Evan’s NHL Daily: History Being Made, Best Season Ever?

It seems like every night, something is being done in the NHL that hasn’t been done in decades, or in some cases, ever. Paul Bissonnette keeps saying it, so maybe he actually is right – has this been the best regular season ever for the NHL?

In Colorado, Nathan MacKinnon has had some spectacular performances this year, but could Tuesday night have been his best of the year…so far?

All that and more in this Wednesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

Ross Colton had no problem calling Nathan MacKinnon the best player in the world on a podcast. His teammate made him look pretty good later in the day.

50 goals for Nathan MacKinnon.

I’m sure Avalanche fans will love hearing that their win on Tuesday night eliminated the Minnesota Wild from playoff contention.

Nathan MacKinnon explained what happened on his 50th and whether or not he was calling for the puck from Jonathan Drouin.

Best Regular Season Ever For NHL?

In recent weeks, Paul Bissonnette has been claiming this has been the best regular season ever in the NHL. After Tuesday night, I think he might have a point.

We all saw what Nathan MacKinnon did in Colorado. He hit 50 goals, and in addition to 50 goals, he might top 90 assists. And then you have this stat.

Nathan MacKinnon is just the 2nd @NHL player in the last 25 seasons to reach 50+ goals and 85+ assists in a season, joining Connor McDavid in 2022-23 (64g/89a) https://t.co/YFvjN9eJRK

— Brendan McNicholas (@bmcnich) April 10, 2024

Speaking of Connor McDavid, he’s dealing with a lower-body injury right now, so there’s a chance it ruins his chance at picking up 100 assists, something that’s only been done 13 times by three different players. There’s an outside chance he might not be alone in getting there, because Nikita Kucherov is up to 96 assists himself. Have two players do it in one NHL season would be wild.

Out East, Auston Matthews scored his 66th goal of the year, which is the most goals an NHL player has scored since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. 70 goals would be tough, but it’s not out of the question.

Oh yea, and then you have Alex Ovechkin, probably the greatest goalscorer in NHL history. His late season surge saw him hit 30 goals on Tuesday, making him the first player in NHL history with 18 30 goal seasons. This all comes a few days after Sidney Crosby secured another point-per-game season.

Most 30 goal seasons in NHL history:
Alexander Ovechkin pic.twitter.com/cXLrE2ixIx

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 10, 2024

The top of the Western Conference is pretty stacked, and the same could be said about the Eastern Conference. Sure, the race for the final two spots out East is pretty pathetic, but you can’t get everything you want, right?

So yes, Biz might be right here. This might be the best regular season in NHL history. Hopefully the playoffs are just as good.

National Hockey Now

Updated playoff odds for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Philadelphia Flyers have had plenty of chances to run away with a playoff spot out East. Instead, they’re going to flame out.

Another team that’s choking away a playoff spot? The Detroit Red Wings.

He only turned 20 recently, but Juraj Slafkovsky looks pretty darn good in Montreal.

The season for Jack Hughes is officially over.