Top 5: Hat trick for Alexis Lafrenière

There was a lot of action in the NHL last night.

The Canadiens were among the teams that had a game to play… and Martin St-Louis's men beat the Leafs 3-1 at the Bell Centre.

Let's see what happened elsewhere in the league:

The @BuffaloSabres, @AnaheimDucks and @Canes all extended their leads atop their respective divisions on Tuesday while the @EdmontonOilers and @CanadiensMTL moved up spots in the playoff picture.#NHLStats: https://t.co/fphtFznRPb pic.twitter.com/OagoXMLbaJ

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 11, 2026

1: Hat trick for Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafrenière really seems to be on the verge of taking off.

It looks like the Artemi Panarin trade has done him good, in a way…

Yesterday, the Rangers player scored three goals in his team's 4-0 win over the Flames. Laffy now has nine points in his last five games… and he's producing like a guy who's really hungry right now.

A Laffy Hatty at The Garden! Alexis Lafreniere nets 3 in the @NYRangers 4-0 win over the Flames.@AlexFaustTNT | @BriBrows22 | #NYR pic.twitter.com/XqNQkoPHwa

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) March 11, 2026

In the victory, good old Jonathan Quick was brilliant in goal.

The veteran stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn the shutout, his 65th career shutout in the National League.

Not bad for a guy who celebrated his 40th birthday last January… hehe :

THE 65TH @PEPSI SHUTOUT OF JONATHAN QUICK'S CAREER! pic.twitter.com/OGVkHJjYCA

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

2: Three goals (and an assist) for Jack Quinn as the Sabres are unstoppable

Who can stop the mighty Buffalo Sabres?

That's the question on everyone's lips right now. The Sabres dominated the Sharks last night to win 6-3… and they can thank Jack Quinn, who had a dream night.

The young Sabres forward finished the game with four points, including three goals. Another big win for the Sabres…

Jack Quinn 3 Goals, 1 Assist vs Sharks Today.pic.twitter.com/uIKysPFRA2

— Hockey Performances (@PerformancesNHL) March 11, 2026

Things are going well in Buffalo right now.

Who would have thought? But we can all agree on one thing: the Sabres are impressive to watch right now.

And with the playoffs approaching, it's getting even more interesting…

3: A crazy streak in Colorado

Nicolas Roy was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche last week.

And yesterday, he dropped the gloves for one of the rare times in his career. He certainly knows how to make new friends:

MUST SEE: Nicolas Roy gets into one of his rare fights. pic.twitter.com/FkN2JZsnms

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 11, 2026

You have to fast forward to the end of the game because that's where the action really heated up.

With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined their efforts to score a simply magnificent goal.

It's worth watching… and watching again:

Jeeeesus McDavid that was gross pic.twitter.com/mPT8VEbNar

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 11, 2026

During the game, Nathan MacKinnon crashed into Connor Ingram and was ejected from the game. The goalie was cut during the sequence and had to be replaced by Tristan Jarry:

This was a crazy scene. Ingram was cut; MacKinnon ejected

Jarry made two huge saves in the last 35 seconds after sitting for two hours https://t.co/yOSnOVtIlp

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 11, 2026

Jarry came in to replace Ingram and was solid in front of the net, especially late in the game.

He made two big saves in the final 30 seconds to help his team ultimately win the game 4-3. I imagine his teammates were proud of him… even though Jarry had gotten into arguments with some of them in recent days.

4: A nice gesture from the Bruins

Charlie McAvoy is an impact player in the National Hockey League. And he is capable of making a difference on his own.

After all, it was he who gave the Bruins the win last night in overtime. And his celebration was magical:

CHARLIE MCAVOY @ENERGIZER OVERTIME WINNER!

WHAT A GOAL, WHAT A CELLY! pic.twitter.com/TonyrGl1YZ

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

The Bruins won 2-1 against the Kings in what was Anze Kopitar's last visit to Boston.

And for the occasion, all the Bruins players stayed after the game to shake hands with the Kings captain. He's had a tremendous career in the National Hockey League, and we know how respected he is throughout the league.

Honestly, well done for that gesture.

And it reminds us of one thing: the guys may fight for every inch on the ice, but at the end of the day… they have a lot of respect for each other for what they do.

That's respect

The @NHLBruins stayed on the ice after the game to shake hands with Anze Kopitar in what might be their last meeting with the @lakings captain! pic.twitter.com/Jd8OgaWj6i

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

5: The Red Wings may regret this…

The Detroit Red Wings were leading the Panthers by one goal with less than two minutes left in the game.

The Panthers pulled their goalie… and Carter Verhaeghe took advantage of the opportunity to tie the game and set the arena in Florida on fire. Solid:

Carter Verhaeghe – Florida Panthers (18) pic.twitter.com/PG3INvUQze

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 11, 2026

With the score tied at 2-2 and less than a minute left to play, everyone thought the game was headed for overtime. But…

But Carter Verhaeghe, once again, beat John Gibson with 14 seconds left (!!!) to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead.

The Panthers held on and ultimately won the game:

CARTER VERHAEGHE GAME WINNER!

WITH JUST OVER 14 SECONDS LEFT IN REGULATION! pic.twitter.com/MWWG7DNxWR

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

Losing a game like that hurts.

Especially for the Red Wings, who are currently in the thick of the playoff race. It remains to be seen whether the loss will come back to haunt the club between now and the end of the regular season…

The Red Wings led 3-2 with 1:30 left… AND THEY LOST IN REGULATION

Could come back to HAUNT THEM in the East playoff race pic.twitter.com/h16OgnDL6o

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 11, 2026