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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?

Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov has a phone hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his elbowing hit on Boston's Brad Marchand Wednesday night, a source confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com.

Volchenkov was assessed a five-minute elbowing major and game misconduct after he delivered an elbow to Marchand's head at 15:11 of the second period of the Devils' 5-4 loss to the Bruins. Marchand went down after the hit and did not return to the game.

With a suspension appearing imminent for Volchenkov, it is very likely the Devils will be down two defensemen when they host the struggling Senators on Friday night. New Jersey, also floundering without a win in the last eight games, lost captain Bryce Salvador to a wrist injury during the game.

According to the Devils, Salvador will be re-evaluated Thursday.

Give the New Jersey Devils this: Even in the face of the inevitable, there is no quit in them.

Down 4-0 to the Boston Bruins by the 3:06 mark of the second period Wednesday night, the Devils kept chipping away, and early in the third they had made it 4-3.

But the results are the results, and so it was that the Devils lost 5-4 and by night's end were that much closer to finding themselves outside the playoff bubble just 10 months after taking the Los Angeles Kings to six games in the Stanley Cup finals.

The loss to the Bruins marked the Devils' eighth straight game without a win. They are in 10th place in the East, only four points out of eighth, but with eight games left you get the feeling watching them that the gap might as well be 40 points.

It is a cautionary tale, to be sure.

The Devils chose not to move captain Zach Parise at last year's trade deadline, and he signed a 13-year, $98 million deal with the Minnesota Wild in the offseason. Would GM and president Lou Lamoriello do the same thing again? Was the trip to the edge of a championship worth the loss of significant assets had he traded Parise? Would those assets have made the difference to a team that has struggled to fill the void created by Parise's departure?

It's worth noting that the same fate awaits the Nashville Predators, the former team of Parise's signing mate in Minnesota, Ryan Suter. The Preds likewise loaded up at last year's trade deadline and hoped to make a long run and, by extension, keep Suter in the fold. Now they will almost certainly miss the playoffs, in part because they received no assets for Suter and have not filled the gap created by his departure.

Undaunted, the Devils followed a similar pattern this year as they chose not to trade David Clarkson, who leads the team with 13 goals and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Perhaps Clarkson will stay in New Jersey, where he has become an important part of the fabric of the team. Maybe there will be more laments when the free-agency period begins in July.

The Devils' fade from contention can be attributed to the loss of netminder Martin Brodeur for an extended period this season because of an injury. And that was followed by an injury to star winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Still, as you watched Brodeur, closing in on his 41st birthday, give up five goals to the Bruins on 18 shots, you had to wonder what the plan is moving forward.

The Devils are an uncharacteristic 17th overall in goals allowed per game and do not have a clear successor to Brodeur. They are 27th in goals scored per game and 22nd on the power play; they could not capitalize on a long 5-on-3 advantage situation early in Wednesday's game and gave up two short-handed goals in the first period.

All of which makes you wonder, which is the blip on the radar: last year's run to the final or this year's slide into an early offseason?

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

Bruins 1, Devils 0
* Tuukka Rask (BOS): 3rd shutout this season; season-high 40 saves
* Jaromir Jagr (BOS): goal (15) in first game with Bruins; 1st time since Dec. 1997 that he scored only goal in a 1-0 win
* Devils: 5th straight loss; remain tied with Rangers with 39 points for final Eastern conf playoff spot
* Devils: lost despite out-shooting Boston 40-26
FROM ELIAS: Jaromir Jagr made his Bruins debut a memorable one as he scored the goal in Boston’s 1–0 win over Martin Brodeur and the Devils. The 41-year-old Jagr is the second-oldest player in NHL history to score the goal in a 1–0 game. Gary Roberts was 42 years old when he scored the lone goal in Tampa Bay’s win against the Islanders on Feb. 7, 2009.

Capitals 2, Islanders 1 (F/SO) (Capitals win SO 1-0)
* Capitals: 3-0-1 past 4 games
* Alex Ovechkin (WSH): 9 game PT streak snapped
* Islanders: 5-1-1 past 7 on the road
* Islanders: two game win streak snapped
FROM ELIAS: Defenseman Mike Green extended his goal-scoring streak to four games when he scored the Capitals’ only goal in their game against the Islanders on Thursday, which Washington won via a shootout. It’s the first time that an NHL defenseman has scored goals in each of four consecutive team games in one season since Green himself did so in four straight games for the Capitals in 2010 (Oct. 30–Nov. 7).

Blues 4, Blackhawks 3 (SO)
* Blues: snap 8 game road losing streak vs Blackhawks (5 of last 9 road games vs Blackhawks have gone past regulation)
* Adam Cracknell (STL): 1st 2 goals of season (1st multi-goal game of career)
* Jonathan Toews (CHI): goal and assist (3 goals and 2 assist vs Blue this season)
FROM ELIAS: Adam Cracknell scored his first two goals of the season for the Blues in their shootout win over the Blackhawks at United Center. It was the first multiple-goal game by a St. Louis player in Chicago since Oct. 18, 2010, when David Perron scored both goals for the Blues in a 3–2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.

Canadiens 4, Jets 1
* Canadiens: Have won 5 straight at home vs ATL/WPG
* Canadiens: 7-1-3 past 11 at home, allowing 2 or fewer goals against in 7 games
* Michael Ryder (MTL): 2 G, Ast; 4th multi-goal game this season
* Jets: lost 5 straight, scoring 6G, 0-16 on PP during streak

Flyers 5, Maple Leafs 3
* Jakub Voracek (PHI): Goal (16); 7 points in last 7 games
* Flyers: won 4 straight, 6-1-0 in last 7 games at TOR
* Simon Gagne (PHI): Goal (4); scored a Goal in back-to-back games after scoring 2 goals in 1st 25 games
* Maple Leafs: 4-game home win streak snapped
Brayden and Luke Schenn each scored a goal for the Flyers in their 5–3 win at Toronto. It’s the first time that the Schenns have scored goals in the same NHL game, whether as teammates or opponents. They're the third pair of brothers to score goals in the same game this season; the others are Carolina’s Eric and Jordan Staal (three times), and Vancouver’s Daniel and Henrik Sedin (once).

Kings 3, Wild 0
* Jonathan Bernier (LA): 23 saves; 1st shutout of season and 6th of career
* Justin Williams and Jeff Carter: scored 98 seconds apart on the 1st 2 shots of the game
* Justin Williams: 5th straight game with a goal
* Wild: Lost 3 straight and 4 of last 5 games

Coyotes 4, Red Wings 2
* Coyotes: 3-0-2 in last 5 games
* Chad Johnson (PHX): 34 saves matches career-high (done January 31, 2010)
* Red Wings: 1-3-0 in last 4 games

The day after the trade deadline is often like the day after a big family wedding. Lots of stuff to sift through. Maybe you'll find an unexpected and unopened gift, or maybe you'll be reminded that the gift you thought stunk the day before still stinks today.

Speaking of gifts, could the New York Rangers have scripted their big day any better? After unloading their top pure scorer in Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets in an effort to redefine their personality, the goal-starved Rangers poured six past the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a 6-1 shellacking of the Eastern Conference leaders. And wouldn't you know it: Three newcomers, Ryane Clowe, Derick Brassard and John Moore, figured prominently in the win by combining for four goals and four assists -- and this after racing from Columbus and, in Clowe's case, San Jose to join their new team.

The goals were the first two of the season for Clowe, who illustrated the sometimes bizarre nature of the trade-deadline period as he became one of the hottest properties available in spite of the goose egg in the goal column. No more. And now the Rangers hope this makeover in midstream will carry them not just to the postseason but to something more grand come playoff time. Certainly the earliest returns are sparkling, as they jumped into seventh in the conference, although they have same number of points as the eighth-place New Jersey Devils and ninth-place New York Islanders.

Speaking of the Penguins, that’s two lopsided losses in a row for a team that began the week on a 15-game winning streak and with an eye toward making history. Didn't happen, of course, as they were whipped 4-1 by the Buffalo Sabres at home Tuesday, then were spanked at Madison Square Garden after GM Ray Shero added another piece to the Pens' arsenal in the form of veteran forward Jussi Jokinen.

Probably not a bad thing to have a few stinkers down the stretch, just in case anyone in that locker room was thinking the 15-game win streak meant they could just throw their sticks on the ice and come away with a W. We were in Chicago recently and talked to some there who weren't all that disappointed to see the Blackhawks' record 24-game point streak come to an end, what with all the media attention.

Sometimes it's easier for a coach to get his team's attention when it's facing a little adversity. But the twin Pittsburgh losses also highlight the challenges in integrating a handful of new, prominent faces into your lineup with a dozen or so games left in the season. The Pens are also battling the injury bug, with captain Sidney Crosby out indefinitely with a broken jaw, Kris Letang recuperating from a toe injury and defenseman Paul Martin out until playoff time or longer with a hand injury.

Lots of moving parts for coach Dan Bylsma to figure out in the next 3½ weeks.

The curious case of Steve Mason

It wasn't the classic Paul Holmgren "holy cow" move, a la obtaining Chris Pronger or moving Mike Richards or Jeff Carter, but the Philadelphia Flyers GM did not disappoint Wednesday, even if the move he made was a little more subtle. The acquisition of former rookie of the year Steve Mason from the Blue Jackets for Michael Leighton (remember him from Game 6 of the ’10 Stanley Cup final?) and a third-round pick has the potential to create an interesting ripple effect in Philly.

Never mind the roller-coaster Mason has been on since bursting onto the scene with 10 shutouts in his first season (2008-09). In fact, if you're a fan of irony, one of the reasons the Blue Jackets were surprise buyers Wednesday was the play of former Flyers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who was dealt to Columbus in the offseason. Bobrovsky may win the Vezina Trophy and the Blue Jackets may make the playoffs, so Mason was deemed expendable. Go figure.

Now Holmgren is going to give Mason a look in the final weeks of the season as he wrestles with a rather huge decision regarding Ilya Bryzgalov, who has been OK this season. With two amnesty buyouts available to him, Holmgren will have to look hard at what remains on Bryzgalov's nine-year, $51 million contract. There were multiple reports Thursday that Mason was on the verge of signing a new deal with the Flyers, which means Holmgren's plan is to give Mason a chance -- if not as a starter than certainly to replace the depth that went out the door with the Bobrovsky deal.

If Mason impresses, does it change Holmgren's mind about Bryzgalov?

For the record, Bryzgalov got the win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, as the Flyers kept their playoff heart beating faintly. They were four points out of eighth place with 12 games remaining heading into play Thursday.

Kudos to Sharks GM Wilson

We have often been critical of the San Jose Sharks for their inability to capitalize on what is a perennially talent-laden lineup. But you have to tip your hat to GM Doug Wilson, who appears to have navigated the competing waters of trimming fat and maintaining a competitive team with great skill. The Sharks are the hottest team in the NHL with six wins in a row, the latest coming Wednesday night over the Minnesota Wild. The win moved them into a tie with the Wild and Vancouver Canucks with 44 points and gave the Sharks a good shot at getting home-ice advantage in the first round as the conference's fourth seed, something that seemed implausible even a month ago.

Meanwhile, Wilson got good return for Clowe: a second-, a third- and a conditional second-round pick from the Rangers. He also obtained a fourth-round pick from Chicago for Michal Handzus, and got two more second-round picks from Pittsburgh for Douglas Murray (the second of which is conditional). And then Wilson added some grit and tenacity in the form of Raffi Torres.

The moves give Wilson all kinds of options in terms of assets with which to help restock a barren prospects cupboard, as well as additional cap space. That doesn't even take into account the potential for a long playoff run. That's a pretty good bit of work.

Can Sullivan restart Devils?

If ever there was a team that's all about bringing things full circle, it's the Devils. And so it was that GM Lou Lamoriello brought home veteran winger Steve Sullivan almost 19 years after the team selected him with the 233rd pick in the 1994 draft. Sullivan played in 16 games for the Devils in 1995-96 and 33 the next season before he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade that would see iconic Leafs captain Doug Gilmour and defenseman Dave Ellett go to the Devils. Gilmour would go on to finish a Hall of Fame career while Sullivan, 38, continues his hockey odyssey after being dealt for a seventh-round pick by the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday.

We've had the opportunity to catch up with the Timmins, Ontario, native (dubbed by some the "Timmins Tornado") at various stops along the way, and he has proved to be unfailingly upbeat even in the face of injuries that threatened his career a few years back. Although it hasn't been a banner year for Sullivan, who signed with the Coyotes after a one-season stop in Pittsburgh and had just five goals in 33 games, there's something about the Devils' culture that allows guys like Sullivan to thrive. He'll need to, as the Devils are sliding their way out of the playoff picture without the injured Ilya Kovalchuk.

No easy answers in Buffalo

Say what you will about the state of the Sabres, but GM Darcy Regier did well to maximize his return for captain Jason Pominville on Wednesday. He coaxed a first- and a second-round draft pick and two prospects out of Minnesota (the Wild also got a fourth-round pick from the Sabres). That's two years in a row Regier has done a nice job in making the most of what has become an unsightly mess in Buffalo by bringing in young players and draft picks.

But there's the rub, no? Who made the mess?

It's not just Regier; every year, a GM of an underachieving team sets about trying to restock the shelves with picks and assets after plans go awry. If it's a blip on the radar kind of thing -- as we saw with playoff bubble teams Phoenix and Nashville shedding assets in recent days after being competitive playoff teams the past few years -- that's one thing. But what if it's a systemic kind of thing?

Given that the Sabres fired longtime coach Lindy Ruff already this season and look likely to miss the playoffs for a second straight season, there is an expectation that owner Terry Pegula will finish the top-end makeover by relieving Regier of his duties after the season. If that's the plan, then where is the logic in having Regier make these kinds of significant moves (he also traded Robyn Regehr to the Los Angeles Kings)? It's not easy to replace a GM in midseason, although the Blue Jackets showed it can be done with impressive results.

Buffalo is not unique in dealing with this dynamic, and there are certainly lots of problems that will be left over for a new GM to deal with if a change is made. But it remains an annual curiosity in the NHL as some GMs' final moves may end up having significant long-term impacts on teams they're about to part company with.

So, maybe the New York Islanders are about to show us they can be something other than the butt of cruel hockey jokes about dingy arenas, lunatic contracts and adding useless bodies in order to get to the salary-cap floor.

Absent from the playoffs since 2007, the Islanders last won a playoff round in 1993, but here they are, with less than a month left in the regular season, tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers. The Isles finished a four-game trip Monday night with a tidy 3-1-0 record, thanks to a 3-1 victory over their neighbors from New Jersey, the Devils. The only loss during the trip came against the league’s top team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In fact, with an 11-5-1 road record, the Isles are one of the most successful teams in visiting rinks in the Eastern Conference. If you assume it takes some measure of maturity and discipline to win on the road, then perhaps coach Jack Capuano has done more teaching than he is generally given credit for with this young Islanders team.

Conversely, it doesn’t speak well of a team that stinks when it has to return to its aging home on Long Island. The Isles are 6-11-2 at home, the worst home mark in the league. That will have to change at least marginally if the playoffs are to be anything more than a mirage. Still, the Isles have won four of five and allowed only eight goals over that five-game span.

Can 37-year-old Evgeni Nabokov keep up the pace? The former San Jose Sharks backstopper has played in 16 of the past 17 games and has done yeoman service for the Islanders, a team he originally balked at joining when he returned from a stint in the Kontinental Hockey League.

And know this: Every Isles win puts even more pressure on their higher-pedigree New York-area cousins. The Devils, without Ilya Kovalchuk, have struggled offensively and are especially vulnerable when they fall behind, as they did giving up two early goals to the Isles on Monday. The Devils are only two points ahead of the Islanders and the Rangers. The Rangers came up with a huge 4-2 win over Winnipeg Monday after being shut out in successive games. They hold a game in hand on both as they have 13 games remaining in the regular season and the Isles and Devils have 12. But the Rangers rank last in the league in goals scored and the Devils have won only twice in their past nine games. While they have managed to collect points in six of those nine games, it seems inevitable that unless New Jersey finds a way to reverse this trend of mediocrity, the Devils will not be among the top eight in the conference at the end of the month. Of course, the fact that the Isles are making a rare playoff push just adds to the unusual dynamic for the three New York-area teams.

All eyes are on the Boston Bruins now after fellow Eastern powerhouse Pittsburgh upped the ante with a pair of additions.

But it doesn’t change what Boston had planned to do, really.

The plan all along for the B’s was to try to improve both their forward group and their defense corps before the April 3 trade deadline, and that remains the case regardless of what the Penguins did.

"I certainly don’t gauge our strategy on what other teams are doing, but Pittsburgh is a very good team and they’ve made themselves better," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN.com Tuesday morning. "It doesn’t accelerate anything, you can’t force anything; you try to find a fit and you try to improve your team. The Penguins made themselves better. We’ll see in the coming week in a bit how other teams make themselves better, and we plan on doing the same thing."

The Bruins are believed to have made an offer for Brenden Morrow but lost out to the Penguins. The big fish remains Jarome Iginla, the Flames' captain in play, with the likes of Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Los Angeles showing interest.

It’s believed the price for Iginla is a first-round pick plus two young assets, a hefty sum, but one I believe the Bruins would be willing to pay.

Regardless, if they can’t get Iginla, there are other possibilities. Keep an eye on Ryane Clowe in San Jose, a pending UFA the Sharks will likely move. He’d fit well in Boston. And while the Dallas Stars are trying to re-sign Jaromir Jagr to keep him for next season, if those talks fail, he’d be another possibility.

Either way, the Morrow deal on Sunday helped loosen up the trade market.

"Certainly, there was a lot more chatter on Monday morning," said Chiarelli. "But that’s how it goes every year. There’s an ebb and flow."

What's up, Mike Smith?

An under-the-radar story in some ways has been the situation of Mike Smith in Phoenix.

The 31-year-old netminder, coming off a sensational 2011-12 season, is slated for unrestricted free agency in July. Sources say there have been talks between Smith’s camp and Coyotes management, but I’d be pretty surprised if Smith signs before he has a clearer idea of the ownership situation in Phoenix.

Which puts the Coyotes in a bit of a pickle come April if the team continues to fall out of the playoff race. The team has gone winless in six games to fall four points behind the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. If the Coyotes get to April 3 and Smith remains unsigned, what do they do if teams are calling about him? Do they recoup assets or hang in with him, hoping to get him signed before July 5?

It’ll be interesting to monitor.

A pending pursuit of Clarkson

Alexander Semin's signing Monday night further depleted what will be a meager-looking UFA crop come July 5.

But some intriguing names are still left out there, including two of the game’s premier power forwards.

We’ve talked before about Ryane Clowe and how contract talks with the Sharks haven’t produced an extension, so he’s looking likely to be dealt before April 3, and thus perhaps will be free-agent bound July 5.

But another name to keep an eye on is David Clarkson. A source told ESPN.com Monday night that the Devils and Clarkson’s camp have not talked once this season about an extension, which isn’t surprising because veteran GM Lou Lamoriello has often shown he’s content to wait until after the season to get that going with his UFAs. And Lamoriello told ESPN.com recently teams should know better than to phone about Clarkson because he’s not available.

However, if Lamoriello can’t get the center re-signed after the season, there won't be many more desirable players on the market than Clarkson, a top-six goal scorer with toughness and grit. Can you say Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Minnesota? So many teams are looking for that kind of player. It’s a good year to be David Clarkson.

Semin rewarded for stepping up

The Carolina Hurricanes certainly raised some eyebrows when they signed winger Alexander Semin to a $35 million, five-year extension Monday night.

But the Hurricanes had seen enough of him in this lockout-shortened season to keep him on board long-term. Signed to a one-year, $7 million deal last summer, Semin has produced a point per game, meshing well with Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty on the top line.

"He’s given the Hurricanes a dominant first line," veteran Carolina GM Jim Rutherford told ESPN.com Tuesday. "All three of those guys on that line have played well and all deserve credit in their own way as a contributing factor. Alex is an elite player who can put points up, which is always hard to find. Our experience with Alex has been very good, so we’re pleased we could retain him."

Fact is, while some team executives around the league wondered about the term given to Semin, you can’t blame Rutherford for wanting to keep the winger. It’s a thin free-agent crop this summer, and Semin would have been very difficult to replace. In fact, the Hurricanes had been looking for that kind of scoring winger for a few years before finally adding him last summer. So they wanted to keep him.

No doubt, there are those who will say Semin is a bad gamble, that the reason Washington kept him on those one-year contracts is because the Capitals didn’t trust him enough to stay motivated under a long-term deal.

Well, he’s been terrific in Carolina and his teammates like him. Furthermore, nobody batted an eye when Anaheim signed Ryan Getzlaf to an eight-year extension earlier this month, and it just so happens that while the Ducks' captain is on fire this season, he had a pair of disappointing seasons (at least by his standards) before this season.

High-end, offensive talent costs money to keep around. Carolina has no qualms about its decision to retain Semin.

A day after signing Semin, the Hurricanes placed forward Jussi Jokinen on waivers Tuesday. In part it's because the Hurricanes feel good about Riley Nash as their third-line center -- Nash was recalled from the AHL on Monday -- but also in part so the Hurricanes can hopefully get another team to scoop up Jokinen's contract. He's got one more year left on his deal at $3 million next season.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was credited with his third NHL goal when Carolina's Jordan Staal accidentally put the puck in his own empty net.

Brodeur returned to the lineup on Thursday night. He had been out since Feb. 21 with a pinched nerve in his back and neck.

With a delayed penalty call pending against New Jersey's Marek Zidlicky, Staal passed the puck back to the point from behind the net.

The pass missed intended target Tim Gleason and bounced off the boards near center ice. Carolina goalie Dan Ellis had already skated toward the bench because of the delayed penalty and couldn't get back in time to prevent the puck from sliding into the net.

Because he was the last Devils player to touch the puck, Brodeur got credit for a power-play goal.

Brodeur is the first NHL goalie credited with three goals, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

The Devils won the game 4-1.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Flyers 2, Devils 1 (F/SO)
* Flyers: End 3 game losing streak to the Devils (1st Win vs Devils this season)
* Flyers: 4-1-0 past 5 at home
* Devils: 0-4-2 past 6 on the road, outscored 23-11
* Ilya Kovalchuk (Devils):5 game PT streak snapped

Flames 6, Predators 3
* Flames: won 4 of last 5 games at home vs Predators
* Flames: won 6 straight home games
* Predators: 1-7-1 in last 9 road games, outscored 37-20 in them
* Curtis Glencross (Flames): 2nd career hat trick, last one was February 3, 2010 against Hurricanes

Red Wings 3, Oilers 2 (OT)
* Red Wings are 3-0 vs Oilers this season, 11-0-1 in past 12 games vs Oilers
* Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings): 5th career OT goal, has had one in each of last three seasons
* Jimmy Howard (Red Wings) 30 saves-- 3-0-2 in last 5 starts

If Ilya Bryzgalov is right, the Philadelphia Flyers have about 60 minutes to save their season.

Before a lackluster 5-2 loss to the struggling New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, the Philadelphia netminder suggested to local reporters that if the Flyers lose twice in a row (presumably in regulation) to the Devils in a home-and-home battle this week, they would be “done."

The danger when you attach significance to a regular-season game or a stretch of games vis-à-vis whether your season is about to go down the tubes and then you don’t respond to the artificial challenge is that it’s hard to bounce back. We’ll see how the Flyers respond Friday night at home, but the indicators aren’t positive.

You can’t blame Bryzgalov, really, for putting such a fine point on this two-game set piece. The Flyers were coming off a week that had seen them drop games to Pittsburgh (against whom they blew a big lead), Boston and the New York Rangers. They were four points back of the seventh-place Devils, and the Devils had a game in hand. Win both, and the Flyers would be tied in points, firmly back in the playoff mix in the East. Lose both and, well, eight points back is a big hill to climb with 20 games remaining.

Welcome to the climb.

The ugly loss marked the third straight to the Devils this season and the fourth in the Flyers’ past five games as Philadelphia continues to stagger around the nether regions of the Eastern Conference. For a team that always has lofty ambitions, the lack of any sign of turning things around appears to be nearing critical mass. They have struggled at even strength with one of the worst 5-on-5 goals for/against ratios (they rank 26th). They are 26th in goals allowed per game. They have been beset by injury, but their healthy players have not produced enough timely scoring or strong enough defensive play to turn the tide.

Owner Ed Snider does not take losing lightly, and GM Paul Holmgren is as gutsy a GM as there is in the NHL. So, what next? A trade? A coaching change? All of those possibilities swirl about a team that has suffered ongoing injuries but whose healthy players have struggled.

Although Bryzgalov wasn’t terrific, this loss can’t be pinned on the netminder who has been a lightning rod for so much of the discontent surrounding the Flyers. The Devils are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, and the Flyers made them look positively potent, falling behind 3-1 by the end of the first period. New Jersey was also playing again without Martin Brodeur, who continues to nurse a sore back. Without the peerless Brodeur, the Devils had won just two of their previous seven games. Yet Johan Hedberg, who has struggled at times during Brodeur’s injury, was sharp, turning aside 23 of 25 shots.

Of course, if the Flyers do lose Friday, they won’t be technically eliminated from the playoff race. But for a team that has not won more than two games in a row all season, it’s not hard to see why the Flyers had attached so much importance to this two-game tussle with the Devils. Even if they now wish they hadn’t.

Devils 5, Flyers 2
* Devils: 3-0-0 vs Flyers this season (all 3 games at home)
* Adam Henrique (NJ): 2nd career multi-goal game (both came at home)
* Flyers: lost 3 straight road games (scored combined 4 goals in those losses)
* Jakub Voracek (PHI): 13th goal of season (5 goals shy of tying career high)

Canadiens 4, Senators 3 (SO)
* P.K. Subban (MON): goal, assist (9 points in last 5 games)
* Carey Price (MON): 5-0-1 in last 6 HOME starts vs Senators
* Canadiens: 4-0-2 in last 6 HOME games
* Daniel Alfredsson (OTT): 422nd career goal (ties Owen Nolan for 72nd in NHL history)

Flames 5, Red Wings 2
* Flames: won 5 straight at home
* Lee Stempniak (CGY): Goal (7), 7 Pts (2G, 5A) in last 4 home games
* Red Wings: lost 5 of last 6 on the road
* Valtteri Filppula (DET): PP goal (5); Red Wings: 1-38 on power play in road games this season

There are 11 games on the schedule tonight, including our Game of the Week -- Toronto at Boston. Follow along here so you don't miss a minute of action!

Promising starts for two Eastern Conference teams have been rendered moot by goaltending issues ranging from poor play to a lack of durability.

That theme was on display Monday night in both cases. The New Jersey Devils extended their winless streak to five games (0-4-1) in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were edged 4-3 in Pittsburgh by the Penguins.

Johan Hedberg has been in goal for all five games during the Devils’ current slide as the winningest goaltender of all time, Martin Brodeur, recuperates from a back injury. This isn’t all on Hedberg, a stand-up guy if there ever was one, but the numbers speak for themselves. The Devils have been outscored 19-9 (not counting shootout goals) during the five-game stretch. And while the goaltending hasn’t been strong, the power play has gone dry, going 0-for-17 in the past five games, putting even more pressure on the defense and goaltending. At one point the Devils led the Atlantic Division and were in the hunt for the top spot in the conference. As of Tuesday morning, New Jersey had sunk to seventh place in the conference and is now looking over its shoulders at division rivals Philadelphia and the New York Rangers. Brodeur did not accompany the team to Toronto, and there is no definite timetable for his return, which can’t come soon enough for a team that advanced to the Stanley Cup finals last June.

Meanwhile, the Lightning began the season 6-1-0 and since then have gone 3-11-1, including Monday’s loss, their fifth in a row. The defeat was further marred by the loss of netminder Mathieu Garon, who left the game early in the second period. Garon was expected to be the backup to Anders Lindback, who was obtained by the Lightning in the offseason from Nashville, but has actually been the steadier of the two and had recently assumed the starting role. Now it will be up to Lindback, who allowed two goals on 18 shots to take the loss Monday, to try to turn the tide. Lindback has an unhealthy 3.27 GAA and .890 save percentage for the Lightning, who rank 27th in the NHL in goals allowed per game. (They also called up netminder Cedrick Desjardins from their AHL affiliate to serve as backup.) The Lightning began Tuesday in 13th place in the Eastern Conference but just four points out of eighth and six points out of first in the weak Southeast Division. Oddly enough, they play Tuesday night in Newark against the Devils.