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

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?

The Rangers and Senators clinched postseason berths on Thursday, completing the octet of Eastern Conference playoff teams, though all the seeds have not yet been decided. In the Western Conference, two berths remain up for grabs among three teams, including the seventh-place Red Wings, who won on Thursday and have the NHL’s longest active streak of playoff appearances at 21.

Senators 2, Capitals 1 (OT)
* Senators clinch playoff berth for 2nd straight season
* Sergei Gonchar (OTT): scored 47 seconds into OT
* Erik Karlsson (OTT): returned from torn Achilles tendon with 2 assists
* Alex Ovechkin (WSH): NHL-leading 32nd goal
FROM ELIAS: Alex Ovechkin has 371 career goals in 600 games, the most goals that any active player has scored in his first 600 NHL games and eighth-most all-time. (Wayne Gretzky, of course, holds the record: 526 goals.) Four other active players scored at least 300 goals in their first 600 games: Teemu Selanne (357), Ilya Kovalchuk (329), Jaromir Jagr (306) and Dany Heatley (304).

Rangers 4, Hurricanes 3 (F/OT)
* Rangers: clinch playoff berth for 3rd straight season
* Rangers: 4-1-0 in last 5 games
* Ryan Callahan (NYR): Goal (15); game-winning goal in OT, 4th game-winning goal this season
* Jared/Eric/Jordan Staal (CAR): 1st 3 brothers to play in same game for same team sine 1985

Canadiens 4, Jets 2
* Jets: eliminated from playoff contention
* David Desharnais (MTL): 2 goals (10, 11); went previous 10 games without a goal
* Canadiens: 61 points, tied with Bruins for Northeast division lead (Bruins have tiebreaker)
* Canadiens: 1st win in last 4 road games

Red Wings 5, Predators 2
* 7th in Western Conference with 1 game left
* Pavel Datsyuk (DET): goal, 2 assists (5 points in last 2 games)
* Red Wings: 3-1-0 vs Predators this season
* Predators: winless in last 9 ROAD games

Longest Active Postseason Streaks
Last Missed
Red Wings 21 1989-90
Sharks 9<< 2002-03
Penguins 7<< 2005-06
Bruins 6<< 2006-07
Capitals 6<< 2006-07
>>Includes this season

Blue Jackets 3, Stars 1
* Blue Jackets: 53 points, tied on points with Wild for 8 seed in West (Wild own tiebreaker)
* Stars: eliminated from playoffs; 0-3-1 in last 4 games
* Blue Jackets: 7-1-0 in last 8 games, outscoring opponents 26-14
* Cam Atkinson (CBJ): 2 goals (7, 8); 4th multi-goal game of career

Devils 3, Penguins 2
* Devils: 4-1-0 in last 5 games, won 3 straight home games
* Devils: 3-7 on power play in last 2 games (1-3 vs Penguins)
* Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD): Goal (11); 1st goal in last 9 games
* Penguins: locked into top seed in East

Flyers 2, Islanders 1
* Flyers: won 3 straight games
* Islanders: 1st regulation loss in 12 games (8-1-3 in those games)
* John Tavares (NYI): 29th goal this season (2nd most in NHL, behind Alex Ovechkin)

Bruins 2, Lightning 0
* Bruins: Tuukka Rask recorded 5th shutout of the season (15th career)
* Bruins: remain No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference
* Bruins: 2-4-1 in last 7 games

There's no other way to put it: The Northeast Division is a train wreck with the playoffs just around the corner.

That may end up meaning nothing once the second season begins, but I doubt the way the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators have played of late comforts any of their fans as the postseason approaches.

The Bruins host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night having dropped five of their past six games, unwilling to cement a division title the Habs have tried to hand them on a silver platter. Bruins coach Claude Julien was incensed after the team's road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, saying among other things in a terse dressing down of his team: "We're running out of time to get this stuff going."

The Bruins should be able to beat a tired Tampa team Thursday night (the Lightning played at home Wednesday night) before visiting the Washington Capitals on Saturday, then closing out their season Sunday night at home against the Senators. Odds are the B's should win the beleaguered division, with the emphasis on should as a word that doesn't imply certainty.

The Canadiens? Mercy, they've fallen apart worse than any other club in the division -- and not just because, like Boston, they've lost five of their past six games. Rather, it's the manner in which they've lost: clobbered in most of those games and looking nothing like the juggernaut that surprised everyone this season. The team's defensive coverage has been porous and star netminder Carey Price has looked downright shaky.

Having said all that, I think the Canadiens finally showed some promise in the final 30 minutes against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, and perhaps that's what they build on heading into Thursday night's road game against the Winnipeg Jets. Maybe.

Otherwise, if Montreal loses again Thursday and the Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers, the Habs could lose home-ice advantage in the first round if Toronto beats them in regulation in Saturday night's season finale (the Leafs own the tiebreaker on the Canadiens).

Of course, the fact that the Leafs could end up with the fourth seed (and possibly the division title) would also have to suggest they have a clue right now. They've been outshot a whopping 183-114 over their past five games. They've won two of those five, but even in those wins, they were outshot 32-13 by New Jersey and 50-22 by the Senators.

On Wednesday night, with a golden chance to cut the gap to two points on both idle Boston and Montreal, the Leafs fell 5-2 in Tampa against a Lightning team that sits 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Combined with losses to the New York Islanders and Capitals last week, Toronto is mired in a mediocre stretch that mirrors that of the Habs and Bruins.

"There's things we have to shore up for sure," Leafs blueliner Cody Franson told TSN.ca on Wednesday night after the game in Tampa. "The last thing we're going to do is just hit the panic button over it. We know the mistakes we're making, and it's just a matter of paying attention and shoring them up."

A win in South Florida on Thursday night against the last-place Panthers would make a lot of people in Leaf Nation breathe a little easier. But just a bit.

And finally, what of the Senators?

A five-game losing streak earlier this month had people thinking perhaps the injury-riddled club had finally hit a wall. But four straight wins again made believers out of Sens fans. Then came a demoralizing home loss to the hated Leafs on Saturday, followed by another home loss to a Pittsburgh Penguins team missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, a game Senators players said was one of their most uninspired efforts in a while.

All of which has left the Sens just one point ahead of ninth-place Winnipeg, although with Ottawa having two more games to play than the Jets -- who wrap up their regular season Thursday night -- you have to think the Sens will get in without a problem.

Perhaps the game-changer Ottawa has been waiting for will arrive in the form of Erik Karlsson. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is on the verge of returning from what was supposed to have been a season-ending Achilles injury, taking a regular shift at practice Wednesday alongside normal partner Marc Methot, which had people in Canada's capital buzzing. Word is Karlsson and the Senators will decide after the morning skate Thursday in Washington whether it's a go that night or if he'll wait for Saturday's game against the Flyers.

The Sens will take any boost they can get, that's for sure.

Frankly, so would any playoff-bound team in the Northeast. It's ugly right now in this grouping. Somebody show the way!

For a host of playoff bubble teams facing dire situations, Tuesday was not a good night.

With the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets all scrambling to secure tickets to the postseason dance, those four teams somehow managed to go a combined 0-3-1. Two of those teams, the Rangers and the Islanders, could not take advantage of weak opponents in the form of the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.

The Isles did pick up the lone point among the four teams in a shootout loss to the Canes, and it was enough to propel them into the postseason for the first time since 2007. While his name rarely comes up in discussions as a possible Jack Adams Award winner as coach of the year, is it not time to at least give Jack Capuano a little love given how low the expectations were for the Isles this season? (And, as if you needed to check, the Isles were able to avoid a regulation loss Wednesday with 1:01 left in the third period on John Tavares' 27th goal of the season.)

Of the losses that were most painful among this gang of four, Dallas' 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks was a killer. The Stars gave up two goals in a 30-second span in the second half of the third period and couldn't get the equalizer to at least push the game to extra time.

The Stars are in 10th place in the Western Conference, three points out of eighth with two games to play. They must beat the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and then hope that Saturday's season finale against the ninth-place Detroit Red Wings has meaning.

Like Dallas, Columbus has two games remaining on its schedule, whereas Detroit has three. The Jets, meanwhile, saw any hopes of a Southeast title go up in smoke Tuesday when they were beaten 5-3 by the surging Washington Capitals, who secured the top spot in the division with the win. The injury-plagued Jets battled back from an early 2-0 deficit to make it 2-2 in the second period, only to give up two more goals in less than three minutes late in the middle frame.

The Jets are almost out of time as they trail the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers, who lost 3-2 to the Panthers on Tuesday, by one point. But the Jets have only one game remaining, while the Senators have three left and the Rangers two.

The Ottawa Senators woke up Thursday morning in a frightful three-way tie on points with the New York Rangers and Islanders, just two points clear of the danger spot held by Winnipeg.

For so much of the season, it was about fifth place for the Senators. Their comfy spot is now gone for good, the rival Toronto Maple Leafs five points ahead with just more than two weeks to go in the regular season. They've lost the opening four games of a seven-game road trip and five in a row overall, starting with a home loss to Toronto.

Now it’s about survival for the Senators, who head into crucial, crucial games Thursday night at Philadelphia and Friday night at New Jersey.

If they don’t stop the bleeding over the next two nights, they could be on the outside looking in come Saturday morning. That would be a travesty for a team that has defied all odds in surviving the losses of its top players early in the season.

"There’s no question we have to win some hockey games here if we’re going to get into the playoffs," veteran Ottawa GM Bryan Murray told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "We’ve let some points slip away. They are two big games against two very competitive hockey teams. The Flyers are playing hard. New Jersey is always difficult to score against. We’ll have to find a way to score some goals and give us a chance to win both of them."

Score goals, the most basic element of hockey. Because of injuries to Norris Trophy defenseman Erik Karlsson, star center Jason Spezza, not to mention first-line winger Milan Michalek, for most of the season, the Sens have struggled to score all season but even more so lately, and that’s been a big part of their downfall. They’re 26th in the NHL in goals per game, at 2.36.

The Senators managed to score just enough for most of the season by playing smart, inspired hockey, remaining loyal to their game plan while getting excellent goaltending and superb penalty killing (second in the NHL). But that recipe has failed of late, the Senators taking too many penalties during the five-game losing streak and not killing as many as usual.

"Right now we’re playing hard enough to lose and not hard enough to win," head coach Paul MacLean told ESPN.com. "We’re in charge in a lot of games, we get the lead, but we do things to ourselves like take penalties or turn pucks over.

"The structure of our game is good, but at times we do things to go outside of it, and that gets us in trouble."

It’s been a fine line all along for a Senators club that deserves so much credit, starting with MacLean and his coaching staff, for the way in which it has stayed afloat despite the kind of injuries that would have floored most franchises. Top-four defenseman Jared Cowen hasn’t played all season, either, and top goalie Craig Anderson missed a big chunk of time, too.

Nine of the Sens' 19 victories have been by one goal. As of late they’re just on the other side of that equation, playing well enough to win in most of those five losses but finding a way to lose instead.

"In Florida, we outshot them 41-17," Murray said. "And I thought Tuesday night in Tampa we had the better chances. But we made some mistakes. Some turnovers. We took too many penalties in Tampa."

Among those penalties was a phantom hand-on-the-puck call in the defensive zone to Peter Regin that put Ottawa down two men and cost a goal and changed the game's momentum. Tough break, yes, but that happens to all teams. You have to overcome that.

"I guess when things go south, lots of things happen that affect the outcome of the game," Murray said. "But we’re not scoring, and that’s pretty much the bottom line. It’s been a struggle most of the year with all the guys out."

It’s gut-check time.

"It’s a real test of the leadership of the whole team, starting with myself and going down through Alfie [Daniel Alfredsson] and the veteran players," MacLean said. "They’ve been so good for so long this year. It’s just a little bit here and there that we’re missing right now. We come out of our game for just a little bit, and it ends up hurting us a lot."

Really, it would be a shame to see the Senators miss the playoffs after what they’ve been able to accomplish through adversity. This is where leaders Alfredsson, Chris Phillips and Chris Neil need to convey the right message to their young teammates, several of whom began the season in the AHL.

"The leadership core has been real good," Murray said. "I think the team has worked hard.

"We’ve got a real strong group, and they know that we’ve got nine games left and we need to win more than we lose. If we don’t do that, it’s going to be a tough finish."

My favorite trade of the deadline was easily the Ben Bishop deal.

It was a win-win for both teams, with the Ottawa Senators getting a young top-six forward in Cory Conacher, and the Tampa Bay Lightning making a huge gain by adding another potential starting goaltender.

This isn't about ending the Anders Lindback project, as some of the knee-jerk reaction on social media suggested Wednesday.

This is about doubling your chances that between two young, promising goaltenders, one of them emerges as a 1A.

And who knows, maybe both do. Or maybe neither does.

But why not improve your odds twofold?

"Good move, with good potential," a Western Conference team executive told ESPN.com Thursday, requesting anonymity. "The big test is if one of them can grab the job and become a legit No. 1 starter. Looks like Lindback isn't there yet; now it's up to Bishop to be that guy."

They'll both get a shot.

"By no means am I giving up on Anders Lindback, not a chance," Lightning GM Steve Yzerman told ESPN.com Thursday. "He's a good young goalie. And I made a commitment by trading for Anders Lindback, and I believe Anders Lindback has the ability to become a good starter in this league.

"I want to provide him with the support he needs, and part of that support is having a good partner. I want the best possible tandem I can put together moving forward."

In Lindback, 24, and Bishop, 26, Tampa has a young 1-2 punch in goal heading into next season, giving the team a shot at finally rising up the ranks in goals against.

"Both of them will get a great opportunity to play," Yzerman said. "I'm not going to sit here and designate who the starter is next year. They'll both get a chance to play and play a lot, and it'll work itself out."

Veteran Mathieu Garon has been a pro as the backup, but with his contract up after this season, Yzerman began to look ahead. Garon is a solid backup on a team whose starter is more solidified, like a Carey Price or Pekka Rinne.

But with Lindback still finding his way, I think Yzerman felt he needed to give him more protection moving forward.

"If I had one of these guys who plays 70 games a year, then I can be a little more conservative with the second goalie. But I've got a really young goaltender in Lindback that we think has a lot of promise, and I don't want to put him in a position where he has to play 70 games. Ben Bishop provides that support and Ben Bishop has a tremendous upside as well.

"I'm not designating either one the starter. They'll both get tremendous opportunity to play."

I suspect, though I can't confirm it, that Tampa also kicked the Los Angeles Kings’ tires on Jonathan Bernier before the deadline and that the price was too high.

Frankly, given Jonathan Quick's up-and-down season, it made more sense for the Kings to keep Bernier as insurance for another Cup run, then figure out what to do with him this summer.

In the end, Yzerman got a guy in Bishop who has starter potential written all over him, just as Lindback still does.

It's a win-win in my mind.

After a night that saw Jaromir Jagr score the winner in his first game as a Boston Bruin and Marian Gaborik duplicate the effort in his first go-round in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, we turn our attention to the Washington Capitals.

Remember when the Caps looked as though they might take a real run at the first overall draft pick as one of the worst teams in the NHL? Remember when people were wondering if GM George McPhee would survive the season? And how about rookie coach Adam Oates? Remember the collective head-shaking at what was obviously such an egregious error in hiring the recent Hall of Fame inductee, as the Capitals found ways to shoot themselves in the foot seemingly every night?

On Thursday, Washington beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in a shootout to move into first place in the Southeast Division. Alexander Ovechkin scored the shootout winner, and it’s interesting that we don’t seem to hear much of the "what happened to Ovie?" lament that dominated discussion of the Capitals as they stumbled around the first half of the season. Ovechkin has scored 11 times in his past 12 games (shootout goals don’t count, of course) and his 20 goals are five off the NHL pace set by Steven Stamkos.

Although Paul MacLean is pretty much a lock to win the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year for his work in Ottawa, it’s going to be hard to keep Oates off the ballot if the Capitals end up with the top spot in the Southeast. And does anyone think that isn’t exactly where the Capitals will finish in three weeks’ time?

The Winnipeg Jets, doing their best Atlanta Thrashers impression, have given new meaning to nosedive after they lost their fifth in a row, 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. The Jets’ minus-25 goal differential ranks 14th in the Eastern Conference and they are, in a word, cooked -- even though they are tied with Washington in points at 38. The Caps have two games in hand on Winnipeg. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are tied with 34 points and, oddly enough, it’s the Lightning -- a team that fired its coach two weeks ago -- that might provide the greatest challenge to a Capitals division title.

The Lightning whipped the fading Canes 5-0 on Thursday with newly acquired netminder Ben Bishop turning in a stellar 45-save performance. The Lightning are 3-0-1 in their past four. Still, credit goes to the Caps, who control their fate. Keep playing at this level and they’ll return to the postseason for the sixth straight year and win their fifth division title in the past six years. Imagine that.

On the Jaromir Jagr front, it was still unclear as of Monday afternoon what will transpire. The Dallas Stars approached the Jagr camp three weeks ago about a contract extension, and the two sides have gone back and forth since. But still no contract extension.

Why? I'm hearing the Stars' front office is debating whether the team should sign or trade Jagr. And that decision had not been made as of Monday afternoon.

Other teams are absolutely calling with interest on Jagr. No surprise there, as he'd be a perfect rental. Hello, Boston Bruins?

But the Stars, who already dealt pending UFA Brenden Morrow, have to figure out if they should cash in on pending UFA Jagr or keep him around for another season. After all, the Stars were only two points out of a playoff spot Monday morning.

Sign him or trade him? To be determined.

Sens fielding calls on Bishop

A source told ESPN.com Monday that the Ottawa Senators have received "several calls" regarding goalie Ben Bishop the past day or so.

The Senators, I don't think, feel pressed in moving Bishop before Wednesday's deadline. They're more than happy to wait until the summer to figure out their three-goalie situation with Bishop, Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner.

However, if a team made a strong enough push on Bishop (hint, hint: top-six forward), then he could certainly be moved over the next few days.

Meanwhile, pending UFA blue-liner Sergei Gonchar is more than likely staying put. The Senators need him for the playoff run.

McBain's name comes up

One new name popped up Monday as potential trade bait: defenseman Jamie McBain.

I'm told the Carolina Hurricanes would be willing to move him if the offer was right. McBain is not a rental; he has one more year on his deal at $1.9 million in salary and $1.8 million on the cap. He's an intriguing name, to be sure, a guy who can provide some offense from the back end.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, I'm also hearing that, despite clearing waivers last week, forward Jussi Jokinen continues to generate interest from other teams that want Carolina to take a player back in return. So he could definitely move before Wednesday's deadline.

Jokinen is a player the Vancouver Canucks have on their radar, although I would say he's not at the top of their list.

All quiet for Clarkson, Devils

A source told ESPN.com Monday that the New Jersey Devils and David Clarkson's camp have still not held any talks regarding the pending UFA. Again, not entirely surprising. Veteran Devils GM Lou Lamoriello traditionally doesn't view the trade deadline as any kind of pressure point when it comes to his UFAs.

Jackets willing to trade a first-round pick

My TSN colleague Darren Dreger was first to report this, but I can also confirm that the Columbus Blue Jackets, suddenly in a playoff spot, are willing to move one of their three first-round picks in the June 30 draft if they can get a scoring forward in return. (In today's edition, the Columbus Post Dispatch also reported that the Jackets would be willing to move one of their picks.) Mind you, they wouldn't do that for a rental player; it has to be a player with term past this season, a source told ESPN.com.

Still, that's a shift in thinking from when new GM Jarmo Kekalainen took over earlier this season and had only the long-term view in mind. It seems the incredible run the Jackets have been on over the past month-plus has forced him to try to throw his team a bone.

It also wouldn't surprise me if Columbus was willing to move a defenseman to get that top-six, scoring forward.

Here’s something important to keep in mind as the Ryane Clowe situation plays itself out before next Wednesday’s trade deadline.

Clowe has a full no-trade clause. The San Jose Sharks have to run this thing by him in order to get a deal done.

Which means if, for whatever reason, Clowe doesn’t believe a certain team is a good fit, he can nix it. Although, in the same vein, Sharks GM Doug Wilson did well by Douglas Murray in the move to Pittsburgh, and the sense is that Wilson and Clowe have a good line of communication on what’s transpiring.

A solid playoff performance on a top contender would augment Clowe’s UFA market value this summer, so he’s not against a trade if it makes sense for him.

Of interest is where Montreal fits into all this. Boston is tracking Clowe, among other players on its short list, as a possibility in case it strikes out on Jarome Iginla.

Clowe, though, is exactly what the Habs need, a power forward to complement the skill they have up front. But GM Marc Bergevin isn’t terribly keen, I think, about the idea of giving up prime, future assets for a rental player. He knows his team, despite its success this season, isn’t in the all-in mentality of Boston and Pittsburgh when it comes to the trade deadline. And the Canadiens don’t have the same depth of prospects in the organization as the Bruins and Penguins do.

The early price on Clowe, I’m told, is a first-round pick and another young asset. There’s zero chance the Canadiens trade a first-round pick. Bergevin wants to continue to build his base. He’s got the long-term view in mind.

So my sense is that the Canadiens keep tabs on the Clowe situation but, unless the price comes down, they’re not getting him.

The Rangers are also interested in Clowe.

One more interesting twist here on the Clowe situation: Don’t just assume he’s 100 percent headed to an Eastern Conference team. I’m told there are Western Conference teams, the Vancouver Canucks among them, that also covet Clowe.

Given that the Sharks may make the playoffs, you wouldn’t think Wilson would want Clowe in his own conference come playoff time, but I guess it all comes down to who steps up the most in trade talks.

I know this: Clowe is a warrior. Despite his struggles this season, he would be a big-time addition to any contender. The games become more of a grind in the playoffs and he's the type of guy who excels in that context.

Jokinen clears waivers

Jussi Jokinen cleared waivers Wednesday and that seemed to come as a surprise to many given the reaction on Twitter.

Certainly there are teams out there looking to add a top-nine forward, no question.

But as one NHL GM told ESPN.com Wednesday morning, he would have loved Jokinen more if he were an unrestricted free agent after the season. That extra $3 million left on his deal for next season made him hesitate, so he didn’t put in a claim for the player.

What’s at play here is that the salary cap next season goes down to $64.3 million from this season’s $70.2 million maximum. Teams will be careful and picky in the kind of dollars they add to next season’s payroll over the next week.

It’s not over on the Jokinen front though. There are teams interested in him but they want Carolina either to eat some of his salary or take a player back in return.

Meanwhile, how about Boston claiming Kaspars Daugavins off waivers from Ottawa on Wednesday? He’s the same player, of course, who had Bruins players raising their eyebrows earlier this month with a shootout move heard around the world. Now he brings his shootout skills to Beantown. Go figure.

Extension talk with Visnovsky

New York Islanders GM Garth Snow, I’m told, reached out to Lubomir Visnovsky’s camp Tuesday to see if there was any interest on the player’s part in talking extension.

It’s not clear whether it will lead to a deal, but agent Neil Sheehy’s answer was sure, let’s talk.

Visnovsky, 36, is slated for UFA status this summer, a five-year, $28 million deal expiring ($5.6 million cap hit).

If contract talks don’t produce a deal, you can bet Snow’s phone will ring April 3. As a rental, Visnovsky is the kind of puck-moving blueliner that many playoff-bound clubs covet and, in fact, other teams have already been calling on him.

Of course, the Islanders themselves aren’t out of the playoff running -- they pulled off a huge win Tuesday night in Washington -- so Snow might not have any inclination in moving Visnovsky even if he’s not signed.

Cowen on the mend?

The Ottawa Senators might make their best late-season addition from within.

Local media were stunned Wednesday when they arrived at the rink and saw Jared Cowen practicing with teammates.

The top-four blueliner originally was expected to be out for the season after undergoing hip surgery in mid-November.

Sens GM Bryan Murray, while watching Cowen skate Wednesday, told ESPN.com over the phone that there’s a possibility of a late April return, although truthfully he said it wasn’t clear at this point if/when the player could return.

Still, a welcome sight for the Senators on Wednesday; Cowen has been missed this year.

Tell you what, if the Senators can get Cowen, goalie Craig Anderson and star center Jason Spezza all back in time for the playoffs, hold on to your seats.

Hemsky, again

It wouldn’t be a trade deadline without banter about Ales Hemsky’s availability. A year ago the rumors were put to bed when Hemsky signed a two-year, $10 million extension. Now his name is surfacing, although almost it seems out of habit in media commentary as opposed to actual signs that the Oilers are shopping him.

I don’t think Edmonton is actually going out of its way to shop him, but I do think they’re taking phone calls on him and at this point, they have to be receptive to many things because the rebuild is lasting a bit longer than the ticket buyers had hoped in Edmonton.

The Oilers want to get tougher/grittier in their top-six forward group and they also need more help on defense. They’ve got lots of skill in their top-six forward group, but a little more room to skate for Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would go a long way. Acquiring a power forward, however, is easier said than done.

I suspect you’ll hear Hemsky’s name out there right up to the deadline. He’s got one more year left on his deal at $5 million and he does not have a no-trade clause, so Edmonton is free to do what it wants with him.

No guarantee he moves, though.

Meanwhile, there have been contract talks between the Ladislav Smid camp and Oilers brass. Smid is UFA after the season. He’s a dependable blueliner, but if they can’t sign him before April 3 and the Oilers remain out of a playoff spot, he could be a trade target. But the hope with the Oilers right now is to sign him and keep him.

Ribeiro's future

So what do you do if you’re the Washington Capitals?

Mike Ribeiro is a pending UFA who also happens to be leading your team in scoring.

The 33-year-old center told Washington reporters earlier this week that he’d like a long-term deal, whether that’s staying put or hitting the free-agent market.

There has been a conversation between the Caps and Ribeiro’s camp and word is veteran agent Don Meehan is slated to circle back to GM George McPhee before the end of the week.

The decision here isn’t just intriguing from the Caps’ point of view, in terms of whether they want to invest long-term in a 33-year-old Ribeiro. The player has a call to make here, too. The free-agent market isn’t terribly deep this summer and he might enter the marketplace as the top-scoring player available.

It all depends, in the end, on how far Washington is willing to go with him.

TORONTO -- The NHL’s 30 general managers gather here Wednesday, exactly two weeks before the trade deadline.

It’s a chance to push along some conversations that need to go to the next level.

The signing of Corey Perry by the Anaheim Ducks certainly sent shock waves through the league in the sense that many teams figured he would hit the open market in July and therefore potentially be in play before April 3.

Not so, which means contenders who had their eye on Perry as a possibility must now scratch him off their short list.

The Boston Bruins were one of those teams that were going to inquire about Perry had he been put on the market. Another name believed to be on Boston’s list, as I reported last month, is Daniel Alfredsson, but with the Ottawa Senators' miraculous refusal to fall out of the playoff race despite injuries to almost all their top players, the B’s are likely going to have to scratch his name off the list -- unless Ottawa has a dramatic downfall in the next two weeks, which seems unlikely.

So, now what for Boston? Jarome Iginla is a possibility, depending on the price.

The Bruins aren’t going to overpay before April 3 just to say they did something.

Jaromir Jagr and Brenden Morrow are possibilities as well, depending on what the Dallas Stars decide to do with both UFAs-to-be. At this point, I would suggest there’s a stronger chance Morrow moves than Jagr; the Stars, I hear, are undecided yet on what to do with No. 68 and lot will depend on the offers they get and where they are in the standings come April 3.

The Bruins have been tracking Morrow, a hard-nosed, character player who, while slowed down by age, is still a terrific add-on for a contender.

The Stars will tread carefully here with Morrow, the respected team captain who has played his heart out for them. Morrow has a no-trade clause, and this will be about seeing what he wants to do in the end, seeing if he wants to go join an elite contender or not.

In the end, I think the Bruins are content to do nothing if there isn’t anything that makes sense for them. They like their team a lot, although adding a blueliner is also on the list of things to do.

More scuttlebutt from around the league:
• Speaking of the Stars, Derek Roy is another name to watch. Like Jagr and Morrow, he’s UFA after the season. Contract talks between Roy and the Stars haven’t gone anywhere at this point, so he’s a possibility to move. Again, Dallas will need to weigh where it is in the standings before being willing to do that.

Crazy thought from one NHL team executive Tuesday: Would the Flyers make a pitch to bring Jagr back to Philadelphia to play with Claude Giroux? Seems odd for the Flyers -- who aren’t in a playoff spot -- to make a play for a rental player. But Jagr was such a good fit for Giroux last season ... Stranger things have happened.

• With Perry signed, the Ducks can focus on adding a player before April 3. Anaheim, I’m told, is sniffing around for a No. 2 center. The Ducks would have been in the mix on Stephen Weiss had he not needed season-ending wrist surgery. Derek Roy is on Anaheim’s radar, but it’s not clear whether both Western Conference rivals would find the right match in a deal.

And you can forget those Bobby Ryan trade rumors that surfaced as soon as Perry signed Monday night. I’m told the Ducks have no intention of shopping Ryan and feel just fine carrying his $5.1 million salary into next season along with the new deals signed by Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.

• The New York Rangers have been on the lookout for a top-four, right-handed defenseman and a source told me Tuesday that the Blueshirts have interest in veteran Dan Boyle from the Sharks. There’s an obvious connection there, with Rangers head coach John Tortorella having coached Boyle in Tampa Bay when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

• My TSN colleague Bob McKenzie reported Tuesday night during our Insider Trading segment on TSN in Canada that he believes the ball is now rolling on the Iginla trade discussion front, at least in terms of the team and the player communicating the possibility of moving him. Boston, Pittsburgh, L.A. and Detroit, to me, are the teams that make the most sense and are clubs I know that have interest in Iginla. But can the Flames find a fit that makes sense both for them as an organization and for Iginla to feel comfortable enough to waive his no-trade clause? We shall see. A Flames front office source declined comment even off-the-record Tuesday night, which tells you what a delicate situation this is.

• Word on the street is the Calgary Flames will move Jay Bouwmeester (who has one more year on his deal) only if they get blown away by a really strong offer. St. Louis and Detroit are among several teams with interest in Bouwmeester, but it doesn’t appear like he’s going to move unless a team really spends high.

• The Ottawa Senators had given thought to dealing Sergei Gonchar before the April 3 trade deadline because he’s a UFA after the season and they thought they might be out of the running with all the injuries. Instead, the Sens have stuck around in the playoff race and Gonchar has played well, enough that Ottawa, I’m told, is thinking it might keep him around.

STEWART, TURRIS AND BOBROVSKY NAMED NHL ‘THREE STARS’ OF THE WEEK


NEW YORK (March 18, 2013) – St. Louis Blues right wing Chris Stewart, Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 17.

FIRST STAR – CHRIS STEWART, RW, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Stewart led the NHL with seven points and tied for the League lead with five goals, including two game-winners, in three contests. He opened the week with two scores, his first multi-goal performance since Jan. 19, in a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks March 12. Stewart then totaled three points (2-1—3), including his first game-winner of the season, in a 3-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes March 14. He capped the week with the overtime winner and an assist in a 2-1 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks March 16. Stewart has 7-7—14 in his last seven outings and leads the Blues with
14 goals and 28 points in 28 games this season.

SECOND STAR – KYLE TURRIS, C, OTTAWA SENATORS

Turris recorded points in each of his four games, tying for second in the League in points (six) and third in goals (four). He scored one goal in regulation, plus Ottawa’s lone marker in the shootout, in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins March 11 and collected one assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens March 13. Turris then helped the Senators pick up a pair of weekend wins, posting three points (2-1—3) and the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres March 16 and netting his eighth goal of the season in a 4-1 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets March 17. In 29 games this season, he leads Ottawa in both goals and points (19).

THIRD STAR – SERGEI BOBROVSKY, G, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Bobrovsky led the League with a 0.62 goals-against average and .983 save percentage in three starts as Columbus stretched its points streak to a franchise-record 10 games (6-0-4). He began the week with a pair of 2-1 shootout losses, making 37 saves against the Vancouver Canucks March 12 and tying a season high with 39 stops versus the Chicago Blackhawks March 14.
Bobrovsky equaled that number two nights later, this time leading his team to a 1-0 shootout victory over the Phoenix Coyotes March 16. In his last eight games, the Novokuznetsk, Russia, native has a 6-0-2 record with a
0.74 goals-against average, .976 save percentage and two shutouts, the first two of his career.

Capitals 5, Sabres 3
* Capitals: 7th win in last 8 meetings with Sabres
* Alex Ovechkin (WSH): 6th goal in last 7 games vs Sabres
* Sabres: season-worst 5th straight road loss (4 of next 5 games are on road)
FROM ELIAS: Alex Ovechkin gave the Capitals a quick 1–0 lead in their game against the Sabres when he fired a wrist shot past Ryan Miller only 19 seconds after the opening faceoff. It was the 350th goal of Ovechkin’s NHL career and his fastest goal ever from the start of a game. (His previous best was 26 seconds in a game at Philadelphia on March 22 last year.)
Ovechkin’s early tally was also his 16th goal in 24 games against Ryan Miller, matching his highest total versus any NHL goaltender. He has also scored 16 goals versus Kari Lehtonen (in only 18 games).

Penguins 2, Bruins 1
* Penguins: 9th straight win (longest active winning streak in NHL)
* Sidney Crosby (PIT): Goal (13), just 2nd goal in last 7 games
* Joe Vitale (PIT): Scores goal-ahead goal with 32 seconds left in 1st period (1st goal of season)
* All goals in game scored in 1st period
* Bruins: 2-game winning streak ends; 2nd loss to Penguins in Pittsburgh in last 5 days (also lost at PIT Mar. 12)
FROM ELIAS: The Penguins extended their winning streak to nine games with a 2–1 victory over the Bruins on Sunday. It’s the second-longest winning streak in the NHL this season, behind the Blackhawks’ run of 11 consecutive wins from February 15 through March 6. The Penguins’ current winning streak began with five games in which they outscored their opponents, 26–18, and scored at least four goals in each game. But the last four games have been low-scoring affairs, with Pittsburgh outscoring the opposition, 11–4, on aggregate and failing to score more than three goals in any of them.

Senators 4, Jets 1
* Senators: 3-0-2 in last 5 games
* Robin Lehner (Senators): 25 saves; now 2-0-4 this season
* Jakob Silfverberg: 2 goals (entered with 1 goal in last 10 games)
FROM ELIAS: Sergei Gonchar extended his assist streak to seven games, recording two assists in the Senators’ 4–1 win over the Jets. Gonchar’s assist streak is the longest of his 18-year career and the longest in the NHL this season. He’s the third defenseman in Senators history to register assists in each of seven or more consecutive team games in one season. Filip Kuba holds the team record for defensemen with an eight-game assist streak in October 2008, and Erik Karlsson recorded assists in seven straight games in February 2012.

Oilers 3, Predators 2
* Oilers: avenge 6-0 loss to Nashville on March 8
* Jordan Eberle: 1st goal since Feb. 23
* Predators: last 3 straight (matches longest streak of season)
* Predators: 1-8-1 in last 10 road games

The Ottawa Senators’ lineup features household names such as Patrick Wiercioch, Zack Smith and Jakob Silfverberg. OK, so they’re not really household names, at least not to most outside the Senators’ fan base.

But in the absence of their top netminder (Craig Anderson), their top defenseman (defending Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson) and top center (Jason Spezza), the Senators have not crumbled, they have not fallen out of the playoff mix. In fact, their 4-1 win Sunday over the Southeast Division-leading Winnipeg Jets (yeah, we know, sounds funny, doesn’t it?) moved them comfortably into 5th place in the Eastern Conference.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but the Sens have a seven-point lead on the 9th-place New York Islanders (and yes, that sounds funny, too), so it would take a precipitous fall for the Sens not to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Good for Paul MacLean, who is putting himself in good position for a second straight nomination as coach of the year and GM Bryan Murray, who has deftly retooled his squad on the run.

But big-picture, the Sens’ refusal to die, the continued strong play of the Jets and Islanders and the refusal of the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs to simply lie down in spite of a stretch of uneven play has created the potential for a most unlikely playoff landscape. Every year since 1993, either the Philadelphia Flyers or the New York Rangers has made the playoffs. This year? Many folks liked the Rangers to emerge as the top club in the Eastern Conference and were a sexy pick to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994. Most folks assumed the Flyers would be a playoff team, tangling with the Rangers and Penguins for top spot in the Atlantic Division. As of Monday, the Rangers had lost three straight, were without key defenseman Marc Staal and were sitting in 10th place, three points out of 8th place. The Flyers, meanwhile, were sitting a point back of the Rangers and having played 29 games to the Rangers’ 27, have much less margin for error in terms of getting back into the hunt.

Now, it’s entirely possible both teams will end up in the top eight when the dust clears April 27. But the fact teams such as the Senators, Jets, who beat the Rangers in Winnipeg last week, Islanders and Leafs aren’t playing as expected puts more pressure on the Flyers and Rangers to put together prolonged stretches of quality play, something that has eluded both teams for most of this shortened season.

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