Top storylines for remainder of 2024-25 NHL regular season

The 2024-25 regular season resumes with 14 games Saturday following the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Each team has fewer than 30 games remaining this season and there is still a lot to be decided before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Along with playoff positioning, there are several developing storylines to watch entering the final stretch of the regular season, which ends April 17.

Ovechkin’s goal chase

Alex Ovechkin has 26 goals in 39 games this season and is 16 from passing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894. The Washington Capitals have 27 games remaining on their schedule, starting at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS). Ovechkin missed 16 games this season with a fractured left fibula he sustained in a collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain on Nov. 18. Ovechkin had 15 goals in 18 games prior to breaking his leg and has 11 in 21 games since his return Dec. 28. The Washington captain went into the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off with a goal in four of five games. If the 39-year-old can maintain his pace through the rest of the season, he is projected to score another 16 goals to break the record Gretzky has held since surpassing Gordie Howe with 802 goals on March 23, 1994.

Playoff races heat up

The Detroit Red Wings (28-22-5) are in position to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, currently the second wild card from the Eastern Conference with 61 points. The Ottawa Senators (62 points) hold the first wild card from the Eastern Conference and are looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. Detroit and Ottawa will try to fend off the Columbus Blue Jackets (60 points), Boston Bruins (60), New York Rangers (58) and New York Islanders (57), Montreal Canadiens (55), Pittsburgh Penguins (55) and Philadelphia Flyers (55). In the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks (63 points) and Calgary Flames (60) are set up for an epic race for the second wild card, with the St. Louis Blues (55), Anaheim Ducks (54) and Seattle Kraken (52) having work to do to get back in the running.

Hart Trophy debate

The race for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player to his team is heating up with Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) pulling away from the rest of the pack. Zach Werenski will be a contender for the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman and may receive Hart consideration if the Blue Jackets reach the postseason. MacKinnon won the Hart for the first time last season and entered the 4 Nations Face-Off leading the NHL with 87 points (21 goals, 66 assists) in 57 games. Draisaitl has 83 points (40 goals, 43 assists) in 55 games. The 2020 Hart Trophy winner leads the League in goals and is within reach of his fourth 50-goal season. Kucherov won the Hart Trophy in 2019 and has 82 points (25 goals, 57 assists) in 52 games. Of course, three-time Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid (2017, 2021, 2023) can never be overlooked; the Oilers center has 71 points (22 goals, 49 assists) in 49 games.

Reach for the top

The quest for the Presidents’ Trophy has become a two-team race between the Winnipeg Jets and the Capitals. Winnipeg has never won the trophy for finishing first in the NHL regular-season standings since the award’s inception in 1985-86; Washington has won it three times (2010, 2016, 2017). Finishing first would provide home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Jets (39-14-3) have 81 points, one more than the Capitals (36-11-8), who have a game in hand. The Dallas Stars (35-18-2), Oilers (34-17-4) and Vegas Golden Knights (33-17-6) each have 72 points.

Let’s make a deal

The NHL Trade Deadline is March 7 at 3 p.m. ET, and general managers are expected to be busy over the next two weeks. The East race is tight, so sellers have not completely distinguished themselves, outside of perhaps the Buffalo Sabres (22-27-5), currently at the bottom of the conference and a longshot to end a playoff drought dating back to the 2010-11 season. In the West, that process will likely begin sooner with the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Kraken, Ducks and perhaps the St. Louis Blues falling back of the pack. The teams at the bottom of the division all have talented players with expiring contracts who can help a contender.

Utah’s push for playoffs

Utah (24-23-9) is still in the running for a playoff spot in its first season; it has 57 points and trails the Canucks (26-18-11) for the second wild card. It won’t be easy considering last season the Golden Knights needed 98 points (45-29-8) to clinch the last berth. Utah would need 41 points from its final 26 games to match that, but if it can put together a couple of extended winning streaks, it could make things interesting down the stretch.

Panthers’ Cup defense

The Florida Panthers (34-20-3) are first in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs (33-20-2) and five ahead of the Lightning (31-20-4). If Florida can maintain its standing, it will open defense of its Stanley Cup championship in the playoffs against a wild-card team from the East. The Panthers have been consistent so far this season outside of a rough stretch from Nov. 12-25, when they lost six of seven (1-6-0). Florida has 25 games remaining in the regular season, including a six-game road trip in March and a four-game trip in April.

Heading back outdoors

The final outdoor game of the season will take place March 1 when the Red Wings face the Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium as part of the NHL Stadium Series. It is the first time Columbus will play an outdoor game and the fifth time for Detroit. It will be the 43rd outdoor game in League history and second this season. The Blues won 6-2 against the Blackhawks in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31.

Hellebuyck’s dominance

Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets is well on his way to winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie for a third time (2020, 2024), and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his level of play through Winnipeg’s final 26 games of the regular season. Hellebuyck is 34-7-2 in 43 starts this season with a 2.06 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. He leads the League in wins and is a major reason Winnipeg is atop of the NHL standings. Along with winning the Vezina Trophy, Hellebuyck will be looking to make up from a disappointing playoffs last season, when he went 1-4 with a 5.23 GAA and .870 save percentage in a first-round loss to the Avalanche.

Top rookie

Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson are the frontrunners to win the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie, but there is still time for other first-year players to state their case. Hutson leads all rookies with 41 points (three goals, 38 assists) in 56 games and is averaging 22:31 of ice time. Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 45 games. He missed 12 games earlier this season with a hip injury. Other notable rookies include forward Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers, who has 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 55 games, and goalie Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames (19-11-3, 2.63 GAA, .912 save percentage).

Rantanen in Carolina

The trading of forward Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 25 took many by surprise, and it will be interesting to see how the forward fares the remainder of the season. Rantanen had 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games with Colorado before being traded to Carolina, along with forward Taylor Hall, in a three-team deal including Chicago, for forwards Jack Drury and Martin Necas. In six games with the Hurricanes before the 4 Nations Face-Off, Rantanen had a goal and an assist. Carolina has 26 games remaining in the regular season and hopes Rantanen is the final piece of a championship puzzle.

Miller time in New York

J.T. Miller got off to a fast start in his return to the Rangers, with two goals and two assists in his first two games. He was acquired from the Canucks for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Miller played his first six seasons with New York before moving on to play with Tampa Bay and then Vancouver. He had 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists) in 81 games with the Canucks last season and 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 40 games this season before the trade. The Rangers are hoping Miller can help them get back into a playoff spot; they are three points behind the Red Wings for the second wild card in the East.