Nikita Kucherov can now lay claim to the most productive campaign by a player from his homeland.

The Tampa Bay Lightning superstar recorded an empty-net helper to notch his 128th point of the season in Saturday's victory over the Boston Bruins, eclipsing Alexander Mogilny's previous record for most in a single campaign by a player of Russian origin. Kucherov tied the record earlier in the game with his 41st goal of the year.

Mogilny piled up 127 points with the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93.

Kucherov ranks 21st all time on the career points list among Russian skaters with 462 in 447 games. Alex Ovechkin became the all-time leader on that list in February.

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Mikko Rantanen won't play in his club's regular-season finale, but his head coach is optimistic that the star forward will be back for the postseason.

Colorado Avalanche bench boss Jared Bednar told reporters Saturday he's "hopeful" Rantanen will feature for the team in the playoffs, according to The Athletic's Ryan Clark.

The 22-year-old winger will miss his eighth straight game when the Avalanche wrap up their regular-season schedule Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. He's been out since March 21 with what the club classified as an upper-body injury.

Rantanen had been enjoying an even better campaign than his 2017-18 breakout, as he racked up 31 goals and 87 points in 74 contests before suffering the injury. He produced 29 goals and 84 points in 81 games last season.

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Erik Karlsson will return to the San Jose Sharks lineup Saturday night versus the Colorado Avalanche for one final tune up before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed.

Karlsson hasn't played since Feb. 26 due to a groin injury suffered just five games after returning from a month-long absence with a similar ailment. The 28-year-old missed 17 games this time around, and stated he'd "100 percent" be ready for the playoffs in early March.

In 52 appearances in his first season on the West Coast, Karlsson has notched 45 points. His return comes at a welcome time for the Sharks, who have stumbled down the stretch with a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are officially heading back to the postseason after defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout.

Friday's result also officially eliminates the Montreal Canadiens from playoff contention for the third time in four years.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen went all-in at the trade deadline to bolster his team's odds at advancing deeper into the playoffs. The Blue Jackets remain the only NHL club without a postseason series victory.

Columbus has now reached the playoffs in three consecutive seasons after making it just twice over its first 15 campaigns.

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A former governor and financial contributor to the Canadian Women's Hockey League made a pitch to save it.

Graeme Roustan, the venture capitalist and former chairman of Bauer Hockey, sent a letter to the league's board on Friday, offering to assume control.

"I would like to immediately move forward with replacing all of you as directors/members and bring in my own team of directors/members with the intent of carrying on the CWHL next season and beyond," he wrote, according to TSN.

Roustan requested a response by Friday at noon ET but claimed he didn't get one from CWHL chair Laurel Walzak or vice chair Art Mannarn as of that time.

The league ceased operations Sunday after 12 years.

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Quinn Hughes is officially Slovakia-bound.

The Vancouver Canucks' top defensive prospect will represent the United States at the upcoming World Championship, the club confirmed Friday.

Hughes notched a pair of assists in the Canucks' loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night and has three points in his first four NHL games.

He joined the Canucks last month after posting 33 points in 32 contests during his sophomore and final season at the University of Michigan.

Hughes also played for the U.S. at the worlds last year. Vancouver then selected the 19-year-old seventh overall at the NHL draft last June.

His brother Jack, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the next draft, is reportedly likely to take part in the upcoming World Championship as well.

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Quinn Hughes is officially Slovakia-bound.

The Vancouver Canucks' top defensive prospect will represent the United States at the upcoming World Championship, the club confirmed Friday.

Hughes notched a pair of assists in the Canucks' loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night and has three points in his first four NHL games.

He joined the Canucks last month after posting 33 points in 32 contests during his sophomore and final season at the University of Michigan.

Hughes also played for the U.S. at the worlds last year. Vancouver then selected the 19-year-old seventh overall at the NHL draft last June.

His brother Jack, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the next draft, is reportedly likely to take part in the upcoming World Championship as well.

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Michael Hutchinson will serve as the Toronto Maple Leafs' backup netminder for at least the next 10 days while Garret Sparks works with the club's goalie coaches, head coach Mike Babcock said Friday, as relayed by The Athletic's James Mirtle.

Sparks, who was chosen as Toronto's backup ahead of Curtis McElhinney at the start of the year, has struggled mightily of late. The 25-year-old lost four of his last five outings and owns a .902 save percentage across 20 appearances this season.

Hutchinson was acquired by the Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick in late December after the team ran into injury problems. He made five starts, winning two of them with a .914 save clip, before being was sent to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, where he made 23 starts and went 14-5-1.

The Maple Leafs will wrap up their regular season on Saturday in Montreal, where starter Frederik Andersen is expected to be between the pipes. The club will then head to Boston for the start of its first-round playoff series.

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