The Boston Bruins clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the league's most dominant regular-season squad for the fourth time in franchise history with a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory over the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Sniper David Pastrnak played the hero in the extra frame to secure the Bruins' franchise-best 58th win of the campaign.

The victory gave the Bruins 121 points on the season with seven games remaining on their schedule. With 131 points, the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings hold the record for the highest total since the award was introduced in 1986.

Boston will have home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which start April 17.

The Bruins have been an intimidating force at TD Garden. Head coach Jim Montgomery's side owns a 31-4-3 record in its own building this campaign, which he feels will be a daunting prospect for any playoff opponent to overcome.

"Teams aren't looking forward to coming in here," he said, according to Boston.com's Conor Ryan.

Captain Patrice Bergeron said he's "proud" of all the Bruins have accomplished so far.

"A lot of games and a lot of hard work," he said, per the Associated Press' Ken Powtak. "I'm proud of the way we've done it, sticking to our process and growing as a team."

The 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks are the last Presidents' Trophy winners to lift the Stanley Cup. In the nine seasons since then, the regular season's best squad has only advanced past the second round once.

The Bruins haven't made it beyond the playoffs' first two rounds since 2019, when they fell to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final. Beantown was bounced in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games last season.

It's been a stellar season for the Atlantic Division's top dogs, who set an NHL record with 14 consecutive home victories to start the campaign.

Pastrnak has led the way with 53 goals and 98 points in 75 games, while goaltender Linus Ullmark is a virtual lock for the Vezina Trophy. Heading into Thursday's game, he owned a .937 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average.

Boston started the season without key players Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy but remained unfazed by the early adversity under Montgomery, who replaced Bruce Cassidy in the offseason.

The Bruins are 58-12-5 on the season and have two all-time records in their sights: The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens own the benchmark for most points in a campaign (132), while the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning share the title for wins (62).

Boston last won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

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Buffalo Sabres star goaltender prospect Devon Levi will make his first NHL start Friday against the New York Rangers, and the 21-year-old is ready for the challenge.

"It's exciting," Levi said, per NHL.com's Heather Engel. "I've been dreaming of this moment my whole life, so for it to finally be here, it's a big deal. I'm really excited."

The Sabres signed Levi to a three-year, entry-level contract earlier this month after his collegiate career with Northeastern came to a close. Levi made a name for himself as one of the best up-and-coming netminders over two years with the Huskies. He finished the current season with a 17-12-5 record and six shutouts while leading the NCAA with a .933 save percentage.

He was among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player.

Levi joins the Sabres as they seek to snap the league's longest active playoff drought. Buffalo has an outside chance to qualify for the postseason, remaining in the mix with 77 points through 73 games. The club enters Thursday's action five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild-card spot in the East.

"It's a great situation to be in," Levi said. "I want to help the team make a playoff run. It just makes the game even more valuable, even more precious. It's just a great opportunity, and I'm just grateful that they're giving it to me."

The Sabres have used three goaltenders this season - Craig Anderson, Eric Comrie, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - to little success. Buffalo ranks 27th league-wide with an .888 save percentage in all situations, hampering the club's third-ranked offense.

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NHL legend Keith Tkachuk didn't hold back about his son Matthew's Florida Panthers.

"I'm a little disappointed in the Panthers," Keith told TSN 1050 on Wednesday morning ahead of Florida's 3-2 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. "They're a soft team and they're getting everything they deserve right now."

Even after securing two massive points on Wednesday, the Panthers are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a year after winning the Presidents' Trophy. Florida sits a point back of Pittsburgh for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Penguins have a game in hand. The Cats have a 36% chance of making the postseason, per MoneyPuck.

Matthew's play is far from a reason why, as he paces the club with 97 points in 72 games in his first season with the Panthers after an offseason trade from the Calgary Flames. But the lack of team success still bothers Matthew, Keith says.

"(Matthew is) pretty devastated right now where they're at," Keith said. "But they're still hanging on, they still have a chance, and it's up to them to get their butts going and start playing like a team that should be a lot better than what they're showing right now."

Keith is much more pleased with the effort he sees from his youngest son's team: Brady's Ottawa Senators.

"I know I sound like a frustrated person, but I know every time I come and watch Ottawa they might not be the most talented team, but they're going to play hard," Keith said. "And Florida maybe could take a page out of their book."

Although the Senators' chances of making the playoffs are a slim 1.5%, they've played meaningful games down the stretch, which has been a big step in the team's rebuild. Brady, Ottawa's captain, has put together a career year with 77 points in 74 games.

Keith amassed 538 goals and 527 assists in 1,201 games during his 18-year NHL career between the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers, and St. Louis Blues. He currently works as the Blues' director of recruitment.

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Matthew Knies, Logan Cooley, and Adam Fantilli have been named the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA top men's hockey player.

Knies and Cooley make up two-thirds of Minnesota's top line alongside Jimmy Snuggerud.

Knies, 20, has 21 goals and 20 assists in 38 games for the Golden Gophers during his sophomore season. Selected 57th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021, the 6-foot-3, 209-pound power forward is widely expected to turn pro after the Frozen Four.

Cooley, 18, has 20 goals and 37 assists in 37 games with the Golden Gophers in what's been a sensational freshman campaign. The Arizona Coyotes selected the playmaking center third overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Fantilli, also a freshman, has 29 goals and 35 assists in 35 contests with Michigan. The 18-year-old is the consensus No. 2-ranked prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft behind Connor Bedard.

The winner will be announced on April 7.

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Travis Hamonic is intent on settling down in Canada's capital.

The Ottawa Senators defenseman is hoping to re-sign with the club this offseason after his contract expires.

"I love it here. And I want to say that from the bottom of my heart," Hamonic told The Athletic's Ian Mendes. "My wife and kids are so happy here. They are really settled here. And the community has really welcomed us. On a personal level, this is a no-brainer. And with the hockey team, this is headed in the right direction. This organization is on the upswing."

Hamonic has bounced around in the latter half of his career. After seven seasons with the New York Islanders, he spent three years with the Calgary Flames and parts of two campaigns with the Vancouver Canucks before being dealt to the Senators last season.

He said the move to Ottawa has been better than he could have hoped.

"It just seems like everything has aligned for me to be here. I have really found a home here," Hamonic said. "It was a real blessing in disguise when I got traded here. I didn't know what to expect, but this has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my career."

Hamonic said his agent and Senators general manager Pierre Dorion have already had preliminary discussions on a new contract, although negotiations have yet to become serious.

"They've spoken, but there are other fish to fry, too," Hamonic said. "When the time comes, I'm sure we will get something figured out."

Ottawa has multiple pending restricted free agents including Alex DeBrincat, Shane Pinto, and Erik Brannstrom. Hamonic and goaltender Cam Talbot are the team's most notable pending UFAs.

Hamonic, 32, has served as a steadying veteran presence on a youthful Senators blue line. He's tallied 21 points, 109 hits, and a team-leading 143 blocked shots in 74 games this season while averaging 18:47 of ice time per contest. His current contract carries a $3-million cap hit.

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We have a juicy 11-game slate ahead of us on a busy Thursday night in the NHL. Let's take a closer look at a few of my favorite plays on the board.

Rangers (+115) @ Devils (-135)

The Devils are playing top-tier hockey at five-on-five right now. They've controlled well above 58% of the high-danger chances over the past 10 games, which slots them third in the NHL.

Only the Kings and Penguins - who routinely need to out chance opponents to compensate for horrendous goaltending - have fared better in that regard.

With a stacked top six featuring Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt, New Jersey will be awfully dangerous when getting the bulk of the chances.

That should prove to be the case again Thursday. The Rangers are a very good finishing team that can consistently make the most of the opportunities they get. However, they're not great at carving out an even share against an average opponent, so I imagine a team like the Devils could have a greater edge.

We've certainly seen that this season. Through three head-to-head meetings, New Jersey has won the chance battle by a whopping 28 at five-on-five. Even with Igor Shesterkin between the pipes, that's bound to be problematic.

The Devils won two of the three games against the Rangers thus far, causing New York a world of problems with their speed. New Jersey's recent acquisition of Meier only adds to it, not to mention the power and finishing ability he also brings to the table.

I expect New Jersey's dynamic group of forwards and relentless attacking style to give the Rangers all kinds of problems in this spot, especially if underrated defenseman Ryan Lindgren remains out of the lineup.

Back the Devils to return to the win column in what should be an exciting and emotional game.

Bet: Devils (-135)

Martin Necas over 2.5 shots (-120)

Necas is an absolute machine on the road. Even without Andrei Svechnikov in the lineup and the additional opportunity that comes with his absence, we haven't seen any change in Necas' success at home. He remains underwhelming in Carolina (42% hit rate) and a monster away from his own rink (71% hit rate).

He's gone over this number in seven of his past 10 road dates, including against the Stars, Golden Knights, and Rangers. Those three teams are a lot better than the Red Wings, but they play similarly slow styles. That Necas excelled against them bodes well for his chances of success in this spot.

Necas' volume continues to be rock solid for a 2.5 line, as he averaged 6.3 shot attempts over the past 10 road games. That's a drastic difference from the 3.8 attempts he's put up per night in Carolina.

Expect an active offensive night from Necas in Detroit.

Jason Zucker over 2.5 shots (-140)

Volume is king in the shot prop world, and Zucker has it in spades right now. He's registered three shots or more in nine of his past 10 contests, averaging a whopping 6.6 attempts per game. That's a huge step up from the rate we've previously seen from him this season (4.5).

The Penguins have found a way to tilt the ice further in their favor and generate an unmatched amount of shots over the past 10 contests. Clearly, Zucker has been the prime beneficiary.

Although Zucker doesn't see much power-play time, the five-on-five matchup is very juicy, and that's what matters most to his shooting ceiling. At full strength, the Predators rank 25th in shots against per 60 minutes over the past 10 games. I don't love Nashville's chances of slowing down the best shot-generating team in the league over that period.

Look for Zucker to take advantage.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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