The NHL’s 2024-25 season resumes with 14 games Saturday and 10 more Sunday, with every team in action at least once this weekend coming out of the break for the massively successful 4 Nations Face-Off.
The puck drops for the playoffs on April 19. The league’s 32 teams are set to play in a total of 422 games before the four-round race for the Stanley Cup begins in earnest.
“There’s still a lot of hockey left to be played,” center Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals said Friday. “Some teams, their playoff races will start with 18 games left, and some will start with 10, but I think the pace really goes up pretty soon.”
Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record, the outdoor game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio State University’s football stadium, the March 7 trade deadline and various injury situations coming out of the 4 Nations tournament are among the things to watch down the stretch.
OVECHKIN’S GR8 CHASE
The Capitals captain in his 20th season is 16 back of passing Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals that long seemed unapproachable. Washington coach Spencer Carbery expects again to see Ovechkin, now 39 years old, refreshed and ready to roll in his No. 8. jersey.
“I just am expecting for him to be a real impactful player for us in these last 27 games of the season,” Carbery said. “He looks great. He’s got tons of energy. It feels like he had a real good break to be able to get some work in but also get mentally refreshed for this last little stretch.”
The odds are against Ovechkin breaking the Great One’s record this season as BetMGM Sportsbook still favors him not getting there.
Ovechkin scored 15 goals in his final 27 games last season, a pace that would tie Gretzky, but it also might be foolish to bet against the greatest scorer of this — and soon any — generation.
“Everyone’s excited about it, looking forward to it,” teammate Dylan Strome said. “It’s going to be tough to get it this year, but if anyone can do it, I think it’s him.”
TAKING IT OUTSIDE
The Blue Jackets are set to play in an outdoor game for the first time in franchise history March 1 when they host the Red Wings at Ohio Stadium. The site of so many college football rivalry games between the Buckeyes and Big Ten border rival Michigan is also a nice chance to showcase a surprise season of success for Columbus.
With top defenseman Zach Werenski and new coach Dean Evason leading the way, the Blue Jackets are firmly in contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and getting captain Boone Jenner back after missing the first three quarters of the season after shoulder surgery.
“I haven’t had this much fun playing hockey in a long time and being around a group of guys,” Werenski said during the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he played for the runner-up U.S. team. “We’re just enjoying it. We’re having fun. We’re working hard. We’ve all bought into our team game. No one cares who has the success.”
The Red Wings are also in the race — at one point ahead of Columbus, they would get the West’s second and final wild card if the playoffs started today — thanks to a midseason coaching change that paid big dividends. Detroit has won 15 of 21 games since Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde behind the bench, and duking it out with the Blue Jackets puts an even brighter spotlight on the Stadium Series game between them.
TRADE SEASON
There was a flurry of moves before the 4 Nations, with the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche completing a three-team blockbuster. That deal sent sent Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen to Colorado from Chicago and Carolina, respectively, and Martin Necas to Colorado from Carolina.
In addition, the New York Rangers got J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, while the Dallas Stars acquired Codi Ceci and Mikael Granlund in a trade with the San Jose Sharks.
There’s plenty more in that vein to come before the trade deadline at 3 p.m. Eastern on March 7.
The New York Islanders have a big decision to make with big center Brock Nelson, a pending unrestricted free agent who seems unlikely to re-sign. They are four points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the East, and 82-year-old general manager Lou Lamoriello’s uncertain future makes it impossible to know what will happen with Nelson.
Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde likely won’t play until the deadline after having surgery to repair a sports hernia, but like Nelson, he’s a player who could be a nice rental addition for any contender looking to add at the deadline. Options on defense are much sparser, but the Philadelphia Flyers are open for business on big Finn Rasmus Ristolainen, and the Montreal Canadiens could get a significant return for hard-nosed David Savard, who helped the Tampa Bay Lightning with the Stanley Cup four years ago.
INJURIES ALL OVER
Sidney Crosby could miss time for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Matthew Tkachuk for the Florida Panthers after playing through pain at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby played for Canada despite getting hurt before the break and sitting out a couple of Penguins games, while Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury in one of the U.S. games and was unable to finish the final Thursday night.
Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights are definitely out, and more bumps and bruises from the tournament could reveal themselves as players get back to practice in the coming days.