What’s at Stake in the NHL: Will Leafs rest Auston Matthews or let him try for 70 goals?

Welcome to the April leg of the 2023-24 NHL regular season. At this point in the calendar, the stakes are elevated. We’re starting to see teams clinch playoff spots. Players are hitting milestones. There’s seemingly something on the line every night.

So what’s at stake during the four-game slate of action on Wednesday, April 17?

– The Toronto Maple Leafs are now locked into a first-round matchup with the Boston Bruins, but they still have some milestones to shoot for, assuming they don’t rest their top players. Superstar Auston Matthews sits at 69 goals and will have one final chance to become the NHL’s first 70-goal scorer since 1992-93 if he suits up. If William Nylander collects three points against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs will have two players with 100 points in the same season for the first time in their 106-year history.

– If Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov collects a single assist Wednesday against Toronto, he’ll reach 100 on the year and become the fifth player ever to reach 100 helpers in a season. The Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid became the fourth on Monday, following Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

– While all four Eastern Conference matchups (NYR/Wsh, Car/NYI, Fla/TB, Bos/Tor) are set, only one Western series is known (Wpg/Col), and the other three matchups cannot be locked in until Thursday’s slate of games. The Dallas Stars (51-21-9) can clinch the No. 1 overall Western Conference seed by collecting a single point Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues.

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