Edmonton Oilers 3, Chicago Blackhawks 1: Captain Connor McDavid had an assist to stretch his point streak to six games (11 points; six goals, five assists) en route to helping the Oilers to a season-high fifth straight win and move into a tie with the Ducks for first place in the Pacific; Anaheim holds one game in hand. The loss was the Blackhawks’ fifth in a row and eliminated them from playoff contention. Chicago has not reached the postseason since 2020.
Nashville Predators 5, Los Angeles Kings 4 (SO): Luke Evangelista scored in the eighth round of the shootout to give the Predators the win and lift them into a tie with the Kings and Sharks for the second wild card in the west. Los Angeles, 2-2-4 in its past eight, scored three three consecutive times to erase a 4-1 Nashville lead and salvage a point.
Utah Mammoth 6, Seattle Kraken 2: The visiting Mammoth scored six unanswered goals to erase a 2-0 deficit and strengthened their hold on the first wild card in the West, five points ahead of the Sharks. Logan Cooley (two goals, one assist) and Dylan Guenther (one goal, two assists) led the way for Utah. Seattle has lost seven of eight (1-5-2) to fall four points behind San Jose for the second wild card in the West.
Dallas Stars 3, Winnipeg Jets 0: Jake Oettinger’s 22-save performance helped lift the Stars to within six points of the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central, West and NHL. The Jets had a setback after having won four of their previous five and are three points behind the Sharks for the second wild card in the West.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 1: The Hurricanes, thanks to a two-goal performance from Logan Stankoven, clinched a playoff berth for the eighth consecutive time under coach Rod Brind’Amour and moved two points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres for first place in the East. The Blue Jackets lost their fifth straight game (0-4-1) and remain one point behind the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan. Columbus is tied in points with Ottawa and Detroit for the second wild card in the East, with the Senators holding the tiebreaker.
Montreal Canadiens 3, New York Rangers 2: Cole Caufield scored twice as the Canadiens pulled to within two points of the Lightning and Sabres atop the Atlantic Division. Caufield is one away from becoming the first Montreal player to reach 50 goals since Stephane Richer scored 51 in 1989-90. The Rangers are no longer in playoff contention.
Ottawa Senators 4, Buffalo Sabres 1: The Senators moved into the second wild card in the East thanks in part to a goal by Lars Eller at 5:55 of the third period that snapped a 1-1 tie and put the hosts ahead for good. The Sabres, who could have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2011 with a win, are now in a first-place tie with the Lightning atop the Atlantic, with Tampa Bay holding the tiebreaker.
