In a span of less than 24 hours, the Vancouver Canucks clinched their spot in the playoffs and then beat the Anaheim Ducks to secure their 100th point of the season.

Head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged the "big" moment but isn't about to take his foot off the gas.

"Coming into this situation, we were supposed to be a bubble (team). ... It was good that the players didn't hear the outside noise and they just believed in themselves," he told reporters after Vancouver's 3-2 win Sunday.

"I thought they did a hell of a job this year to get us to this situation, but now it's go time," he added. "We need some guys to find their game. Our team's gotta find our game."

The Canucks now have a six-point edge over Edmonton for first place in the Pacific, though the Oilers have played two fewer games.

The Canucks haven't appeared in the playoffs since 2020 when they fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Those games took place in Edmonton because of the pandemic, so the last time Vancouver's Rogers Arena hosted a playoff game was in 2015.

Canucks forward Conor Garland knows how much a return to the postseason means to the hockey-hungry city.

"To play in a Canadian market, there's a lot of pressure," he said, per Sportsnet. "But the reward is when you can play in the playoffs and have that crowd behind you, have the city behind you.

"We've earned that right to have a home game here in Game 1."

Only six players on the roster - Tyler Myers, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Thatcher Demko - were part of the Canucks' playoff run four years ago.

Dakota Joshua, meanwhile, only has one game of playoff experience under his belt.

"We can feel and tell how important it is, not only player-to-player, but for everybody involved," he said. "It was a goal of ours when we started off. Just to get into the dance is the first step, then you go from there."

Vancouver last eclipsed the 100-point mark in 2014-15. That team was led by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who had 76 and 73 points in 82 games, respectively. Hughes, Pettersson, and Miller have already surpassed those offensive marks with eight games remaining this season.

The Canucks will face the Golden Knights on Tuesday.

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The Philadelphia Flyers' playoff hopes took a sizeable hit Saturday night with their 5-1 loss to the basement-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks, but coach John Tortorella hopes the defeat serves as a wake-up call.

"We sucked tonight," he told reporters postgame. "We didn't execute, we didn't make one play. ... I think we hit the bottom tonight here. Maybe that needs to happen for us to get back into it."

Tortorella called the loss "a good old-fashioned drubbing."

The Flyers trailed 2-0 after the first period, but rookie Tyson Foerster brought them within one with his 20th goal of the season. Philadelphia couldn't capitalize on two consecutive power-play opportunities in the second period before Nick Foligno cashed in on the man advantage to restore the two-goal lead for the Blackhawks.

Chicago scored two more in the final frame, and those in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center booed the team off the ice to show their disdain for the Flyers' fourth straight loss.

Philadelphia didn't get much help from its divisional rivals, either. The Washington Capitals picked up a point during their 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins to overtake the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan. The two teams have 82 points each, but the Capitals have played in two fewer games.

As a result, the Flyers have been bumped down to the second wild-card spot, where things get even more crowded. The Detroit Red Wings are just two points behind Philadelphia with one game in hand, and the New York Islanders are five points back with two extra contests to play.

"We're certainly making it interesting here," Tortorella said. "We've gotta try to figure it out. They're all big games now."

The Flyers have gone 3-5-2 over their previous 10 games, dropping their last two contests to teams far outside the playoff picture.

Tortorella suggested fatigue as a possible factor behind the Flyers' slump in form, though he acknowledged that "there are a lot of teams that are tired this time of year."

"I know (Travis Sanheim) and (Cam York) are on fumes," the bench boss said. "Just watching them play, they're not even thinking correctly."

He added: "We're killing them as far as ice time."

Sanheim has averaged 24:10 of playing time over the last 15 games since March 1, while York has posted 25:27 per contest. Both players are a minus-six over that span.

"We know that we're relied upon," Sanheim said of his and York's workload. "We've gotta contribute and play well in those minutes. We're going to need to be much better moving forward."

The Flyers face the Islanders on Monday.

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New York Rangers veteran Jonathan Quick made U.S. hockey history Saturday night by becoming the NHL's winningest American-born goalie.

Quick made 27 saves in an 8-5 win over the Arizona Coyotes for his 392nd victory, one more than Ryan Miller in second place.

Here's the top of the all-time list now:

Quick mostly focused on his team's success when asked about his record-setting night.

"You do everything you can to not think about it, but it's there," he said, per The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "So it's kind of a good feeling to get it done, over with. Focus on what's really important: Trying to win the division here, win the conference."

Quick tied Miller with a 24-save effort in a 5-2 victory against the Boston Bruins on March 21.

The 38-year-old is enjoying a resurgent campaign in the Big Apple. Heading into Saturday's action, he owned a .916 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average to go along with an impressive 16-5-2 record.

Quick spent 16 seasons with Los Angeles after being drafted by the Kings in the third round in 2005. He's the franchise's all-time leader with 370 regular-season wins and 49 playoff victories.

The Connecticut native won Stanley Cup championships with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, and he lifted Lord Stanley's Mug once more with the Vegas Golden Knights last spring.

Though Quick holds the top spot for now, other U.S.-born goalies are in pursuit. Here's how the list looks when accounting for only active players:

Hellebuyck, Demko, and Oettinger are slam-dunk starters for their teams. Quick, meanwhile, serves as the backup for Igor Shesterkin in New York.

But Quick has at least one more season to build on his lead. The Rangers signed him to a one-year extension with a $1.275-million cap hit earlier in March.

Saturday's win marked the Rangers' 50th of the season. Alexis Lafreniere was the standout performer of the game, chipping in with his first career hat trick and two helpers.

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A couple of stars got into it during Saturday's clash between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild.

Jack Eichel received a five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing Kirill Kaprizov, marking the first major penalty of the Golden Knights star's nine-year NHL career.

Kaprizov cross-checked Eichel prior to the incident. Officials can only assess spearing infractions as double-minor or major penalties.

Kaprizov got his revenge by scoring on the ensuing power play to break the game's scoreless deadlock.

Eichel registered five shots on goal in almost 13 minutes of ice time before getting tossed.

The 27-year-old entered Saturday's action with 25 goals and 57 points in 54 outings.

Vegas won the contest 2-1 in overtime after the Wild pulled their goalie in the extra frame. Jonathan Marchessault scored the deciding tally for his 40th goal of the season.

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New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier had some choice words for his team following its disappointing 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

"We just got to find a way to win against certain teams, and we haven't done that all year," he said. "That should not happen. Just another immature performance by us."

The Devils held a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission thanks to Max Willman and Jesper Bratt, but it would be all Sabres the rest of the way.

Tage Thompson secured Buffalo's comeback victory with a natural hat trick before adding an empty-netter for his second career four-goal game.

"I don't fault our effort tonight," interim head coach Travis Green said. "I thought, pretty well to a man, every guy in there worked. But there's just a couple little mistakes that you'd like to have back. Some of that's mental, and at this time of the year, it costs you."

The loss dealt New Jersey's playoff hopes a crushing blow. The Devils remain five points behind Washington for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Capitals have two games in hand.

Also standing in the Devils' way are the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings.

New Jersey was attempting to win its third game in a row for just the fifth time this season and the first time since December.

"Some things (don't) change," Hischier said. "I think everybody has to look themselves in the mirror. If you play against teams like that, the only way they're going to beat you is you beat yourself. And that's what we did here tonight again."

He continued: "I think everybody in here should finally learn from it and we keep addressing it until everybody gets it. Just like that, we're going to be a playoff team again."

Last season, the Devils bucked a four-year playoff drought and beat the New York Rangers in the opening round before being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Netminder Jake Allen is aware of New Jersey's situation, but he's still trying to provide some veteran guidance.

"You've gotta have perspective in this situation," he said. "You get four out of six points on this (road trip), you'll take it. But at the same time, I understand how crucial the situation is. We're down to eight games left, you're pushing it here.

"But I've reiterated this since I got here, I've been in this situation before, you can't worry about other teams. You just gotta worry about us."

Next up for the Devils is a clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

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Much to the joy of hockey fans everywhere, beloved goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury may not be hanging up his pads just yet.

"The door is more open today for a return than it was in September or October," he told NHL.com's Jean-Francois Chaumont in a French-language interview.

The Minnesota Wild puck-stopper said in September that he'd wait until the end of the 2023-24 season - his 20th in the NHL - before deciding on his retirement.

Now, Fleury said that he's "rediscovered the joy of playing hockey," which changes everything for the 39-year-old veteran.

"I'd like to sit down with (Wild GM Bill Guerin) and have a chat with him," he said. "I want to know what he thinks. What are the plans for the Wild? What are his options? What does he think about me? Am I still an asset for the team?

"We also have another good young goalie in the American Hockey League in (Jesper) Wallstedt. He's been playing in (the AHL) for two years now. I'll need to know Bill's plans."

The future Hall of Famer has been a solid option between the pipes for the Wild all season in the face of Filip Gustavsson's struggles. Fleury has 16 wins under his belt across 36 appearances, as well as an .899 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average. He's also saved 6.95 goals above average and 3.59 goals above expected at five-on-five, per Evolving-Hockey.

Guerin said he's been impressed by Fleury's play and professionalism, so a reunion wouldn't be out of the question for the executive.

"I'm more than open to the possibility of seeing him coming back for another season, 100%," he said. "We'll talk about it in the next few days. He's still having a good season. I think he's still got hockey in him if he wants. There's still some gas left in his tank."

This is Fleury's second full season in Minnesota after the Chicago Blackhawks sent him there at the 2022 trade deadline. He's currently playing out the final season of a two-year, $7-million extension.

The netminder could've been a top target at this season's trade deadline, but Fleury made it clear he wanted to stick with the Wild during their playoff push.

Though Minnesota's odds of making the postseason are at a minuscule 5.2%, according to MoneyPuck, there's still nowhere else Fleury would rather be.

"Yeah, it's probably Minnesota or retirement," he said.

"If I come back, I'd sign a one-year contract," Fleury continued. "And then, we'll figure it out from there."

Fleury already ranks second all time in wins (560) and fourth in games played (1,021) by a goaltender. He's also a three-time Stanley Cup champion and took home the Vezina Trophy in 2021.

The Quebec native has appeared in 17 straight postseasons, though that streak is now in jeopardy.

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The Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Dallas Stars all punched their tickets to the playoffs during a busy Thursday night.

The Stars secured their spot by beating the Vancouver Canucks 3-1, marking their third straight playoff berth. Captain Jamie Benn played the hero with a late power-play goal.

Dallas made it all the way to the conference finals last spring but was dispatched by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Once again one of the Central's top squads, the Stars lead their division with a 46-19-9 record. They are just the second team to eclipse the 100-point mark this season.

The Canucks would have clinched their first playoff appearance since 2020 if they prevailed over the Stars.

The Bruins weren't in action, but they clinched their spot thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Beantown has now qualified for the postseason for eight straight campaigns, but it hasn't advanced past the first round since 2021. Last spring, the Florida Panthers upset the Bruins in the opening round after Boston set all-time records in wins (65) and points (135) in the regular season.

The Bruins were expected to take a step back in 2023-24 following the offseason retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, but they occupy the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 42-17-15 record.

The Panthers lost their game to the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday, but they'll return to the postseason for the fifth straight year thanks to the Hurricanes' 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Florida stunned the hockey world last season by reaching the Stanley Cup Final, though it fell to the Golden Knights in five games.

The Panthers carried that momentum into this season. They sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 46-22-5 record and are just two points behind the Bruins in first with one game in hand.

Head coach Paul Maurice didn't answer any questions about the Panthers clinching a playoff spot, as he was less than pleased with their effort against the Islanders.

"Today is free quote f-----g day," he said postgame, according to Florida Hockey Now's Colby Guy. "Take whatever you think I might say and use it. I won't b---- about it."

The loss was Florida's sixth in its last seven games.

The Hurricanes handled their business with a convincing victory over Detroit, securing their sixth consecutive playoff berth. They're in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 46-21-7 record.

Carolina made the conference finals last spring but was swept by the Panthers. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour's squad has advanced to at least the second round in each of the last three seasons.

Each of the Hurricanes' losses to Florida came by one goal. In an effort to avoid the same fate, Carolina acquired one of the biggest fish at the trade deadline in Jake Guentzel.

The New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot Tuesday.

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Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios' hunt for a new head coach is starting to take shape.

The GM is building on a list of candidates that includes Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported during Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

"But other bigger names such as Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, Craig Berube, among others, I believe, are also on this working list," LeBrun added.

LeBrun noted that the Senators "are in no rush" to find their replacement behind the bench, though they'd "love" to have someone in place by the 2024 NHL Draft in late June.

Jacques Martin took the reins after D.J. Smith was fired in December, but the 71-year-old has expressed no interest in taking over the role on a full-time basis.

Gruden has never been a head coach at the NHL level, but he served as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins during their Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign in 2022-23. Before that, he spent four seasons on the New York Islanders' bench.

The 53-year-old is in his first season as head coach of the Marlies, the Toronto Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate. The team has gone 30-21-9-2 under his direction.

Gruden has previous experience working with Staios and Senators owner Michael Andlauer while coaching the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-18. They won the OHL championship together in 2018.

The other names reportedly on Staios' list so far have a wealth of NHL experience.

McLellan was fired as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings in February following a concerning stretch in which they dropped 14 of 17 games. He owns an all-time record of 598-412-134 split between the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles. The 56-year-old also has 88 playoff games under his belt, and he won the Stanley Cup in 2008 as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings.

Evason spent the last five seasons as bench boss of the Wild, but Minnesota dismissed him in November after an abysmal seven-game losing streak. He guided the Wild to the playoffs four times, but they never advanced past the opening round. The 59-year-old owns a 147-77-27 record in the regular season.

The St. Louis Blues let Berube go in December after a 13-14-1 start to the season. He became their head coach in November 2018, and he helped pilot the Blues' turnaround from last place in the league to Stanley Cup champions. The 58-year-old holds an all-time record of 281-190-72 split between the Philadelphia Flyers and Blues.

The Senators are in the midst of another underwhelming campaign. Ottawa was generally expected to push for a playoff spot, but the team is toiling away near the bottom of the standings.

Staios recently acknowledged that the higher expectations were "debilitating" for his young Senators this season.

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Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier doesn't seem to be harboring any resentment toward head coach John Tortorella after watching two games from the press box.

"It's all good. It's always been good, honestly," the forward said Saturday when asked about his relationship with Tortorella, per The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. "At the time, it just ... it's tough to hear that (you're getting scratched). You want to help in any way you can at this time of the year."

Couturier returned to the lineup for Philadelphia's 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins after being scratched for Tuesday's win against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Thursday's overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Though he didn't get on the scoresheet, the Flyers outshot the Bruins 6-4 and dictated 71.4% of the scoring chances with Couturier on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

When asked what he thought of Couturier's performance, Tortorella responded succinctly: "Coots played well."

Tortorella has sidestepped questions about his decision to scratch Couturier. The veteran's agent, Erik Lupien, recently expressed frustration over a perceived lack of communication between his client and Tortorella, but Couturier didn't want to get into it.

"It's behind me now," he said. "I don't want to really talk about it, I just want to help the team in any way I can. It all worked out well - we got three out of four points, now five out of six. I thought, as a team, we all responded really well."

Couturier drew another positive from his stint on the sidelines.

"I definitely felt fresh," he said with a laugh. "I had a week to kind of just recover, refocus, recharge the battery."

The 31-year-old has chipped in with 36 points in 65 games this season while seeing 18:30 of ice time per contest after missing nearly two years with a back injury. However, Couturier's average playing time has dipped below 15 minutes since he was named captain Feb. 14.

Flyers star Travis Konecny was impressed by the way Couturier dealt with this particular bump.

"He handled it great," Konecny said. "There's no doubt in my mind that when he was out of the lineup, he wanted nothing more than us to get those two points every night. He's our leader.

"You just know that he wants the same thing - nothing more than to make the playoffs."

The Flyers will take on the Florida Panthers on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

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Washington Capitals veteran Tom Wilson was suspended six games for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

The incident occurred during the third period of the Capitals' 7-3 loss Wednesday. Wilson first checked Gregor from behind, then swung his stick with one hand, catching the winger in the face. Officials handed Wilson a double-minor penalty for high-sticking.

"I don't think he's trying to slash a guy in the face," Gregor told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters, before the ruling Friday. "I really don't think anyone in the league is ever trying to do that. Probably a little reckless with the stick, and unfortunately (he) got me, but it ended up being OK. I'm fine, and the league will handle it from here."

This ban marks the sixth of Wilson's career and the first for high-sticking. He was last suspended in 2021 when he got seven games for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.

All of his suspensions have come in his last seven campaigns.

Wilson was punished twice during the 2017-18 preseason: He was banned two games for interference against Blues forward Robert Thomas and four contests for boarding St. Louis winger Sammy Blais just over a week later. Wilson was also suspended three games for a headshot during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

His longest suspension came during the 2018-19 preseason, when he received 20 games for hitting Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in the head. That ban was reduced to 14 games by an arbitrator, but Wilson had already sat out 16 contests.

The 29-year-old's rap sheet also includes three fines, most recently in 2021 when he was docked $5,000 for roughing then-New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich. During that same scrum, Wilson slammed a helmetless Artemi Panarin down onto the ice. The Rangers criticized the Department of Player Safety for not suspending Wilson for his actions, and the organization was fined $250,000 as a result of the statement.

Wilson is the league's active leader in penalty minutes (1,419 - two minutes more than Corey Perry in second place) and misconduct penalties (27).

The Toronto-born winger ranks fourth on the Capitals with 17 goals and fifth with 32 points in 66 outings this season. He represented Washington at this year's All-Star Game, earning his second selection to the festivities.

Wilson is playing out the final season of a six-year, $31-million contract. He extended his stay in Washington last August, inking a seven-year, $45.5-million extension that will expire at the end of the 2030-31 season.

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