NHL On Tap: Avalanche can become 1st to playoffs, Makar nearing 500 points

There are five games on the NHL schedule for Friday, with one nationally televised in the United States. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Got to 'Av it

The Colorado Avalanche, who own the best record in the NHL at 44-13-10, can become the first team to clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth with at least one point against the Chicago Blackhawks (26-30-12) at United Center (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, KTVD, ALT). Despite its lofty perch two points shy of being the first team to reach 100 points this season, Colorado, 1-3-1 in its past four games, suddenly finds itself in a battle for the Central Division lead as the second-place Dallas Stars (43-15-10) have used a 5-1-0 run to pull to within two points of the Avalanche. Colorado does hold a game in hand, however. Defenseman Cale Makar has an impressive milestone in his sights; the 27-year-old has 497 points (136 goals, 461 assists) in 462 games and needs three more over his next two outings to surpass Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for the third fewest games to reach the 500-point mark by any defenseman in NHL history. Hall of Famers Bobby Orr (396 games) and Paul Coffey (422) lead the way, while Potvin did it in 465. The Blackhawks are coming off a 2-1 victory at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, which ended the NHL’s longest active point streak for one team against another. Chicago had been 0-18-1 in their previous 19 games against Minnesota, dating back to Feb. 4, 2020.

Ovi time

Speaking of milestones, another one awaits NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin. The 40-year-old forward needs one more score to reach 1,000 combined goals between the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, truly one of the more incredible feats in the history of the game, and join Wayne Gretzky (1,016) as the only ones to achieve it. Ovechkin, who has scored 922 times in the regular season and 77 times in the postseason, can hit that prestigious mark when his Washington Capitals (34-27-8) host the New Jersey Devils (35-31-2) at Capital One Arena (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN, SNP, SNE). At the same time there will be plenty of intrigue to see what Capitals rookie Cole Hutson, 21 years younger than Ovechkin, can do for an encore after his NHL debut on Wednesday. The 19-year-old defenseman scored a goal and led all Washington defensemen with three shots in his first game, a 4-1 win against the Ottawa Senators. Not bad for someone who just signed an entry level contract on Sunday. “He looks unreal. It was fun to watch,” Cole’s brother Lane, a defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens and 2025 recipient of the Calder Trophy voted as the NHL’s top rookie, said Thursday. The Capitals and Devils each remain mathematically in the hunt for a playoff spot, though their respective chances are fading; Washington is eight points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, with New Jersey 12 behind.

Aho ascending

Sebastian Aho is on the verge of doing something only three other Carolina Hurricanes have achieved before. With 69 points (24 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games this season, the center is one point from becoming the fourth player in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history with three consecutive 70-point campaigns, poised to join Hall of Famer Ron Francis (nine seasons from 1982-91), Eric Staal (seven seasons from 2005-12) and Blaine Stoughton (four seasons from 1979-83). Aho can join that elite company when the Hurricanes (43-19-6) visit the Toronto Maple Leafs (29-28-12) at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNO, NHLN, FDSNSO). Carolina has held first place in the Eastern Conference for 20 consecutive days, its second-longest such run in franchise history; it stood atop the conference for 37 days back in 2005-06, when it won the only Stanley Cup in Hurricane/Whalers history. The Maple Leafs will be playing their fourth consecutive game without captain Auston Matthews, who had knee surgery to repair a grade 3 MCL tear on Thursday and has an expected recovery time of 12 weeks. Toronto is 2-1-0 since Matthews was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas during a 6-4 win on March 12.

Bully Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth (36-27-6) seek their third straight win in their quest for a playoff berth when they host the Ducks (37-27-4) at Delta Center (10 p.m. ET; Utah16, Victory+, KCOP-13, TVAS). Utah, coming off a 4-0 victory at the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, look to qualify for the postseason for the first time after taking root in Salt Lake City prior to last season. The Mammoth hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, six points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who hold a game in hand. Captain Clayton Keller scored twice Thursday and leads Utah in scoring with 67 points (22 goals, team-leading 45 assists). This could be a preview of a Western Conference First Round series, though plenty remains to be determined. Anaheim, looking to rebound after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, is in a dogfight at the top of the Pacific Division standings, leading the Edmonton Oilers by one point and Vegas by two. The Ducks, 2-3-1 in their past six games, hold one game in hand on the Golden Knights and two on the Oilers.

Seth settling in

It hasn’t taken Seth Jones long to make his presence felt in the Florida Panthers lineup. The 31-year-old defenseman, who returned Tuesday after missing 26 games with a collarbone injury, hasn’t exactly eased his way into action. He has averaged 22:25 of ice time in his first two games back, and you can expect the sizable workload to continue when the Panthers (34-31-3) continue their Western Canada road trip against the Calgary Flames (27-34-7) at Scotiabank Saddledome (9 p.m. ET; SNW, SCRIPPS). Florida once again will be without the services of Brad Marchand, who was placed on long-term injured reserve this week with a lingering lower-body injury to make room for Jones on the roster; the 37-year-old forward has not played since March 6. The Flames, 3-7-1 in their past 11, continue a six-game homestand, which began with a 2-1 shootout win against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

The schedule

Carolina Hurricanes at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNO, NHLN, FDSNSO)

New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN, SNP, SNE)

Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, KTVD, ALT)

Florida Panthers at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, SCRIPPS)

Anaheim Ducks at Utah Mammoth (10 p.m. ET; Utah16, Victory+, KCOP-13, TVAS)