By StephanieLee Elliott

April 18, 2024

* NHL Morning Skate – April 18
* NHL EDGE
* NHL Sets All-Time Total Attendance Record
* NHL, NHLPA Invested More Than $14 Million in Communities in 2023-24

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* Clinched: #NHLStats Packs for Teams in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* Matchups: #NHLStats for Confirmed Series in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Today’s clinching scenarios:

* The Golden Knights will clinch the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division:

• If they defeat the Ducks in any fashion
• OR if they get one point vs. the Ducks AND the Kings lose to the Blackhawks in any fashion
• OR if the Kings lose to the Blackhawks in regulation

*** This would secure Dallas (C1) vs. Los Angeles (WC2) and Edmonton (P2) vs. Vegas (P3) in the First Round. ***
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* The Kings will clinch the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division:

• If they defeat the Blackhawks in any fashion AND the Golden Knights lose to the Ducks in any fashion
• OR if they get one point vs. the Blackhawks AND the Golden Knights lose to the Ducks in regulation

*** This would secure Dallas (C1) vs. Vegas (WC2) and Edmonton (P2) vs. Los Angeles (P3) in the First Round. ***

Pre-game
* Nathan MacKinnon (51-87—138) is six points from overtaking Nikita Kucherov (44-100—144) in the Art Ross Trophy race – MacKinnon would win based on the goals tiebreaker if they both finish the season with 144 points. There have been six instances of a player recording six points in a game this season, including one by Kucherov (2-4—6 on Nov. 24 at CAR) and one by the third-ranked scorer Connor McDavid (0-6—6 on Feb. 13 vs. DET).

* Since the award’s inception in 1947-48, only five Art Ross Trophy winners have claimed the honor by overtaking a different player as leader on the last day of the regular season: Jamie Benn in 2014-15 (surpassing John Tavares, who entered play tied in points with Sidney Crosby but led via the goals tiebreaker), Peter Forsberg in 2002-03 (surpassing Markus Naslund), Jaromir Jagr in 1994-95 (surpassing Eric Lindros via the goals tiebreaker), Bobby Hull in 1959-60 (surpassing Bronco Horvath) and Elmer Lach in 1947-48 (surpassing Buddy O’Connor to win the first Art Ross Trophy in League history).

* If Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon both play, it would mark the fourth game in NHL history to begin with 130-point players facing off against each other. The only instances to date:

• March 26, 1986: Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky (201 points) and Paul Coffey (131 points) squared off against Mario Lemieux (136 points) and the Penguins.
• March 7, 1989: Gretzky (148 points), now with the Kings, faced Lemieux (169 points) and the Penguins.
• April 10, 1993: Steve Yzerman (134 points) and the Red Wings faced Pat LaFontaine (143 points) and the Sabres.
• Of note: On April 4, 1993, Adam Oates had 129 points entering the Bruins-Sabres game and notched 1-1—2 to join LaFontaine (143 points) in the 130-point club during that contest.

Pre-game

* The Jets enter their regular season finale as the only team with less than 200 goals against in 2023-24 (197 GA, including shootout-deciding goals). If they allow two or fewer Thursday (vs. a top-10 team in goals scored), Connor Hellebuyck will secure outright the club’s first William M. Jennings Trophy. There are three possible outcomes for the award tonight:

• If Winnipeg allows 0, 1 or 2 goals, the Jets (Hellebuyck) will win.
• If Winnipeg allows exactly 3 goals, the Jets (Hellebuyck) and Panthers (Sergei Bobrovsky & Anthony Stolarz) will both win.
• If Winnipeg allows 4+ goals, the Panthers (Bobrovsky & Stolarz) will win.

* Elias Pettersson (34-55—89 in 81 GP) can become the Canucks’ third 90-point scorer this season (also J.T. Miller & Quinn Hughes). Vancouver would have three 90-point scorers in a season for the first time in franchise history.

* The Jets (7-0-0 dating to April 1) can conclude the campaign by matching the longest winning streak in franchise history set earlier this season (8-0-0 from Dec. 30, 2023 to Jan. 11, 2024).

Pre-game
* Kirill Kaprizov (45-50—95 in 74 GP) has eight goals over his last six games and needs two to match the single-season franchise record he set in 2021-22 (47).

* Jared McCann (29-32—61 in 79 GP) can become the second player in NHL history to lead a franchise in both goals and points in each of its first three seasons – he would join Wayne Gretzky with the Oilers (6x from 1979-80 to 1984-85).

Pre-game
* Mikael Granlund (2-12—14 in 12 GP) can become the second player to conclude the campaign on a 13-game point streak this season (also Artemi Panarin: 13 GP).

* Blake Coleman (29-23—52 in 77 GP) and Nazem Kadri (29-46—75 in 81 GP) can become the Flames’ second and third 30-goal scorers this season, joining Yegor Sharangovich (31-28—59 in 81 GP). The only campaigns over the last 30 years where Calgary had three or more 30-goal scorers were in 1993-94 (4), 2021-22 (4), 2018-19 (3) and 2006-07 (3).

Pre-game
* Cutter Gauthier can join Leo Carlsson (Oct. 19, 2023) and Sam Colangelo (April 12) as the third Ducks player to score a goal in his NHL debut this season.

* Vegas (45-28-8, 98 points) can record its third 100-point season in franchise history. The only teams with more than three since the Golden Knights’ inaugural campaign in 2017-18 are the Bruins (6) and Maple Leafs (5).

Pre-game
* Connor Bedard (22-39—61 in 67 GP) can become the fifth rookie in franchise history with a points-per-game rate of 0.90 or higher in a season (min. 20 GP), joining Steve Larmer (1.13 P/GP in 1982-83), Denis Savard (0.99 P/GP in 1980-81), Artemi Panarin (0.96 P/GP in 2015-16) and Ed Litzenberger (0.91 P/GP in 1954-55).

* Quinton Byfield (19-34—53) can become the third Kings player in the last 20 years to record 20 goals in a season at age 21 or younger, following Anze Kopitar (32 in 2007-08, 27 in 2008-09 & 20 in 2006-07) and Alex Frolov (24 in 2003-04).
 

COURTESY NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS AND NHLmedia.com