Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: first round, matchup 12

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far have been placed into a bracket of 64 entries, and fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the next round.

In the matchup on Thursday, Colorado Avalanche rookie defenseman Cale Makar scoring his 50th point of the season defeated Los Angeles Kings forward Gabriel Vilardi scoring his first NHL goal 10 seconds into his first game.

The matchup Friday pits the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues honoring the first responders who saved defenseman Jay Bouwmeester's life during the rescheduled game on March 11 against Edmonton Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid scoring five points each in an 8-3 win against the Nashville Predators on March 2.

Dan Rosen, senior writer

There is no bigger lock in this field of 64 than the first responders and medical personnel defeating the Oilers forwards. The Ducks did a great thing the night before the season was paused because of concerns about the coronavirus. They honored and thanked the brave men and women who jumped into action to save Bouwmeester's life when he collapsed from a cardiac episode on the Blues bench during the first period of their game at Honda Center on Feb. 11. Prior to the start of the rescheduled game, the first responders and medical personnel from each team were given the Red Cross Lifesaver Award for their role in reviving Bouwmeester, who collapsed with the game tied at 1-1. In addition, the Ducks also donated the full portion of their 50-50 raffle and promised 19 percent of all merchandise sales would go directly to the UCI Medical Center, where Bouwmeester was treated. The 19 represents Bouwmeester's jersey number. It was literally life or death for Bouwmeester on Feb. 11. He's alive because of those who were honored a month later.

Tim Campbell, Staff Writer

I agree with Dan that this may be as close to a 1-16 matchup as you can get because of the heroic job by the folks in Anaheim. Though I'm not going to argue against it, I will make a case for McDavid and Draisaitl. If there was a game this season that underscored why McDavid and Draisaitl are the two best offensive players in the NHL, it was this Oilers road game against the Predators on March 2. In Edmonton's 8-3 win, the Oilers played a crushing third period, scoring five unanswered goals. Draisaitl had three of those, giving him a four-goal game to go with one assist. McDavid had one goal and four assists as the Oilers teammates continued their run to the top of the NHL scoring race. At the pause, Draisaitl led the League with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games, and McDavid was second with 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games.