NHL Morning Skate for March 23

* The NHL witnessed the fastest player to reach 60 goals in a season in 27 years when Connor McDavid reached the mark via an overtime winner.

* Sidney Crosby hit the 30-goal mark for the 11th time in his career to tie franchise legend Mario Lemieux atop a Penguins all-time list and achieve an NHL first in the process.
* A number of storylines are on the board during a 12-game Thursday, including the Bruins, who are in a position to clinch the Atlantic, and the Wild, who can overtake first in the Central.

MAKE THAT 60 GOALS FOR McDAVID

A third-period tying tally by the Oilers set the stage for the perfect storybook ending: Connor McDavid (2-0-2) scoring goal No. 60 as the overtime winner. Edmonton improved to 41-23-8 and required its fewest games to reach 90 points in a season (72 GP) since 1986-87 (68 GP).
* McDavid became the fourth active player to record 60 goals in a season, joining Alex Ovechkin (65 in 2007-08), Auston Matthews (60 in 2021-22) and Steven Stamkos (60 in 2011-12).
* The Oilers captain is now on pace for 68 goals, which will mark the most in a single campaign since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 (69). He also moved within one of his 300th career goal - he is on pace to become the third-fastest active player to reach the mark.
* The NHL features a 60-goal scorer in consecutive seasons for the fourth time in League history following a 14-year run from 1980-81 to 1993-94, six straight campaigns from 1973-74 to 1978-79 as well as back-to-back seasons in 1970-71 and 1971-72.

CROSBY HITS 30-GOAL MARK AS PENGUINS PUSH INTO WILD CARD POSITION

Sidney Crosby (1-0-1) opened the scoring with his 30th goal of the season and Jeff Carter (2-0-2) potted a pair to help Pittsburgh end its own four-game skid and snap Colorado's six-game winning streak. The Penguins (35-26-10, 80 points) moved past the idle Panthers (38-26-7, 79 points) to take over the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
* Crosby became the 20th player in NHL history to record at least 11 career 30-goal seasons while matching Mario Lemieux for the most in Penguins history.
* Crosby (35 years, 227 days), who scored 39 times during his rookie season, became the first player in NHL history to record a 30-goal season at age 18 and then again at age 35 or older.
* Carter scored the 88th game-winning goal of his career, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (124) for the most among active players - Crosby trails right behind with 86.

MacKINNON EXTENDS HOME POINT STREAK IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES

Nathan MacKinnon collected another assist at Ball Arena to extend his home point streak to 18 games and earn a spotlight in the Wednesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates. MacKinnon's 29 home points in 2023 trail only Connor McDavid (34), Matthew Tkachuk (32), Leon Draisaitl (31) and Evgeni Malkin (30) for the most this calendar year.

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CHEL Intel -- Issue No. 8

BRUINS CLOSING IN ON ATLANTIC DIVISION TITLE

The NHL-leading Bruins (54-11-5, 113 points) are back in action Thursday as they continue to chase down single-season records for wins and points. While Boston can capture 55 victories in a single season for the second time in franchise history (57 in 1970-71), it can also secure an Atlantic Division crown with a victory against Montreal in any fashion and a Toronto loss to Florida in regulation.
* The Bruins (71 GP on Thursday) can become the fastest team to clinch a division title in an 82-game season since 2013-14 when the League returned to a four-division format. Before that, only two clubs secured a "y" beside their name in the standings faster under the same conditions: the 1995-96 Red Wings (68 GP) and 1996-97 Avalanche (70 GP).
* Three players who were part of the 2013-14 Bruins team noted above remain with the club: David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Krejci and Bergeron finished first and second in team scoring that season. Boston won the Presidents' Trophy and defeated the Red Wings in the First Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs but then lost in Game 7 of the Second Round to the Canadiens, who had finished third in the Atlantic Division.
* The Bruins can become the first team in a dozen years - and eighth since 1979-80 - to clinch a division title before any other club secured a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To date, the only teams to do so in the 43 seasons over that span (regardless of length or division format) are the 2010-11 Canucks, 2009-10 Capitals, 2007-08 Red Wings, 2003-04 Lightning, 2001-02 Red Wings, 2000-01 Avalanche and 1995-96 Red Wings. Of note: in 2000-01 and 1995-96, Colorado and Detroit clinched the No. 1 seed in their division mere hours before another club secured the second playoff spot later that same day.

WILD EYE TOP SPOT IN CENTRAL IN ESPN SHOWCASE. . .

For the first time in more than two months, there can be a new No. 1 seed in the Central Division as the Wild (41-22-8, 90 points) put their nine-game road point streak on the line against the Flyers (26-32-12, 64 points). Should the Stars - also in action Thursday - suffer a loss and the Wild collect at least a point, Minnesota can sit atop its division at this stage of a season (min. 70 GP) for the first time since 2007-08, the campaign it claimed its only division title (Northwest).

. . . WHILE OTHER WEST CLUBS CHASE DOWN WILD CARD SPOT

The Kraken (39-24-7, 85 points), Jets (40-29-3, 83 points), Flames (32-25-15, 79 points) and Predators (35-26-8, 78 points) are all in action - including a head-to-head tilt between Seattle and Nashville - as the Wild Card race in the Western Conference heats up.
* Seattle (70 GP) holds two games in hand on both Winnipeg (72 GP) and Calgary (72 GP), while Nashville is set to contest its 70th contest. The Kraken, already with 12 more wins than their inaugural campaign (27-49-6, 60 points), can become the first franchise in NHL history to produce a 27-point improvement from its first-ever season to its second.
* Winnipeg begins its Southern California road trip in Anaheim before travelling to Los Angeles on Saturday and San Jose on March 28. The Jets have found themselves within the Western Conference's playoff picture for majority of the 2022-23 campaign (152 of 167 days; 91%). They are one of five Western Conference clubs in that position for at least 90 percent of the season: Dallas (166 of 167: 99.4%), Vegas (163 of 167: 97.6%), Seattle (157 of 167: 94%) and Los Angeles (154 of 167: 92.2%).

TKACHUK BROTHERS LOOKING TO LEAD THEIR TEAMS' PLAYOFF PUSHES

Four teams separated by seven points in the race for the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference take to the ice Thursday with the Penguins (35-26-10, 80 points), who currently hold that final spot, Panthers (36-28-7,79 points), Capitals (33-31-8, 74 points) and Senators (34-32-5, 73 points) in action.
* Matthew Tkachuk (34-62-96 in 2022-23) is set to skate in his 500th career game and has played a pivotal role in Florida's climb up the Eastern Conference standings - a stretch that saw the club eight points behind the Islanders for the second Wild Card spot entering games on Jan. 1.
* Brady Tkachuk (30-42-72 in 71 GP) has already established a career high for points in a single season and sits one goal shy of recording his most in a campaign (also 30 in 2021-22). Ottawa, which last made the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the 2016-17 season en route to a Conference Finals appearance, has eight of its remaining 11 games against clubs currently occupying a playoff spot - including two crucial head-to-head meetings against brother Matthew and the Panthers (March 27 & April 6).