NHL NEWS APRIL 1, 2023 – ROBERTSON BOOSTS DALLAS’ PLAYOFF PUSH WITH 100TH CAREER GOAL

Jason Robertson (1-3—4) notched his second career four-point game to help the Stars (41-20-14, 96 points) move within one point of the idle Wild (44-22-9, 97 points) for top spot in the Central Division. Robertson (42-53—95 in 75 GP), closing in on 100 points in 2022-23, netted his 100th career goal in only his 203rd outing.

• Friday marked his 10th game with three or more points this season. The only players with more are Connor McDavid (21 GP), Leon Draisaitl (14 GP), Matthew Tkachuk (13 GP GP), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (12 GP), Nikita Kucherov (11 GP) and Tage Thompson (11 GP).
• Meanwhile, Miro Heiskanen (0-3—3) recorded his 16th multi-assist game of the season and concluded the month of March with 4-19—23 (15 GP) – surpassing Craig Hartsburg (3-17—20 in Jan. 1982) for the most points in a month by a Stars/North Stars defenseman. His 23 points tied John Carlson (23 in Oct. 2019) for the second most in a calendar month among active defensemen and trails only Roman Josi (28 in March 2022).

LEVI’S 31-SAVE NHL DEBUT KEEPS BUFFALO IN THE HUNT FOR A WILD CARD SPOT

Devon Levi backstopped the Sabres with a 31-save performance in his NHL debut – which saw the 21-year-old make 19 of those in the third period – to help Buffalo withstand a New York comeback while also keeping its playoff hopes alive. The victory propelled the Sabres (79 points, 74 GP) to within five points of the Penguins (84 points, 75 GP) for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and within eight of the Islanders (87 points, 76 GP), who occupy the first Wild Card position.

• Levi matched the third-most saves by a rookie goaltender in a single period for the Sabres (since 1997-98 when saves by period began being tracked). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (21 in P3, Dec. 19, 2022) and Ryan Miller (20 in P1, March 18, 2006) are the only ones with more.
• Buffalo plays six of its remaining eight games on the road, including a tilt in Florida (38-31-7, 83 points) on April 4 – the team one spot ahead of them in the Wild Card race. The Sabres own a .643 point percentage as visitors this season – the fifth highest among all Eastern Conference teams behind the Bruins (.757), Devils (.757), Hurricanes (.694) and Rangers (.671) – all of whom having already clinched a spot in the postseason.

WEST’S WILD CARD HOPEFULS SECURE CRUCIAL WINS

The race for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference failed to produce any additional clarity Friday after the Jets (42-31-3, 87 points) and Flames (35-26-15, 85 points) each picked up victories. Calgary trails Winnipeg by two points, with each club holding six games left in the regular-season schedule – including a crucial head-to-head meeting on April 5 at Canada Life Centre.

• Winnipeg netted six goals at Canada Life Centre thanks in part to multi-point performances by seven different players – including Mark Scheifele (1-1—2), who set a single-season career high for goals and moved within one of becoming the sixth player in Jets/Thrashers history to record a 40-goal campaign and second in as many seasons (Kyle Connor: 47 in 2021-22).
• The Flames overcame 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits before Tyler Toffoli (2-0—2) scored with 1:33 remaining in overtime to lift Calgary to its third straight win. The Flames recorded the NHL’s 138th multi-goal comeback win of the season, tying 2018-19 for the most in a single campaign in League history.

PAIR OF POTENTIAL PLAYOFF MATCHUPS HIGHLIGHT 13-GAME SATURDAY

The second-last Saturday of the 2022-23 season features 13 games, including two that would be First Round matchups should the Stanley Cup Playoffs start Saturday – the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins (58-12-5, 121 points) clash with the Penguins (37-28-10, 84 points) on ABC, ESPN+, and Sportsnet One, before the second-seeded Stars (41-20-14, 96 points) visit the third-seeded Avalanche (44-24-6, 94 points) in a Central Division clash.

• David Pastrnak (53-46—99 in 75 GP) is leading the charge for the Bruins and enters Saturday one point shy of becoming the fifth player to reach the 100-point mark in 2022-23 and just the third Bruins skater in the past 20 years.
• Pastrnak can also become just the seventh active skater with 50-plus goals and 100-plus points in a single campaign – he would join Alex Ovechkin (4x, last: 2009-10), Leon Draisaitl (2x, last: 2021-22), Connor McDavid (2022-23), Auston Matthews (2021-22), Evgeni Malkin (2011-12) and Sidney Crosby (2009-10).
• The Avalanche will contest their second game against a divisional opponent in as many games after facing the Central Division-leading Wild on Wednesday. Colorado will have the opportunity to move within one point of Minnesota for first, with the Wild also in action Saturday. The Avalanche’s 25 wins since Jan. 1 – when they sat outside a playoff position – trail only the Bruins for the most among all teams, while the Wild have 23 through that span and Dallas has 18.
• Mikko Rantanen (48-40—88 in 74 GP) sits one multi-goal game – something he has done nine times this season – away from becoming the third player to reach the 50-goal mark this season and the first Avalanche player to do so in exactly 20 years.

Oilers’ Skinner Named NHL ‘Rookie of the Month’ for March

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who led the entire NHL (rookies and veterans) with 10 wins in 12 games (10-1-1, 2.83 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO), has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for March.

Skinner edged Arizona Coyotes left wing Matias Maccelli (6-7—13 in 16 GP), Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka (3-8—11 in 13 GP), Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (7-3—10 in 15 GP), Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (5-4—9 in 15 GP) and Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (5-2—7 in 9 GP) for the honor.

Skinner set a franchise record for wins in a calendar month by a rookie or veteran, besting the previous high of nine established by Andy Moog in January 1983 (9-1-2 in 12 GP) and matched by Grant Fuhr in December 1988 (9-3-1 in 13 GP), Tommy Salo in March 2003 (9-3-1 in 13 GP) and Mike Smith in April 2022 (9-0-0 in 9 GP).

Skinner, who in February became the second rookie netminder in Edmonton history to play in the All-Star Game (following Fuhr in 1982), became the first rookie goaltender on any team to outright lead the League in wins during a calendar month since February 2019, when Jordan Binnington did so with the St. Louis Blues (10-1-0 in 11 GP).

Skinner, who made at least 25 saves in 10 of his 12 March appearances, capped the month with 43 stops March 30 vs. LAK for his second career shutout (and first of 2022-23). Only three other netminders, rookie or veteran, in Oilers history have recorded as many saves in a regular-season shutout: Ben Scrivens (59 SV; Jan. 29, 2014 vs. SJS), Curtis Joseph (52 SV; Dec. 10, 1996 at DET) and Nikolai Khabibulin (43 SV; March 26, 2013 at STL).

The 24-year-old Skinner, a third-round pick (78th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, owns a 25-14-5 record with a 2.88 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 46 total contests this season. His 25 wins are the second-most by an Edmonton rookie in a single campaign, behind Fuhr’s 28 in 1981-82 (48 GP), as well as the most by a rookie on any team since Matt Murray earned 32 in 2016-17 (49 GP w/ PIT).

Skinner is the first Oilers player to receive “Rookie of the Month” honors since current teammate Connor McDavid won the award three times in 2015-16 (October, February and March). He is the fifth straight goaltender to claim the honor this season, following Logan Thompson (VGK) in November, Pyotr Kochetkov (CAR) in December, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) in January and Mads Sogaard (OTT) in February.

McDavid, Draisaitl and Keller Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for March

Edmonton Oilers teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of March.

FIRST STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS

McDavid, the League’s “First Star” for the second straight month and third time overall in 2022-23 (also October), topped the NHL with 11-18—29 in 15 contests to lift the Oilers (44-23-9, 97 points) into second place in the Pacific Division on the strength of a League-best 12-2-1 March, setting and matching franchise records for wins and points in a calendar month, respectively. McDavid, who also ranked among the top March performers in power-play points (t-1st; 13), assists (2nd; 18), power-play assists (t‑2nd; 9), goals (t-3rd; 11) and power-play goals (t-4th; 4), registered 10 multi-point performances while finding the scoresheet in 14 of his 15 outings. That included a 10-game point streak to close the month (March 11-30: 7-13—20), his unprecedented fifth double-digit run of the season. Among his March achievements, McDavid became the 22nd player in NHL history (and fastest since 1995-96) to reach the 60-goal milestone (72 GP), the 10th player (and first since 1995-96) to accumulate 140 points in a season, and the seventh player (and first since 1995-96) to compile both 60 goals and 80 assists within a single campaign. The 26-year-old McDavid, who capped the month by becoming the 11th-youngest player in League history to reach the 300-goal milestone, paces the NHL in goals (61), assists (83) and points (144), as well as power-play assists (46), power-play points (67) and game-winning goals (t-10), through 76 total games in 2022-23. He is seeking to become the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1986-87 to outright lead the League in goals, assists and points in a single season.

SECOND STAR – LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS

Draisaitl ranked second in the NHL with 11-17—28 in 15 appearances as he and McDavid finished as the top two scorers in a calendar month for the third time (also January 2021 and May 2021). Draisaitl, who also hit the 300-goal milestone (March 27 at ARI), placed among the March leaders in power-play goals (1st; 6), power-play points (t-1st; 13), goals (t-3rd; 11), assists (t-3rd; 17) and power-play assists (t-5th; 7). He collected points in all but one of his 15 March outings, recording his seventh career hat trick (March 4 at WPG), producing nine multi-point performances (including six straight from March 18-28: 3-12—15) and finishing the month on an 11-game point streak (March 9-30: 6-15—21). Draisaitl also followed McDavid by becoming the second player to reach the 100-point mark in 2022-23 (March 14 vs. OTT). The duo became the second set of teammates in NHL history to be the first two players to hit the milestone in consecutive seasons, following the Boston Bruins’ tandem of Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr in 1973-74 and 1974-75. The 27-year-old Draisaitl, who claimed the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20, already has compiled career highs in assists and points this season while nearing his third 50-goal campaign. He has played in 74 total contests, sitting among the League leaders in power-play goals (1st; 29), game-winning goals (t-1st; 10), points (2nd; 117), power-play points (2nd; 57), assists (3rd; 70), shooting percentage (4th; 20.5%), goals (t-4th; 47) and power-play assists (5th; 28).

THIRD STAR – CLAYTON KELLER, RW, ARIZONA COYOTES

Keller shared the League lead with 12 goals and placed third in the NHL with 12-12—24 across 16 outings to guide Arizona (27-36-13, 67 points) to a 6-6-4 March. He found the scoresheet in each of his final 14 games of the month (March 5-31: 11-12—23), tied for the League’s longest active point streak (w/ Elias Pettersson, VAN) as well as the longest by a Coyotes/Jets player since 1995-96 (Teemu Selanne: 5-18—23 in 15 GP w/ WIN). Keller also scored in nine of his 16 contests, including three multi-goal efforts, and produced six multi-point performances. He reached the 30-goal milestone for the first time (March 14 vs. CGY), topped his career high in assists (March 18 vs. CHI) and became the first Coyotes/Jets player with 80 points in a season (March 26 vs. COL) since Keith Tkachuk in 1996-97 (52‑34—86 in 81 GP). The 24-year-old Keller has played in 76 total games this season, pacing Arizona in goals (36; 14 more than the next-closest player), assists (46; 13 more than the next-closest player) and points (82; 28 more than the next-closest player). He has registered points in 24 of his 26 outings since the All-Star break (18-23—41); only one NHL player has accumulated more points in that timeframe (McDavid: 20-32—52 in 26 GP).