Cale Makar capped his three-point game with the overtime winner and helped the Avalanche earn the victory over his former teammate Mikko Rantanen and the Stars.
* Jordan Kyrou (0-3—3) registered his second three-point game in as many days en route to leading the Blues to a seven-goal outing as they inched closer to a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
* A five-game slate to begin the week is highlighted by a couple of Canadian clubs colliding on Prime Monday Night Hockey when the Flames visit the Maple Leafs.
MAKAR’S OVERTIME MAGIC LIFTS AVALANCHE PAST RANTANEN, STARS
Mikko Rantanen (0-1—1) collected his 400th career assist just 4:10 into his return to Ball Arena as a member of the Stars before Dallas tallied twice in a span of 20 seconds to erase a multi-goal, third-period deficit, but Cale Makar (1-2—3) scored his 25th goal of the season 34 seconds into overtime to lift the Avalanche (41-24-3, 85 points) to victory in a potential First Round matchup in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* Makar posted three or more points in a game for the seventh time this season – a total he has reached in two other campaigns (11 in 2023-24 & 7 in 2022-23). He is one of nine defensemen in NHL history to achieve the feat in three or more separate campaigns and first since Brian Leetch (8 in 1991-92, 7 in 2000-01 & 1995-96).
* Makar (111-303—414 in 383 GP; 1.08 P/GP) is one of four blueliners in NHL history to average at least one point per game in his career (min. 100 GP). The others: Bobby Orr (1.39 P/GP), Harry Cameron (1.10 P/GP) and Paul Coffey (1.09 P/GP).
ICYMI: Another one of Rantanen’s longtime teammates had a monumental moment Sunday as 2024-25 Art Ross Trophy race leader Nathan MacKinnon was celebrated in a pre-game ceremony for reaching the 1,000-point milestone on March 10 and was presented a traditional gold stick to commemorate the achievement by Gabriel Landeskog. MacKinnon finished the contest with a primary assist on Makar’s game-winning goal and extended his home point streak to 21 contests.
KYROU HELPS BLUES SCORE SEVEN, INCH CLOSER TO WILD CARD POSITION. . .
Jordan Kyrou (0-3—3) followed up his hat trick Saturday with another three-point outing as he led a balanced St. Louis offense that scored seven goals – including two in the opening 1:30 – and saw 14 players find the score sheet. With the win, the Blues (33-28-7, 73 points) moved into a tie in terms of standing points with Vancouver (31-25-11, 73 points), which holds the second Wild Card spot in the West.
* Kyrou collected his first assist of the night on the first of two Blues goals in the opening 90 seconds of the contest – the fastest two tallies to begin a game by any team this season. He was one of 12 forwards to record a point Sunday, which marked just the second game in the past 25 years to feature all 12 St. Louis forwards find the score sheet (also March 30, 2011:10-3 W at DET).
. . .WHILE RED WINGS, ISLANDERS, UTAH ALSO GAIN GROUND IN WILD CARD RACES
The Red Wings and Islanders earned two valuable points apiece to gain ground in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race while Utah Hockey Club also moved closer to the playoff line in the West.
* Patrick Kane (0-1—1) assisted on the last of three unanswered Detroit goals and Petr Mrazek (18 saves) posted his first shutout with the franchise since Jan. 22, 2018 as the Red Wings (32-29-6, 70 points) moved within two points of the Rangers (33-29-6, 72 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Kane (53-85—138 in 143 GP) owns the most career playoff games, goals, assists and points among players on Detroit’s active roster as the Red Wings eye a postseason berth for the first time since 2015-16. Mrazek also blanked the Lightning in Game 3 of the 2016 First Round and backstopped the franchise to its most recent playoff win.
* The Islanders (30-28-8, 68 points) scored four unanswered goals in the final frame, including two in 17 seconds from Maxim Tsyplakov (1-0—1) and Noah Dobson (1-0—1), to earn their second multi-goal, third-period comeback win of the season (also Nov. 5, 2024) and move within four points of the playoff line in the East. Dobson notched his 47th career goal and passed Jean Potvin for sixth most by an Islanders defenseman, while his 11th career game-winning goal also passed teammate Ryan Pulock for third most among blueliners.
* Logan Cooley (1-0—1) accounted for one of his team’s three goals and helped Utah (30-26-11, 71 points) move within two points of the playoff line in the West. Cooley improved his 2024-25 totals to 18-30—48 (60 GP) – only five players have recorded more points at age 20 or younger in a franchise’s inaugural campaign: Wayne Gretzky (137 w/ EDM), Gilbert Perreault (72 w/ BUF), Pat Falloon (59 w/ SJS), Dale Tallon (56 w/ VAN) and Michel Goulet (54 w/ QUE).
DRAISAITL, McDAVID EXTEND STREAKS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Sunday edition of NHL Stats: Live Updates featured notes on players from all 14 teams in action, including Leon Draisaitl (0-1—1) and Connor McDavid (1-0—1), who both extended their point streaks to 18 and 11 games, respectively. The Oilers captain recorded his ninth straight 25-goal season in the process, while Draisaitl became the first Edmonton player with an 18-game run since Wayne Gretzky in 1986-87 (19 GP).
QUICK CLICKS
* Blues wear Brayden Schenn jerseys during warmups to celebrate 1,000-game milestone
* Mikko Rantanen savors ‘very special moment’ in return to Colorado with Stars
* Patrick Kane still performing at high level for Red Wings after hip surgery
* Rick Nash gifts Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen signed jersey before final game in Columbus
* Ducks meet young cancer patient after seeing heartwarming sign
CANADIAN CLUBS READY TO COLLIDE ON PRIME MONDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
The Maple Leafs (39-24-3, 81 points) and Flames (30-24-11, 71 points) are right in the mix to participate in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as Toronto finds itself among three teams separated by four points atop the Atlantic Division standings while Calgary sits right outside the second Wild Card position in the Western Conference and owns two games in hand on its occupant, Vancouver (31-25-11, 73 points).
* Toronto, with five straight wins against Calgary dating to Dec. 10, 2022, has its sights set on a ninth consecutive postseason berth dating to 2016-17. Only four Canadian franchises have secured nine or more straight playoff appearances in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68): Montreal (24 from 1970-71 – 1993-94), Edmonton (13 from 1979-80 – 1991-92), Ottawa (11 from 1996-97 – 2007-08) and Calgary (11 from 1980-81 – 1990-91).
* Five Canadian teams currently occupy a playoff spot, with one of either the Flames or Canucks inhabiting the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference every day since Dec. 23; the Canadiens (32-27-7, 71 points) are also within striking distance of the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference and trail the Rangers by one point. Only four seasons since 1994-95 have featured five or more Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: 2016-17 (5), 2014-15 (5), 2003-04 (5) and 1995-96 (5).
WEEK AHEAD FEATURES MORE NATIONAL GAMES
Other national broadcasts to look forward to during the week ahead:
Tuesday, March 18 – Draisaitl eyes fourth career 50-goal season on ESPN
* Leon Draisaitl (49-52—101 in 67 GP) reached the 100-point mark on March 14 and now has his sights on becoming the third Oilers player with four career 50-goal seasons when Edmonton hosts Utah. Draisaitl can become the fifth player since 1999-00 to score 50 goals in 68 games or fewer (Auston Matthews: 2x; fewest: 54 GP in 2023-24, Zach Hyman: 68 GP in 2023-24, Connor McDavid: 61 GP in 2022-23 & Pavel Bure: 63 in 1999-00).
Tuesday, March 18 – The Gr8 Chase highlights Capitals vs. Red Wings on TVA Sports
* Alex Ovechkin (887) begins the week within eight goals of passing Wayne Gretzky (894) and establishing a new NHL goals record. The Capitals captain has developed ties to the Red Wings throughout his 20 NHL seasons and has since claimed the League benchmark for career goals with one franchise, ahead of Gordie Howe (786 w/ DET) and Steve Yzerman (692 w/ DET).
Wednesday, March 19 – MacKinnon continues 120-point pace on TNT, Max and Sportsnet
* Nathan MacKinnon, on pace for 124 points in 2024-25, continues a pursuit toward his first Art Ross Trophy during national broadcasts across the United States and Canada when his Avalanche begin a three-game Canadian road trip in Toronto. The NHL can feature at least one 120-point scorer in at least four consecutive seasons since a stretch of 26 straight campaigns from 1968-69 to 1993-94.
Saturday, March 22 – Vegas vies for another division crown on ABC and ESPN+
* Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights, who have sat atop the Pacific Division since Feb. 22 and 113 days overall this season, enter the week with a four-point cushion on the second-place Oilers. Among franchises to debut in the NHL’s expansion era, Vegas can become the second to finish atop their division at least four times through their first eight campaigns, following Edmonton (6x).
Saturday, March 22 – Streaking Senators close out week vs. Devils on Hockey Night in Canada
* Linus Ullmark and the Senators (36-25-5, 77 points) enter the week with six straight wins and a 7-0-1 record in their past eight contests, but their third and final game of this seven-day stretch features a showdown with Jesper Bratt and the Devils (36-26-6, 78 points) – one of four matchups on the Hockey Night in Canada slate
