A new points king, and some concerns for the Kings
With two goals on Saturday, Connor McDavid might just pull off an impressive-yet-depressing feat: winning the Art Ross Trophy and then sitting at home after his team misses the playoffs. He now has 96 points on the season, one more than Nikita Kucherov.
That nice output helped the Edmonton Oilers upset the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in regulation. With this result, the idle Anaheim Ducks hopped into the third spot in the Pacific, while wins for the Avalanche and Blues force Los Angeles out of the wild-card spots, too. More on that here.
Here’s the goal that gave McDavid the lead, at least briefly:
If nothing else, McDavid might generate two 100-point seasons in a row.
Players of the Night
- Nicklas Backstrom was dishing out some great passes in Washington’s 6-4 win against Montreal. His four-assist night is quite the accomplishment, though you could argue that it isn’t all that rare for the slick Swede.
Nicklas Backstrom of the @Capitals recorded the 11th four-assist game of his NHL career, the most among active players. #NHLStats #WSHvsMTL pic.twitter.com/FJXhIhLBY8
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 25, 2018
- Vincent Trocheck generated a clutch performance for the Panthers, collecting two goals and an assist during a third period rally that saw them avoid being spoiled by the Arizona Coyotes. Keith Kinkaid generated back-to-back wins for the Devils, with 35 of 36 saves coming in a tight win against the Lightning. This post has more on what all of that means for the playoff races.
- Alexandar Georgiev getting more reps is one of the silver linings of the Rangers roughing it through the end of the regular season. He’s now 4-3-1, yet with a strong .926 save percentage after making 43 out of 44 saves in a win against the Sabres on Saturday.
An ovation for Karlsson
The fans in Ottawa gave Erik Karlsson a heartwarming ovation during his return to the Senators lineup following the death of his infant son. Karlsson collected an assist in Ottawa’s loss.
Courageous fight
Brenden Dillon probably gets the W in this jarringly aggressive fight, but give Garnet Hathaway credit for rallying back in the end, and merely for dropping the gloves against a larger competitor. Wow.
Holy Smokes that was a great fight!!! #Hathaway #Dillon #CGYvsSJS #Flames pic.twitter.com/rbqeOX2c0C
— Bella Bee (@SmileyYYC) March 24, 2018
Highlights
Leafs great Borje Salming enjoyed himself during Toronto’s win, including this patently weird moment.
When you see yourself on the big screen. pic.twitter.com/E9Bo1q7X8m
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 25, 2018
Fantastic save by Jake Allen, who helped the Blues thwart the Blue Jackets in a big game.
.@34jallen makes the glove save. pic.twitter.com/ckiBQye9YA
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 24, 2018
Carl Soderberg finished quite the sequence for Colorado’s only actual goal before the Avs edged Vegas in a shootout.
Soderberg roofs it. pic.twitter.com/mlUQBU3JHq
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 24, 2018
More Factoids
Year after year, Bruce Boudreau churns out regular-season wins. Maybe one of these days he’ll enjoy more postseason success? (It certainly wouldn’t be easy this year, but still.)
500 wins ain't no joke.
— NHL (@NHL) March 25, 2018
Congrats to Bruce Boudreau on the milestone! #NHLMilestones pic.twitter.com/4h6AWR7Gze
Clayton Keller might need to practice Teemu Selanne’s sniping goal celebration at this rate.
Clayton Keller is the second rookie in @ArizonaCoyotes / Jets franchise history to record multiple point streaks of at least eight games in a season, joining Teemu Selanne in 1992-93 (3x). #NHLStats #ARIvsFLA pic.twitter.com/SYuQRK4Aws
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 25, 2018
Not bad for a team that’s been without Auston Matthews for big chunk of the season.
With tonight’s win, the @MapleLeafs have tied single-season franchise records for wins (45) and home wins (26). #TMLtalk
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) March 25, 2018
Scores
Avalanche 2, Golden Knights 1 (SO)
Sharks 5, Flames 1
Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 3
Capitals 6, Canadiens 4
Hurricanes 5, Senators 2
Panthers 4, Coyotes 2
Devils 2, Lightning 1
Blackhawks 3, Islanders 1
Rangers 5, Sabres 1
Blues 2, Blue Jackets 1
Wild 4, Predators 1
Oilers 3, Kings 2
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.