NHL NEWS MARCH 4, 2023 – PACIFIC DIVISION TIGHTENS UP WHILE HURRICANES PULL AHEAD IN METROPOLITAN

The Golden Knights (37-19-6, 80 points), Kraken (35-21-6, 78 points) and Oilers (34-21-8, 76 points) all won in an ever-tightening Pacific Division playoff race, while the Hurricanes strengthened their lead atop the Metropolitan Division.

• Adin Hill set a franchise record with 46 saves and Jonathan Marchessault (2-1—3) factored on every Vegas goal in regulation to help the club overtake idle Dallas (33-16-13, 79 points) for first place in the Western Conference standings. The Golden Knights hold a two-point edge atop the Pacific Division, where the top four clubs are divided by only four points.
• Jared McCann (1-1—2) became the first player to score 30 goals in a season for the Kraken as Seattle secured its third straight win and moved within two points of idle Los Angeles (35-20-8, 78 points) for second place in the Pacific Division.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2-2—4) became the third Oilers player to hit the 30-goal mark this season, marking the first time since 1989-90 that Edmonton has had at least three 30-goal scorers. The Oilers, who continue to occupy the first Western Conference Wild Card position, will have a chance Saturday to sweep a home-and-home against the Jets (35-25-2, 72 points), who hold the second Wild Card spot.
• Brent Burns (37 years, 359 days) recorded his first career four-assist outing and became the fourth-oldest defenseman in NHL history to post four helpers in a game as Carolina (40-12-8, 88 points) moved two points ahead of New Jersey (40-15-6, 86 points). The Hurricanes have spent 74 consecutive days atop the Metropolitan Division as they try to fend off the Devils – the only other team to occupy first place in the division since late October. Despite New Jersey’s loss, Dawson Mercer extended his goal streak to eight games – tied for the second-longest in NHL history by a player age 21 or younger – as he set a new benchmark for the longest in the NHL this season and matched the Devils franchise record.

The Hurricanes-Coyotes game Friday marked the exact three-quarter mark of the 2022-23 NHL season.

ABC, ESPN+ DOUBLE BILL CHOCK-FULL OF CONTENDERS

A pair of afternoon games on ABC, ESPN+ and Sportsnet are loaded with teams in the thick of the playoff picture. The double bill opens with the NHL’s League-leading Bruins (48-8-5, 101 points) hosting the Rangers (35-18-9, 79 points) and their new prized addition in three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane. It concludes with the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche (34-20-5, 73 points), who have won six of their last seven contests, squaring off with the Central Division-leading Stars (33-16-13, 79 points).

• The Bruins, who have held the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division for the entire 2022-23 season, enter on a nine-game win streak dating to Feb. 14. They can earn their first double-digit win streak nine years (12 GP in 2013-14).

KARVINA SET TO HOST FIRST HOCKEY DAY IN CZECHIA

The NHL, Nova Group and Czech Ice Hockey Federation along with community organizations will host the first-ever ”Hockey Day In Czechia” in Karvina on Saturday. The schedule of free events and activities open to the public at the Sport Complex include a youth hockey tournament, an exhibition game with former NHL players including Michal Neuvirth, Pavel Brendl and Jaroslav Svoboda, as well as interactive activities and a coaching seminar.

• The day will culminate with a viewing party of the NHL Saturday presented by SAP game broadcast of the Rangers-Bruins game, which will air on Nova Sport 1 in Czechia and Slovakia.
• A total of 253 Czech-born players have played at least one NHL game (regular-season or playoffs) in NHL history, including 37 this season and six set to be part of Saturday’s Bruins-Rangers contest.

RUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS INTENSIFIES AS TRADE DEADLINE PASSES

The focus around the League now shifts toward the Rush to the Playoffs as the 2022-23 NHL Trade Deadline presented by OFX came and went Friday. Although Deadline Day featured 21 trades, much of the heavy lifting came in the weeks prior. Including deals made March 3, a total of 74 trades were completed in the six weeks leading up to the deadline – with 70 of those occurring in the past two weeks alone (the most ever in the 14 days ahead of the deadline).

Below is a recap of some key acquisitions by current playoff teams as we enter the final six weeks of the regular season:

Eastern Conference

• The NHL-leading Bruins (48-8-5, 101 points), the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points in a single season, added multiple pieces ahead of the deadline including Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is the sixth player on Boston’s roster with at least one 30-goal season in his career; only four other teams have as many (FLA: 7; NYR: 6; PIT; 6; & CGY: 6).
• Stanley Cup champions Ryan O’Reilly (2019 w/ STL & Conn Smythe Trophy winner) and Luke Schenn (2020 & 2021 w/ TBL) were added to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster ahead of the trade deadline. Schenn, who captured two Cups with Tampa Bay, looks to aid Toronto – which is currently lined up to square off against the Lightning in the First Round for the second time in as many seasons – to its first playoff series victory since the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals.
• The Rangers also acquired Stanley Cup champions ahead of the deadline – reuniting 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Kane with former Blackhawks teammate Artemi Panarin and also adding 2019 champion Vladimir Tarasenko. The 2022-23 campaign is just the second to feature three winners of the Conn Smythe Trophy traded within the same season (also Jonathan Quick to CBJ & VGK) following 1995-96 (Bill Ranford, Patrick Roy & Wayne Gretzky). Of note, Claude Lemieux was dealt by the Devils to the Islanders, and then the Islanders to the Avalanche on Oct. 3, 1995 – three days before the 1995-96 campaign began.

Western Conference

• The Kings continue to chase down the Golden Knights – who now have Jonathan Quick on their roster – for top spot in the Pacific Division and added Joonas Korpisalo to accompany Pheonix Copley between the pipes in Los Angeles. Korpisalo produced one of the greatest single-game playoff performances on record during his time with Columbus, posting 85 saves in Game 1 of the 2020 First Round against Tampa Bay – eclipsing Kelly Hrudey for the most by a goaltender in a playoff game since 1955-56.
• The Oilers added defenseman Mattias Ekholm ahead of deadline day and look to build off an appearance in the 2022 Western Conference Final. Ekholm has appeared in 75 career playoff games – including a run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with Nashville (1-10— 11 in 22 GP) – which stands as the most among all players on Edmonton’s current roster and 14 more than the next closest (Mattias Janmark: 61 GP).
• The Jets added to their playoff push by acquiring Vladislav Namestnikov from the Sharks. Namestnikov was traded on deadline day for the fourth time in his career (also 2018, 2020 & 2022), tying Alan May (1988, 1989, 1994 & 1995) for the highest such total by an NHL player since 1979-80.

Orlov, Giroux and Gustavsson Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

Boston Bruins defenseman Dmitry Orlov, Ottawa Senators right wing Claude Giroux and Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 5, 2023.

FIRST STAR – DMITRY ORLOV, D, BOSTON BRUINS

Orlov shared second place in the NHL with 3-6—9 and a +7 rating across four games to help the League-leading Bruins (49-8-5, 103 points) complete a perfect week and extend their winning streak to 10 contests dating to Feb. 14. Acquired by Boston on Feb. 23, Orlov collected two assists (his first points in his second game as a Bruin) in a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Feb. 27. He then registered consecutive three-point performances for the first time in his career, tallying 2-1—3 in a 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames Feb. 28 and 1-2—3 in a 7-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres March 2 as Boston became the fastest team in NHL history to reach the 100-point milestone. Orlov added an assist on the decisive goal in a 4-2 win versus the New York Rangers March 4, giving him 3-6—9 through his first five games with the Bruins. Only two defensemen in League history have recorded more points in their first five outings with a team: Harry Cameron with the 1917-18 Toronto Arenas (9-6—15 in franchise’s first five contests) and Paul Coffey with the 1992-93 Detroit Red Wings (2-8—10). The 31-year-old Orlov, who played his first 686 NHL games with the Washington Capitals (60-196—256), has compiled 6-22—28 in 48 total appearances this season.

SECOND STAR – CLAUDE GIROUX, RW, OTTAWA SENATORS

Giroux also notched 3-6—9 and a +7 rating in four contests to propel the Senators (32-26-4, 68 points) to their fifth straight win as they moved within three points of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. He totaled 2-4—6 during a sweep of a back-to-back set against the Detroit Red Wings, posting 1-3—4 (including the game-winning goal) in a 6-2 triumph Feb. 27 and 1-1—2 in a 6-1 victory Feb. 28. Giroux then registered 1-2—3 (and another decisive goal) in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers March 2 before being held off the scoresheet in a 5-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets March 4. The 35-year-old Giroux is averaging more than a point per game during his first season with Ottawa (62 GP), leading the team in plus/minus (+8); ranking second in goals (t-26), assists (37) and game-winning goals (5); and placing third in points (63).

THIRD STAR – FILIP GUSTAVSSON, G, MINNESOTA WILD

Gustavsson stopped 70 of the 71 shots he faced, going 2-0-0 with a 0.48 goals-against average, .986 save percentage and one shutout to help the Wild (36-21-6, 78 points) maintain second place in the Central Division via a perfect three-game week. He made a career-high 39 saves – and denied all three shootout attempts – in a 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders Feb. 28. Gustavsson then earned his second career shutout with 31 stops, including 12 in the third period, in a 3-0 triumph over the Calgary Flames March 4. The 24-year-old Gustavsson has appeared in 29 total games this season (his third in the NHL and first with Minnesota), ranking second in the League in both goals-against average (1.99) and save percentage (.933) to go along with a 17-8-3 record.