ESPN NHL

Maple Leafs at Canadiens, 7 ET
* Maple Leafs: 3-2-0 vs Canadiens last season, 2-0-0 at Montreal (1 goal allowed)
* Maple Leafs: won 5 of last 6 in Montreal
* 5th straight season teams opening against each other (Maple Leafs 3-0-1)
* Phil Kessel (TOR): ended last season on a 5-game point streak (4G, 5A)

Capitals at Blackhawks, 8 ET
* Teams last met in March 2012 (Blackhawks won at home)
* Blackhawks: 2-0-1 at home vs Capitals in the shootout era

Jets at Oilers, 10 ET
* Teams have met once since franchise relocated to Winnipeg (Oilers won in Winnipeg Feb. 2012)
* Oilers: 2-0-1 at home vs Jets in shootout era
* Last time Jets played in Edmonton was March 29, 1996

ESPN's NHL crew is ready to get rolling on another NHL season. Join us Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m. ET to open the 2013-14 season.

It tells you a lot about the progression of Andrew Ladd’s career that he was invited to Canada's Olympic camp last month.

The Winnipeg Jets' captain continues to push his game to new heights and really turned heads with his game last season.

"It was another step in my career and hopefully I can keep elevating and get to be one of the top guys in the league," said Ladd.

He was among the Blackhawks’ salary-cap discards after helping the team win the Cup in 2010. Now he’s a Team Canada camp invite. That tells you where his game has gone in just a few years.

"It’s something that maybe earlier on my career I thought was a pipe dream," Ladd said of making Team Canada. "But the last couple of years, I’ve made it a goal of mine to put myself in contention for that team."

He’s a wild card to make Team Canada given all the big names that are in play. But it’s the kind of game he plays that makes him an interesting choice.

"I don’t think I’m a guy that his whole game is surrounded by scoring and offense; I think there’s more to my game," said Ladd. "That’s where it started, playing a strong, 200-foot game and being detailed. That’s how I would make that team. I’ll just focus on that."

Eberle's Olympic dream

Oilers star forward Jordan Eberle wants to make Team Canada badly, but he’s not going to give himself added pressure every night in thinking Olympic management is watching.

"It's tough to go into a game and say, 'If I play well tonight, maybe they're watching.' You have to put that in the back of your mind. The way I look at it, if Edmonton gets off to a good start and you're making a strong contribution, that gives myself a chance,” said Eberle. "The biggest thing is that they’ll be looking at guys that can play 200 feet. Everyone knows I can score and I’m an offensive player, but if you can add the other dimension to your game, that’s how teams win and that’s the type of player they’re looking for."

Of interest during his interview with ESPN.com last week in New York: Eberle referred several times to wanting to play better defensively, not just individually, but as a team. He said the Oilers as a whole had to buy into that concept, and he underlined that Chicago’s star-studded team won the Cup only because the Hawks played a 200-foot game.

Are the young Oilers finally getting it?

Bob the goalie

Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t hiding his Olympic-motivated goals for the season.

It’s on his mind, big time, as his country gets set to host the Sochi Games in February.

"Yes, that would be an unbelievable experience to play in front of our fans at home," said Bobrovsky. "That chance comes once in a lifetime; not every sports men can have this chance."

Just like when Canada hosted the Games in 2010, Bobrovsky spoke of a hockey-mad nation dreaming of gold.

"They’re getting more and more excited. There is really big emotion right now in Russia."

ESPN.com's Scott Burnside contributed to this report.

With some simple math, it will be easier to make the playoffs in the Western Conference with 14 teams instead of the 16 in the East.

Also, losing the Red Wings, a team that hasn't missed the playoffs in a couple of decades, should clear up another spot.

But there is still more than enough talent left in the West -- just ask Pierre LeBrun -- to make things challenging.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks will return most of last season's core, but the Cup hangover has proved time and again to be too much to overcome.

The Los Angeles Kings are still an elite team in the league, but they have played a lot of hockey the past two seasons. Add on that goaltender Jonathan Quick likely will be in Sochi for the Olympics in February and lost backup Jonathan Bernier, and the Kings could fade this season.

It will be interesting to see how the Vancouver Canucks respond to new coach John Tortorella's style. This seems like it will either be a grand slam or a complete strikeout.

Dave Tippett finally has an owner in Phoenix, so the team could get the resources to back the effort it has put out in recent seasons.

The Winnipeg Jets are finally out of the Eastern Conference, but facing the tough competition in the West could make them long for trips to Florida.

Now you make the call: Who will win the Western Conference?

It is very possible, although not quite a guarantee, that Vincent Lecavalier will choose his next team by the end of the day Wednesday.

The UFA center, who is allowed to speak with teams earlier than other UFAs because his contract was bought out, has been deliberating with family where the best fit might be for him to continue this career.

The likes of the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are among the teams that have shown interest.

The decision for Lecavalier begins with Montreal. He has to decide whether he wants to go home and deal with both the perks and detriments of playing in his native town. And if he goes home, it’s not going to be for the same kind of money or term other clubs would have offered. If he’s a Hab, it’s more because he really, really wants to be one. Montreal definitely has interest in signing him, but it’s going to have to be on a reasonable deal that fits within its cap and payroll structure.

But no one should fault Lecavalier if he decides to avoid that situation; that’s his choice as a UFA.

I still think Dallas is a solid possibility for Lecavalier if he wants to remain in a quiet, nontraditional hockey place such as the environment he has experienced his entire career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And I think the Stars are willing to go five years on a deal.

While it’s true to a degree, as Nashville Predators GM David Poile suggested to his local media Tuesday, that Lecavalier would prefer to stay in the East, it does not preclude him from playing in Dallas, I can tell you that.

Detroit is a great fit, too, and so is Boston. We’ll know soon enough.

As a reminder, beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday (so basically Tuesday night), a wrinkle in the new CBA kicks in that NHL fans haven’t seen before: Free agents have the right to speak with other teams in the 48-hour lead-up to the opening of the market Friday.

So for teams trying to re-sign their free agents, Tuesday was their last day of exclusivity to do so. For example, it was the last day for New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to be the only voice in David Clarkson’s ear. Clarkson recently turned down an offer from the Devils and most likely is headed to the market. Then again, maybe Uncle Lou has another last trick up his sleeve.

Elsewhere

• Traded texts Tuesday morning with UFA forward Danny Briere. He says he’s talking to teams as he’s narrowing his focus. We should know more Wednesday.

• The Devils and pending UFA center Patrik Elias were close to a deal, but it wasn’t done as of noon ET Tuesday, agent Allan Walsh said. Walsh also represents winger Pascal Dupuis, another pending UFA, and the agent said talks with the Pittsburgh Penguins were continuing.

• Pending UFA winger Damien Brunner was a day away from being able to speak with the 29 other teams. His agent, Neil Sheehy, told ESPN.com via email Tuesday morning that he planned to talk again with Detroit but wasn’t sure where it was all headed.

• The Predators put veteran blueliner Hal Gill on waivers. He has one year left on his deal at $2 million. GM David Poile said via text that the blue line is a little crowded given the drafting of Seth Jones, and the hope is to find a new home for Gill. If no one claims him on waivers, another possibility would be to buy him out.

If the Western Conference remains a place of high anxiety for teams such as the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, who are wrestling for the final two playoff berths in the final days of the regular season, there is at last some clarity in the Eastern Conference.

Overtime victories by the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers on Thursday night made the outcome of the Winnipeg Jets-Montreal Canadiens game moot. Still, as if to emphasize the finality or even futility of the exercise, the Jets were downed at home 4-2 by the Habs and again will finish outside the playoff tournament.

Credit coach Claude Noel for guiding the Jets on a late-season surge toward the postseason, but after two seasons in Winnipeg since the team was relocated from Atlanta, it's hard to see that much has changed.

This is a franchise that has qualified for the playoffs only once in its history and has never won a playoff game, having been swept by the Rangers in its only appearance while in Atlanta in 2007.

As of Friday morning, the Jets were tied for 22nd overall in goals allowed per game, and if there is any solace it's that the teams with whom they were tied (the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars) aren't going anywhere but to the cottage next week, either.

The Jets rank 23rd on the penalty kill, and when you combine that with the team's ongoing struggle to keep the puck out of its own net, it tells a story that has been told and retold since the Thrashers joined the NHL in 1999.

Is netminder Ondrej Pavelec the man? His 2.80 GAA ranks 38th in the NHL and his .905 save percentage is 33rd, but Pavelec ranks first in minutes played.

In some ways Pavelec reflects the team's ongoing identity, whether in Atlanta or in Winnipeg, and that is one of startling mediocrity.

The late-season run at a playoff berth, while no doubt exciting for Jets fans though certainly impeded by injuries to key personnel such as Zach Bogosian, does little to help move the team forward. Not quite good enough -- indeed almost never quite good enough -- to be a playoff team but rarely bad enough to reap the true rewards of poor play with a franchise draft pick.

It is, as has always been the case, a lineup with too much dead wood, and at this stage there is little optimism for a quick turnaround. Management has preached patience. That's a storyline that is familiar to anyone who has followed this franchise for any length of time.

There are more than a few parallels between the Jets and Blue Jackets, who joined the NHL a year after the Thrashers and have the same miserable playoff record: one appearance, that a sweep of the hands of the Red Wings in 2009. But on Thursday night, the Cinderella Blue Jackets kept their playoff dreams alive by crushing the Stars' hopes with a 3-1 victory in Dallas.

With Detroit also winning, the pressure, at least in the short term, turns to eighth-place Minnesota, which is tied with Columbus at 53 points (the Blue Jackets are ninth, having played one more game), one point behind Detroit. The Wild have two games left, one of which will be played Friday night at home against the Edmonton Oilers.

Like Detroit, the Wild control their destiny; keep winning and they're in. Columbus has to hope one if not both teams falter and it can win its final game, against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Still, even if Columbus falls short, is there anyone in the game who wouldn't take the Blue Jackets and their chances of both immediate and long-term revival over those of the Jets? Anyone?

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.

From the official NHL release:

LADD, RICHARDS AND COUTURE NAMED NHL ‘THREE STARS’ OF THE WEEK


NEW YORK (April 22, 2013) – Winnipeg Jets left wing Andrew Ladd, New York Rangers center Brad Richards and San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 21.

FIRST STAR – ANDREW LADD, LW, WINNIPEG JETS

Ladd led the NHL with eight points and six assists in three games to help the Jets pick up five out of a possible six points in their push for a playoff berth. He recorded three points (2-1—3), plus the shootout clincher, in a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning April 16. Ladd then tied a career high with three assists, including the primary helper on Dustin Byfuglien’s overtime winner, in a 4-3 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes April 18. He capped the week by collecting two assists, including the primary helper on Bryan Little’s game-tying goal with 2:01 left in regulation, in a 5-4 shootout loss the New York Islanders April 20.
Ladd is currently on a career-high seven-game point streak (4-10—14) that dates to April 4. In 45 games this season, the 27-year-old Maple Ridge, B.C., native leads the Jets in goals (18), assists (28) and points (46).

SECOND STAR – BRAD RICHARDS, C, NEW YORK RANGERS

Richards led the League with four goals and tied for second with seven points in four games as the Rangers earned six out of a possible eight points to remain in the top eight in the Eastern Conference. After being held off the scoresheet in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers April 16, Richards rebounded with a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over the Florida Panthers April 18. He recorded his first career hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in an 8-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres April 19. Richards then closed the week by posting two assists in a 4-1 triumph over the New Jersey Devils April 21. The 32-year-old Murray Harbour, P.E.I., native has played in 43 games this season and ranks third on the Rangers in both points (30) and assists (20).

THIRD STAR – LOGAN COUTURE, C, SAN JOSE SHARKS

Couture totaled 3-3—6, including two game-winning goals, in four games to help put the Sharks on the verge of clinching their ninth consecutive playoff berth. He scored the winning goal in a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes April 15. Couture then posted a career-high four points (2-2—4), including the game-winner, in a 6-1 triumph over the Minnesota Wild April 18. He finished the week with one assist in a 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets April 21. In 45 games this season, the 24-year-old Guelph, Ont., native leads the Sharks with 19 goals and ranks second on the team in both points (35) and assists (16).

The Southeast Division has been the subject of derision and ridicule as the uncontested weakest grouping of teams in the league, but it has not lacked for drama or entertainment value.

Perhaps the division title is a somewhat dubious honor, but the neck-and-neck race between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets promises to be an exciting one, especially with the stage set for a head-to-head matchup between the two Tuesday in D.C.

The third-place Capitals and ninth-place Jets are separated by a mere two points heading into the penultimate weekend of the season, each team with four games left on its schedule.

Washington, whose eight-game winning streak was snapped by the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, remains in the division lead with 50 points, but the Jets trail by two after edging the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime Thursday 4-3.

Though the Jets, winners of five in a row, are tied with the New York Rangers at 48 points, the eighth-place Rangers have a game in hand.

The two competing storylines are both compelling: one a team that has essentially risen from the dead after a dreadful start to the season, much in part to Alex Ovechkin's dynamic play; another club desperate to earn its first playoff berth since 2007.

Who has the advantage from here?

Three of the Caps' final four games are against playoff teams -- Montreal, Ottawa and Boston. The other game?

That's right, an all-important four-point match against the Jets at home Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Jets wrap up a six-game homestand on Saturday when they host the scorching New York Islanders. Next is a back-to-back road set against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday and Washington the next night, followed by their regular-season finale, at home against Montreal.

The Capitals, 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, appear to have all the momentum. But Hart Trophy candidate Ovechkin, who has 12 goals in the past 11 games, can't do it alone.

And if you are a Caps fan, there was one particularly troubling element from Thursday night's loss: the absence of top centerman Nicklas Backstrom in the latter half of the third period. Backstrom, regarded by many as the "straw that stirs the drink" for the Caps, did not return to the ice after taking Mike Green's slap shot off his arm.

Should Backstrom's injury be serious, that would be a monumental blow for the Caps, not just in terms of their title hopes but their chances for any success in the postseason.

Of course, both teams can make the playoffs with one taking the division title and the runner-up elbowing a team like the Islanders or Rangers out of the equation, but the battle for the third seed, and home ice, will be the one to watch.

Circle April 23 on your calendars, folks.

A trade deadline day that began at a snail’s pace and finished with a great flurry of activity has, like all trade deadlines, the potential to alter the playoff grids in both conferences and perhaps even who hoists the Stanley Cup in late June. Lots of road to travel before that time and every year the best-laid trade-deadline plans often go awry. So, herein a look at the teams that, at least for a few minutes anyway, seized the moment to make themselves better and will walk away feeling that they made the most of the opportunity.

Got better

Columbus Blue Jackets
Who’da thunk it? The sad-sack Columbus Blue Jackets, perennial sellers of good players, shocking the hockey world by acquiring three-time 40-goal scorer Marian Gaborik from the New York Rangers. In giving up Derek Dorsett (currently injured), Derick Brassard and John Moore, the Blue Jackets gave up three everyday players. But for a team that has qualified for the playoffs just once (and were swept by Detroit in that lone playoff visit) but suddenly finds itself in the hunt for a surprise postseason berth, Gaborik is a definite impact player -- when he’s himself. Gaborik has suffered through a miserable season in New York with obvious friction existing between him and head coach John Tortorella. But he’ll renew acquaintances with former Ranger teammates Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky, who went to Columbus in the Rick Nash deal last summer, and he’ll get a fresh start on a team desperate for scoring help (they rank 29th in goals per game and 27th on the power play). The Blue Jackets still possess three first-round draft picks in the coming draft and they have Gaborik under contract for one more season at a $7.5 million cap hit. In order to clear room, new GM Jarmo Kekalainen also managed to unload netminder Steve Mason to Philadelphia. Mason can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Blue Jackets also acquired forward depth in the form of Blake Comeau, who came over from Calgary for a fifth-round pick.

New York Rangers
In the space of 24 hours, the Rangers have dramatically altered the make-up of their team. Whether it brings them closer to their identity of a year ago, when they were the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals or not, we’ll find out. But by bringing in Ryane Clowe, Derick Brassard and John Moore, the Rangers hope they have filled in some of the spaces created when Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky were dealt to Columbus in the Rick Nash deal and Brandon Prust signed in Montreal. Derek Dorsett will also contribute when he gets back to full health. The Rangers are still the lowest-scoring team in the NHL so they need someone, whether it’s Brad Richards or Nash or any of the newcomers -- including Clowe (who has yet to score this season) -- to step up. Still, the relationship between Tortorella and Gaborik wasn’t healthy, and having new faces in the lineup might be enough to push the Rangers back into the top eight and after that, who knows? The Rangers also received a sixth-round pick in 2013 for Gaborik.

Minnesota Wild
The Wild continue to shoulder themselves into discussion as a Stanley Cup contender and that discussion will continue with the acquisition Wednesday of Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville. The Wild had to give up highly regarded prospect Johan Larsson, the 56th pick in the 2010 draft, as well as goaltending prospect Matt Hackett, who has played a handful of NHL games, along with a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2014. The Wild also obtained Buffalo’s fourth-round pick in 2014. But Pominville, who has twice reached the 30-goal plateau and recorded at least 20 goals in six straight years heading into this season, will add the kind of scoring depth that all Cup-contending teams possess. Pominville is also a character guy who can play at both ends of the ice. The Wild are going toe-to-toe with the Vancouver Canucks at the top of the Northwest Division standings and this is a move that could prove to be the tipping point when it comes to gaining home-ice advantage in the first round or beyond.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Just when you assumed that Ray Shero would be sitting in his office at Consol Energy Center with his feet up drinking banana daiquiris, the Penguins GM added another piece to the arsenal, picking up forward Jussi Jokinen from Carolina. The 30-year-old will likely start at center as the Penguins were looking for someone to bridge the gap while captain Sidney Crosby recovers from a broken jaw. Beyond that, Jokinen, who had a strong playoff for Carolina in 2009 when the Canes advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, is simply another depth piece that is mindful of players such as Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora, who were in and out of the Penguins' lineup in 2009 when they won the Stanley Cup but who periodically made key contributions. Although the actual numbers weren’t revealed, the Hurrricanes agreed to take on some of Jokinen’s salary next season when he is slated to earn $3 million. If the Pens win the Cup, they will also send a sixth-round pick to Carolina; it becomes a later pick if they fall short.

Ottawa Senators
GM Bryan Murray continues to work magic as he dealt lanky netminder Ben Bishop to Tampa for Cory Conacher, the second-leading rookie point-producer, and a fourth-round pick. The Sens, of course, have defied skeptics by staying in the thick of the playoff hunt in spite of the absence of Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and netminder Craig Anderson. Conacher, an undrafted collegiate player, was terrific in the AHL last season where he was the AHL MVP as Norfolk won the Calder Cup. He will fit in with a young Ottawa club that has blossomed under head coach Paul MacLean and in fact steps into a lineup as the leading scorer with 24 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning
It initially seemed as though Tampa GM Steve Yzerman had given up a lot to bring in 6-foot-7 netminder Bishop with Conacher going with a fourth-round pick. But the Lightning need to stabilize their goaltending situation (they rank 21st in goals allowed per game) and Bishop was terrific for the Senators in a limited role, going 8-5 with a .922 save percentage. The Bolts were also dealing from a position of strength, having top young collegiate players Matt Peca and big center Alex Killorn, who has impressed in recent games with the big club. Now, last summer we were saying the same thing about the Lightning as they acquired Anders Lindback from Nashville in the hopes of finding a new No. 1. Will Bishop be any better? The Lightning paid a steep price to find out. But if Yzerman is right this time, the expense will have been worth it.

Buffalo Sabres
GM Darcy Regier might not be able to ice a winning hockey team but he sure knows how to handle himself on trade deadline day. A year ago he obtained Cody Hodgson and a first-round draft pick in various deals. This year he dealt captain Pominville to Minnesota for a top forward prospect in Larsson and a promising young goaltender in Hackett and another first-round pick in this June’s draft, along with a second round pick in 2014. Earlier, he had shipped veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr to Los Angeles for a pair of second-round picks. Will Regier be around next season to see what some of these assets might become? That’s a completely different story.

Washington Capitals
You can argue the rationale of keeping Mike Ribeiro, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but given the Caps’ recent surge -- they were just two points out of the Southeast Division lead with two games in hand on Winnipeg as of Wednesday afternoon -- GM George McPhee showed his team the organization is all in for the playoffs. McPhee gave up a top prospect in Filip Forsberg, selected 11th overall in last June’s draft, for proven scorer Martin Erat of the Nashville Predators. Although Erat has just four goals this season, he will play in a much more offensive system with more skilled players and it’s easy to imagine he will play an important role, not just in getting the Caps into the playoffs for a sixth straight year but in perhaps making some noise once they get there. Beyond that, Erat has two years left on his deal at a $4.5 million cap hit (the actual dollar amount is less) and so provides some form of protection if the Caps cannot re-sign Ribeiro, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Now, Ribeiro is a center and Erat is a winger but still, having talent under contract is never -- or at least not usually -- a bad thing. The Caps also acquired Michael Latta, a center playing at the AHL level.

Not everyone wanted to make a deal although any GM worth his salt was working the phones until the last minute. Here are some teams that were either unusually quiet or failed to plug in some obvious holes in their lineup.

Not so much

Winnipeg Jets
The Jets once looked like they were going to put a stranglehold on the Southeast Division lead; instead, they have unraveled and look very much like every other Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets team in that they are not built for the postseason. And while GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has promised from the start to be conservative in how they build this team, some sort of addition aimed at arresting their current slide might have been psychologically beneficial to the prairie team. It didn’t happen, as the Jets’ only move was to pick up Mike Santorelli off waivers from the Florida Panthers.

Vancouver Canucks
Yes, the Canucks did address their need down the middle by nabbing Derek Roy from Dallas, although Roy has not had the greatest year thus far. But the fact that GM Mike Gillis could not unload netminder Roberto Luongo will continue to be a cloud over the team until he is finally traded. Luongo reacted emotionally to not being traded, telling reporters in Vancouver his contract “sucks” and that if he could, he would tear it up. Now, maybe things settle back down for the Canucks and they proceed to the playoffs as planned. But there’s no doubt Luongo is in a different frame of mind now that the deadline has passed than before, and whether that has an impact on the psyche of the team remains to be seen.

Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs added 6-foot-5 defenseman Ryan O’Byrne from Colorado for a fourth-round pick in 2014 but they did not add a veteran goaltender. Will it matter? We’ll find out in less than a month, assuming the Leafs don’t go completely sideways and miss the playoffs entirely. We don’t expect that to happen, but the tandem of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens is untested when it comes to playoff action, and given the mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, it’s not unreasonable to suggest the Leafs could be in a position to win at least one round. If the goaltending holds up, of course.

New York Islanders
On the verge of making the playoffs for only the second time since the last lockout, the Islanders were silent on trade deadline day. Credit GM Garth Snow for not trading Mark Streit, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but wasn’t there something this team needed that Snow could have provided in terms of depth?

Boston Bruins
A little unfair to put the Bruins in this list perhaps, but after obtaining Jaromir Jagr on Tuesday, GM Peter Chiarelli did not add the grit and sand many expected he would bring in to his forward corps. And while he did add Wade Redden, reuniting Redden with former Ottawa teammate and B's captain Zdeno Chara, Redden is mindful of Tomas Kaberle, whom the Bruins added in 2011. The Bruins, of course, won the Cup. But Kaberle became less and less a factor as time went on during those playoffs. Redden, buried in the depth chart in St. Louis, especially after the acquisition Tuesday of Jay Bouwmeester, will be well down the Bruins’ depth chart, especially when there had been earlier talk the Bruins were looking to add Ryan Whitney. The lack of a gritty forward was exacerbated with the news Wednesday that Patrice Bergeron has a concussion.

Nashville Predators
A year ago, the Predators were among the busiest teams at the trade deadline, adding Paul Gaustad, Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn along with repatriating Alexander Radulov. This season, they traded one of their top offensive players in Martin Erat to Washington and defenseman Scott Hannan to San Jose. Now, GM David Poile did get one of the Caps’ top prospects back, Filip Forsberg, who was selected 11th overall in 2012, but the Preds’ strategy illustrates just how quickly things can turn in the NHL, just how quickly one can go from buyer with Stanley Cup dreams to seller with different visions, at least in the short-term.

Philadelphia Flyers
This has been the season from hell for the Flyers vis-a-vis injuries, and so the expectations for GM Paul Holmgren at the deadline were modest. Still, the deal that saw the Flyers acquire former rookie of the year Steve Mason from Columbus for Michael Leighton and a third-round draft pick suggests more goaltending mayhem is ahead in Philly. Mason had been eclipsed by Sergei Bobrovsky, ironically a former Flyer netminder sent to Columbus last offseason, and can become a restricted free agent this summer. Perhaps this is a chance for the Flyers to see if Mason can regain his form and then try to sign him this summer while buying out Ilya Bryzgalov. Either way, it is a move that reflects continued uncertainty at the game’s most important position in one of the league’s most established markets.

Penguins 4, Jets 0
* Penguins: won 14 straight games (tied for 3rd-longest win streak in NHL history)
* Sidney Crosby (Penguins): 2 assists (19 assists during win streak)
* Pascal Dupuis (Penguins): 2 goals (3rd multi-goal game during win streak)
* Jets: lost 12 straight ROAD games at Penguins
FROM ELIAS: Pascal Dupuis scored two goals and finished with a plus-2 as the Penguins extended their winning streak to 14 games by shutting out the Jets, 4-0. Dupuis has scored 10 goals during Pittsburgh's 14-game winning streak and he's finished with a plus in each game. (His combined plus/minus over that stretch is plus-19.) Dupuis is the first NHL skater to be a plus player in each of 14 consecutive team games in one season since defenseman Brad McCrimmon had a 14-game streak for the Flyers in October/November 1984.

Chris Kunitz scored his 20th goal of the season to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead against the Jets. The primary assist went to Sidney Crosby for the 10th time this season, the second best combination behind the Islanders tandem of Matt Moulson and John Tavares, who the Penguins play Saturday.

Most Primary Assists to Goal Scorer – This Season
Moulson to Tavares (NYI) 12
Crosby to Kunitz (PIT) 10<<
Purcell to Stamkos (TB) 8
Parenteau to Duchene (COL) 8
Thornton to Marleau (SJ) 8
>>6 during win streak including first goal Thursday

Longest Single-Season Winning Streaks - NHL History
1992-93 Penguins 17
1981-82 Islanders<< 15
2012-13 Penguins 14
2009-10 Capitals 14
1929-30 Bruins 14
>>Won Stanley Cup

Penguins Upcoming Schedule
Potential Date Opponent Head-To-Head Other Notes
Win # This Season
15 Saturday vs Islanders 3-1-0 Won last 3 meetings vs NYI after losing 1st meeting this season
16 April 2 vs Sabres 1-0-0 9—2-0 in last 11 meetings vs BUF
17 April 3 at Rangers 3-0-0 Won last 4 games vs NYR at Madison Square Garden
18 April 5 vs Rangers Have not swept season series vs NYR since 1994-95 (last meeting of season)

Sharks 2, Red Wings 0
* Sharks: won 7 of last 9 vs Red Wings
* Joe Pavelski (Sharks): Goal (10); 3rd straight game with goal
* Antti Niemi (Sharks): 27 saves; 2nd straight shutout (had 1 shutout in 1st 27 starts)

Canucks 4, Avalanche 1
* Canucks: 10th straight win vs Avalanche (last loss 1/18/2011)
* Canucks: 6th straight win (allowed 6 goals in that span)
* Avalanche: 0-8-3 in last 11 road games (allowed 4 or more goals against in 7 of the games)
* Cory Schneider (VAN): only 4 goals allowed in last 5 games

Oilers 6, Blue Jackets 4
* Oilers: 5th straight home win vs Blue Jackets (last loss 1/7/2010)
* Taylor Hall (EDM): 2 goals, 3 assists in last 3 games
* Blue Jackets: 1-4-2 in last 7 road games
* Blue Jackets: only 2nd regulation loss in last 11 games (6-2-3)

Coyotes 7, Predators 4
* Coyotes: 6 goals in the first period; ties their NHL franchise record for goals in a period
* Coyotes: have gone 4-1-0 past 5 games in Nashville
* Rob Klinkhammer (Coyotes): 1 Ast; has 2G, 2A past 3 games
* Predators: 3-gaame home win streak snapped
FROM ELIAS: Phoenix jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the 8:26 mark of Thursday's game. It was the quickest five goals by one team from the start of an NHL game since Nov. 5, 1993, when the Devils led 5-0 only 8:05 after the opening faceoff of their game in Anaheim. New Jersey scored only once more and won, 6-3.

Kings 4, Blues 2
* Mike Richards (LA): go-ahead goal (8) with 2:43 left in 3rd period (1st goal in last 8 games)
* Kings: 3-0-0 vs Blues this season
* Kings: 13-1-1 when scoring first this season
* Blues: on 3-game losing streak

Panthers 5, Sabres 4 (F/SO) (FLA wins shootout, 2-1)
* Panthers: snap 3-game losing streak, just 3rd win in last 10 games (3-7-0)
* Panthers: 1st win in last 5 HOME games (1-3-1)
* Panthers: 2-0-1 vs Sabres this season
* Sabres: 0-1-1 in last 2 games following a 3-game winning streak

Islanders 4, Flyers 3 (F/SO) (NYI wins shootout, 2-1)
* Islanders: 1st 3-game win streak this season (won season-high 4 straight on road)
* Islanders: won 3 of last 4 road games at Flyers following 13 straight winless games at Flyers from 2007-11
* Flyers: season-worst 4-game winless streak (0-2-2)
* John Tavares (Islanders): 4 G, 1 A during 5-game point streak (matches season-long)

Senators 3, Rangers 0
* Senators: 3-0 vs Rangers this season, won 5 straight regular-season games ve them overall
* Senators: 9-1-1 in last 11 home games
* Ben Bishop (Senators): 24 saves, 2nd career shutout (1st since the 2010-11 season with the Blues)
* Andre Benoit (Senators): 2nd career goal, 1st since February 19.

Maple Leafs 6, Hurricanes 3
* Maple Leafs: 4-0-3 past 7 games, 15/16 on PK
* Maple Leafs: 6-1-2 past 9 games at home
* Joffrey Lupul (Maple Leafs): Goal (7); all have been scored in his last 5 games
* Hurricanes: 0-6-1 past 7 games, outscored 25-10

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

In terms of two teams headed on divergent paths, Thursday night’s matchup between the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets offered an interesting tableau.

In a game that promised little by way of cachet and buzz when the schedule came out in January, the match actually turned out to be one with significant implications as the Jets leapfrogged the Rangers in the standings with a 3-1 win at home and earned a spot among the top eight teams in the East.

The Jets, 4-0-1 in their past five games, are surpassing expectations and making a legitimate push to bring a playoff series to the MTS Centre this spring. Winners in seven of their past 10 games, the Jets are in eighth place with 30 points and 21 games left to play.

Leading the way for Winnipeg is captain Andrew Ladd, who tallied his 14th goal of the season Thursday. He’s getting help from Nik Antropov, who has six points in the past four games, and netminder Ondrej Pavelec, who has given up two goals or fewer in the past four games.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are skidding again after a four-game winning streak earlier this month that seemed to indicate they were shutting the door on their middling play.

Reamed out and ripped by coach John Tortorella for a wholly forgettable performance in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the downtrodden Sabres, the Rangers failed to respond again Thursday night.

As a result, the Blueshirts are now on the outside looking in as the Eastern Conference playoff picture continues to take shape. As of Friday morning, New York is in ninth place with 28 points.

Struggling sniper Marian Gaborik was held off the score sheet again despite a prime scoring opportunity on a breakaway and a subsequent penalty shot in the first period. Gaborik, whose streaky and inconsistent production has made him a liability and target of Tortorella’s fury, came up short on both against Pavelec.

Gaborik’s numbers aren’t shabby -- eight goals and 17 points -- but his play hasn’t been dependable enough to earn the trust of Tortorella or a lock on the team’s first two lines. Coming off a 41-goal season, Gaborik has scored once in the past 13 games and in only five of the Rangers' 26 games total.

Gaborik is not alone, as plenty of the Rangers’ offensive weapons have been less than stellar this season.

There is still plenty of time for the Rangers to right the ship. Heck, a lower playoff seed might not be the worst thing for them, either. (Imagine them getting a No. 6 seed, which would earn them a first-round series against whoever wins the weak Southeast division title.)

But the signs are not good. And with the parity (read: mediocrity) in the bottom half of the East, the Rangers will have to fend off some dark horses during the stretch run. As of Friday morning, both the Islanders (10th place, 27 points) and the Flyers (11th place, 25 points) are knocking on the door. Wouldn’t both those teams love to spoil the Rangers’ fun?

The Rangers wrap up a four-game road trip against the streaking Penguins on Saturday. If that’s not enough of a wake-up call, they might be in some real trouble.

It is like the schedule maker knew, right?

The Winnipeg Jets welcome the New York Rangers to their hostile environment Thursday night with the two clubs tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

After spending most of the season hovering just below that eighth spot, the Jets can finally come up for air if they upend the Rangers.

"We’d like to be above the line, so that means somebody has to be below it other than us, and we don’t care who it is,” Jets coach Claude Noel told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "The Rangers will be coming in here a little snarly because we beat them in their building. And they had a tough one last night, too. It’s going to be a good game. We have to play the same way [as Tuesday night]."

The Rangers, who lost 4-3 at home to Winnipeg on Feb. 26, laid an egg in Buffalo on Tuesday night in losing a 3-1 decision to the struggling Sabres.

Just when you think the Blueshirts are showing signs they’re back to being the contenders many of us predicted, they take a step backwards. So you know coach John Tortorella will have his team fired up for Thursday night.

That’s exactly what Noel did with his troops Tuesday night in an emotional 5-2 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, one of Winnipeg’s better all-around efforts of the season.

"We’re playing pretty good," Noel said. "We’re playing a bit better defensively. We’re getting good goaltending. We wanted to send the message Tuesday night that we need to play better at home. I thought our guys really played well. We played the way we had played last year [at home] with a lot of passion. We wanted to get back to playing a lot better in our home building."

After dominating at the MTS Centre last season, going 23-13-5 in front of the loudest crowd in the NHL, the Jets were only 4-6-0 at home this season before delivering Tuesday night’s impressive win over the Leafs.

"Last night, we got some production from different people. I thought [Nik] Antropov had a real strong night, one of his better games I’ve seen him play," Noel said. "The thing I liked the most about that game was that we played with some energy. We played with a sense of purpose, which we hadn’t seen consistently for a while. That was a consistent 60 minutes of hard play."

Noel felt captain Andrew Ladd led the way with his physical play, which also included a fight with Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf.

"I thought the leadership of Andrew Ladd last night was huge," Noel said. "They started to try to knock us around at home, and he would have none of that. I thought he really showed the way, which I thought was fabulous."

These are big moments right now for the Jets. The pressure is on this franchise to make the playoffs. Last season, the fans in Winnipeg would have cheered on a 0-82 team, just content to get an NHL team back after a 15-year absence.

In Season 2, however, they want more.

"I think the honeymoon’s over, I agree," Noel said. "Last year, the fans were happy to be back part of the National Hockey League, they were just happy to have a team to cheer for. Now they want more than that and they expect more than that, and I think they should. It’s very clear what the fans want: They want to be proud of our team, of the way we play and perform, they want to see improvement in our game, and they want to see that we’re trying. When you don’t, they let you know. They’re knowledgeable hockey fans, they’re through the roof. But they don’t expect anything less from us than what we should expect from our ourselves, to be honest."

Of course, catching and passing the likes of New York or New Jersey in the standings isn’t the only way for the Jets to get in the playoffs. It just so happens that Carolina only has a three-point lead atop the Southeast Division. That guaranteed top-three seed is another carrot the Jets are aiming for.

"We talked about it last week," Noel said. "There’s two ways for us to get into the playoffs, to either get above the line [top eight in conference] or to win our division. We don’t want to lose sight of those two things. It really doesn’t matter to us which way it happens. But the first thing for us is to play consistently and keep getting points."

It is time to prove they’re for real.

"We wanted to take a step in the right direction in last night’s game to prove to ourselves that we can be a team that can be above the [eighth-place] line," Noel said. "We don’t just want to hover around it like we did last year."

They want in this season. The Rangers better be ready Thursday night.