The New York Rangers smashed the New Jersey Devils 6-1, to return to the top of the NHL's standings.
Despite still holding two games in hand on their closest rivals for the President's Trophy, the Rangers moved top of the league table - level on 107 points with the Anaheim Ducks.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves, and narrowly missed out on a shutout performance when Tuomo Ruutu scored for the Devils with three-and-a-half minutes to play.
But the damage was well and truly done already - with Dominic Moore scoring twice, while Keith Yandle had a hand in Rangers first two goals - assisting Rick Nash for the opener in the sixth minute, and doubling the lead himself in the 12th.
The New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning were able to shut their respective opponents out on Saturday.
The Lightning downed the Florida Panthers 4-0, and the Islanders closed on sealing their play-off place with a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
The Nashville Predators lost for a third time in succession, the Central division leaders going down 4-3 to the Dallas Stars in overtime.
The Central title is set to come down to the wire with the Predators (104 points) playing one more game than the St Louis Blues (103) and Chicago Blackhawks (102), who are both on winning streaks.
The Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins continued to eyeball one another in the bid for the third seeding in the Atlantic division.
Both sides are on 95 points, the Red Wings ahead in the standings having played fewer games.
Both were shoot-out winners on Saturday - the Red Wings edging the Minnesota Wild 3-2, while the Bruins held on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1.
The Bruins enjoyed their fifth win in a row, but they remain just three points above wildcard contenders the Ottawa Senators, who also have a game in hand.
Ottawa's third straight win, a 4-3 overtime result over the Washington Capitals, saw them keep the pressure on for a post-season place.
The Senators avoided calamity, blowing a 3-0 regulation lead before Kyle Turris' OT winner.
Ottawa can also overhaul the Pittsburgh Penguins - level with the Bruins on 95 points - after the Penguins fell 5-3 to the streaking Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets are eliminated from play-off contention, but came from 2-0 down to win for a ninth straight outing.
The Arizona Coyotes, who have the second-worst NHL record this season, dealt a near-fatal blow to the San Jose Sharks' play-off hopes - winning 5-3.
The Los Angeles Kings continued to keep the Winnipeg Jets out of the second wildcard place in the Western Conference.
The Jets and Kings both moved to 92 points - the former with a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, while the LA franchise are ahead on the 'regulation plus overtime wins' tie-breaker after beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-1.
The Calgary Flames are on 93 points, occupying the third seeding in the Pacific division ahead of the Jets and Kings - after a 4-0 shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Nathan Gerbe and Chris Terry scored in the shoot-out to help the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.