It's not often that one of Wayne Gretzky's records can be broken, but he hopes Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon gets a crack at setting a new benchmark for playoff points in a single season.
The Great One holds the record with a whopping 47 points in 18 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 1985. MacKinnon has a long way to go - he's currently at 25 points through 14 contests - but could challenge the all-time mark if Colorado goes on a run to the final.
"I would be the first to shake his hand if he were to break it. He is a terrific kid," Gretzky told TSN's Frank Seravalli on Thursday.
Gretzky added, "He's got more than a good chance. He has been dominant in every game. It's almost like he's picked up 20 guys on his shoulders and said, 'We're not going to lose.'"
He went on to praise MacKinnon as a blend of some of the best players to ever suit up.
"He is a cross between (Mario) Lemieux's hands, (Mark) Messier's power, Connor (McDavid's) speed. He is the full package," Gretzky said. "He is a force."
If MacKinnon breaks Gretzky's record, some may question its legitimacy, as this year's 24-team playoff featured an extra round. Gretzky doesn't buy into that notion.
"Absolutely not," he said. "Look, there is an evolution to the game. Things change, the playoffs change. Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe only got two rounds. Then Bobby Orr came along and he got three rounds. No one said that my records shouldn't count because I played four (rounds), more games than Gordie or Beliveau or The Rocket (Maurice Richard). Their records all would have been a lot higher had they played more games."
Gretzky averaged a remarkable 2.61 points per game on his record-setting run, and MacKinnon is currently at 1.78. The Avalanche center has his work cut out for him, but MacKinnon's terrific postseason thus far already places him in Gretzky's company: He's the first player to amass 25 points in his club's first 14 playoff games since Gretzky did so with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.
Gretzky had three 40-point postseasons in his career. The only other player to reach that threshold was Lemieux, who registered 44 points in the 1991 playoffs.
These will be the first Game 7s of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's rather surprising we've reached this point, as the Golden Knights and Stars held 3-1 series leads.
As the saying goes, anything can happen in a Game 7, so expect the unexpected. That said, here are some key storylines to monitor in each game that could have a major impact on which teams live to see another day.
Hutchinson's heroics
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Of everything that's unfolded in 2020, Michael Hutchinson stealing a playoff series could be the most unexpected turn of events. The 30-year-old is the Avs' third-string netminder but has risen to the occasion since being forced to start Game 5 after Pavel Francouz's injury.
Hutchinson - who had previously never made a postseason start - stopped 58 of 62 Dallas shots in his two wins this series. His sudden resurgence comes after he posted a dreadful .886 save percentage and 3.66 goals-against average across 15 appearances as a backup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There have been several instances in NHL history where an unheralded goalie has carried their team to playoff success, but Hutchinson leading the Avalanche on a run would be one of the unlikeliest the league has ever seen. It's hard not to be impressed by the journeyman backup, who's played for four different teams over seven seasons. He's authoring a legitimate feel-good story and can earn some future security as a pending unrestricted free agent if he keeps it up.
Demko's dominance
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With the Golden Knights holding a 3-1 series lead and All-Star netminder Jacob Markstrom suddenly unfit to play, the Canucks appeared dead in the water. Enter Thatcher Demko, who put Vancouver on his back in victories in Games 5 and 6.
Demko was the Canucks' backup all season and posted a .906 save percentage in 27 appearances. He made 43 saves in Game 5, followed by a 48-stop shutout Thursday in Game 6. Vegas heavily outplayed Vancouver in each of its attempts to close out the series, but Demko has been unflappable against consistent barrages from the Golden Knights' offense.
In a one-game, winner-take-all situation, there's perhaps no greater advantage than a red-hot goaltender, so the Canucks have to be feeling confident they can pull off the upset against the top-seeded Golden Knights.
If Demko does it again, it may set up a Cinderella matchup with Hutchinson for a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. File that one in the "who would have thought?"department.
Who starts for Vegas?
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While Vancouver and Colorado ride waves of unforeseen goalie magic, Vegas finds itself embroiled in a controversy between the pipes with its season on the line.
The sword picture Marc-Andre Fleury's agent tweeted at the outset of the series would hardly register as a story now if Robin Lehner had found a way to close out the series. In Vancouver's two most recent wins, Lehner has an .872 save percentage against only 39 shots. Does Peter DeBoer hope his No. 1 can find his game again in short order, or does he turn to Fleury as he did for the club's last back-to-back set?
Despite owning a .893 save percentage in three appearances in the bubble, Fleury does have a case to earn the start. The veteran goaltender has more experience in high-leverage postseason games, including multiple Game 7 victories. He's also 12-2-2 lifetime against the Canucks.
MacKinnon's magic
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Nathan MacKinnon's been the most exciting player to watch this postseason. He's willed the Avalanche to several wins this summer and will look to do so again in Game 7.
The MVP finalist is scorching hot. He tied Bobby Orr and Mark Messier for the second-longest point streak to start a postseason with an assist in Game 6. MacKinnon also became the first player to record 25 points in his team's first 14 postseason games since Wayne Gretzky in 1992-93.
The 25-year-old's game has developed into appointment viewing, and hockey fans can only hope he's got another virtuoso performance up his sleeve for his club's biggest contest of the season.
Can Stars' top line reappear?
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
It's been a Jekyll and Hyde series thus far for the Stars' top producers. Dallas' top trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov combined for just one point in the club's last two games after racking up 17 in the previous four contests.
There's no question the Stars' big guns need to step up Friday night, especially against the MacKinnon line, which has shown no signs of slowing down.
"We can win games as a line," Seguin said after Game 6, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
Dallas can help its top players make an impact by staying out of the penalty box. The Stars gave the Avalanche six power plays in Game 5 and five in Game 6, significantly limiting their top line's ice time.
Boston Bruins blue-liner Torey Krug is after long-term security this offseason, saying Thursday that he's against the idea of signing a one-year contract as he enters unrestricted free agency.
"I'm very opposed to that," Krug said, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. "I've bet on myself and I've taken shorter-term deals and less amount of money my whole career now, so this is my time in terms of my value at its peak."
Krug, 29, signed a four-year, $21-million contract with the Bruins in 2016. His $5.25-million cap hit was well under market value considering his offensive abilities from the back end, and he's one of the top defensemen set to hit free agency.
The Bruins have over $15 million in projected cap space next season, according to CapFriendly. Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk are in need of new contracts as restricted free agents, while captain and UFA Zdeno Chara confirmed Thursday that he wants to return for a 23rd NHL campaign.
Krug said in April, in the midst of the NHL's coronavirus-induced pause, that he hoped he hadn't played his last game with the Bruins. In mid-July, before Boston returned to the ice, the defenseman admitted he'd probably have to prepare to enter free agency.
Krug joined the Bruins for his first full season in 2013-14. Since then, he ranks seventh among all defensemen with 335 points in 520 contests while averaging over 20 minutes per night.
The towering 43-year-old blue-liner conducted his season-ending press conference Thursday, and as a pending unrestricted free agent, was asked what his future holds.
"I feel strong physically," Chara said, per NBC Boston's Joe Haggerty. "I'm positive and feel like I can still play and contribute to this team. I want to be a Boston Bruin. That hasn’t changed."
Chara added what comes next is up to management and his agent, but he appears fully committed to returning for a 23rd NHL season.
In an Instagram post Thursday thanking Bruins' fans for their support this season, part of Chara's caption read: "See you next season, hopefully with a full stadium of passionate Boston Bruins fans cheering us on."
Chara is currently 15th on the all-time games played list, but he isn't interested in chasing individual accolades. His focus is solely on helping Boston win.
"My dreams are not reaching stats. My dream is to compete and be in the ice in crucial situations and defend when it matters," Chara said, according to Michael Hurley of CBS Boston.
Chara has signed a one-year contract in each of the past two offseasons, with his most recent deal paying him $2 million. The Bruins have over $15 million in projected cap space next season, according to Cap Friendly. However, Torey Krug is a UFA, while Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk are both in need of a new contract as RFA's.
Chara signed with the Bruins for the 2006-07 season and has suited up in over 1,000 games for the club. He's a five-time All-Star since joining Boston, while also capturing a Norris Trophy and Stanley Cup. This past season, he notched 14 points in 68 games while averaging over 21 minutes per contest.
Michael Hutchinson will start for the Avs with their season on the line, while Ben Bishop will return to the crease for the first time since Game 2 of Dallas' first-round series versus the Calgary Flames.
Hutchinson relieved Pavel Francouz - who was deemed unfit to play Monday - in Game 4 but hasn't started a game since March 2. Hunter Miska will serve as the backup.
Colorado's usual starter, Philipp Grubauer, was injured in Game 1 versus the Stars and has no timeline on a potential return.
Hutchinson began his 2019-20 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting an .888 save percentage in 16 appearances. He got a win in his only start after joining the Avalanche at the trade deadline, and Game 5 will be his first-ever playoff start.
Dallas holds a 3-1 series lead and can advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2007-08 with a victory.
The Lightning winger left the game after Chara's four-minute penalty and briefly returned only to exit again late in the second period.
Kucherov has been the driving force of Tampa Bay's offense so far in the postseason, recording 16 points in 12 contests entering Monday's pivotal contest.
The Lightning can ill afford an absence of any sort for Kucherov, as the club is already without captain Steven Stamkos.
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy believes goaltender Tuukka Rask's sudden departure from the Toronto bubble has played a role in his club's slump midway through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Rask opted out of the postseason on Aug. 15 to tend to a family emergency, with backup Jaroslav Halak starting each game since.
He added: "It does affect you mentally and it affects how you sort of construct your lineup when you had those back-to-backs."
Rask played in the round robin and two games during Boston's first-round series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Halak has posted a 4-3 record with a .906 save percentage in the seven games since, and the Bruins face a 3-1 series deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning with Game 5 scheduled for Monday night.
Dan Vladar made his NHL debut in relief of Halak during a blowout loss in Game 4. Cassidy said the Bruins didn't expect to be dealing with such uncertainty between the pipes when they entered the postseason.
"It's a tough spot for him to go in," Cassidy said. "We saw that when he had to go in in the middle of a game. Then the mental part of it as a group, yeah, you get down. Do you believe you have all the pieces to win? You'd have to ask the players that. I always do."
The Bruins were the NHL's No. 1 team in the regular season with Rask and Halak splitting starting duties.
Rask has made 93 career postseason starts, owning a 51-42 record and a dominant .926 save percentage.
The New York Islanders are on the cusp of moving on to the Eastern Conference Final after dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers by a final score of 3-2 on Sunday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The Islanders haven't reached the conference final since the 1992-93 season.
However, Toronto won't move its starter unless an upgrade is available, and a strong group of free-agent goaltenders this offseason could factor into its decision, Friedman adds.
It was reported earlier in August that the Leafs are exploring Andersen's trade market - along with those of other players - after they were eliminated by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round this summer.
Andersen has been the Leafs' No. 1 netminder since joining the club via trade from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the 2016-17 campaign. He's posted a .916 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average in 244 appearances in Toronto, though he's coming off his worst season with the club, owning a .909 percentage in 52 games.
The Hurricanes drafted Andersen in 2010, but he never signed and re-entered the draft two years later. The soon-to-be 31-year-old will enter the final year of his contract and carries a $5-million cap hit.
Carolina ran with a tandem of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer in goal this past season, and the duo ranked 26th in the NHL with a combined .912 save percentage at even strength. Both netminders are under contract for the 2020-21 campaign.
Alex Tuch and Zach Whitecloud propelled Vegas with first-period goals before Mark Stone provided the dagger with a power-play tally in the third.
Robin Lehner was Vegas' player of the game, as he made 31 saves - including several key early stops - to earn his second shutout of the series.
The Canucks came out strong, outchancing the Golden Knights 6-3 and holding a 5-1 edge in high-danger opportunities in the opening frame, but they were unable to convert. The Knights wound up finishing the contest with a .80 advantage in expected goals and 56.67% of the shot attempts at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The two clubs now face a quick turnaround, as Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday night.
