Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and the Bruins beat the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres, who earned a point to tie the idle Hurricanes for the most in the Eastern Conference.
* John Tavares scored the game-winning goal to help the Maple Leafs stave off a Rangers rally and climb the franchise’s all-time list.
* The Rush to the Playoffs continues tonight with a 13-game slate highlighted by a potential First Round matchup on ESPN, Sportsnet ONE and TVA Sports. 
BOSTON BEATS BUFFALO, INCHES CLOSER TO THIRD PLACE IN Atlantic division
Casey Mittelstadt tallied the tying goal against his former team and Pavel Zacha zipped the overtime winner into the Sabres’ net as the Bruins (40-24-8, 88 points) strengthened their grip on the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card spot. Boston tied the point total of idle Montreal (39-21-10, 88 points), which occupies third place in the Atlantic Division by virtue of holding two games in hand.
* David Pastrnak (1-2—3) pocketed three points and extended his scoring streak to 11 games, which marks the longest active run in the NHL. He needs one tally to record his ninth career 30-goal season and pass Phil Esposito as well as Rick Middleton (both w/ 8) for the most in franchise history.
TAVARES, ZIBANEJAD CLIMB FRANCHISE LISTS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a pair of veterans climbing franchise all-time lists as John Tavares (1-0—1) scored the game-winning goal to lift the Maple Leafs to victory over the Rangers after Mika Zibanejad (2-0—2) scored twice to lead a multi-goal rally.
* Zibanejad (282) surpassed Adam Graves (280) for fourth place on the Rangers’ all-time goals list. He also recorded his 42nd career multi-goal game with New York and tied Camille Henry for the sixth most in franchise history.
NHL to Celebrate Blues’ ASL Awareness Night with Alternate Telecast
The NHL and P‑X‑P will produce a special alternate telecast as part of the Blues’ ASL Awareness Night on April 14. Designed specifically for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, NHL in ASL will feature real-time play‑by‑play and color commentary delivered entirely in American Sign Language (ASL). Available in the U.S. to stream exclusively on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers, the four-time Sports Emmy-nominated broadcast will feature Jason Altmann, Chief Operating Officer of P‑X‑P, alongside co‑host Jeff Mansfield.
* A first-of-its-kind production, NHL in ASL has given Deaf fans unprecedented access to the energy and drama of NHL action, delivering ASL-driven coverage at the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Winter Classic and the NHL Stadium Series since 2024. The NHL’s partnership with P-X-P, established in 2022, has been instrumental in expanding accessibility support services across League events. This will be the first broadcast dedicated to a Club regional game.
* Exclusive NHL in ASL merchandise is also available for fans on shop.nhl.com.
QUICK CLICKS
* Carter Yakemchuk makes immediate impact for Senators in NHL debut
* NHL EDGE stats behind debuts for Anton Frondell, Carter Yakemchuk
* Victor Hedman takes temporary leave from Lightning for personal reasons
* NCAA Tournament players to watch include Gavin McKenna, Jake Livanavage
* Sabres fans give Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancée, Carolina, warm ovation during 1st game back in Buffalo
PACIFIC DIVISION SHOWDOWN, PLAYOFF RACES HIGHLIGHT 13-GAME THURSDAY
Standings implications are on the line when the Oilers and Golden Knights face off in a Pacific Division duel on ESPN and Sportsnet ONE, while several other teams fighting for playoff spots hit the ice Thursday, including the Predators, who have surged into a Wild Card position thanks to a five-game winning streak.
* The Oilers (35-28-9, 79 points) and Golden Knights (32-26-14, 78 points) collide in the third of four meetings this season as the clubs jostle for second place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton has won four straight games against Vegas dating to Dec. 14, 2024, and can become the fourth team to win five straight versus the Golden Knights since they joined the NHL in 2017-18, following the Jets (5 GP from 2019-20 – 2021-22), Wild (5 GP in 2020-21) and Bruins (5 GP from 2017-18 – 2019-20).
* Connor McDavid scored twice to hit the 400-goal and 1,200-point milestones Tuesday and has his sights set on yet another benchmark Thursday, sitting two points shy of his fourth career 120-point campaign. The Oilers captain can become the ninth player in NHL history with at least four 120-point seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (14), Mario Lemieux (8), Marcel Dionne (6), Phil Esposito (6), Guy Lafleur (5), Nikita Kucherov (4), Jaromir Jagr (4), and Bobby Orr (4).
* The Predators enter Thursday on a five-game winning streak, the longest active run in the NHL, as they look to win six straight for the first time in exactly two years (6 GP from March 13-26, 2024). Nashville, which was 11 points out of a playoff spot on Nov. 25, has catapulted into the second Wild Card spot in the West thanks in part to the resurgence of Steven Stamkos, who can become the first player in franchise history to record a four-game goal streak at age 35 or older.
* The Blue Jackets and Canadiens, who occupy second and third place in their respective division, go head-to-head with crucial standings points on the line and a pair of defensemen on the brink of personal plateaus. Zach Werenski (21-56—77 in 64 GP) can become the third American defenseman in NHL history to post consecutive 80-point seasons, following Phil Housley (2 from 1991-92 – 1992-93) and Brian Leetch (2 from 1990-91 – 1991-92), while Lane Hutson (11-58—69 in 70 GP) can become the fourth different Canadiens blueliner to post a 70-point campaign alongside Larry Robinson (3x; most: 85 in 1976-77), Guy Lapointe (2x; most: 76 in 1976-77) and Chris Chelios (73 in 1988-89).
* Seven teams surrounding the Eastern Conference Wild Card race are separated by four points or fewer, with five of those clubs hitting the ice tonight and four of them going head-to-head (CBJ-MTL & PIT-OTT). Since March 16, four different teams have occupied the second Wild Card spot: Detroit (5 days), Ottawa (2 days), NY Islanders (2 days) and Boston (1 day).