NHL Morning Skate for March 25

* Kent Johnson brought the crowd to its feet at Nationwide Arena when he scored the sixth 'Michigan' goal in NHL history on the 27th anniversary of when Mike Legg first introduced it to the world while playing for the University of Michigan - also Johnson's alma mater.

* Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are set for their 65th regular-season matchup when the Capitals visit the Penguins during a primetime bout at 8. p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.
* A loaded 15-game Saturday will also feature the Bruins looking to secure the Atlantic Division title, while the Devils take another crack at clinching a spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

JOHNSON'S 'MICHIGAN' GOAL IMPACTS EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE

On the 27th anniversary of the "Michigan" goal by Mike Legg, a 20-year-old University of Michigan alumnus, Kent Johnson, scored the sixth such goal in the NHL to help the Blue Jackets defeat the Islanders. Johnson - who also scored in the same style at the World Junior Championships a few months ago - played two years for the University of Michigan and co-led the team in assists (29 in 32GP) with Buffalo blueliner Owen Power (29 in 31 GP) during his sophomore year in 2021-22.
* As Johnson was making the highlight reels in Columbus, his former teammate, Power, was helping the Sabres to victory in Buffalo as they inched closer to an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. In addition to preventing the Devils from clinching a playoff spot, the Sabres (34-31-6, 74 points) narrowed the gap on the Islanders (37-27-9, 83 points), who hold the No. 1 Wild Card position in the East. Buffalo can gain more ground when they visit New York at 5 p.m. ET on Hulu and ESPN+.

MacKINNON, MAKAR EACH FACTOR ON ALL THREE AVALANCHE GOALS

Nathan MacKinnon (1-2-3) scored the game-opening goal to extend his point steak to 11 games and later assisted on a goal by Cale Makar (1-2-3) as both players factored on all three Avalanche markers in the win.
* MacKinnon (7-13-20 in 11 GP) has accumulated 20+ points on a point streak (of any length) for the fourth time in his career. The only active players to register 20+ points during a point streak as many times are Connor McDavid (12x), Sidney Crosby (8x), Leon Draisaitl (7x), Nikita Kucherov (5x), Patrick Kane (4x), Alex Ovechkin (4x), Evgeni Malkin (4x) and Steven Stamkos (4x).
* Makar (1-2-3) recorded his 62nd career multi-point game and 34th career multi-assist outing, moving one shy of tying Sandis Ozolinsh (63x & 35x) for the most by an Avalanche/Nordiques defenseman on both lists.

NHL PODCAST WEEKLY ROUNDUP

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NHL Fantasy: Fantasy waiver wire pickups: Week 23; Levi's long-term upside with Sabres
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NHL Fantasy: Action Network Collab: Week 23
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NHL Draft Class: Brandon Naurato talks about two of the top prospects for the 2023 NHL Draft
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NHL @ The Rink: Dominic Moore joins; Divisional races, Bednar's extension, Penguins in peril
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The Chirp with Daren Millard: Bruce Boudreau joins; Rush to the Playoffs
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NHL Fantasy: Fantasy playoff strategy, Stanley Cup futures with Chris Meaney

QUICK CLICKS

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#NHLStats Live Updates for March 24
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Unmasked: 'Recoil' technique helps Linus Ullmark to best season for Bruins
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Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews have reunion with Marleau family
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Bruins' A.J. Greer suspended one game for cross-checking
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NHL statement regarding Coyotes' minority owner Andrew Barroway

CROSBY-OVECHKIN SHOWDOWN SET FOR PRIMETIME ON ABC, ESPN+

The 65th all-time regular-season meeting between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will air in primetime on ABC and ESPN+ as the two highest-scoring active players continue their pursuit of another playoff berth. Washington (34-31-8, 76 points) sits four points behind Pittsburgh (35-27-10, 80 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, with the latter holding one game in hand.
* In 64 meetings to date, Crosby (28-58-86) has the edge in assists, points and wins (37-23-4) while Ovechkin has more goals (33-29-62; WSH: 27-27-10). As Ovechkin (821) continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most goals in NHL history, Crosby (548) needs one goal to pass Michel Goulet (548) and tie Ron Francis (549) for 29th place on the League's all-time list.
* Alex Ovechkin enters Saturday with 12-11-23 in 24 career regular-season games at PPG Paints Arena, tied with Claude Giroux (12 in 29 GP) for the second most goals by a visiting player at the arena behind Jakub Voracek (14 in 26 GP).

BRUINS CHASE SEASON BENCHMARKS; PASTRNAK, TKACHUK PURSUE MILESTONES

Saturday's slate will include the Bruins looking to close in on another Presidents' Trophy as last year's recipients continue a playoff push that currently has them one point outside the bracket.
* The Bruins (55-11-5, 115 points) will have another shot at clinching the Atlantic Division title Saturday as they continue to chase down franchise and League marks for most wins and points in a campaign. Their opponent, the third-place Lightning (42-25-6, 90 points), matched the NHL record for wins in a season (62) in 2018-19 before winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021.
* David Pastrnak (49-46-95 in 71 GP) has a couple milestones in sight, needing one goal to earn his first 50-goal season and one point to reach 600 in his career (as well as five points for his first career 100-point campaign). Pastrnak, whose next goal also will give him sole possession of eighth place in franchise history, can become the sixth different Bruins skater to score 50 goals in a season and first since Cam Neely in 1993-94.
* The Panthers (36-29-7, 79 points) have an opportunity to jump back into a playoff spot - a position they held for one day earlier this week - when they host the Rangers (42-20-10, 94 points).
* Matthew Tkachuk (35-62-97 in 69 GP) takes aim at his second straight 100-point season (42-62-104 in 2021-22 w/ CGY). To date, only three players in NHL history have had consecutive 100-point seasons while changing teams in the offseason: Wayne Gretzky (149 in 1987-88 w/ EDM & 168 in 1988-89 w/ LAK), Jimmy Carson (107 in 1987-88 w/ LAK & 100 in 1988-89 w/ EDM) and Mike Rogers (105 in 1980-81 w/ HFD & 103 in 1981-82 w/ NYR).
* Tkachuk owns an active six-game goal streak and can tie Pavel Bure (7 GP in 2000-01) for the franchise record. A three-point showing would allow Tkachuk to join Jonathan Huberdeau (30-85-115 in 2021-22) as the second player in Panthers history to record a 100-point season.

MARCHING TOWARD A THRILLING FINISH OUT WEST

The top three teams in the Pacific Division will be in action Saturday, including a showdown between the top-ranked Golden Knights (45-21-6, 96 points) and No. 3-ranked Oilers (41-23-8, 90 points). Holding the No. 2 seed, the Kings (41-20-10, 92 points) will get a head start with a matinee against the Jets (41-29-3, 85 points), who sit in the second Wild Card spot with a chance to climb the standings.
* The Golden Knights (10-2-0, 20 points) and Oilers (9-2-0, 18 points) rank first and second, respectively, in points since March 1. After hitting the 60-goal mark Wednesday with a thrilling OT goal on TNT, Connor McDavid (60-78-138 in 72 GP) heads into Hockey Night in Canada within one goal of 300 in his NHL career (299 in 559 GP). He can become the third-fastest active player to reach the milestone - behind Alex Ovechkin (473 GP) and Steven Stamkos (550 GP) - while teammates Leon Draisaitl (298 in 628 GP) and Evander Kane (299 in 843 GP) also are closing in on the milestone.
* The Kings have also enjoyed a successful March as they boast the best points percentage so far (.889) and own an active 10-game point streak dating to Feb. 28 (8-0-2). Pheonix Copley (5-0-1) and Joonas Korpisalo (3-0-1) have split duties during the run as the club tries to match the longest point streak in franchise history when they take on Winnipeg.