This Week in the NHL: McDavid, Matthews meet during milestone chases

So many games. So little time. What should you focus your NHL hockey fandom on if your favorite team’s games don’t scratch the itch enough?

Welcome to This Week in the NHL. From now until April, we’ll lay out a collection of key games, events and deadlines to watch on the league calendar each week.

So what’s on tap for March 18-24?

Auston Matthews’ chase for 60 goals

Matthews paces the NHL with 55 goals in 65 games. The Leafs have a four-game slate this week, meaning he’d need five to get there by the end of the week. When he notched his 50th last month in his 54th game, he became the fastest to hit the milestone since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. If Matthews gets to 61 goals, he’ll break his own single-season franchise record of 60, set in 2021-22. Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers needs two goals for his first 50-goal season, while Matthews’ former longtime linemate, Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers, is four goals away from first 50-goal campaign.

March 21: Isles, Red Wings meet in key Wildcard clash

New York Islanders @ Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 p.m. ET

Do the Wings have enough fight left after snapping their seven-game losing streak over the weekend? The goodwill didn’t last long, as they ended the week with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wings can’t afford to lose ground on the Isles, whom they’re battling for the final Eastern Conference Wildcard spot. If Detroit doesn’t show the pushback to win what is essentially a playoff game, stakes wise, on their home ice, there may be no saving this group in 2023-24. The underlying numbers suggested all year that this team was playing way over its head, but not even their biggest skeptics could’ve predicted the sheer aggressiveness of their regression this month.

March 23: Nick Leddy’s 1,000th game

St. Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild, 2:00 p.m. ET

Not every 1,000-game NHLer gets to the milestone loudly. Leddy has never played in an NHL All-Star Game, and his lone Norris Trophy ballot appearance was a 16th place finish in 2014-15. But he’s been a stalwart puck-mover for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and Blues, amassing more than 400 points, and he won a 2012-13 Stanley Cup. Any of us would gladly take that career. We tip our caps to you, Mr. Leddy.

March 23: McDavid, Matthews meet in Toronto

Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:00 p.m. ET

Huzzah! The game’s fakest, most manufactured rivalry resumes when the Oilers visit the Leafs Saturday night. Connor McDavid is in the process of chasing down Nathan MacKinnon in the Art Ross Trophy race, currently 10 points behind, and he’s also on pace to become just the fourth player to record 100 assists in a season. Factoring in Matthews’ chase for 60 goals, let’s cross our fingers for a wild 6-5 affair on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

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