ESPN NHL

Senators at Canadiens, 7 ET (Game 1)
* Carey Price (MTL): 2-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA vs Senators this season, but faded down the stretch. During the month of April, Price was 4-7-0 with a GAA of 3.49, easily his highest in any month this season
* Senators: 1 of just 2 teams in the Eastern Conference to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a losing record (10-11-3) away from home (Rangers are the other)
* Kyle Turris (OTT): led the team in goals (12) and points (29) during the regular season. The team-highs are the lowest of any team to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and among all teams, only the Predators had lower team leaders (12 goals, 28 points).
* Special teams key: Senators had the league's best penalty kill at 88.0 pct, while the Canadiens power play ranked fifth in the NHL at 20.7 pct

Rangers at Capitals, 7:30 ET (Game 1)
* 3rd straight year (and 4th of last 5) teams are meeting in Stanley Cup playoffs; Capitals won 2 of previous 3
* Rangers won 2 of 3 regular-season meetings with Capitals
* Coaching disparity: Adam Oates coaching 1st career postseason game, John Tortorella coaching 78th career postseason game

Kings at Blues, 9:30 ET (Blues lead 1-0)
* Blues: last time winning consecutive playoff games vs Kings: 1998
* Blues in Game 1: snapped 8-game losing streak vs LA dating back to last season (reg. season and postseason)
* Blues outshot Kings 42-29 in Game 1, including 36-19 in regulation

Red Wings at Ducks, 10 ET (Ducks lead 1-0)
* Ducks: looking for 1st back-to-back playoff wins since 2009
* Ducks: 2-4 on power play in Game 1 (led Western Conference in power-play pct during regular season)
* Red Wings: lost 6 of last 7 playoff games overall, dating back to 2011

Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller talks with ESPN The Magazine's Craig Custance about the Ducks' 3-1 win over the Red Wings.

Blues 2, Kings 1 F/OT (Blues lead 1-0)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 4th player since 1990 with postseason short-handed goal in OT (Source: Elias Sports Bureau)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 2nd career OT goal (1st in postseason)
* Alexander Steen (STL): scored both goals in game (didn't have a multi-goal game this season)
* STL: snap 8-game losing streak vs LA dating back to last season (reg. season and postseason)
* Justin Williams (LA): scored game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in game
* LA: was 4-0 in OT in last year's postseason
* LA: 1st defending champ to lose 1st postseason game in OT since Red Wings on April 10, 2003
FROM ELIAS:
Shorthanded Goals In Overtime
Stanley Cup Playoffs Since 1990
Team
Tue. Alexander Steen Blues
2006 Fernando Pisani Oilers
2006 Jason Pominville Sabres
1990 Tony Granato Kings

Ducks 3, Red Wings 1 (Ducks lead series 1-0)
* Teemu Selanne (ANA): 42nd career playoff goal (7th among active players); 11th career GW playoff goal (T-6th most among active players)
* Ducks: 2-4 on power play (led Western Conference in power-play pct during regular season)
* Jonas Hiller (ANA): 21 saves on 22 shots (fewest shots faced, fewest saves in a playoff game in his career)
* Red Wings: lost playoff opener for 2nd straight year (lost in 5 games in 1st round last year)
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Teemu Selanne broke a 1-1 tie with a power play goal early in the third period and the Ducks went on to take a 3-1 victory over the Red Wings in Game One. The 42-year-old Selanne became the second-oldest player ever to score a game-winning goal in the NHL playoffs; Mark Recchi was 43 when he was credited with the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ 8-1 victory over the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. (Recchi scored early in the second period of that game, making the score 2-0, and was credited with the game-winning goal in a game in which Boston had a 5-0 lead at the time that Vancouver scored in the third period.)

Blackhawks 2, Wild 1 (Blackhawks lead series 1-0)
* Bryan Bickell (CHI): game-winning goal in OT (2nd career OT goal in postseason, has 0 career in regular season)
* Marian Hossa (CHI): 37th career playoff goal (tied for 100th most all-time with Wendel Clark, Simon Gagne and Larry Murphy)
* Blackhawks: 1st series lead since winning Stanley Cup in 2010
* Cal Clutterbuck (MIN): 1st career playoff goal
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: The Blackhawks defeated the Wild, 2-1, in their playoff opener, when Bryan Bickell scored 16:35 into overtime. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville was behind the bench in a Stanley Cup game for the 140th time in his career, while Minnesota’s Mike Yeo was coaching in his first NHL postseason game. The 139-game difference in playoff experience between the two head coaches is the largest in an NHL postseason series since the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, when Detroit’s Scotty Bowman (348 games of playoff experience entering the series) faced Carolina’s Paul Maurice (30 games); Bowman and the Red Wings won that series in five games.

We're not privy to the NHL's marketing slogan for the 2013-14 season, but it might be something like "Go Big or Go Home, but Definitely Go Outdoors."

Of course, if you read much of the negative commentary surrounding the NHL's decision to multiply its successful outdoor game model like so many bunnies next season -- with six in-the-elements events on the docket -- you'd think the league was determined to bring back the glowing puck and make all its players wear uniforms with blinking lights.

The NHL announced Wednesday the first plank in its ambitious stadium series of outdoor games for the 2013-14 season, a March 1 date at Soldier Field in Chicago between the Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins, set for 8 p.m. ET.

Over the next week or so, the league will unveil its plans for two outdoor games during Super Bowl at Yankee Stadium involving all three New York-area teams; one at Dodger Stadium between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 25; and another installment of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver between the Canucks and the Ottawa Senators to be held the same weekend as the Soldier Field event.

These games are in addition to the previously announced Winter Classic to be held Jan. 1, 2014, in Ann Arbor, Mich., between Original Six rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When news first broke last month that the NHL was going to take its product outdoors for a total of six games next season, it was interesting to note the instant boo-hooing that arose, mostly from the media.

Oh, too many outdoor games.

Oh, it'll turn the Winter Classic into a cheap dime-store version of its former self.

Oh, it'll rain.

Oh, it'll be too hot.

Oh, the league just wants to make money.

Funny how it works, but the NHL has long been criticized -- and rightly so -- for being too timid, too parochial, too unwilling to seize the moment and work at becoming more than just a niche sport in the United States.

Outdoor games aren't a panacea for all that ails the NHL, but when the league does think outside the box, it is flayed in some quarters.

Yes, these outdoor games are financially successful. Is that a reason not to do more of them?

Funny how much of the criticism of the league has come from the media, and yet we haven't heard much carping from the fans themselves.

Are people in California upset with the opportunity to take in an evening of hockey at Dodger Stadium? Don't think so. And unless we are completely off base (get it, a baseball reference for this game?) the tickets to the first regular-season outdoor game on the West Coast will go in a heartbeat.

Assuming the event is well-received, it will also open the door to more outdoor opportunities in nontraditional markets.

Are the fans in the New York area -- where the NHL estimates there will be 1,000 accredited media members for the Super Bowl festivities leading up to the game in New Jersey on Feb. 2 -- barking at the fact that the New York Rangers will play the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils in twin games at Yankee Stadium?

Uh, no.

Think fans in Chicago will turn away from a chance to see their beloved Blackhawks and the Penguins at Soldier Field because they already hosted a Winter Classic in 2009?

That game between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, the second Winter Classic ever, is considered by Chicago officials to be a seminal event in that team's renaissance after years of being the butt of jokes throughout the sporting world.

The 2013-14 season provides an interesting opportunity for the NHL to try to write itself back into the good news department after another potentially catastrophic labor stoppage scuttled almost half the 2012-13 season.

In a matter of weeks, the NHL will formalize its relationship with the Olympics and agree to take part in the Sochi Games in February.

Two of the outdoor games, including the Soldier Field game, will take place the first weekend after the end of the Olympics and should provide a terrific lead-in to the stretch run of the regular season and be a nice reminder that the NHL is back in business after being shut down for the Olympic break (something that not all owners agree is a good thing).

As for the notion that introducing other outdoor events to the NHL landscape somehow cheapens the Winter Classic, which has evolved into the NHL's most important regular-season date, the schedule of events surrounding the Winter Classic in Michigan promises to make it the most successful iteration yet.

Each year the Winter Classic has grown in scope, and the net it has cast around the hockey community has grown. The event next year involving the Red Wings, postponed this season because of the lockout, calls for multiple alumni games to be played at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit, along with games at various levels, including the major junior and college ranks.

NHL COO John Collins suggested in an interview that the Detroit Winter Classic will be the “granddaddy” of Winter Classics given the surrounding events, including those at Comerica Park, and the game itself at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

Whether it's been Boston or Philadelphia or Chicago, the Winter Classic games have captured the imagination of the local markets and become a touchstone for the casual fan, an elusive group the NHL has been courting for decades.

The fact that more fans than ever will be able to take part in these kinds of events next season can hardly diminish that dynamic.

"It's not just one lens you're looking at this through,” Collins told ESPN.com on the eve of the Soldier Field announcement. "You have to be at these events to understand how the game becomes a gathering point for a community, the way a community lights up around hockey."

"That local impact is incredibly powerful," Collins said.

Would the fans in California likely have a chance to take in a Winter Classic if the league stayed within some self-imposed limit of having one or two outdoor games a season? Not likely.

Is it important to return to big markets like Chicago, where the game continues to grow in importance? Absolutely.

But next season allows the NHL to broaden its appeal while still promoting its biggest markets, and its biggest stars, on the outdoor stage.

Are there risks with taking the NHL into the elements six times next season? Of course.

The league will purchase a new portable ice-making unit that will be used for the Dodger Stadium game, then transported up the coast to Vancouver for the Heritage Classic. But even as technology has evolved and given the league more opportunity to create pristine ice surfaces outdoors in different locales, there will always be concerns about the integrity of the game when you expose it to the natural elements.

Any time the league puts on one of these events, it courts disaster as it relates to how Mother Nature will react. It rained in Pittsburgh in 2011 and the Winter Classic had to be postponed a day.

There have been issues with sun and snow, and the potential for precipitation in Vancouver or in New York next season will always be there. But the league has contingency plans, and what might happen with the weather has become part of the fabric of the events themselves.

What happens moving forward will depend largely on how next season’s outdoor experiment works out.

"I think it’s fluid but we are working on a three-year plan," Collins said.

Added deputy commissioner Bill Daly, "Next year represents opportunities that aren't going to be there every year."

There is nothing to suggest the NHL will go outside five or six times every year, but if these events unfold as planned, you can bet the number of teams clamoring to host an outdoor game will only increase.

In the end, is that such a bad thing?

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It was the most valuable hockey card in 9-year-old Ben Lovejoy’s collection, so he remembers it well. A 1991-92 Upper Deck Teemu Selanne rookie card, worth $4.

“Through having that card, I became a fan of his,” Lovejoy told ESPN The Magazine following the Anaheim Ducks' 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of their first-round series.

So, yeah, it was pretty cool to be the guy setting up Selanne on a power-play goal early in the third period that ended up being the game-winner.

Lovejoy’s job on the power play is fairly simple: shoot the puck and make sure the Ducks don’t get scored on. Moments before setting up Selanne, he had a shot blocked by Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser.

When he got the puck again at the point, he now had a little more space to operate.

“I think that I got a little respect that second play. I looked [Sheldon Souray] off and passed it to the legend,” Lovejoy, who came over from the Penguins in a February trade, said. “I’ve played with some good players so far in my career. I’ve learned that you pass to people who are better than you.”

It’s a pretty solid strategy, and a moment later the Ducks had the lead. One they wouldn’t surrender.

It was playoff goal No. 42 for the 42-year-old Selanne, and those goals never get old. Not for those witnessing or for the legend himself.

“Absolutely,” he said. “When you have a passion for [scoring] goals it doesn’t matter how old you are. Maybe the celebrations go down a little, but inside it’s [the] same feeling.”

The Ducks had one of the best power plays in the league this season, finishing No. 4 overall at 21.5 percent, and scored twice with an advantage against the Red Wings; this might signal a matchup Anaheim can expose in this series. Detroit’s penalty kill struggled early on this season and dramatically improved as the season progressed, finishing at No. 12 in the league during the regular season. But the Anaheim power play was the reason the Ducks have jumped out to a 1-0 lead in this series and has the talent to continue that success moving forward.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau has all kinds of skill at his disposal on the two units, including a mix of talent at the point in guys like Cam Fowler and Souray, along with high-end offensive producers like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Nick Bonino and his puck-retrieving prowess make it all work.

And, of course, there’s the legend Selanne, who can change a game with one shot like he did when he beat Jimmy Howard short side. Like he’s been doing for years, going all the way back to that kid on the hockey card.

“This is the best time for the hockey player -- every shift, every shot, every goal matters,” Selanne said. “That’s why it’s so special.”

ANAHEIM -- Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau remained coy on his starting goalie before Game 1 against the Red Wings.

“It’s a toss-up between them,” he said Tuesday morning.

But Jonas Hiller was the first goalie off the ice at the Ducks morning skate, an indication he’s the starter. After practice, he confirmed that he’s been told he’s the starting goalie Tuesday night.

“I’m excited about it and definitely looking forward to tonight,” Hiller said. “I was hoping having the experience, going through playoffs and having played over here a little longer would work out in [my] favor.”

Hiller played 13 games for the Ducks in the 2009 playoffs and led the postseason with a .943 save percentage, including two shutouts. Viktor Fasth had the better regular season statistically, sharing time with Hiller and finishing the regular season an impressive 15-6-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in his first NHL season.

But Boudreau conceded that playoff experience plays a factor in a decision like this. Hiller will have a capable backup ready to seize ice time if he struggles, which doesn’t change a thing from the regular season.

“Every time I played, I tried to play as good as possible,” Hiller said. “Viktor made it tough to play better than him.”

DeKeyser ready for postseason debut

Mike Babcock continued to praise the play of rookie defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who was playing college hockey at Western Michigan earlier this season before signing with the Red Wings in late March.

He’ll make his postseason debut against the Ducks and has given every indication that’s he’s ready for it.

“I watched him a ton obviously over two years, was very excited when we got him, but I had no idea he could do this,” Babcock said. “I don’t consider him a college kid. He looks like a Red Wing to me.”

DeKeyser said a couple of his teammates prepped him on what to expect in the postseason -- faster pace, more physical play, every detail analyzed. Others might be surprised by his success, but he said his expectations were high when he signed, and they included the expectation that he would be a contributor in the postseason.

“I try to set high goals for myself. I wasn’t going to be happy coming in and playing one or two games,” he told ESPN The Magazine. “I wanted to exceed that, come in here and have as big an impact as I could.”

The 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Tuesday as 3 Western Conference quarterfinals series begin. The Kings, trying to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Red Wings in 1998, will take on the Blues. The Blackhawks, trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup after having the league’s most points in the regular season since the Red Wings in 2008, take on the Wild. And the Red Wings, making their 22nd straight playoff appearance, take on the Ducks.

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarterfinals
8 Wild at 1 Blackhawks – Game 1 - 8 ET
* Blackhawks: went 2-0-1 vs Wild during regular season
* Blackhawks: won Presidents’ Trophy for league’s best regular season record (77 pts); a team has not won Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in same season since 2007-08 Red Wings
* Blackhawks: led all Western Conference teams in goals during regular season (155)
* Blackhawks: led NHL in team goals-against average during regular season (1.98)
* Wild: 1st playoff appearance since 2007-08 season
* Wild: have not won a playoff series since 2003 Western Conference Semifinals vs Canucks
* 1st-ever playoff series meeting between these teams

Playoff Results For Presidents’ Trophy Winners Since 2007-08
Winner Points Playoff Result
2012-13 Blackhawks 77 ?
2011-12 Canucks 111 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2010-11 Canucks 117 Lost, Cup Final
2009-10 Capitals 121 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2008-09 Sharks 117 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2007-08 Red Wings 115 Won Stanley Cup

5 Kings at 4 Blues – Game 1 – 8 ET
* Kings: trying to be 1st team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since Red Wings in 1997 & 1998
* Kings: 4th straight playoff appearance (team’s longest streak of playoff appearances since making playoffs 7 straight years from 1986-87 through 1992-93)
* Kings: went 3-0-0 vs Blues during regular season
* Kings: swept Blues in 2012 Conference Semifinals
* Blues: only 3rd playoff appearance in last 8 seasons (2nd straight playoff appearance)
* Blues: have won 2 of previous 3 playoff meetings vs Kings all-time

7 Red Wings at 2 Ducks – Game 1 – 10:30 ET
* Red Wings: 22nd straight playoff appearance (longest active postseason streak in the 4 major pro sports)
* Red Wings: went 2-1-0 vs Ducks during regular season
* Red Wings: 7 seed in team’s lowest seed since current playoff format was adopted in 1993-94 (are a 5 seed or lower for 3rd time in last 4 seasons)
* Henrik Zetterberg (DET): 3rd among active players in playoff goals (51)
* Ducks: only 2nd playoff appearance in last 4 seasons after making playoffs in 4 straight seasons from 2005-06 through 2008-09
* Ducks: 2 seed matches highest playoff seed in franchise history (2007 – won Stanley Cup that postseason)
* Ducks: led all Western Conference teams in power play percentage at 21.5 pct (4th overall)
* Red Wings have won 3 of 5 playoff series meetings vs Ducks all-time (Red Wings won last meeting in 2009 Conference Semifinals)

Longest Active Playoff Appearances Streaks
In The Four Major Pro Sports
NHL 22 Detroit Red Wings, 1990-91 to 2012-13
NBA 16 San Antonio Spurs, 1997-98 to 2012-13
NFL 5 Baltimore Ravens, 2008 to 2012
MLB 4 New York Yankees, 2009 to 2012

With the Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin on Tuesday night, here is a by-the-numbers guide of things to keep an eye on:

2 –- Anaheim’s seed in the Western Conference. The Ducks were also a 2-seed in the 2007 playoffs, when they won their first (and only) Stanley Cup.

5 –- Seed of the team that won the Stanley Cup in the previous lockout-abbreviated season of 1994-95. The New Jersey Devils were the 5 seed in the East in 1995 when they won their first Stanley Cup, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings in the finals.

7 –- Number of Presidents’ Trophy winners to claim the Stanley Cup in the same season since the award was instituted for the 1985-86 season. The last team to pull off the Presidents’ Trophy-Stanley Cup double was the Detroit Red Wings in the 2007-08 campaign.

15 –- How many years it’s been since a Stanley Cup champion has repeated. The Red Wings did it in 1997 & 1998. The Los Angeles Kings are looking to repeat this postseason.

20 –- How many years it’s been since Canada has had a Stanley Cup champion. Montreal beat coach Barry Melrose and the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. Four Canadian teams -- Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto & Vancouver -- will try to end that drought this postseason.

22 -– Number of consecutive seasons the Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs, the longest active streak in the four major pro sports. Detroit opens its quest for the Cup Tuesday against the Ducks in Anaheim.

46 –- The number of years since the Toronto Maple Leafs’ last Stanley Cup, the longest current drought. The Leafs won the final Cup of the Original Six era in May 1967, five months before the expansion debut of the team with the next longest drought, the St. Louis Blues (who have yet to win the Cup).

764 –- Number of career regular season games played by Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who will be appearing the playoffs for the 1st time. Only Olli Jokinen played more games (799) before making his 1st playoff appearance.

1928 –- The last time teams from Montreal and Ottawa met in the postseason before this year’s Canadiens-Senators series. The original Ottawa Senators lost to the now-defunct Montreal Maroons in a quarterfinals series that year.

1996 –- The last postseason before this year that featured all of the Original Six teams. None reached that year’s Stanley Cup finals, which saw the Colorado Avalanche sweep the Florida Panthers.

Ducks 3, Oilers 0
* Ducks: win Pacific Division title
* Ducks: 2nd division title in franchise history; 1st since 2006-07 season (won Stanley Cup that season)
* Ducks: Won last 2 games, both vs Oilers (lost previous 4 games)
* Oilers: lost 8 of last 9 games overall

Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1
* Canucks: clinch Northwest Division title; 5th straight division title, longest active streak in NHL; 2nd is Boston with 2 (could be extended to 3 this season)
* Canucks: 8th straight home win
* Daniel Sedin (VAN): Goal (12), assist; 5 points in last 2 games vs Blackhawks (2 G, 3 A)
* Blackhawks: 1st regulation loss in last 12 games (9-1-2)

Red Wings 4, Coyotes 0
* Red Wings: 3 power play goals; 2-22 on power play in previous 6 games
* Red Wings: currently in 9th place in West, 1 point behind Wild and Blue Jackets
* Jimmy Howard (DET): 34 saves, 4th shutout this season (15th of career)
* Johan Franzen (DET): 2 goals, 1st multi-goal game since April 4th of last season

Penguins 3, Senators 1
* Penguins: 3-0-0 vs Senators this season, outscoring them 9-4 (one win was in shootout)
* Penguins: won 7 straight overall and 5 straight on the road
* Senators: loss + Jets win means Senators just 1 point ahead of Jets for 8th and final East playoff spot

Jets 2, Sabres 1
* Antti Miettinen (AN-tee mih-EHT-tih-nehn)(WPG): Go-ahead goal (3) with 7:36 left in 3rd period (1st goal in his last 12 games)
* Jets: 1st win in last 5 ROAD games
* Jets: 6-0-1 in last 7 games overall
* Jets: move within 1 point of 8th playoff spot in Eastern Conference AND within 1 point of Capitals for Southeast Division lead (Jets play at Capitals Tuesday)

It's that time of year when the standings finally begin to shake out, stratifying the bracket into three distinct groups: the postseason locks, the middle-of-the-pack teams still fighting for spots or jockeying for position, and the remaining clubs whose playoff hopes are all but extinguished.

Even before their embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, the Buffalo Sabres were among the latter.

A spirit-sapping 4-1 road loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday pretty much sealed their fate, leaving the Sabres -- now six points back -- with little to play for in the remaining seven games of their season.

And it showed Thursday in a flat and uninspired effort against the Northeast Division-leading Canadiens, who became the second Eastern Conference team (joining the Pittsburgh Penguins) to clinch a postseason berth.

All that remains on the line for the Sabres is pride, and against Montreal they showed very little. Outshot 42-15, Buffalo players sounded both ashamed and awed at just how little effort they exhibited -- in front of a home crowd, no less.

Consider these damning statements uttered from within the bowels of the Sabres' dressing room after the game:

"It was the worst effort the Buffalo Sabres have put on the ice since I've been a part of it," 23-year-old defenseman Tyler Myers said, according to the Buffalo News. Myers is in his fourth season with the Sabres.

And this from goaltender Ryan Miller, who is never shy about sharing his opinions: "We got our butts kicked."

According to several reports, the Sabres were all stapled to their stalls when the dressing room was opened following a closed-door meeting, showing an accountability they lacked on the ice.

Even in a lockout-shortened season, when parity provides pretty much every team a chance to rise from the dead and make a viable playoff push (Exhibit A: the Washington Capitals), there comes a time when reality sinks in and false hope disappears.
It's a depressing time for those teams, obviously, but it provides an interesting glimpse into the character of the club. Do players hustle and compete for jobs, trying to salvage some pride? Do they relish the opportunity to play spoiler in the last weeks of the season? Or do they go through the motions, entertaining thoughts of early-May tee times?

We already saw this frustration manifested this week, when Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere blasted his teammates for packing it in and looking ahead to their upcoming Vegas vacation instead of their next game.

The Avs responded to Giguere's pointed rant with a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks two nights later (incidentally, that rant could end up costing the Avs the No. 1 pick in the draft!), showing that their fight had not been completely snuffed out.

The Sabres will have a chance to rally from Thursday's debacle and prove they are not going to simply watch the sand pass through the hourglass. And to their credit, it seemed that to a man they were humiliated by the loss and took full responsibility.

Perhaps that is because it's implicitly understood that everyone is being evaluated now -- from interim coach Ron Rolston to Miller to the rest of the team's veteran leaders and on down the lineup.

The Sabres' next game, Saturday at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, will be telling. Will a listless squad show up, or one that is up for the fight?

Avalanche 4, Ducks 1
* Avalanche: 1st regulation road win in the last 15 road games (1-11-3 in those games)
* Gabriel Landeskog (COL): 8th goal of season (snaps 7-game pointless streak)
* Teemu Selanne (ANA): 11th goal of season (4th-most on team)

Rangers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (SO)
* Mats Zuccarello (NYR): deciding shootout goal; 6-12 in career shootout attempts
* Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): 7-2-1 in last 10 home starts
* Phil Kessel (TOR): 2 goals; 6 points in last 3 games
* Carl Hagelin & Ryan McDonagh (NYR): goal and assist each
FROM ELIAS: Phil Kessel scored both goals for the Maple Leafs in their shootout loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, two days after he ended a personal nine-game goal drought by scoring twice in the Leafs’ win at Toronto in the first game of their home-and-home set against the Rangers. It’s the first time that a Toronto player has scored two or more goals in each of two consecutive team games since Kessel did so in October 2011. That’s also the only other time Kessel registered back-to-back multi-goal games in his seven-season NHL career.

Bruins 5, Devils 4
* Gregory Campbell (BOS): 2 goals; 4th-career multi-goal game
* teams combined to score 3 short-handed goals (2 by Bruins)
* Bruins: 3-0-0 vs NJ this season (won 7 straight vs NJ overall)
* Devils: 0-4-4 in past 8 games
FROM ELIAS: Bruins forwards Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell scored shorthanded goals 3:21 apart in the first period of the Bruins’ 5–4 win over the Devils in Newark. They were the fastest two shorthanded goals by one team in an NHL game since Feb. 18, 2012, when the Penguins’ Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke scored a pair of shorthanded markers in a 1:43 span. Before Wednesday’s game, the last time the Bruins tallied multiple shorthanded goals so quickly was exactly three years earlier (April 10, 2010), when they scored three shorties in a 1:04 span against Carolina (Paille and Blake Wheeler 49 seconds apart, and then Steve Begin with a third SHG 15 seconds later).

Canucks 4, Flames 1
* Canucks: Scored last 4 goals of the game (3 in 3rd period)
* Canucks: Won 4 straight and 10 of last 12 games
* Flames: Lost 6 of last 7 games

Ducks 2, Oilers 1
* Radek Dvorak (ANA): 2 goals (3); 20th career multi-goal game
* Ducks: 4-1-0 in last 5 games
* Ducks: 3 points behind CHI for top spot in Western Conference
* Oilers: 3rd straight loss

Canucks 2, Coyotes 0
* Cory Schneider (VAN): 19 saves; 5th shutout of season (ties for NHL lead in that category)
* Ryan Kesler (VAN): goal (2) in 1st period; playing in 1st game since Feb. 26 (missed previous 19 games due to broken bone in foot)
* Canucks: on 3-game winning streak; increase lead in Northwest Division to 4 points over 2nd-place Minnesota
* Coyotes: 3-game winning streak ends; remain 3 points out of final playoff spot in Western Conference

Bruins 6, Hurricanes 2
* Brad Marchand (BOS): 2 goals (15, 16); he had 2 goals in his previous 17 games
* Bruins: have won 9 straight home games (8-0-1); allowed 15 goals in those 9 games
* Hurricanes: have lost 5 straight games, allowing more than 4+ goals in each game
FROM ELIAS: Tuukka Rask made 40 saves for the second time in five days when he backstopped the Bruins to a 6-2 win over the Hurricanes. Rask, who posted a 40-save, 1-0 shutout against the Devils last Thursday, has a 6-1-0 record in seven career games in which he's faced 40 or more shots on goal. Rask has won his last five such games while allowing a total of four goals.

Maple Leafs 4, Rangers 3
* Rangers: have their 4-game winning streak in Toronto snapped
* Maple Leafs: 5-1 in last 6 games
* James Reimer (TOR): 12-2-4 in last 18 games in goal
* Phil Kessel: 2 goals; snaps 9-game goal-less streak
* Henrik Lundqvist: 4 goals allowed matches season high

Ducks 4, Kings 3 (F/SO)
* Ducks: improve to 15-5 at home this season
* Ducks: won 4 of 6 following 4-game losing streak
* Dustin Brown (LA): Goal (15), assist; 9 points (6 G, 3 A) in last 6 games vs Ducks

Sabres 3, Devils 2 (F/SO)
* Devils: 7th straight loss (4 losses in OT or SO) - longest active losing streak in NHL; remain outside of playoff picture
* Devils: 2-7 in shootouts this season - most shootout losses in NHL
* Devils: have not been out-shot in any game during losing streak (out-shot opponents 221-156 including 39-26 today)
* Penguins: Clinch playoff berth with Devils loss

Blackhawks 5, Predators 3
* Blackhawks: clinch playoff spot (1st team in NHL to clinch this season)
* Blackhawks: 4-0-1 last 5 games
* Patrick Kane (CHI): 1 goal, 1 assists (20 goals this season, 2nd in Western Conference)
FROM ELIAS: The Blackhawks overcame a 3-2 deficit in the third period and posted a 5-3 win against Nashville that clinched a playoff spot for Chicago. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored the game-winning goal at the 10:32 mark of the final period, only 55 seconds after he assisted on Brandon Saad's score-tying goal. Toews has scored 12 goals in the 19 games he's played since February 28. The only NHL player with more than a dozen goals since that date is Alex Ovechkin (17).

Capitals 4, Lightning 2
* Capitals: won 4 straight and 8 of last 10 (8-1-1)
* Alex Ovechkin (WSH): 2 goals (25); 8th consecutive season with at least 25 goals
* Ovechkin: 75th career game with 2+ goals (most since 2005-06 ... Ovechkin's rookie season)
* Vincent Lecavalier (TB): PP goal (8), assist; 7th multi-point game this season
FROM ELIAS: Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in the Capitals’ win over the Lightning on Sunday, after scoring three times in Washington’s victory against the Panthers on Saturday. It’s the fifth time that Ovechkin has scored five goals over a two-game span in his NHL career but the first since 2009 (January 31: two goals vs. Detroit, February 1: three goals vs. Ottawa).

Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0
* Niklas Backstrom (MIN): 24 saves; 28th career shutout (2nd this season)
* Jason Pominville (MIN): goal (11), assist; 1st points with Wild since being acquired from Sabres
* Wild: end 3-game losing streak with victory
* Blue Jackets: 2nd straight loss following a 3-game winning streak

Panthers 2, Senators 1
* Dmitry Kulikov (FLA): go-ahead PPG with 9:14 left in 3rd period (2nd goal of season)
* Scott Clemmensen (FLA): 40 saves (season high), 1st win since Feb. 26 (had lost previous 5 decisions)
* Panthers: 4-1-0 in last 5 games
* Senators: 4th straight loss (all in regulation); outscored 13-5 during losing streak

Stars 5, Sharks 4 (F/SO)
* Alex Chiasson (DAL): 2 goals (3)
* Loui Eriksson (DAL): scores game-tying goal 9:14 into 3rd period (10)
* Stars: 2nd straight win following a 3-game losing streak
* Sharks: 7-game winning streak ends

Blues 1, Red Wings 0
* Chris Porter: 2nd goal this season (both have been game-winning goals)
* Porter: 3 points last 3 games (2 points 1st 15 games this season)
* Blues: 4th straight win following 3-game losing streak
* Red Wings: 2-4-0 in last 6 games overall

Canadiens 5, Bruins 4 (SO)
* Canadiens: 6-1-0 in last 7 road games
* Michael Ryder (MON): 4 goals in last 4 games (had 4 goals in previous 20 games)
* Bruins; 1st home loss since 3/3 (had won 5 straight)
* Tyler Seguin (BOS): 3 goals, 4 assists vs Canadiens this season (3 games)
FROM ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Patrice Bergeron became the first Bruins player to record four points in one game this season when he scored one goal and assisted on three others in Boston’s shootout loss to the Canadiens. Bergeron, who leads the league in faceoff win percentage this year, also set an NHL single-game season high by winning 23 draws on Wednesday night. He’s the first NHL player to score at least four points in a game in which he won more than 20 faceoffs since April 11, 2006, when Mats Sundin tallied six points (four goals, two assists) and won 27 faceoffs in a 6–5 Maple Leafs overtime win against the Florida Panthers.
FROM ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: The Canadiens’ 6–5 shootout win over the Bruins on Wednesday was the seventh straight Montreal–Boston game decided by a one-goal margin. (Boston won the first five of those seven games and the Canadiens have won the last two.) That equals the longest previous streak of consecutive one-goal or tie regular-season games in the history of the Montreal–Boston rivalry, which dates back to 1924. The Canadiens and Bruins also played seven straight one-goal or tie games from October 2003 to October 2005

Sharks 4, Ducks 0
* Tommy Wingels (SJ): goal, 2 assists (1st career 3-point game)
* Sharks: earned point in 7 straight home games (4-0-3)
* Antti Niemi (SJ): 22 saves (21st career shutout, tied for 4th-most in NHL since rookie season in 2009-10)
* Ducks: lost 4 straight games (outscored 16-5)

Wild 4, Coyotes 3 OT
* Wild: won 7 straight games
* Zach Parise (MIN): 3 goals, 3 assists (4-game point streak)
* Coyotes: 0-6-1 last 7 games
* Coyotes: 1st regulation loss in Minnesota since 1/13/2009 (6 games)
FROM ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Mikko Koivu scored the third overtime goal of his NHL career to earn the Wild a 4–3 win against the Coyotes and extend Minnesota’s winning streak to seven games. Mikko’s brother, Saku, has scored nine OT goals. The Koivu siblings’ total of 12 regular-season overtime goals is the second-highest among active NHL brother duos, behind the Sedin twins with 14 (Daniel 10, Henrik 4).

Flames 4, Avalanche 3
* Flames: won 8 straight home games
* Jarome Iginla (Flames) scratched: consecutive games streak ends at 441 (missed game for 1st time since April, 2007)
* Michael Cammalleri (Flames): snaps 8-game goal-scoring drought with 2 goals

And so we have a race. In spite of an NHL-record 24-game points streak to start the NHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks still have the Anaheim Ducks fully in their rearview mirror after the Ducks’ dramatic 4-2 in Anaheim Wednesday night.

Although the loss might have been disappointing for the Blackhawks, they continue to lead the Ducks by three points at the top of both the Western Conference and overall standings, even though the Ducks have a game in hand. For the Ducks, though, Wednesday’s win was a happening. The largest crowd to ever see a Ducks game -- 17,610, which surpassed even crowds that saw the Ducks win a Stanley Cup in 2007 -- was caught up in the buzz that surrounded the clash of the NHL’s two best teams. According to Elias Sports Bureau, no two teams with winning percentages as high as the Ducks and Blackhawks boasted before the game had ever met in an NHL game after teams had played at least 25 games.

The Honda Center faithful were not to be disappointed.

Although the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead into the third period thanks to inspired play by Chicago captain Jonathan Toews, who scored a short-handed goal, the Ducks scored twice in 64 seconds as the game was winding down to take a 3-2 lead before icing the victory with an empty-net goal. The win was the Ducks’ franchise record 13th straight at home.

Each team was without top players. Patrick Sharp continues to rehab a shoulder injury for the Blackhawks and Marian Hossa wasn’t able to go, with an upper body injury. Meanwhile, the Ducks were without former MVP and goal-scoring champ Corey Perry, who was serving the last of a four-game suspension for a hit on Minnesota’s Jason Zucker. But it was the Ducks’ other big-contract, big-name player, Ryan Getzlaf, who fought off a nasty case of the flu to provide the offensive spark as he set up both key third-period goals. Both Getzlaf and Perry signed eight-year contract extensions recently.

Wednesday’s game marked the 14th time this season that the Ducks have rallied from a deficit to win this season. They are also 5-2-0 in games in which they trail after two periods.

The two teams won’t have to wait long to renew the face-to-face battle for top spot, as the Ducks will head to Chicago a week from Friday, although in between they have twin dates with Detroit and one with San Jose.

There are no guarantees, of course, that owning home-ice advantage means anything when the playoffs begin at the end of April. Los Angeles ended up winning its first Stanley Cup coming out of the eighth seed last spring. But if at some point these two teams ended up facing off in the Western Conference finals, their records suggest that these points will be crucial. The teams are a combined 24-2-1 at home and, given the drama of the first two games (the Ducks beat Chicago in a shootout during the Blackhawks’ streak), it’s the kind of matchup that fans everywhere would be clamoring to see.