By StephanieLee Elliott
NHL Public Relations
* Connor McDavid continues to thrill the hockey world: this season it’s with the first 100-assist campaign produced in 33 years, with The Great One the last to do so.
* Both New York teams secured clinches Monday as the Rangers earned the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy, while the Islanders became the 15th team to secure a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* The Capitals and Red Wings will have an opportunity to clinch the final berth into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs as part of an eight-game Tuesday. Washington will do so with a win, while Detroit will do so with a victory and a Capitals loss of any fashion.
* The 2023-24 campaign set an attendance record Monday after the season total reached 22,560,634, surpassing the previous record set in 2022-23 (22,436,532).
* NHL Central Scouting will release its final rankings for the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft today at 11 a.m. ET on NHL.com and Media.NHL.com.
FIGHT FOR THE LAST WILD CARD SPOT CONTINUES INTO FINAL THREE DAYS OF SEASON
The Rush to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued to electrify as the Capitals (39-31-11, 89 points), Red Wings (40-32-9, 89 points) and Penguins (38-31-12, 88 points) all earned wins – with Detroit’s coming in three-goal comeback fashion. This means the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot will be determined in the final three days of the 2023-24 regular season.
* John Carlson (1-0—1) hit the 10-goal mark for the eighth time in his career – joining Brent Burns (13x) as the second active defenseman with as many – while Charlie Lindgren (16 saves) recorded his sixth shutout of 2023-24 and tied Olie Kolzig (6 in 2001-02) for the second-highest total in a campaign by a Capitals goaltender. Washington (39-31-11, 89 points) maintained its position in the second Wild Card seed and can clinch the final playoff spot with a win against Philadelphia on Tuesday.
* After posting 3-1—4 in a crucial game against the Penguins last week, Lucas Raymond (2-0—2) continued his heroics for the Red Wings as he scored the tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation and added the winner in the final 25 seconds of overtime to help Detroit (40-32-9, 89 points) keep its playoff hopes alive. Raymond joined Ray Sheppard (Nov. 12, 1991) as the second player in Red Wings history to score a game-tying goal in the final two minutes of regulation and the overtime winner in the same contest.
* The Red Wings, who trailed 4-1 more than half way through the contest, recorded their second three-goal comeback win in the past seven years – the only other instance came on Dec. 28, 2022 (5-4 OT W at PIT).
Sidney Crosby (1-1—2) reached the 50-assist mark for the 11th time in his career and Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves to stretch his point streak in decisions to 12 games as the Penguins earned a pivotal win against the Predators (47-30-5, 99 points), who have already booked their ticket to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Crosby scored the 307th goal by a player age 36 or older in 2023-24 – it’s been a decade since there have been as many goals in a campaign by players age 36 or older (318 in 2013-14).
McDAVID PRODUCES FIRST 100-ASSIST CAMPAIGN IN 33 YEARS
Connor McDavid (1-1—2) became the fourth player in NHL history to hit the 100-assist mark in a season (32-100—132 in 75 GP) and the first since Wayne Gretzky in 1990-91 (122) as the Oilers erupted for nine goals – their most in a game since Nov. 19, 2011 (9-2 W vs. CHI) – to defeat the Sharks at Rogers Place. Edmonton (49-25-6, 104 points) is now within three points of Vancouver (49-22-9, 107 points) for first place in the Pacific Division, with two games remaining for both teams.
McDavid might not be the only player to reach the 100-assist milestone in 2023-24 – Nikita Kucherov, who had an assist Monday, has 99 on the season with one game remaining. Should he hit the mark, the 2023-24 season would become the second in NHL history to feature two players with 100 assists, following 1988-89 when Mario Lemieux and Gretzky both had 114.
By The Numbers for Connor McDavid’s 100 assists:
62 – Primary assists
38 – Secondary assists
35 – Assists on Zach Hyman’s goals, which is his highest total with one player
26 – Multi-assist games in a season for the second time in his career (2021-22), tied with Kucherov (26 in 2023-24) for the most by an active player in a single campaign
14 – Different goal scorers assisted on
5 – Games with four-plus assists, the most by a player in a season since Lemieux in 1995-96 (7)
* McDavid hit another milestone Monday and joined elite company, recording his 300th career multi-point game (644 GP). The only players in NHL history that reached the mark in fewer games are Gretzky (452 GP) and Lemieux (524 GP).
RANGERS WIN FOURTH PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
Artemi Panarin (1-1—2) became the League’s fourth 120-point scorer as he and Igor Shesterkin’s 26-save shutout performance helped New York conclude its 2023-24 campaign with a 55-23-4 record and claim the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy – the fifth time in franchise history the Rangers finished first in the NHL and fourth since the trophy began being awarded. In the process, New York (114 points) also established a franchise record for points in a season, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 113 set in 2014-15 (53-22-7) – the last time it finished atop the League standings.
* Panarin (49-71—120) became the second Rangers player with a 120-point season (also Jaromir Jagr: 123 in 2005-06) and joined Nikita Kucherov (142), Nathan MacKinnon (138) and Connor McDavid (132) as the fourth skater in 2023-24 to reach the mark. Only eight other seasons in NHL history have had as many players produce 120-plus points, with the last taking place over three decades ago (10 in 1992-93).
* Peter Laviolette, in his first season with the Rangers, joined Scotty Bowman (4x), Alain Vigneault (3x), Mike Babcock (2x), Terry Crisp (2x), Ken Hitchcock (2x), Mike Keenan (2x), Joel Quenneville (2x), Glen Sather (2x) and Barry Trotz (2x) as the 10th head coach to win the Presidents’ Trophy multiple times. Among these bench bosses, only Bowman, Keenan, Quenneville and Vigneault won it with two different franchises.
ISLANDERS STAKE THEIR CLAIM TO THE THIRD METROPOLITAN DIVISION PLAYOFF SPOT
The Islanders defeated the Devils in decisive 4-1 fashion and in turn clinched the 15th berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, marking the fifth time in the past six years the club has qualified for the postseason. New York secured its seeding as third in the Metropolitan Division and set up a clash with the Hurricanes in the First Round for the second straight year.
* Patrick Roy, hired by the Islanders in January, looks to become the second individual in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup as both a goaltender and head coach – he would join Lester Patrick who was the Rangers’ head coach for 13 seasons and played in one game as a goaltender, under emergency circumstances, during the 1928 Stanley Cup Final. This is the first time New York has reached the playoffs following an in-season head coaching change.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs will mark the third all-time meeting between the Hurricanes and Islanders in the postseason, with Carolina holding a 2-0 record in those series following a 4-0 sweep in the 2019 Second Round and a 4-2 series victory during the 2023 First Round.
QUICK CLICKS
* Monday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates
* Auston Matthews, Roman Josi, Nazem Kadri named 3 Stars of the Week ending April 14
* Color of Hockey: Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Lebanon raising profile in game
* Video ‘The Race For The Cup: The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Kick Off!’
* Connor Bedard reflects on rookie season for Blackhawks with NHL.com
MATTHEWS’ 70TH GOAL, DIVISION TITLES, FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT UP IN THE AIR TUESDAY
Eight games comprise Tuesday’s slate, including Auston Matthews continuing his chase to 70 goals on ESPN during a clash between the Maple Leafs and Panthers – a potential 2024 First Round matchup – while Washington and Detroit each will play their final game of the season in hopes of securing the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The night will end with a quartet of Western Conference teams on ESPN+ and Hulu, including the Canucks aiming to claim top spot in the Pacific Division.
Matthews (69-38—107 in 79 GP) will have another shot at his 70th goal when the Maple Leafs and Panthers have their final meeting of the season before they potentially face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year after Florida eliminated Toronto in five games during the 2023 Second Round. Matthews can become the first player with 70 goals in a campaign since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny each scored 76 in 1992-93 – the season right before the Panthers entered the NHL.
* The Canucks (49-22-9, 107 points) can clinch their first division title since 2012-13 should they leave their match against the Flames with at least a point. Should it collect two points, Vancouver would have its third 50-win season in franchise history and first since 2011-12 – the year after it made its last Stanley Cup Final appearance.
COURTESY NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS & NHLmedia.com
