‘Great Chase’ highlights NHL playoff race, Tortorella fired by Flyers

• The National Hockey League playoff race is heating up with three weeks to go in the regular season. Alex Ovechkin’s “Great Chase” of Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record continues Thursday, March 27.
• Ovechkin needs six goals in the Washington Capitals’ final eleven games to pass Gretzky.
• The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella after three years in charge. The Flyers will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

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The National Hockey League has hit the home stretch. With each team playing between nine and 12 regular-season games to close out the final three weeks, it’s a crucial time in the playoff race.

What’s the latest on Alex Ovechkin’s chase?

The “Great Chase” continues for Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who is just six goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. Ovechkin, who’s known as the “Great 8,” got his 889th goal Tuesday, March 25, against Winnipeg. He has 11 games left this season to break the mark. On Thursday, March 27, he’ll continue the chase against Minnesota.

The 39-year-old was asked after the Capital’s morning skate how his game has changed as he has gotten older.

“I would say when you get older, you have to try to not run around, you have to find the right spot, and I would say it’s, ah, five players out there, right? So, everybody have to be on the same page, everybody have to do their job, and obviously, someone have to score,” Ovechkin said.

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Simply put, he picks his spots and relies on his teammates. That style works for the Capitals, the top team in the Eastern Conference and contenders to win the Stanley Cup.

Why did the Philadelphia Flyers fire their coach?

That is not the case with the Philadelphia Flyers, who fired legendary coach John Tortorella Thursday after three seasons of trying to rebuild the team. The Flyers are going to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. After Tuesday night’s loss to Toronto, Torts fell on the sword in his own way.

“I’m not really interested in learning how to coach this type of team, in this type of season where we’re at right now, but I have to do a better job, so this falls on me. Getting the team prepared to play the proper way until we get to the end,” Tortorella said.

Despite those comments, or maybe because of them, Tortorella was not given another chance to fix things.

Who’s got the edge in the Wild Card playoff race?

With three weeks to go in the regular season, the Wild Card playoff picture gets interesting. In the Eastern Conference, realistically, four teams have a shot at catching the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot.

The Rangers and Islanders are neck and neck just behind Montreal. A win equals two points in the standings, so teams with more games left have a little more time to gain ground.

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In the Western Conference, perhaps three teams can catch the St. Louis Blues. However, the top Wild Card, the Minnesota Wild, also needs to watch what’s happening in the race. Calgary is just four points out of the final spot with twelve games to go. They’re feeling good about their chances after winning four straight games heading into a Thursday showdown with playoff-bound Dallas.

“We know the position we’re in. We know we kind of have to do what we can do and control what we can control and do that day-to-day, but I think at the end of the day, we’re just having a lot of fun with it,” Calgary forward Connor Zary said. “I think you can tell from when we’re on the ice when we’re winning games and obviously, you guys aren’t in the locker room as much but how we are in the locker room and how close-knit we are. We’re just kind of having fun and enjoying the ride.”

What a ride it will be for the final three weeks, not only in the wide-open Wild Card race but for the top teams already in. They are hoping to peak at the right time to grab home-ice advantage.