flames (4) and 1984-85 Flyers (4) as the seventh team in 40 years to suffer four or fewer home regulation losses in a single campaign (min. 30 GP).
NOTABLE GOALS FEATURED IN SUNDAY EDITION OF #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Mikhail Sergachev and Sidney Crosby each found the back of the net during an eight-game Sunday to lift Utah Hockey Club and the Penguins to victory, respectively. More notes and storylines from the night can be found in the latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
* Sergachev(1-1—2) scored one of five goals in the second period and collected a primary assist on the game-winning tally as Utah improved to 18-15-5 on the road this season. Sergachev boosted his 2024-25 totals to 14-33—47 in 69 games and tied the third-highest goal total by a defenseman in their franchise’s inaugural season – an amount last reached in 1993-94.
* A scoreless game after three periods was decided by Crosby’s power-play goal in overtime as he extended a point streak to 10 games for the 12th time in his career. The Penguins captain passed Mats Sundin (96) for the 12th-most game winners in NHL history and Mike Bossy (180 w/ NYI) for the 11th most power-play markers by a player with a single franchise.
QUICK CLICKS
* Sidney Crosby gets standing ovation for clinching 20th point-per-game season
* Connor McDavid expected to return for Oilers before end of regular season
* Actor Jeremy Renner takes in Penguins game, praises Sidney Crosby as ‘legend’
* Panthers show off stylish beach outfits for arrivals
* Mascots for Devils, Duke team up for funny March Madness video
FOUR-GAME SLATE FEATURES WILD CARD PUSH, ART ROSS TROPHY RACE
The final day of March features the Wild (41-28-5, 87 points) battling the Devils (39-29-7, 85 points) on NHL Network as well as a clash between the Central Division’s third place Avalanche (45-26-3, 93 points) and the Wild Card-chasing Flames (34-26-12, 80 points) on Prime Monday Night Hockey.
* Nico Hischier and the Devils host Matt Boldy and the Wild in the second of back-to-back meetings between the two clubs after the Devils skated to victory Saturday with the help of a hat trick by Hischier. The New Jersey captain enters the contest one goal back of tying Pat Verbeek (170) for the seventh most in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history while Boldy (99) looks to become the second-fastest player in Wild history to record his first 100 NHL goals (277 GP), behind only Kirill Kaprizov (180 GP).
* As the Flames attempt to gain ground on the idle Blues (40-28-7, 87 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, Nathan MacKinnon (30-79—109 in 74 GP) will continue to make his case for the Art Ross Trophy in front of fans at Ball Arena. MacKinnon can become the 12th player in NHL history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 110 points and just the second active, following Connor McDavid (3 from 2021-22 – 2023-24)
A LOOK AHEAD TO APRIL WITH THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON THE HORIZON
The final month of the regular season begins with a slew of national games, playoff races in the Eastern and Western Conferences as well as The Gr8 Chase.
Tuesday, April 1 – Kucherov continues pursuit of another Art Ross Trophy on ESPN+
* The Lightning are within striking distance of top spot in the Atlantic Division and have benefited from the play of Nikita Kucherov (33-76—109 in 69 GP), who moved into at least a share of the NHL points lead for the first time following a four-point outing Saturday. He can become the 10th player in League history to capture the Art Ross Trophy three times, and the third born outside North America following Jaromir Jagir (5x) and Stan Mikita (4x).
Wednesday, April 2 – Alex Ovechkin takes The Gr8 Chase to venue where he was drafted
* Alex Ovechkin concluded the weekend within five goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record and will clash with the Hurricanes on TNT at Lenovo Center – a venue previously known as RBC Center and where the Capitals selected the forward with the No. 1 in the 2004 NHL Draft. He scored his first career road goal – and third career goal – against Rod Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes on Oct. 12, 2005 and later netted No. 400 on Dec. 20, 2013 at Carolina.
Wednesday, April 2 – Maple Leafs and Panthers jostle for top spot in Atlantic on Sportsnet
The Maple Leafs and Panthers meet for the first of two pivotal games in a span of six days as the two club continue to jockey for top spot in the Atlantic Division with the Stanley Cup Playoffs approaching. Florida has won four of six head-to-head meetings against Toronto since the two clubs met in the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the latter eyes just its third division crown in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44).
Thursday, April 3 – NHL Coast to Coast on Prime Video Canada features Canadiens-Bruins
A nine-game Thursday is tailored for NHL Coast to Coast on Prime Video Canada as a handful of teams are chasing down crucial points in their respective playoff pushes, including the Canadiens who conclude the 2024-25 rendition of their rivalry with the Bruins. Montreal enters the week as one of five teams that occupy a postseason position after failing to qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Saturday, April 5 – Golden Knights pursue another division title on Hockey Night in Canada
The Golden Knights travel to Calgary to take on the Flames as part of a Hockey Night in Canada slate. Vegas opens the week with a seven-point cushion on second-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division and can become the second franchise to debut in the NHL’s expansion era to secure at least four division titles within its first eight seasons (EDM: 6x).
Sunday, April 6 – Crucial clash in Central Division highlights TNT tripleheader
A showdown between the Stars and Wild highlight a TNT tripleheader as the pair teams look to gain ground on clubs higher than them in the Central Division. Dallas begins the week with an active five-game win streak and sits six points back of Winnipeg for top spot, with a game in hand, while Minnesota trails Colorado by six points for third place.
