Facts and Figures: Chara reaches milestone, helps clinch berth for Bruins

Zdeno Chara contributed to a big night for the Boston Bruins hours after
signing a one-year, $2 million contract
.

Chara (42 years, five days) became the
22nd defenseman in NHL history
to score 200 goals and is the oldest Bruins player to score a regular-season goal since Mark Recchi (43 years, 60 days) on April 2, 2011. His two points (one goal, one assist) helped Boston become the second Eastern Conference team to clinch a berth in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 7-3 win against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Saturday.
The Bruins (46-20-9) will make their 72nd playoff appearance, second in NHL history behind the Montreal Canadiens (83). A 19-game point streak from Jan. 29-March 9 (15-0-4) sparked them to their second straight 100-point season and 23rd in their history, the highest total among all 31 NHL teams.

Jets take flight into postseason

Kyle Connor (four points; three goals, one assist) had the first hat trick of his NHL career and Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-0 win against the Nashville Predators at Bell MTS Place. The victory clinched the Central Division-leading Jets (45-26-4) a playoff berth for the second consecutive season and fourth in Winnipeg/Atlanta Thrashers history.

Connor (61 points; 32 goals, 29 assists) set an NHL career high in goals scored and is the second Jets player to reach the 30-goal mark this season, joining Mark Scheifele (80 points; 35 goals, 45 assists). Patrik Laine (29) is one goal from giving Winnipeg three 30-goal scorers for the first time in its history.
The Jets lead the Predators (42-28-6) by four points for first in the Central with one game in hand and look to win their first division title since relocating from Atlanta in 2011 (the Thrashers won the Southeast Division in 2006-07). Winnipeg has not been lower than second place since Dec. 10, when it was third.

Century City

The Calgary Flames (47-21-7) became the first Western Conference team with 100 points after a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. They reached the milestone for the
fifth time in their history
and first since 2005-06 (46-25-11) and lead the San Jose Sharks (43-23-9) by six points for first in the Pacific Division with seven games remaining.
Mark Giordano (35 years, 172 days) had three points (one goal, two assists) to become the fourth defenseman in NHL history age 35 or older with 70 points (72 points; 16 goals, 56 assists) in one season. (Ray Bourque, 82 in 1995-96; Sergei Zubov, 71 in 2005-06; Nicklas Lidstrom, 80 in 2006-06 and 70 in 2007-08).

Blues, Avalanche boost playoff hopes

Jordan Binnington made 39 saves to earn

of the season (20-4-1, 1.84 goals-against average, .929 save percentage, five shutouts) and help the St. Louis Blues defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 at Enterprise Center. The Blues (40-27-8) ended the Lightning's seven-game winning streak and are third in the Central Division, six points ahead of the Dallas Stars (38-31-6). Their remaining seven games include two teams in a playoff position: the Vegas Golden Knights on March 25 and Colorado Avalanche on April 1.
Colorado (36-32-7) extended its winning streak to four games with a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Pepsi Center and moved past the Minnesota Wild (35-32-9) for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Avalanche have seven games left, all against West opponents, and five against teams either in possession of or within one point of a playoff position. They play the Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV) in the second of a home-and-home set.