* With a five-point game, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moved within four of his first 100-point season as Edmonton can now become the 14th team in NHL history to have three or more players reach the century mark in a campaign – only two of those instances have occurred since the start of the 1990s, both achieved by the Penguins (4 in 1992-93 & 3 in 1995-96).
* The Rush to the Playoffs escalated Tuesday as both the Flames and Predators earned pivotal wins to move within two and three points, respectively, of the Jets for the final Wild card spot in the Western Conference.
* The Penguins’ three-goal comeback was stymied by the Red Wings, preventing Pittsburgh from two points to set the stage for the Eastern Conference Wild Card race to take focus Wednesday on TNT, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Meanwhile, first place in the Central Division can change hands once again Wednesday when the Avalanche battle the Wild on a national telecast in the U.S. and Canada.
NUGENT-HOPKINS POSTS FIVE-POINT NIGHT FOR OILERS ON HULU, ESPN+, TVAS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1-4—5) matched a career high for points in a game when he factored on five of seven Edmonton goals – reaching the 60-assist mark and extending his point streak to nine contests in the process – while Connor McDavid (0-3—3) surpassed 70 road points to help the Oilers (43-23-9, 95 points) defeat the Golden Knights (46-22-6, 98 points) and make ground on first place in the Pacific Division.
* Nugent-Hopkins (35-61—96 in 75 GP) joined McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as Edmonton’s third 60-assist player this season. The last campaign to feature three Oilers skaters hit the mark was 1985-86 (Wayne Gretzky: 163, Paul Coffey: 90 & Jari Kurri: 63).
* Nugent-Hopkins now sits four points shy of his first 100-point season and can become the sixth player in NHL history to reach the milestone for the first time in his 12th campaign or later. He would join Gordie Howe (23rd season, 1968-69), Johnny Bucyk (16th season, 1970-71), Steven Stamkos (14th season, 2021-22), Jean Ratelle (12th season, 1971-72) and Bobby Hull (12th season, 1968-69).
RUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS CONTINUES FOR PREDATORS, FLAMES
Both the Flames and Predators earned pivotal wins to inch closer to the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference:
* Andrew Mangiapane and Walker Duehr scored both of Calgary’s goals to help the Flames (34-26-15, 83 points) move within two points of the Jets (41-31-3, 85 points), who suffered a loss Tuesday, for the Western Conference’s final Wild Card position. Calgary has collected at least a point in nine of its last 12 games (7-3-2 dating to March 6).
* Juuse Saros made 35 saves to backstop the Predators past the Bruins, halting Boston’s ability to clinch the Presidents’ Trophy on Tuesday. Nashville (37-28-8, 82 points) moved within three points of the Jets for a postseason position, while holding two games in hand over Winnipeg.
RANGERS CHASE HOME ICE ADVANTAGE A DAY AFTER CLICHING POSTEASON BERTH
A day after his team qualified for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Mika Zibanejad (1-1—2) recorded his 80th point of 2022-23 by combining on a goal with Artemi Panarin (1-1—2), who already reached the mark this season. New York (44-20-10, 98 points) now sits two points back of New Jersey (46-20-8, 100 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division as the two teams continue to jockey for home-ice advantage in the First Round. The Rangers sit five points back of the Hurricanes (47-17-9, 103 points) for top spot in the division.
POINT APPROACHES FIRST 50-GOAL SEASON AS COOPER HITS 10 YEARS BEHIND BENCH
Brayden Point tallied 2-1—3 to move within three of his first career 50-goal season – and the first by a Lightning player in more than a decade – to help the Lightning avoid their longest losing streak since 2012-13. Tampa Bay (0-4-0 entering Tuesday) have not had a losing streak longer than four games during Jon Cooper’s tenure as head coach – which began with his first contest behind the bench exactly 10 years ago today.
CANUCKS, BLUES FEATURED INSIDE #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
An 11-goal game between the Blues and Canucks, which ended in a St. Louis overtime win, found its way into the Tuesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
* Jakub Vrana (2-0—2) scored his first overtime goal in a Blues uniform to help his club improve to 5-1-1 since March 17 and outlast the Canucks in an 11-goal showdown. The contest also saw Elias Pettersson (0-2—2) extend his overall and road point streaks to 13 games, Quinn Hughes (2-1—3) climb into sole possession of seventh place in career points among Canucks defensemen and Andrei Kuzmenko (2-0—2) post the highest single-season point total by a Vancouver player in his first NHL campaign.
QUICK CLICKS
* Jonathan Toews could be facing ‘last few weeks here’ with Blackhawks
* Predators, Bruins wear helmet decals to honor victims of shooting
* Islanders’ Cup-winning goal photo from 1980 most special to Bruce Bennett
* Mailbag: Lane Lambert‘s impact with Islanders; Central Division race
EAST WILD CARD RACE, BATTLE FOR CENTRAL DIVISION CROWN FRONT AND CENTER
The Rush to the Playoffs stays in high gear Wednesday, with every team in action part of the picture entering the final 17 days of the regular season. Hitting the ice for the first time since clinching a spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs (44-20-9, 97 points) will continue their push for home ice when they welcome last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners on Sportsnet. The Panthers (36-31-7, 79 points) are embroiled in a Wild Card race that currently is led by the Islanders (38-28-9, 85 points), who will open a doubleheader against the Capitals (34-32-8, 76 points) on TNT.
* The marquee race in the Western Conference is in the Central Division where the Wild (43-22-9, 95 points), Avalanche (44-23-6, 94 points) and Stars (40-20-14, 94 points) are separated by one point in the battle for first place. Colorado could overtake Minnesota for the top spot when they play the nightcap on TNT, Sportsnet One and TVA Sports.
Tonight’s individual storylines include: Toronto’s Mitchell Marner riding a 10-game point streak as he closes in on a 30-goal and 100-point season; Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk sitting three away from consecutive 100-point seasons; New York’s Brock Nelson approaching his first career 70-point campaign; Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on a six-game point streak; Minnesota’s Matt Boldy with 11 goals in nine games; and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon ranking eighth in League scoring despite playing in at least nine fewer games than the rest of the top 10. Dive into Wednesday’s #NHLStats: Live Updates for details.
