Kucherov scored a goal Saturday in a 3-2 overtime loss to New Jersey.

We are firmly into the second half with a neck-and-neck-and-neck race for the top of the fantasy podium. Connor Hellebuyck will surely start getting some additional rest later in the season, so ...

All these years later, the descriptions practically write themselves. Brayden Point? He glides. Nikita Kucherov? He creates. Anthony Cirelli? He bleeds. Those are all compliments, by the way. Shorthand for a signature style of play.

Saturday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens provided hockey fans with one of the more exciting games of the season, while giving both fan bases a free ride on an emotional roller coaster.

This is the obvious one. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 68 points, seven more than Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in second place. Also of note, he’s first in points per game at 1.58, narrowly ahead of the Art Ross winner last season, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov at 1.57.

Konecny has been on a steady rise. He has led the Flyers in scoring each of the last three seasons and four of the past five. An All-Star last February, he finished the 2023-24 season with a career high in goals (33) and points (68), and he’s on pace to shatter his best numbers with 35 goals, 59 assists and 94 points this year.

Now another season is about to begin. The Blue Jays chased hard after Roki Sasaki, the Japanese free agent pitcher, and superstar Juan Soto, just as they chased hard after the unicorn, Shohei Ohtani, a year ago. Chasing hard is a wonderful trait. Baseball, and all sports, though, are forever about winning.

The New York Rangers return home for the first game of a back-to-back set, a Metro Division clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at MSG (7:00 PM ET - TV: MSG Network - Radio: ESPN 880 AM).

To mark the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series. Today, we look at the race for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team in the NHL as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The Bruins need to string some wins together. Improved play from the second line would help. “We just haven’t been good enough,” said Brad Marchand.

Ovechkin & Co. are back on top according to our voters. And at the midway point of the season, we identify the best fantasy player for all 32 clubs.

After losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers last June, the Edmonton Oilers are poised to make another deep playoff run this season, which will hopefully culminate with their sixth Cup in franchise history.