Ovechkin's record chase, Columbus
outdoor game and trade deadline await down stretch of NHL season
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 [February 22, 2025]
By STEPHEN WHYNO
The NHL season resumes with 14 games on Saturday and 10 more Sunday
with every team in action at least once this weekend coming out of
the break for the massively successful 4 Nations Face-Off.
The puck drops for the playoffs on April 19. The league's 32 teams
are set to play in a total of 422 games before the four-round race
for the Stanley Cup begins in earnest.
“There’s still a lot of hockey left to be played,” center Pierre-Luc
Dubois of the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals said
Friday. “Some teams their playoff races will start with 18 games
left and some will start with 10, but I think the pace really goes
up pretty soon.”
Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record, the
outdoor game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings
at Ohio State’s Stadium, the March 7 trade deadline and various
injury situations coming out of the 4 Nations are among the things
to watch down the stretch.
Ovechkin's GR8 chase
The Capitals captain in his 20th season is 16 back of passing
Gretzky's mark of 894 goals that long seemed unapproachable. Coach
Spencer Carbery expects again to see Ovechkin, now 39 years old,
refreshed and ready to roll.
“I just am expecting for him to be a real impactful player for us in
these last 27 games of the season,” Carbery said. “He looks great.
He’s got tons of energy. It feels like he had a real good break to
be able to get some work in but also get mentally refreshed for this
last little stretch.”
The odds are still against Ovechkin breaking the record this season.
BetMGM Sportsbook still favors him not getting there.
Ovechkin scored 15 goals in his final 27 games last season, a pace
that would tie Gretzky. But it also might be foolish to bet against
the greatest scorer of this — and soon any — generation.
“Everyone’s excited about it, looking forward to it,” teammate Dylan
Strome said. "It’s going to be tough to get it this year, but if
anyone can do it, I think it’s him.”
Taking it outside
The Blue Jackets are set to play in an outdoor game for the first
time in franchise history March 1 when they host the Red Wings at
Ohio Stadium. The site of so many college football rivalry games
between Ohio State and Michigan is also a nice chance to showcase a
surprise season of success for Columbus.
With top defenseman Zach Werenski and new coach Dean Evason leading
the way, the Blue Jackets are firmly in contention and getting
captain Boone Jenner back after missing the first three-quarters of
the season following shoulder surgery.
“I haven’t had this much fun playing hockey in a long time and being
around a group of guys,” Werenski said during the 4 Nations
tournament. “We’re just enjoying it. We’re having fun. We’re working
hard. We’ve all bought into our team game. No one cares who has the
success.”
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Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with
center Aleksander Barkov (16) after scoring a goal during the second
period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators Saturday,
Feb. 8, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Red Wings are also in the race — one point
ahead of Columbus — thanks to a midseason coaching change that paid
big dividends. Detroit has won 15 of 21 games since Todd McLellan
replaced Derek Lalonde behind the bench, and duking it out with the
Blue Jackets puts an even brighter spotlight on the Stadium Series
game between them.
Trade season
There was a flurry of moves before the 4 Nations, with Colorado,
Carolina and Chicago completing a three-team blockbuster that sent
Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes and Martin Necas to
the Avalanche, the New York Rangers landing J.T. Miller from
Vancouver and Dallas acquiring Mikael Granlund and Codi Ceci in a
trade with San Jose.
But there's plenty more in that vein to come before the 3 p.m. EST
deadline on March 7.
The New York Islanders have a big decision to make with big center
Brock Nelson, a pending unrestricted free agent who seems unlikely
to re-sign. They are four points back of the second and final
wild-card spot in the East, and 82-year-old general manager Lou
Lamoriello's uncertain future makes it impossible to know what will
happen with Nelson.
Seattle's Yanni Gourde likely won't play until the deadline after
surgery to repair a sports hernia, but he is also a player who, like
Nelson, could be a nice rental addition for any contender looking to
add at the deadline. Options on defense are much sparser, but
Philadelphia is open for business on big Finn Rasmus Ristolainen and
Montreal could get a significant return for hard-nosed Cup winner
David Savard.
Injuries all over
Sidney Crosby could miss time for the Pittsburgh Penguins and
Matthew Tkachuk for the Florida Panthers after playing through pain
at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby played for Canada despite getting
hurt before the break and sitting out a couple of Penguins games,
while Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury in one of the U.S. games
and was unable to finish the final Thursday night.
Boston's Charlie McAvoy and Vegas' Shea Theodore are definitely out
for their respective teams, and more bumps and bruises from the
tournament could reveal themselves as players get back to practice
in the coming days.
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