The Senators finished the night as the latest team to clinch a spot into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will return to the postseason for the first time since 2017. * The Canadiens benefited their chances of earning a playoff berth with a sixth straight win – the franchise’s longest stretch of consecutive victories since 2016-17.
* The Canucks and Predators both earned dramatic multi-goal, third-period comeback wins as Vancouver recorded the latest three-goal comeback victory in NHL history and did so in the final minute of regulation.
* Wednesday’s five-game slate is highlighted by an NHL on TNT doubleheader, which opens with Hockey Hall of Fame sportscasting duo Sam Rosen and John Davidson reuniting in the broadcast booth.
SENATORS MAKE THEIR RETURN TO STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
After finishing 26th in the overall standings last season, the Senators (42-30-6, 90 points) will make a return to the postseason for the first time in seven years after clinching a berth into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of a Red Wings loss to the Canadiens.
* Ottawa’s last trip to the playoffs saw them triumph over Boston and New York in six games before falling to the Penguins in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. They will enter this postseason with a .579 winning percentage in Stanley Cup Playoffs overtime games, which is the fifth-highest total in NHL history.
* Brady Tkachuk is set to make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut and will do so one season after his brother, Matthew, captured his first championship in 2024 with Florida. Meanwhile, his teammate Claude Giroux leads the team with the most playoff points after collecting 28-53—81 (95 GP) through his time with the Flyers and Panthers.
CANADIENS WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT, PAD LEAD IN WILD CARD RACE
In a pivotal game against one of the teams chasing them for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, the Canadiens (39-30-9, 87 points) defeated the Red Wings (36-34-7, 79 points) to earn their sixth consecutive victory and build an eight-point buffer over Detroit, Columbus (35-33-9, 79 points) – who also earned a win Tuesday – the NY Rangers (36-34-7, 79 points) and NY Islanders (34-32-11, 79 points). Montreal also moved within three points of Ottawa (42-30-6, 90 points), which occupies Wild Card 1, with the two teams set to meet for the final time this season on Friday (7 p.m. ET on SNE, SNO, SNW, RDS).
* As has been the case throughout the six-game win streak, Montreal was buoyed by another multi-point game from captain Nick Suzuki who has recorded a point in all six contests (6-6—12 in 6 GP), Cole Caufield’s team-leading 37th goal of the season (most by a Canadiens skater since Max Pacioretty in 2014-15), and a 35-save performance from Sam Montembeault who extended his personal win streak to five contests and became the first Montreal goaltender to post a 30-win season since Carey Price in 2018-19.
CANUCKS, PREDATORS STAGE LATE MULTI-GOAL COMEBACK WINS
The Canucks and Predators both picked up overtime victories after erasing multi-goal deficits late in the third period as Tuesday became the second day in NHL history to feature multiple teams overcome a multi-goal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to win. The other was Jan. 31, 2012, when the Penguins rallied past the Maple Leafs and the Predators against the Wild.
* Facing a 5-2 deficit, the Canucks rallied to score not once, not twice, but three times in the final 53 seconds of regulation – the second-fastest three-goal burst in franchise history – to send the contest to overtime, where Kiefer Sherwood (1-0—1) found the back of the net to cap a historic comeback victory. In the process, Vancouver (36-29-13, 85 points) earned a critical two points to gain ground on idle Minnesota (42-29-7, 91 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the West, with the pair set to face off Saturday.
* Pius Suter (2-0—2) pulled Vancouver within one and then netted the tying tally 23 seconds later to record the fastest two goals by a Canucks player since Tyler Motte on March 13, 2019 (0:11). Suter became the seventh player in NHL history to score twice in the final 30 seconds of regulation, following Rickard Rakell (Feb. 25, 2018), Alexander Kerfoot (Nov. 5, 2017), Brad Stuart (April 4, 2004), Gregg Sheppard (March 9, 1975), Red Berenson (Feb. 1, 1972) and Dutch Hiller (Nov. 24, 1938).
* Ryan O’Reilly’s 300th career goal was one of Nashville’s four game-tying tallies, then Steven Stamkos (2-2—4) scored and collected a primary assist within the final three minutes of regulation to help the Predators send the game to overtime – only to collect another assist on Fedor Svechkov’s game-winning goal.
* The Predators matched a franchise benchmark for most game-tying goals in a single contest alongside Feb. 4, 2021, Oct. 10, 2019, Nov. 7, 2010 and Jan. 1, 2002. Nashville also joined Montreal (Jan. 19) as the second team with as many in a single outing in 2024-25.
PASTRNAK RECORDS NHL FIRST WITH ANOTHER 100-POINT SEASON
David Pastrnak (1-2—3) collected 1-1—2 in the first period to extend his streak of factoring on Bruins goals to 13 and then found the score sheet again in the third period to reach the 100-point mark for the third consecutive season as Boston netted a season-high seven goals against New Jersey. Pastrnak became the first Czech-born player in NHL history with three straight 100-point campaigns, ahead of Jaromir Jagr (2 from 1997-98 – 1998-99).
GOLDEN KNIGHTS CLINCH HOME ICE IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured notes on all 20 teams in action, including the Golden Knights, who secured home ice in the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after earning at least a point against the Avalanche on ESPN. Vegas opened the scoring in their contest with a shorthanded goal by William Karlsson – its franchise leader in that category. The Golden Knights have scored 67 shorthanded goals in their history, which is tied with the Rangers and Oilers for the most in the League since their inaugural season in 2017-18.
QUICK CLICKS
* 1.3 million tuned in to TNT/truTV for Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal
* Greg Millen dies at 67, ‘left an indelible mark’ on NHL as CBC, SN analyst
* Sam Rosen, John Davidson ready to reunite for one last call of Rangers game
* Shea Theodore healthy, contributing for Golden Knights after injury at 4 Nations Face-Off
* Alex Faulkner, first Newfoundland-born player in NHL history, passes away at age 88
* EDGE stats behind Quinton Byfield’s one-handed goal for Kings
WEDNESDAY OPENS WITH MAPLE LEAFS–LIGHTNING FOLLOWED BY TNT TWO-PACK
Wednesday’s slate starts with Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs (47-26-4, 98 points) visiting Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning (45-26-6, 96 points) on Sportsnet followed by an NHL on TNT doubleheader featuring Matvei Michkov and the Flyers (31-37-9, 71 points) facing Artemi Panarin and the Rangers (36-34-7, 79 points) as well as Robert Thomas and the Blues (43-29-7, 93 points) battling Evan Bouchard and the Oilers (44-28-5, 93 points).
