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On this date last season, the Carolina Hurricanes sat three points out of a wild-card spot with less than a 40% chance of making the playoffs.

Not only were the Canes three points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had played one less game, but they were eight behind the Montreal Canadiens for seventh in the Eastern Conference.

However, the Hurricanes passed both teams over the final two months of the regular season and ultimately reached the conference finals before losing to the Boston Bruins, who later came within one win of lifting the Stanley Cup.

Fast forward exactly one year to Feb. 7, 2020, and Carolina is currently occupying the final wild-card spot in the East with a 60.8% chance to make the postseason. It's a much better position than the Hurricanes were in at this time last season, yet their Stanley Cup odds are a staggering 40-1 - more than double the odds of the Toronto Maple Leafs (16-1), a team with just a 39.3% chance to reach the playoffs.

The Canes were actually being offered at 16-1 earlier this season after a strong start, but oddsmakers have since cooled on a team that's been winning fewer games despite no drop-off in its underlying performance.

On the surface, it appears Carolina's offense is average, with the team ranking 12th in goals for this season. However, the Hurricanes lead the NHL in expected goals for per game (xGF/60). They're also first in high-danger scoring chances per game (HDCF/60) and fourth in total scoring chances created per 60 minutes (SCF/60).

Why haven't they scored more goals? The team is being hindered by below-average shooting percentages on scoring opportunities - both high danger and overall - which should be due for some positive regression.

The Canes also lead the NHL in expected goals for percentage and Corsi For percentage (CF%), which refers to the percentage of shot attempts per game that are for that team. That's partially due to the quality chances the Hurricanes have been generating, but it's also because they've allowed the third-fewest shots against per game (SA/60). Additionally, only three other teams have given up less scoring chances per contest (SCA/60).

Carolina's unique ability to create quality chances at one end and limit them at the other makes this a very dangerous team, which isn't accurately reflected in the standings.

The Canes will have to fight down the stretch to secure a playoff spot, but it's nothing they aren't used to. They were worse off at this time last year but played their best hockey down the stretch, closing out the regular season on a 21-8-1 run.

This season, a lot will depend on whether the capable Petr Mrazek can get his 2.73 goals-against average and .900 save percentage closer to the 2.39 and .914 marks he posted last season. With respectable goaltending, this Carolina team is certainly capable of another strong finish and a deep playoff run.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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The Washington Capitals had a full week off ahead of January's NHL All-Star Game, but Craig Laughlin remained in midseason form, gushing over the phone one morning during his break from the rink about the irresistible symbolism of Alex Ovechkin's greatest goal. You know the one: A Phoenix Coyotes defenseman knocks the Russian winger off balance in the slot in 2006, only for Ovi to corral the puck while falling onto his back before blindly flicking it - mostly with one hand - through the sliver between the goalie's outstretched stick and the post.

The play astounded on its merits alone. Then came the moment that, to the Capitals' veteran TV color analyst, elevated Ovechkin's contortion to a higher sphere of significance: Wayne Gretzky, the head coach of those Coyotes, gazing up at a replay on the arena video board, resigned to marveling helplessly from the bench.

"It just adds to the lore," Laughlin said. "The greatest goal-scorer of all time is looking at this and just saying, 'Wow.' To me, that says something about Alex's greatness."

For 15 seasons, Ovechkin's propensity to fool netminders has carried him ever higher on the NHL's all-time goals leaderboard, past a succession of Original Six legends and icons of later years, ever closer to the gold standard below whom they all sit. Past Jean Beliveau and Maurice Richard. Past Joe Sakic and Brendan Shanahan. Just since the calendar turned to 2020, he's passed Teemu Selanne, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Mark Messier.

Two constants have underpinned Ovechkin's ascent to eighth place in this corner of the record books. One is his own consistency. Never in a season has he scored fewer than 30 goals. He's reached or exceeded 50 eight times, good for third in league history behind Gretzky's and Mike Bossy's nine.

The other constant? Laughlin and play-by-play partner Joe Beninati at rafter level, the vantage point from which they've called nearly all of Ovechkin's steps toward the next momentous number he'll soon reach.

The Capitals captain enters Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers with 698 career goals, well back of Gretzky's record total of 894 but merely an inspired flurry shy of 700; D.C. and the wider hockey world are set to fete his breakthrough. The Capitals, according to The Washington Post, plan to stage a tribute featuring video messages from teammates and an appearance from Ovechkin's son Sergei, who was born in 2018, a couple of months after his dad won the Stanley Cup.

When that celebration goes down, Beninati and Laughlin - the voices of the Capitals on NBC Sports Washington since 1996 - will be uniquely positioned to appreciate Ovechkin's accomplishment, as they are now to contemplate the totality of the legacy they've watched him compile.

"He's challenged my powers of description ever since he jumped into the game," Beninati told theScore. "There are things that he does at times that look like they're superhuman. He forces you as an announcer to be ready for something you may have never seen before."

Beninati and Laughlin were in the booth for Ovechkin's NHL debut against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005, when the full-toothed newcomer from Moscow dislodged a stanchion behind the Columbus net on his first shift by ramming defenseman Radoslav Suchy into the boards. "This guy is the real deal," Laughlin thought to himself, even before Ovechkin scored on one-timers from the high slot and near the goalmouth later that night.

The duo watched Ovechkin retain and flex that combination of power, flair, and timing as the Capitals grew from league doormats to perennial playoff washouts to Cup champions. Laughlin thinks Ovechkin has evolved into one of history's most well-rounded scorers, a 236-pound winger whose footwork, shoulder fakes, backhand, and passing ability don't garner enough recognition in the shadow of his bruising shot.

"(People) think he's just this shooter," Laughlin said. "They don't see the fact he had to bust his butt to get past the defender. He had to then get away from a guy who's trying to clobber him. Then he had to get away from a stick that's trying to take away his stick. Then he gets open. Then he shoots.

"There's steps along the way that I don't think we give Alexander credit for when it comes to scoring goals. You need those steps. Without those steps, he's not going to be where he is now."

Ovechkin certainly gets fair credit for the spectacular ways in which he's deposited pucks in nets. Different highlights spring to mind in different conversations. Remember when he spun to beat Montreal's Roman Hamrlik to a loose puck, outraced Kyle Chipchura to the crease, and scored on Carey Price in mid-slide? Remember when, during the 2009 playoffs, he eluded one New York Ranger's check and stickhandled through another's legs - "Dazzling moves!" Beninati said at the time - before sprawling to beat Henrik Lundqvist with a backhand? Remember when he trumped Price again by juggling an airborne puck and banking it in off the goalie's backside? ("That is a thing of beauty," Laughlin remarked on air.)

One could never exhaustively catalog Ovechkin's handiwork from memory alone. For that purpose, NBC Sports Washington recently aired his regular-season goals in a single go - at the time, all 692 of them.

"I remember most of them," Beninati said. "I've been lucky."

Laughlin, a forward for Washington through the mid-1980s, was lucky in his own right back then. He'd park himself by the crease on the power play as defensemen Scott Stevens and Kevin Hatcher pounded shots from the point, more than a few of which, he said, would ricochet "off my ass and into the net." He also shared the ice with longtime Capitals star Mike Gartner, a hard-shooting, scorchingly fast right-winger whose 708 career goals make him the next legendary scorer Ovechkin is working to eclipse.

Gartner features in Laughlin's ideal conception of Ovechkin's 700th. Scoring from his back as a bright-eyed rookie in front of Gretzky? Poetry. So Laughlin figures it would be fitting if this next landmark goal materialized at Washington's Capital One Arena, where Ovechkin could celebrate beneath Gartner's retired No. 11.

Beninati's first hope for No. 700 is that he, Laughlin, and their production team actually get to work the game in question. He was standing in line outside of the arena on Jan. 11, 2017, when Ovechkin scored his 1,000th point in the first minute of an NBCSN national telecast. (NBC Sports Washington is scheduled to broadcast the Caps' next seven games.)

Fortune sided with Beninati and Laughlin on other marquee occasions. They were on the mic for Ovechkin's 400th goal, an anticlimactic empty-netter at Carolina, and his 500th, a top-shelf wrister on the power play at home against Ottawa. Beninati saw a photographer's camera light up and called that play on the fly: "In a flash! Welcome to the club!"

Fun as they are, potential milestone nights also roil the nerves, Beninati said, though he never tries to moderate his anticipation by scripting ideas of what to say. Much the opposite: Spontaneity and instinct are paramount. Two seasons ago, Beninati won a share of a local Emmy for his network's coverage of No. 600 by waiting patiently as Ovechkin whacked at the puck during a scramble against Winnipeg. Ovechkin's third shot attempt finally cleared the thicket of limbs.

"And then 'overpowering' just came out of my mind," Beninati recalled. "People had said this guy was slowing down. He's not slowing down. He's still going strong."

Now more than ever, it seems.

Ovechkin has three hat tricks in his last six games and an NHL-best 40 goals on the season. That blistering output has him on pace to progress from 600 to 700 goals in fewer games than even Gretzky. Another record beckons below the radar in his near future: Ovechkin is 16 power-play goals away from breaking Dave Andreychuk's all-time mark of 274.

What form his 700th goal will take is anyone's guess. As ever, Beninati won't prescribe his reaction in advance. But he will cop to hoping that a certain nightmare scenario - a net-front deflection that renders the scorer's identity unclear - doesn't come to pass.

"Did he get it? Did he not get it? Oh, God, what should I say?" Beninati said. "You want it to be a blast down the wing that goes in cleanly, where you see every piece of nylon in the net move."

Beninati and Laughlin like to banter on occasion during play. But once Ovechkin is sitting on 699 goals, the color analyst said he'll hew toward silence, joking that he'd risk a punch from Beninati if he were to talk over No. 700. That intention is characteristic of their whole approach to the task. Ovechkin's orchestration of history, the announcers say, ought to be about him. They'll be there to accentuate the moment, beginning with Beninati's call and Laughlin keeping quiet a little while longer.

"I want to let it breathe," Laughlin said. "I want to watch the fans' reaction. I want to hear the fans. I want to take in the moment - and then, when I do talk after it, to really put a bow and a ribbon around just what we saw."

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

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Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is not in the club's lineup Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, the team announced.

Pettersson was bruised by a hit from Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk on Tuesday.

The hit irked Canucks head coach Travis Green.

"I’m so frustrated with it," Green told Sportsnet's Ian MacIntyre postgame. "This guy is one of the best young players in the league. And he gets hit (when) he's totally defenseless.

"Those are hits that the league is trying to get out of the game, especially against top young guys, top players in the league. I think Petey has shown he is one of those guys, and it is frustrating for me as a coach to see some of the abuse he takes where he doesn't get (calls). I know that he's not the biggest guy, but that doesn’t mean you can take advantage of a player that's not ready to be hit. That should be a penalty all day long."

Pettersson stayed in the game, but played just 16:15 - over two minutes below his season average. Grzelcyk, meanwhile, was not penalized.

The 21-year-old phenom was also not pleased with the hit.

"My point of view of the hit: I dropped the puck, I’m ready to get hit," Pettersson said Wednesday. "I see (Gryzelcyk) beside me. He doesn’t hit me, and then two seconds later he hit me when I’m, like, relaxed. Yeah, I’m not ready for the hit, so I flew into the boards.

"I was a little frustrated because I feel like it’s not a good play. It’s kind of like a dirty play because the hit is 10 meters away from where I dropped the puck and it's two or three seconds later after I dropped the puck.

"I know I get a lot more attention now. I can feel it. I get less time with the puck. I feel like I always have a guy around me. But I feel like plays like that isn't what we want in hockey because it's a late hit and I'm not ready for it."

The reigning Calder Trophy winner leads the Canucks with 23 goals and 55 points in his sophomore season.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings got a head start on the trade deadline Wednesday, orchestrating a significant deal shortly after Toronto's critical loss in Manhattan.

The deal

The Kings retained 50% of Clifford's salary ($800,000) in the trade, and the 2021 pick Toronto gave Los Angeles will turn into a second-rounder if Clifford re-signs with the Leafs or if the club makes the playoffs this season with Campbell winning six games down the stretch.

Bolstering the backup position was something many thought Toronto needed to do all season long, and now that it's done so, let's hand out grades to assess how each team made out in the deal.

Maple Leafs' perspective

Enough was enough for general manager Kyle Dubas. Incumbent backup Michael Hutchinson fell to 4-9-1 on the season with a .886 save percentage and a 3.66 goals-against average after Wednesday's defeat to the New York Rangers, and with recently underperforming starter Frederik Andersen battling a neck injury, Toronto quickly needed an upgrade in goal.

On the surface, Campbell appears to provide that. The 28-year-old is 8-10-2 on the year with a .900 save percentage and 2.85 goals-against average for the last-place Kings. In 2018-19, Campbell finally looked like the goalie taken 11th overall in the 2010 draft, posting a .928 save percentage along with 15.16 goals saved above average in 31 appearances.

Campbell's performance as the season wears on will ultimately determine how the Leafs make out in the grand scheme of this trade, but off the bat, it appears Toronto made a worthy gamble on its new backup. Campbell's salary is not an issue for the cap-strapped Leafs this season, and he starts a two-year extension at $1.65 million per in 2020-21, providing the Leafs with some future security at the position should he meet expectations.

In Clifford, the Leafs add some sandpaper to a lineup that clearly lacks it. The 29-year-old only has 14 points this season, but he has surprisingly strong underlying metrics for a player perceived as an enforcer.

Here's a look at his isolated impact on both ends of the ice over the past five seasons, according to Hockey Viz.

According to these graphs, Clifford has manufactured positive shot production and suppression numbers over a large portion of his career, making it clear why the analytics-driven Dubas was willing to add him to Toronto's skill-based lineup. It also doesn't hurt that Clifford won two Stanley Cups with the Kings, potentially boosting his value to the Leafs should the club ultimately qualify for the playoffs.

The two picks Toronto gave up are undoubtedly pricey, but surrendering draft capital is far less of a blow than missing the playoffs would be for a team that started the season with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations.

Since Jan. 1, the Leafs rank 26th overall with a .881 save percentage in all situations - they simply couldn't afford to let their hopes be torpedoed by unreliable goaltending any longer.

Grade: B+

Kings' perspective

Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake was nowhere near as desperate to make a deal as Dubas, but he did well to capitalize on a chance to recoup assets without giving up all that much.

Moore, a native of nearby Thousand Oaks, Calif., should have no problem carving out a role for himself on the Kings' roster. The 24-year-old winger appeared to be a part of the Leafs' future plans during his initial recall last season, but he was leapfrogged on Toronto's depth chart by the likes of Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall after dealing with injuries this year.

Moore has registered 13 points in 52 NHL games and provides Los Angeles' lineup with high-level speed and aggression, costing only $775,000 until 2021. He plays a different style than Clifford - a Kings fan favorite over the years - but has more offensive upside and could see a spike in production with an increased role.

Campbell finding his way last season was a tremendous success story for the Kings, but he's easily replaced by Cal Petersen - a 25-year-old netminder that posted a .924 save clip in 11 NHL appearances in 2019-20. Petersen will slot in behind veteran Jonathan Quick, and he'll cost the Kings less against the salary cap going forward.

Above all else for L.A., this deal was about the picks. The Kings are clearly rebuilding and banking as many draft selections as possible is the correct strategy for the organization to employ. Taking two third-rounders from the Leafs gives the team 24 picks over the next two drafts, including 11 in the first four rounds. That presents Blake a huge opportunity to add to a promising Los Angeles prospect pool that features the likes of Alex Turcotte, Tobias Bjornfot, Rasmus Kupari, and Gabriel Vilardi.

Grade: A

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci will be out "a while" with an ankle injury, general manager Kyle Dubas announced Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Ceci exited Wednesday's contest versus the New York Rangers in the third period and didn't return.

Toronto is also without top defenseman Morgan Rielly, who was ruled out for eight weeks on Jan. 13 due to a broken foot.

Ceci has suited up in all 54 games for the Maple Leafs this season, posting one goal and seven assists while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per night. Toronto acquired him in the offseason from the Ottawa Senators.

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The Montreal Canadiens placed defenseman Shea Weber on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday.

Weber suffered the injury during Tuesday's victory over the New Jersey Devils, head coach Claude Julien confirmed, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

The 34-year-old will be out of the lineup for at least a week.

Montreal recalled defenseman Xavier Ouellet from the AHL's Laval Rockets on Thursday, the team announced.

Weber leads the Canadiens in ice time with an average of 24:18 per game. He also ranks second on the club in blocks and has contributed 13 goals and 34 points through 55 games.

The Canadiens sit seven points shy of third place in the Atlantic Division and eight points back of the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 27 games remaining.

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