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St. Louis Blues netminder Jaroslav Halak did not take part in practice Wednesday as a suspected ankle injury keeps him on the shelf.

"He’s not going to play obviously tomorrow," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said after practice. "He skated yesterday. So we’ll just keep him working back toward here sometime, but right now he’s just not available. So Brian's [Brian Elliott] the guy."

Elliott has been rock solid since taking over early in the second period of Game 2 when Halak was injured.

"We’ve had confidence in [Elliott] since Day 1," said Hitchcock.

"I don’t think a lot bothers him. And if it does bother him, he shakes it off pretty quickly. He’s got good focus."

Sharks' changes don't go unnoticed

The Blues were cognizant of the Sharks’ lineup changes, at least what San Jose displayed at practice Wednesday.

"They’ve obviously made some changes, I think it’s the coach’s obligation to make changes," Hitchcock said. "I think when you’re not happy with your team, win or lose, you have to make changes."

Michal Handzus, who played for Hitchcock in Philadelphia, could possibly be playing in his first game of the playoffs for the Sharks if lines from Wednesday’s practice hold firm.

"I know Michal very well and he’s a proud guy, he’s going to want to get in and you’re going to get 100 percent from him," Hitchcock said.

The Blues are leaning toward the same lineup from Game 3.

"Same lineup but I think you’ll see a different rotation," Hitchcock said.

ST. LOUIS -- Brian Elliott didn’t begin his day thinking he’d be seeing action in Game 2. But after starter Jaroslav Halak was hammered by teammate Barret Jackman and left the game 49 seconds into the second period, the Blues' backup netminder was pressed into action.

Elliott stopped all 17 shots he faced to preserve the win and the shutout.

"You never want to see anybody get hurt, especially Jaro is a big part of our team," said Elliott. "Just wanted to get in there, and try to feel good and get a couple of stops right off the bat to get into the game. The guys did a great job, I didn’t get a lot of work in the second period, that allowed me to slide into the game really unnoticed.’’

Elliott missed practice earlier this week with what the team called a minor upper-body injury.

"I felt good out there,” said Elliott. "Adrenaline kind of takes over and you forget about your body and you go out and just play.’’

Halak, meanwhile, has a lower-body injury, the team said. He appeared to favor his left knee when he left the game. Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said Halak would make the trip to San Jose and would be re-evaluated Sunday.

Sharks need to create
The Sharks really didn’t generate much offense after the first period. They’ll need to find a way to penetrate the Blues’ suffocating defensive scheme.

"They close on you very quick and they close on you with numbers,” said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "If you can spread your zone out and get your eyes up and then get it to the net, you can get some opportunities off second chances and that type of stuff.

"If you’re slow or lethargic and not winning any of those battles quickly, they close and they’re very effective.’’

Lady Byng combatants
There was a lot of rough stuff in this game and even some unlikely combatants, like when Blues blueliner Kris Russell and Sharks forward Joe Pavelski fought in the second period.

"There’s a lot of emotion out there, guys are competitors, it’s the playoffs,’’ said Russell.

The Blues in the dressing room were buoyed by the way they responded on the night.

"Both teams were emotionally involved in the game,” said Blues forward Andy McDonald. "I thought in the first game we were lacking that a little bit. So that was nice to see tonight. We played with a lot of passion. There was a lot of fire in the guys and everyone stood up for each other. It was a great sign.’’

The Sharks plan to match that intensity in Game 3.

"They upped it a little bit with the physical play tonight and I think we need to respond better as far as ourselves being a little bit more physical,’’ said Sharks star blueliner Dan Boyle.

What could have been
Interesting to hear from team sources that when the Blues believed they might possibly play the Kings in the first round of the playoffs, the St. Louis front office discussed the possibility of going to a 2-3-2 best-of-seven format because of potential building conflicts in L.A.

There hasn’t been a 2-3-2 best-of-seven format used in the NHL playoffs since 1999, when Colorado-San Jose at the last moment switched to that setup following the Columbine shooting tragedy in suburban Denver.

Many, myself included, were under the impression that the 2-3-2 format had been legislated out of the NHL bylaws. But, in fact, a league source told ESPN.com that it has not been taken out of the official Playoff Regulations. Now, the league is not a fan whatsoever of the 2-3-2 format, but it’s clear based on the Blues contemplating it that if there were a tangible reason (long travel, building conflicts) to do so, it remains possible to go to 2-3-2. Something to keep in mind as these playoffs progress.

ST. LOUIS -- Sharks head coach Todd McLellan is still not feeling 100 percent.

He suffered a concussion Feb. 26 when he was knocked out by a stick after a collision in front of the bench in Minnesota. Then, as he revealed Thursday morning, he got dinged a second time March 26 in a game against Colorado.

"We were in a game and the same thing happened, a collision in front of the bench, although I didn’t get hit by both guys, but Jumbo turned and whacked me,” McLellan said Thursday morning at Scottrade Center, referring to Sharks captain Joe Thornton. "I was bugging him afterwards about [Alexander] Radulov earlier in the year in Russia. Maybe that was Jumbo sending me a message."

McLellan was jokingly referring to Radulov whacking his coach in the KHL earlier this season. But in all seriousness, getting whacked a second time wasn’t pleasant.

"It wasn’t nearly as hard and didn’t knock me out or anything like that,” he said. "I don’t know if you’d even call it a concussion but I just got hit again is all."

McLellan still gets headaches.

"I’m fine," he said. "It’s not something I wish upon anybody. I understand now, and I really mean this, what the players go through. I was one of those guys that said, 'We all had them when we played and we played through it, suck it up and play.' Until you go through it, you don’t understand. I still have headaches at different points. Would I be playing if I was capable of playing? I don’t know. But I can coach. I think."

He’s kept his sense of humor, but he’s clearly not 100 percent.

"I have a tendency to get a headache later in the day," he said. "I don’t know if it’s fatigue, tired or stressed. It could just come with the coaching fraternity down the stretch. That could be causing headaches. But I’m OK."

BLUES’ ELLIOTT
Blues netminder Brian Elliott took part in the morning skate. He doesn’t talk on game days but head coach Ken Hitchcock said Elliott would dress as the backup to Jaroslav Halak on Thursday night for Game 1.

Elliott missed practice Wednesday with what the team called a minor upper-body injury.

"He feels good," Hitchcock said Thursday morning. "He's 100 percent, ready to go, so the two days off really helped him. If he had to play today, he could play, no problem."

LANGENBRUNNER’S EXPERIENCE
Blues veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, has been there and done that. On a young Blues team, his experience, along with that of the likes of Jason Arnott and Scott Nichol, will be important as the playoffs begin.

"I think that’s one of the reasons we are here," Langenbrunner said Thursday morning. "You hope to help during the peak and valleys you’re going to have and try to keep an even keel. I think we did a good job of that for the most part as a group this season. Now, it’s going to be a new experience for some, we’ve got a lot of guys playing in their first playoffs. It’s going to be a little nerve-racking at first, but this is a group that’s growing and keeps getting better and better. I think the group will respond very well."

DIFFERENT ROLE
The Sharks haven’t opened the first round of the playoffs on the road since 2007 when they got a split in Nashville and went on to eliminate the Predators in a 4-5 matchup.

They’re used to opening at home as a high seed.

"It’s definitely different, we’re used to having home ice," Joe Thornton said Thursday morning. "But it’s different and we’re excited. We’re looking to win Game 1 and put some pressure on them."

The Sharks know what it's like to feel pressure at home in the opening round, losing Game 1 to Calgary in 2008, Anaheim in 2009 and Colorado in 2010.

So they hope to turn the tables on the Blues and shift the pressure on the young home team.

"We’d like to come in here and win Game 1 and see how they react," Thornton said. "But we really just focus on ourselves. We need to get our game plan going and go from there."

SHARKS LINEUP
No changes expected in the Blues' lineup from what we reported Wednesday. The Sharks only had an optional skate but here’s the best guess at what’s expected for Game 1:

Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski
Clowe-Couture-Havlat
Galiardi-Moore-Mitchell
Winnik-Desjardins-Wingels

Vlasic-Boyle
Murray-Burns
Demers-Braun

ST. LOUIS -- A bit of news here Tuesday ahead of the Blues-Sharks playoff series with St. Louis netminder Brian Elliott leaving practice early with what head coach Ken Hitchcock termed a minor injury.

The Blues coach added that Elliott would almost definitely be available for Game 1 Thursday night.

"He's got a little bit of an upper-body issue, day-to-day," Hitchcock said.

The Blues had two on-ice sessions Tuesday, and Elliott didn’t come out for the second one.

"Rather than just try to squeeze the big, long [practice], we took him [out after] the short one and we'll get him back out here tomorrow or the next day and see how it is. He'll be fine though,’’ said Hitchcock. "We didn't want to aggravate it. We've been nursing it for a week. We didn't want to take him too far down the lineup. He got a lot of work in the first 45 minutes."

Elliott led the NHL this season with a 1.56 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.

One would think that would sway the coach’s decision once and for all toward goalie Jaroslav Halak.

The Blues are blessed with having two Vezina Trophy-worthy netminders to choose from but my sense is that they'll go with Halak, who had playoff magic in 2010 with the Montreal Canadiens, when he backstopped two improbable upset series wins over Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hitchcock originally told reporters here that he wouldn’t name his starter until Thursday but joked Tuesday he might move that up.

"I'm going to move it up a day so you guys can write about something," Hitchcock said, joking. "I'll give it to you on Wednesday. I'm going to give you a little treat."

From the NHL's official release:

MALKIN, STAMKOS, ELLIOTT AND HALAK CAPTURE NHL TROPHIES


NEW YORK (April 8, 2012) – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin captured his second career Art Ross Trophy as the National Hockey League’s scoring champion, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos claimed his second Maurice Richard Trophy as the League’s goal-scoring leader, and St.
Louis Blues goaltenders Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak combined to win their first William Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders on the club allowing the fewest goals during the 2011-12 regular season.

The four trophy winners will be honored at the 2012 NHL Awards, which will be held Wednesday, June 20 at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Malkin finished the 2011-12 regular season with a League-leading 109 points (50-59--109), ahead of Stamkos (60-37--97) and Philadelphia Flyers right wing Claude Giroux (28-65--93) for the Art Ross Trophy, the second of his career (2008-09). Malkin is the third repeat winner in Penguins franchise history, joining Mario Lemieux (six times) and Jaromir Jagr (five). He registered points in 60 of the 75 games he played in (80%) and became the first player since 1995-96 to record five or more points at least four times in one season. Malkin also finished second in the NHL with a career-high 50 goals and led the League with 339 shots on goal. He is first scoring champion to win by a double-digit margin since Jagr finished
20 points ahead of Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne in 1998-99 (127-107).

Stamkos scored 60 goals to capture his second Maurice Richard Trophy (2009-10), finishing ahead of Malkin (50) and New York Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik (41). Stamkos scored his 60th goal in Tampa Bay's season finale Saturday at Winnipeg, becoming the first player to score 60 goals since 2007-08 (Ovechkin, 65); before Ovechkin, the last time a player hit
60 was 1995-96 (Mario Lemieux, 69; Jaromir Jagr, 62). He tied for the League lead with Phoenix's Radim Vrbata in game-winning goals (12) and scored an NHL-record five overtime goals. Stamkos totaled 48 even-strength scores, the most of any player since 1992-93. He has 156 goals since the start of the 2009-10 season, 36 more than the next-closest player (Alex Ovechkin, 120).

Elliott and Halak sparkled on a St. Louis team that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (165), capturing their first William Jennings Trophy and the second in Blues history (1999-2000, Roman Turek). The duo combined for a League-high 15 shutouts, tying a modern NHL record set by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1969-70 and surpassing the club mark of 13 set by Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante in 1968-69. Elliott (nine) and Halak (six) also are the first tandem in NHL history to record at least six shutouts apiece in the same season.

Elliott led the NHL with a 1.56 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. He set franchise records with nine shutouts and a 241:33 shutout streak, also personal bests. His three consecutive shutouts March
22-27 equaled the franchise mark set by Greg Millen in 1988-89.

Halak ranked fifth in the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average and posted a .926 save percentage. He won a career-high eight consecutive decisions, including six straight on the road, Feb. 23 – March 11.

1. Habs restructuring starts anew. Well, cue the Patrick Roy frenzy once more in Montreal. When the Montreal Canadiens announced Thursday morning that they had fired GM Pierre Gauthier and begun the search for his successor, it means the return-of-Roy rumors will once again pick up steam. We’ve been curious to see how Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson follows up his in-season bumbling and whether he guides the storied franchise back on track or whether he is the catalyst for even more chaos and disrepair.

Molson, of course, dithered when head coach Jacques Martin was fired and interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth was discovered to be -- gasp -- a plain old Anglophone. Instead of backing off the hounds in the French press and angry fans who demanded that their coach speak French regardless of coaching acumen, Molson mumbled via a release that it was important that the Habs’ coach, whomever that might be, speak French and that the position would be re-evaluated at the end of the season. He has made the first -- most would say obvious -- move of dispatching Gauthier, who had made a hash of the club’s roster both in terms of talent and salary structure. Molson’s tepid response to Cunneyworth’s status ensures the Habs will also be looking for a new -- read: bilingual or Francophone -- head coach this summer. Reports had percolated recently that Molson had already reached out to Hall of Famer and Habs icon Patrick Roy about a top-level position with the Habs as either head coach or GM. Roy, who loves to hear his name connected to Habs positions, denied the reports, but with Gauthier officially out of the picture that discussion will no doubt intensify.

Could Roy -- part owner, GM and head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League -- become a passable NHL head coach? Maybe, although the number of coaches who make a seamless jump from juniors to the NHL is negligible. Check out Brent Sutter and Pete DeBoer’s playoff records since making such a leap, while Dale Hunter is in the process of coaching the Washington Capitals out of the playoffs for the first time since 2007 after coming aboard from the junior ranks earlier this season.

Regardless, Molson’s first and arguably most important order of business will be in finding a replacement for Gauthier. We don’t think Molson has the stomach to hire outside the language bubble, which means he’s already limiting himself to candidates only with French language skills. That said, there are a number of interesting candidates, including former Hab front office man Julien BriseBois, who spent nine years with the club and is now the assistant GM in Tampa. There’s also Claude Loiselle, who does much of the contract heavy lifting in Toronto as assistant GM. Marc Bergevin, the assistant GM in Chicago, is another name you’ll hear bandied about, as well as that of former Hab captain Vincent Damphousse. The timing is interesting, but one assumes Molson will want to move quickly to name a successor so he can prepare for the draft, which would put BriseBois and Loiselle in good stead given that both their current teams won’t be in the playoffs either, so they are doing a lot of the same work.

2. How about Hartley as coach? When it comes to potential coaching options, Geoff Molson should be looking toward Switzerland if he’s looking at an option to replace Randy Cunneyworth.

We managed to hook up with former Atlanta Thrashers/Colorado Avalanche head coach Bob Hartley via Skype this week. He showed us the view outside his window in a small village just outside Zurich, where he is in the midst of a rather remarkable playoff run.

Hartley’s Zurich Lions squad has come out of the seventh seed to knock off the top two teams in the Swiss elite league and begins the final series next week against Bern. His squad has gone 8-0 in the postseason, including beating a Davos team that had beaten Zurich six straight times during the regular season. Led by former Vancouver Canuck Jeff Tambellini, Hartley’s squad has outscored opponents 30-9 in their eight playoff games.

“He had an unbelievable season, but he’s found another gear,” Hartley said of Tambellini, whom he likened to former Colorado captain Joe Sakic.

Other former NHLers playing for Hartley include Steve McCarthy and Cory Murphy. He also has a 43-year-old netminder in Ari Sulander on his roster.

“I think he played against Tretiak,” Hartley said, joking.

Hartley has embraced the culture in Switzerland, both on and off the ice. The cities in the elite league are so close that the players sleep in their own bed at night, and some opponents are less than half an hour away.

“We could dress in our own dressing room” for some road games, Hartley said, joking.

There is plenty of time for practice and the former Cup winner has enjoyed the teaching element of the game in Switzerland, especially with a team that features a number of 20-something skaters.

Hartley pointed his computer around the balcony of his apartment so we could say hello to his next-door neighbor and assistant coach, Jacques Cloutier.

The Zurich airport is nearby but there are also cows and goats and strawberry fields. His wife walks with a little cart like the locals to the nearby grocery store that is a fraction of the size of the supermarkets in North America.

“I know I wanted to coach. I know I still loved coaching but I love this league,” Hartley said.

When it comes to a return to the NHL, Hartley is cautious, saying he wants to focus on the current playoff run. He has another season on his contract with the Lions and he's loving life in Switzerland. But it would likewise be a shock if a handful of teams -- starting with the Montreal Canadiens and possibly a new team in Quebec City -- weren't interested in talking to Hartley about possible openings.

Another team that might want to start thinking about talking to the Lions and Hartley about prying him away from his new hockey home in the Alps is the Calgary Flames, where old friend Jay Feaster is the GM. Among the team’s players is Alex Tanguay, who won a Cup in Colorado under Hartley back in 2001.

3. Speaking of Patrick Roy and Quebec and all things relocation. What’s the biggest difference between what we saw and heard a year ago from the True North group that was waiting to buy and relocate the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and the folks in Quebec City, who are likewise desperate to see the NHL return to the provincial capital? Do you remember the Winnipeg group clamoring and banging the drums about their plans to make ready for a return of the NHL to their prairie city? The short answer is no. That’s what made Mark Chipman and the new owners of the Jets so attractive to the NHL. Relocation is a touchy subject for commissioner Gary Bettman and the league. It’s an admission of failure on a number of levels and when it happens, as it did a year ago -- and as it might happen in the coming weeks when the Phoenix Coyotes saga is finally brought to a close -- the league wants it done with a certain amount of decorum.

Now, you can’t blame people in Quebec City for being excited that funding has been approved for a new $400 million arena that could -- the operative word is could -- host an NHL club, but having a big news conference last Sunday to announce it (who has a news conference on a Sunday, anyway?) simply runs contrary to the way the NHL likes to do business. You’ll notice that with all the backslapping over the arena plans, there wasn’t one NHL executive on hand to share in the excitement. Bettman has been consistent with his message vis-a-vis all matters of relocation: He understands the excitement in places like Quebec City and Seattle, but no promises have been made, and when they are made it will be quietly and, if Winnipeg is any guide, at the last minute. A press conference like last Sunday's, regardless of whether the main players steadfastly refused to discuss the possibility of the NHL returning to the province, drives up the very expectations the NHL is keen to keep under control.

Rest assured, the NHL was not pleased with those proceedings, and it’s never a good thing to annoy the gatekeepers of the club you’re hoping to join. Remember how Jim Balsillie came in guns a-blazing, trying to make the NHL bend to his will as he attempted to become an owner? How did that work out? The folks in Quebec City would do well to take a page out of the Winnipeg playbook and sit quietly and wait for events to unfold, or run the risk of finding themselves with a new building completely void of NHL hockey players.

4. Blues in a good position. We were chatting with St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock the other day and the topic came up of how he was going to handle his starting goaltenders come playoff time. He immediately recoiled.

“I’m trying to not make that call until I absolutely have to. I’m trying to not think about it,” Hitchcock said with a laugh.

No wonder. This conversation took place shortly before Brian Elliott shut out the Cup-hopeful Nashville Predators on Tuesday night by a 3-0 count, for Elliott’s third straight shutout. The whitewashing gave Elliott nine shutouts for the season, tied with Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles for the league lead. Along with teammate Jaroslav Halak, the Blues’ netminders have combined for 15 shutouts this season, tying a record for the most by a team in the post-expansion era.

The Blues hold down the top seed in the Western Conference and are in the hunt for the Presidents’ Trophy, and that has set up an interesting dilemma for Hitchcock as he begins to contemplate naming his starting goaltender for the playoffs. The prevailing sentiment has been that Hitchcock will turn to Halak, who was outstanding for Montreal in 2010 when the 8th-seed Habs upended Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington and then the defending Stanley Cup champs from Pittsburgh. But Hitchcock isn’t tipping his hand, which isn’t surprising given how good Elliott -- the league leader in goals-against average and save percentage -- has been.

The Blues are in an enviable position in being able to choose between two goaltenders who are on a collision course with a William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals during the season. While other teams are riding their No. 1 netminder just to get in the playoff door, both Elliott and Halak should be well-primed for the postseason without being overworked.

“I’m trying to keep both guys really active and engaged,” Hitchcock said.

The veteran coach said he’ll go “more by feel” when it comes to handling the goaltending duties once the playoffs begin. He also knows if he needs to make a goaltending change at any point he won’t have to wait until the situation is dire.

“We’re in a very unique situation. We don’t have to get into where it’s a last-gasp situation before we decided to try something different” when it comes to goaltending, Hitchcock said.

It goes without saying that the Blues play equally well in front of either goaltender.

Former NHL netminder John Davidson, now the team’s president, said there’s been absolutely no conflict between the two netminders, even though both are highly competitive and want to play.

“There’s not been one iota of an issue, zero,” Davidson told ESPN.com.

As for the theory that a team has to identify a starting goaltender before the playoffs, Davidson understands it exists but he doesn’t buy that it’s not a blueprint for postseason success.

5. Who else has a crowded crease? If we accept, then, that the Blues have the ultimate goaltending tandem heading into the postseason, what other team(s) boast a comparable one-two punch, and could such a tandem be key to a long playoff run?

The obvious No. 2 tandem behind Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak would be the Roberto Luongo-Cory Schneider duo in Vancouver. The Canucks rank fourth overall in goals against per game and there has been a more or less equitable split in duties, with Schneider playing a career-high 30 games and standing second in the league in save percentage and fifth in goals-against average.

While Luongo would be expected to be the Game 1 starter when the playoffs begin, like Hitchcock, Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault won’t be waiting until the Canucks’ backs are against the wall to make a switch if Luongo struggles.

After the Blues and Canucks, there is a significant drop-off in terms of viable goaltending depth come playoff time. If Tuukka Rask is healthy, he has the tools to come on in relief of Tim Thomas for Boston, but his return from injury in time for the start of the playoffs is uncertain. The Devils have an interesting duo in Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg, who have split time this season, although Brodeur, the winningest goaltender of all time, is the obvious No. 1. Still, the 38-year-old Hedberg has experience and Brodeur has struggled in the playoffs since the Devils’ last Cup win in 2003.

Chicago fans have enjoyed a high level of angst regarding their goaltending situation this season (they rank a pedestrian 22nd in goals allowed per game), although Corey Crawford has rediscovered his mojo in recent weeks. Still, Ray Emery has turned in some nice stretches for the Hawks and we have no doubt that head coach Joel Quenneville will have no compunctions about making a goaltending switch should Crawford hit a rocky stretch this spring.

Finally, while the Florida Panthers are lightly regarded as a playoff team, the Southeast Division leaders are on the verge of heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, and both starter Jose Theodore and veteran backup Scott Clemmensen have done a nice job down the stretch in keeping the team afloat even as the Cats’ offense has dried up.

As for the rest, well, let’s just say there are a lot of coaches and GMs hoping for good health so they don’t have to consider Plan B.

Craig Custance and Pierre LeBrun take on the big topics of the day. Let's go!

CUSTANCE: Good morning, Pierre. Huge game last night in Washington with the Sabres picking up an impressive 5-1 win over the Capitals, seizing control of the No. 8 spot in the East. I thought you did a great job of capturing the moment the game turned in your recap focusing on the Sabres' shorthanded goal that gave Buffalo a 4-1 lead in the second period. There was a lot of hype leading up to this game and the Sabres have certainly gained control of the race for the final playoff spot, but this wasn't the clincher. That was the Capitals' message from Brooks Laich to reporters after the game. "The season isn't over. There's five hockey games left," he said. "It's a tough loss but not a devastating one. We reduce ourselves to fighting every day." But now they need help, and when you look at the Sabres' schedule and see two games remaining against the Maple Leafs, the reality is the Caps might not get any.

LEBRUN: And on the surface, the Sabres have two tough ones to end their schedule with road games at Philadelphia and Boston. On the other hand, those games might likely be meaningless to those teams, which should play into Buffalo’s hands. The focus for so long has been on the eighth spot in the East for the Sabres but now they’re just two points behind seventh-place Ottawa, as well. There’s still lots to play out but it’s hard to see the red-hot Sabres not getting in at this point. Speaking of teams trying to get in, the Western Conference race gets back at it tonight with Pacific Division clubs Los Angeles, Dallas and San Jose all back at it in separate games. The Sharks, in Anaheim on Wednesday night, lead the division by one point over the Stars and Coyotes, and only two points over the Kings, who are in Calgary on Wednesday night. The Flames refuse to go away, sitting two points out of a playoff spot in the West, setting up what should be a playoff atmosphere between the Kings and Flames in Calgary on Wednesday night. The Kings are coming off two straight losses, having been shut out 1-0 in Vancouver on Monday night. Scoring first will be huge tonight for a team that’s been shut out 10 times this season.

CUSTANCE: For the Kings, scoring at all will be huge. But even with their consecutive losses, the way Los Angeles has been grinding out wins over the past few weeks has impressed opposing coaches. The Kings are miserable to play against and have been in full playoff mode for a while. I still think they get in. San Jose plays Anaheim, with the Sharks wrapping up their season playing only teams in the Pacific the rest of the way, a fact not lost on their rivals. "Of all the teams in the division here, they have the most games against the teams in the race -- two against L.A., two against Dallas," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said during a Monday chat. "They can really control their own destiny playing the teams in our division." But you're right, that game between Calgary and Los Angeles is a huge one. Calgary is hanging around but the Flames' playoff hopes would be all but extinguished with a regulation loss there. I feel for the Coyotes, off since Sunday, who have to feel a bit helpless sitting and watching Western Conference rivals pick up crucial points in the playoff race.

LEBRUN: Speaking of helpless, the young-and-gun Colorado Avalanche play in Vancouver on Wednesday night and likely either have to run the table on their final four games or at least win three games to have any chance. The Avs sit only one point back of the eighth spot but have played more games, 78, than any of the other teams battling for those two final playoff spots. The Avs will face Cory Schneider in goal for Vancouver on Wednesday night. Our colleague, the veteran Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun, had a terrific column in today’s paper, musing about the fact veteran Roberto Luongo is taking a seat despite coming off a 38-save shutout of the Kings. MacIntyre’s point is that it’s clear head coach Alain Vigneault is prepping both his goalies carefully in the stretch run as if both might see some playoff action. It’s certainly not a bad thing for Luongo get some rest at this time of year with so little on the line for the Canucks. And I suspect Luongo will still be the starter in Game 1 of the playoffs. But you have that feeling Vigneault won’t be scared to go to Schneider if need be.

CUSTANCE: Nor should he be. Schneider is going to be a great goalie for somebody next season. But I think the rest he's been able to provide Luongo during the regular season could end up paying off for Luongo in the postseason. I'm a little concerned at the number of starts Pekka Rinne, Jonathan Quick and Marc-Andre Fleury are piling up heading into what could be a long spring. And what about St. Louis? What the heck is Ken Hitchcock supposed to do with his goalie situation? Brian Elliott set a franchise record with his ninth shutout last night. Nine! But it's Jaroslav Halak who has the playoff résumé. I asked Hitchcock which way he was leaning for the playoffs. "I don't want to make that decision, to be honest with you," he said. "I'm trying to hold that off as long as I can." It's a good problem to have in St. Louis.

LEBRUN: I’m pumped about beginning my playoff travels in St. Louis this season. Not nearly enough has been said about the Blues’ mind-boggling season. Last night marked their 15th shutout, tying a post-expansion NHL record. The NHL-leading Blues can’t make a bad choice in goal. And like Vigneault in Vancouver, the upside for Hitchcock is that he can switch it up in the playoffs if need be. That’s quite the luxury to have, especially in a salary-cap system that limits the kind of depth teams can accumulate. It’s why I hope Blues GM Doug Armstrong gets strong consideration for the GM of the Year Award.

Enjoy tonight’s action, Craig. Cheers.

Is this the year of the top-six forward at the trade deadline?

Sure looks like it so far.

Nearly every buyer you talk to lists a top-six forward as an item on their wish list before the Feb. 27 trade deadline.

General managers are saying that goals are at a premium, since so many games are decided by one goal, so some playoff-bound teams are looking for one more offensive weapon.

"Our team is young and getting better and we see a lot of good things with our team right now, but if we can get a veteran forward or top-six forward, that would help us a lot," veteran Nashville Predators GM David Poile told ESPN.com this week.

Ah, but he’s not alone. Other teams confirmed to be looking for a top-six forward include Chicago, Toronto, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Detroit, the New York Rangers and, as Poile said, Nashville. San Jose could be in the mix for either a top-six forward or a checking-line forward. Boston and Vancouver are looking for a depth forward.

So, easier said than done when so many clubs are looking for similar assets.

"I’m running into the same thing everyone else is," said Poile, who did at least claim depth forward Brandon Yip off waivers Thursday. "There’s 15 to 20 teams right now that are aggressively calling the three or four or five teams that they think are appropriate to call. And there’s nothing happening with those teams right now."

What the trade market needs is more teams to declare themselves sellers and out of the playoff race. But it’s still too early for that. That’s what happens with so much parity in the standings.

Potential top-six forwards available? Again, it doesn’t mean all these players will move, but these are names we’ve heard that could be in play: Derek Roy, Brad Boyes and Drew Stafford in Buffalo; Vaclav Prospal, Antoine Vermette and Kristian Huselius in Columbus; Ales Hemsky in Edmonton; Tuomo Ruutu in Carolina; and the suddenly hot Jason Blake in Anaheim.

I believe both Detroit and Nashville are among the teams who like Hemsky, who is a UFA on July 1.

And of course there’s potentially Bobby Ryan in Anaheim as a trade target for many teams, although you wonder if the resurgence of the Ducks will give GM Bob Murray pause for thought. I still think Murray will take calls on Ryan right up through the deadline, but the offseason might afford a better window to instill more serious change in his lineup.

Blues' depth in goal

It wasn’t long after the St. Louis Blues announced the signing of Brian Elliott to a two-year, $3.6-million extension that some fans hit Twitter wondering whether that meant Jaroslav Halak was hitting the trade market.

Not so, says the GM of the Blues.

"We’re excited with the tandem that we have," Doug Armstrong told ESPN.com Thursday. "Our players know going into every game they have a chance to win regardless of who is in net. Sometimes when you have a 70-game goalie, when the other guy goes in, the players think it’s different. Right now, no matter who is in net for us, there’s no difference in our outlook on that game."

Like powerhouses Boston and Vancouver, the Blues are assured of top-notch goaltending every night and that can impact the standings.

"The importance of every point, the compacted schedule and the travel, we have the luxury of being able to count on two goalies every night," said Armstrong. "If it’s a four- or six-point difference from making or missing the playoffs, that position [netminder] can change that."

So if Halak and Elliott are both around to stay, what about No. 3 man Ben Bishop, currently in the AHL? There are some around the industry that think Bishop is one of the best netminders not in the NHL. He might garner some trade interest for St. Louis before Feb. 27.

Suter's future

Well, it wouldn’t be a week without a Ryan Suter update, right?

The dialogue continues with the Nashville Predators, Suter’s agent Neil Sheehy told ESPN.com Thursday, but there's really nothing new to report. By now everyone should know the star defenseman is slated for unrestricted free agency on July 1.

My take? I think the Suter camp is sitting back waiting to see what Poile can do to improve the team between now and the Feb. 27 trade deadline before deciding whether or not to sign.

So you’ve got a bit of the chicken and the egg here for Poile.

Most people believe Poile is going to be hard-pressed not to move Suter if he’s still unsigned by Feb. 27, but that’s not what the veteran GM told ESPN.com on Wednesday night.

"If you’re asking what I’m going to do, my gut is that we’re going to be trying to add to our team and if we’re adding to our team, we certainly don’t want to be taking away from it by making a deal like that," Poile said of trading Suter.

Shopping Niittymaki

The San Jose Sharks, as I reported earlier this season, would like to find a new NHL home for goalie Antero Niittymaki, who earns $2 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Sharks are showcasing him this weekend in the AHL; Niittymaki accepted a conditioning assignment Thursday to Worcester, where he was expected to start twice this weekend. Word is Niittymaki's surgically repaired hip is 100 percent. He'd be a decent pickup for a team needing insurance in goal.

Steckel can't escape Crosby

David Steckel won’t ever shake the questions. At least not unless Sidney Crosby returns for good.

Steckel’s collision with Crosby heard 'round the world more than a year ago at the Winter Classic is a subject he can’t escape.

"I can’t fault people for asking," Steckel told ESPN.com this week after a Toronto Maple Leafs practice. "There’s no way of taking it back. Obviously, I didn’t do it on purpose. It’s just something that I’ve lived with for a year and I’m going to have to live with for my career."

The magnitude of Crosby’s concussion issues, including a setback this season after only an eight-game return, hasn’t escaped Steckel.

"It sucks that the best player in the NHL has been out for what, 11 of the past 12 months basically," said Steckel. "For the game, it sucks. For Pittsburgh, it sucks."

Career will go on for Alfredsson, Brodeur?

With the news this week that Martin Brodeur is learning towards playing another season, I approached Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson in the same vein.

Like Brodeur, I asked Alfredsson, would your team’s success this season spur on a decision to return for another year?

"I think I’ll wait for the offseason to make that decision," Alfredsson said. "It’s more physical than mental. It’s about how my body holds up. So far, it’s been great. I’m having a lot of fun. But the toll it takes to play and the preparation it takes to get ready for another season, you have to consider that. But for sure the way we’ve been playing, I’ve been having a lot of fun."

Alfredsson, 39, has certainly played like he can stick around. He’s already surpassed his point total from last season and there’s still half a season to play. I think his heart is telling him he wants to play another season. But he’s waiting for his body after the season to concur.

As for Brodeur, I traded text messages with him Wednesday night and he confirmed what the New York Post first reported, that he was thinking about coming back next season.

"Leaning toward it," Brodeur told ESPN.com. "Haven’t made decision yet."

Brodeur will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Craig Custance and Pierre LeBrun go toe-to-toe on everything from Jack Johnson pulling a Tebow to the death of the legendary Ron Caron.

Custance: Hey, Pierre! Well, it was inevitable: Tim Tebow mania finally made its way to the NHL in the form of Jack Johnson Tebowing on Monday night after his second-period goal against the Capitals. He told Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times that a few of his buddies from the University of Michigan were in town and asked him to strike the Tebow pose if he scored. Naturally, he did. "I thought, 'I've got to pay up,'" Johnson told Dillman. Although the Capitals weren't thrilled with the celebration, I don't fault Johnson for feeling good. It's been awhile since the Kings put up an offensive effort like they did Monday night. His goal was Los Angeles' third in a 5-2 win over Washington. It was the Kings' highest goal output since scoring five against the Ducks on Nov. 17 and three more than they'd scored in their previous three games combined. Jonathan Bernier, who has received very little offensive support all season, probably didn't know what to do with that kind of cushion. So are we seeing a breakout in Los Angeles? And do you have any issues with Johnson having some fun after scoring his goal?

LeBrun: I’ve got no problem with Johnson having some fun after a goal. As long as you’re not machine-gunning in the direction of the opposing goalie during a goal celebration, I’m all for players showing emotion and personality. Too often the NHL is criticized for having players with not enough personality. I guess had Johnson done it against the Penguins, it might have been a little much, given that Pittsburgh fans are still mourning Sunday’s shocking overtime loss in Denver. But I think my favorite moment Monday night was actually the reaction of Kings play-by-play man Bob Miller after Jarret Stoll made it 4-1 in the second period. "The Kings have four goals!" Miller said, his voice genuinely surprised. The offensively challenged Kings finally gave their goalie some breathing room. I don’t think this means the Kings are going to score at will moving forward, but I do see a confidence building in the Kings’ game that wasn’t there before Darryl Sutter came on board. I can’t say the same about the Caps, who lost yet again on the road Monday night. They’re not the same team away from Verizon Center, as underlined by their 14-5-1 record at home and 7-12-1 mark on the road. That’s not going to cut it if the Caps want to be a playoff team.

Custance: It doesn't help the cause that the Capitals sent Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom home before the game. Green (groin) has played just 10 games this season, and the Capitals are a remarkable 9-1 with him in the lineup. He's that important to their success. Backstrom might be even more vital. I asked former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau what it would mean to Washington's success if Backstrom continued to miss time after taking an elbow to the head against Calgary on Jan. 3, and he said the center is absolutely crucial to the Capitals' efforts to get back in the playoff hunt. "To me, he's the straw that stirs the drink on that team, as much as Alex [Ovechkin] is the focus," Boudreau said. "It would affect them. I think he missed one game in his career, or two games. I hated when he got hurt last year. It was the first time in his career he got injured." Boudreau knows Washington's franchise center well and knows it'll take a lot to keep him out of the lineup much longer. "Nicky is one tough guy," he said. "He plays through pain." Washington heads home now for an off day Tuesday before hosting the Penguins on Wednesday. That game has suddenly gone from a heated rivalry to a battle of attrition.

LeBrun: I remember a conversation with Caps GM George McPhee earlier this season in which he pointed to Green's absence as one that really hurt his team. McPhee felt that more than any other player, the Caps really struggled without him in the lineup. His injury battles this season certainly underline the struggles the Caps have had all season long; it's hard not to see a link. They need him healthy and back in the lineup once and for all. It's hard to believe that Wednesday’s game between the Caps and Penguins will be between two clubs fighting for their playoff lives. That’s a storyline nobody saw coming in September.

Before we go, Craig, we certainly should touch on some sad news from Tuesday morning, when the St. Louis Blues confirmed that former GM Ron Caron died Monday night. I think we all can remember the clips of the Prof reacting wildly at a bad call from a referee up in his box during a Blues game in the 1980s. I traded text messages with Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour on Tuesday morning, and we both agreed Caron was one-of-a-kind. "He was intense and committed to his job and to his players," Gilmour said.

Custance: In a game loaded with storytellers, he'll go down as one of the best. A few years ago, the great Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail wrote a column that captured Caron's personality, including a story about how Caron once was so upset with John Ferguson Sr. that they wrestled in the press box of Winnipeg Arena. "They threw away the mold after they made Ron Caron. He was a unique individual, as intense competitor as I've ever seen," Cliff Fletcher said in the story. That really sums it up. I think he would have enjoyed Tuesday night's game between the Blues and the Canadiens, two franchises on which he left his impression. Ken Hitchcock is wisely giving Jaroslav Halak the start in goal against his former team, even though Brian Elliott is coming off a shutout. That's a coach who knows how to win over a room. I can't imagine a regular-season game Halak would want to win more than this one.

LeBrun: Halak has played much better since Hitchcock took over, much like most of his teammates. Elliott’s play hasn’t tailed off one bit, so the Blues coach can’t go wrong no matter whom he puts in goal. That’s the kind of luxury that teams such as Boston and Vancouver also have in goal. It’s one of the reasons the Blues are legitimate Cup contenders in my eyes. I’m sure that made Ron Caron smile during the past few months as he saw his beloved Blues climb back up the standings. Tonight, the Prof will be watching from the press box in hockey heaven. Rest in peace.

Another week, another chance for you puck heads to vent. Let’s take a look at the ones I picked:

gladius710: Why does Brian Elliot all the sudden start trying this year??? When my Avalanche got revenge on Craig Anderson, throwing away their season last year by thumping Ottawa this year, it was very satisfying to watch. However, I was hoping to get the same kind of payback on Elliot, who was just as bad as Anderson was, but he shut us out, which did not make me happy. Why can't a goalie say "I want to play good in Denver?" Varly and Jiggy are better than what I have been used to, but they are still both not playing to their potentials.

My take: Both the Senators and Avalanche are scratching their heads this season wondering where this version of Brian Elliott came from. One thing I can tell you is that sometimes when a player’s livelihood is suddenly threatened, it can act as a life-changing moment. Elliott went to camp in St. Louis not knowing if he had a job. He had to battle Ben Bishop for the backup job with zero promises from the Blues. Heck, he signed a two-way contract. There’s a kind of hunger, survival instinct, that sometimes comes out of that. It reminds me of Dan Cleary going to Detroit years ago on a tryout at camp. His career almost ended right then and there. I think Elliott is playing with a chip on his shoulder after realizing he was in danger of losing it all.

PHIGatorFan: Lebrun, what is Ilya Bryzgalov's issue? As a Flyers fan who thought the goaltending carousel was finally over, clearly it isn't (or at least this year it isn't). Do you think it was the HBO cameras? Is it him collapsing under the pressure he said he was prepared for? Is it a new system? Or should we just stop making excuses for him and say he's what some say he is -- a headcase.

I really want to like the goalie, especially after his '24/7' interviews. But, he's paid to be a top-5 goalie in the NHL, not a comedian. Unfortunately, I'm about to take over the reins on the "Trade Bryz Bandwagon," although that won't ever happen.

Sincerely,
Concerned Flyers Fan

My take: Let me first say I honestly believe Bryzgalov will settle down and Flyers fans will be able to relax. Having said that, I must bring you back to a conversation I had with a former teammate of Bryzgalov’s last summer. We were chatting about his deal in Philadelphia and he said to me, "Bryz is a great goaltender. I just wonder how he’s going to handle everything else there in that market."

The player left it at that, but it clearly left me with the impression that he was questioning what was between the ears for Bryzgalov, not so much his technical skill. And right now, that is exactly what I believe Flyers’ brass is worried about: Bryzgalov’s mental toughness.

Like I said at the beginning of this answer, though, I truly think Bryzgalov will fight through this and figure it out. Sometimes it just takes a while for a player to get used to a bigger market.

lebo0508: Pierre, WHATS GOING ON IN PITTSBURGH!?! Two years in a row and I've never seen a team as decimated by injuries as the Pens have managed over the past two seasons. Is it just my fanhood bias or is it getting to unprecedented levels? And as for the talks for the Pens to make trades, I don't think they should. You have a team top to bottom built strong and young for the long haul. One or two new guys won't save this team, why waste any of the talent we have? Just play the AHL baby pens this year and bring back the pro squad (and hopefully a fully recovered Crosby) next Fall!

My take: It is quite unreal how the Penguins have been felled by injuries the past two years. And not just injuries in total, but to the very best players on their roster. I don’t view it as anything else but bad luck. As far as what GM Ray Shero can do, I think he needs to first determine, along with Sidney Crosby, what Crosby's future is for this season before Shero can do anything on a large-scale basis. I think the Penguins still believe Crosby will play again this season. If at some point in time Crosby and the Penguins decide he won’t play this season -- and again, that’s not the feeling I’m getting right now -- then Shero has lots of cap flexibility to see what’s out there.

Fpt03: Montreal handled this coaching thing terribly. First off, Gauthier, you don't apologize for hiring the coach that is currently behind the bench. And secondly, if you want to apologize, apologize for running what used to be one of the proudest franchises in the NHL straight into the ground. Also, all of the people Randy Cunneyworth's hiring, you are not a fan. If you were, you wouldn't care what language the coach speaks. So stop claiming to represent Montreal fans because you clearly do not.

My take: Lots of passion in this one. Not much else for me to add. I especially like the part where you say Gauthier ran this team into the ground. If the Canadiens miss the playoffs, I’d be shocked if Gauthier kept his job.

Raging_Fury: Pierre, I was so happy to see the NHLPA give the finger to the league on their new realignment plan. It was ridiculous! Two conferences had more teams than the other two, and the fact that they were thinking about reseeding the teams for the conference finals was maddening. Who'd wanna watch L.A. play the Sharks for the Cup (other than you)? I read Custance say once that he'd rather play in a weaker 8-team conference than in a tough 7-team one. Who said that'd be the case? How about being stuck in a brutal 8-team zone, seeing a week 7-team one cruise to the playoffs? I can't believe that Bettman went through all this trouble just to keep Detroit in the West. With so many teams losing money, the NHL must realize that hockey doesn't belong everywhere! We should only keep the teams with a strong fan base, the teams that don't rely on some visiting teams to survive. Call it 'Natural Selection Hockey Edition' if you will. There are two East-zone teams to play in the West: Detroit and Columbus. The only reasonable thing to do is to swap the Wings with the Jets, and leave everything else as is. It's working just fine. As far as the Jackets go, I like what the unnamed GM said to one of you: "the league should buy that team and fold it" with one other request: Add the Islanders to that list as well.

My take: Well, whether or not you’re in favor of the realignment plan voted on by owners last month, that’s one thing. But as I wrote over the weekend, I truly believe this decision by the union not to give realignment its blessing has more to do with sending an opening message ahead of the upcoming labor talks. And that’s fine with me. I’m not sure this is the issue I would have chosen to get it done, but I do believe it was important for the players at some point early in this process to show a united front and inform the league and everyone else that they weren’t going to be pushed around once labor talks began. As long as everyone understands the real overtones of this realignment squabble, it’s not that difficult to comprehend from that perspective.

moorparkkingsfan: To quote Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles, "What in the wide world of sports is going on here?" Why are the Kings having so much trouble scoring goals? I just don't get it. It's not like they don't have talented offensive players. I have never seen a collective group of players go through a slump like they have with the talent they have. Will Dean Lombardi look to make a trade and try to shake the doldrums out of the team? And who might they target? They might make the playoffs with this team, but I don't think they go very far if they do.

My take: Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard when I saw the Blazing Saddles reference. One of my all-time favorite movies. Mel Brooks rocks. But to answer your question: Kings GM Dean Lombardi is not thrilled with the production of his wingers so far this season. That’s been a big letdown for his team offensively. And it’s why if the Kings are still in a playoff spot come February, he’ll be focused on looking for an upgrade at wing.

VatchyoPooperz: My rant has to do with the Canucks. Why do they complain about everything? Canucks complaining about Marchand and calling him dirty. Do they look at their own team?? Alex Burrows is as dirty as they come. Bites a guy in the finals, then on Saturday when Thornton tapped him on the back of the leg, he jabs at him with his stick chest level starting a brawl in which Lucic gets kicked out. Hitting and fighting is not dirty! Biting and spearing is. Not to mention how many times did we see Canucks talking smack back and forth with the Bruins, like from penalty box to penalty box. But then when they line up next to each other and drop the gloves, the Canuck player steps back and doesn't drop them and says "hey, hey man I didn't do anything, what's going on here". That's why Van can't win the Cup, because that is what they are made of. I hope Canucks fans enjoyed the Cup ceremony last June because that is as close as this team will ever get to it again. Sack up! Sorry for the rant!

My take: Well, given the lack of objectivity among fans in the cities of Vancouver and Boston, let me be the voice of reason here given all the backtalk after this terrific Saturday game. Claude Julien began this with his postgame rant Saturday. That’s a fact. Alain Vigneault was asked to respond to Julien’s comments and he did, which stirred the pot further. Then the Bruins responded again Monday to Vigneault’s comments. OK everyone, school recess is at 10 a.m. Hey, it’s been great for the media covering both teams, that’s for sure. A rematch in the Stanley Cup finals would be fantastic.

Shiggityshwa22: Pierre, this rant is about the play of John Tavares. I know you haven't even talked about the Isles in three months and probably won't again this season, but the level he is playing at is by far the best of his career. If the team surrounding him was even close to average, he'd be the talk of the league; but since he's on Long Island where our only national televised game was for the return of Sid, nobody even knows that he is still in the league.

My take: Completely agree on Tavares, he’s been fantastic this season. Like Rick Nash has endured in Columbus, it goes largely unnoticed when your team continues to play like a bag of hammers. I wonder sometimes if Tavares regrets having signed his extension in September. But like Nash, I give Tavares credit for wanting to be loyal to the team that drafted him and wanting to be part of the solution, not the exodus.

gbongman: Pierre, I really only have one thing to "rant" about and it is about next years Winter Classic. I know there is discussion on where it should be and who should be in it, and I believe the answer is clear. In 2013, the Winter Classic should without a doubt be held in Minnesota at Target Field, and should play the Dallas Stars. Minnesota, as everyone knows, is the state of hockey and a place where the game is brought outdoors all winter long, and now that the Wild have proven that they are a team to be reckoned with again, I feel they have earned the right to play in the Classic. Also with the wonderful addition of Target Field, Minnesota now has a proper venue for the Winter Classic to be played at. Now as for who they should play, I think it is obvious that the Wild should face off against the Stars, and the Stars should wear the original North Star uni's since that was the original Minnesota team. It will be a fantastic game of old versus new, a perfect way for the Winter Classic to start breaking away from Original Six teams and begin to incorporate other teams from around the nation into the sports favorite game of the year, the Winter Classic.

My take: Love your idea. I know from talking to league sources that Minnesota is at least on the radar to eventually get a Winter Classic. And the great hockey fans in Minnesota deserve one, too. But at this point, my bet is on Detroit hosting next season.

In the spirit of the holiday break, we bring you a six-pack of players who have been surprises for their respective teams this season:

Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues

Has there been a more dramatic turnaround in the league this season?

Elliott, 26, was unwanted in Ottawa last season and shipped to Colorado, where the Avalanche didn’t retain his services, either, after a season in which he posted awful numbers, albeit for a pair of doormat clubs.

Hat in hand, the native of Newmarket, Ontario, accepted a two-way contract with the Blues with the only promise that he could battle young Ben Bishop in camp for the right to back up Jaroslav Halak.

And Elliott signed the exact same deal as Bishop -- $600,000 NHL salary, $105,000 AHL salary.

“I thought he made a really wise business decision to take the exact same contract that Bishop had,” Blues GM Doug Armstrong told ESPN.com this week. “If he would have come in at $900,000 or something like that, we may have maybe looked at it from a business perspective and wondered if it was worth the extra money. But he came in under the exact same contract and made it a true competition on the ice.”

In the end, Armstrong said, Elliott and Bishop had good camps, but the Blues decided to keep the more experienced Elliott on the NHL roster.

“He’s certainly made the most of the opportunity,” Armstrong said.

You think? How about leading all NHL goalies in goals-against average (1.52) and save percentage (.944) entering Friday night? Unreal.

Funny how a player can react when his career hangs in the balance.

“He had to recalibrate, he had to re-establish himself,” Armstrong said. “Early in the year, he played a great game in San Jose and was able to follow that up. And quite honestly, we’ve played a really good team game in front of him also to try and minimize second opportunities.”

Indeed, the Blues give up the fewest shots of any team in the NHL, so that certainly doesn’t hurt.

Elliott, meanwhile, is slated to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“We haven’t talked to any of our players yet who will be unrestricted,” Armstrong said. “Once we get to the 45-, 50-game mark, it may be time but we haven’t got there yet.”

You better bet they’ll want Elliott back to continue his terrific tandem with Halak.

Jason Garrison, Florida Panthers

Had you told anyone on the Florida Panthers in September that Jason Garrison would be leading all NHL defensemen with 10 goals entering their last game before the Christmas break, they would have asked how many drinks you’ve had.

After all, Garrison entered the season with seven career goals in 113 career NHL games as mostly a rugged, defensive blueliner in his first two years.

But first-year coach Kevin Dineen saw the merits of trying out Garrison’s heavy shot on the power play. Combined with Brian Campbell’s silky smooth setup passes teeing him up, Garrison has struck gold with his thunderous blasts from the point.

“He’s got a cannon for a shot, he gets some nice feeds from Soupy and he’s been a real fun surprise for us,” Panthers GM Dale Tallon told ESPN.com this week. “We’ll certainly take it.”

And it just so happens that the 27-year-old Garrison, a native of White Rock, British Columbia, is slated for unrestricted free agency July 1. He’ll be getting a raise from the $675,000 he’s earning this season, and Tallon told ESPN.com both sides have begun preliminary contract talks.

"Cha-ching" might just be Garrison’s new middle name.

Eric Nystrom, Dallas Stars

Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk joked with ESPN.com in early October that the Sean Avery contract was the gift that keeps on giving.

Little did he know how true that actually would end up being for the Stars.

When the New York Rangers demoted Avery in the first week of the season, it threatened to put the Stars under the league’s minimum salary floor, because suddenly half of the winger’s contract was coming off the cap (the Rangers claimed Avery off re-entry waivers from the Stars during the 2008-09 season, keeping Dallas on the hook for half his four-year deal).

So the Stars were forced to scramble and pick up a salary ASAP as not to fall under the floor. They scoured the early-season market -- there certainly wasn’t much out there -- and settled on Nystrom from the Minnesota Wild organization.

To Nieuwendyk’s credit, he told me the very day, Oct. 12, Nystrom was acquired that the Stars felt they picked up a player who could help them and that it wasn’t solely a payroll-saving transaction.

Still, Nystrom never ends up with the Stars if the Rangers don’t demote Avery first.

“Funny how things play out sometimes, right?” Nieuwendyk told ESPN.com this week.

The 28-year-old Nystrom, son of famous Islanders player Bob Nystrom, has put up 11 goals in 28 games for the Stars, nothing short of stunning while playing on an effective third line with Vern Fiddler and Radek Dvorak.

“Eric’s been great for us,” Nieuwendyk said. “I think when you go through some of the things he’s been through, like signing in Minnesota and then being put in the minors, you get a young guy who is appreciative of the opportunity. It’s infectious around the locker room. There’s not too many rainy days with this guy. The sun is always shining. That positive energy has been terrific for our hockey team.”

The native of Syosset, N.Y., has one more year on a deal that pays him $1.4 million next season.

Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes

Ilya Bryzgalov exited Phoenix last summer, and Smith replaced him.

And with that, very few people in the hockey world held out any hope the Coyotes had a chance this season.

Coyotes GM Don Maloney told me last September during a preseason game in Glendale, Ariz., that if somehow his club could get top-15 goaltending this season, it would be able to hang in there.

I shook hands with Maloney and wished him good luck, while I thought, “Top-15 goaltending from Mike Smith and Jason Labarbera? Dream on!”

Once again, those of us who doubted the Coyotes are reminded not to have done so.

Smith, 29, entered the Christmas break sixth in the NHL among goalies with 15 wins and 15th with a solid .920 save percentage.

That’s nothing short of surprising for a guy who was discarded by the Tampa Bay Lightning last season and even spent time in the AHL.

“For the first 20 games of the season, Mike was at the top of the league in every category and was one of the very best goalies in the league,” Maloney told ESPN.com this week. “The last few weeks he hasn’t been quite as dynamic but he’s still giving us a chance to win every night.”

When Bryzgalov wouldn’t re-sign last June, it left the club with a big hole and not a lot of money to fill it. Maloney scoped the market and decided Smith was a worthy gamble, partly because Smith broke into the league under Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, when Tippett coached the Dallas Stars in 2006-07.

“For us, it came back to Mike’s age, Tipp’s familiarity with him, Burkey’s (goalies coach Sean Burke) potential tutoring. We just felt if could help him along he was poised to take on a No. 1 role,” Maloney said.

Maloney, the 2009-10 NHL GM of the Year, has been proved right so far.

Of course, the cynics will say any goalie can thrive in Tippett’s system.

“I think our system certainly helps Mike, but at the end of the day he’s still the guy stopping the puck,” Maloney said. “There’s games we had no right being in earlier this season that he kept us in. I just think it’s all come together for Mike.”

Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators

Michalek, 27, has already surpassed his entire goal tally from last season (18) and is easily on pace to eclipse his career high of 26 goals he set in 2006-07 with the San Jose Sharks.

The obvious difference this season is that he’s finally healthy. Serious knee problems and ACL surgeries over the past few years have limited his durability and effectiveness. But the Czech winger is back.

“There’s no question that knee injury really hurt him and set him back,” Senators GM Bryan Murray told ESPN.com earlier this month. “That’s the real difference this season; he was able to work hard over the summer. He came to camp in great shape and his skating is really good at this point.”

A concussion suffered after colliding with teammate Erik Karlsson on Dec. 13 on the same night he scored his 19th goal (in 31 games) has sidelined him, but all signs point to a return after the holiday break.

He’s one of several key reasons the rebuilding Senators have surprised this season.

Michalek is in the fourth season of a six-year deal that carries a $4.33 million cap hit, paying him $4.75 million in salary next season and $6 million in 2013-14.

Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs

Lupul had a contract the Anaheim Ducks could not wait to discard last season.

Serious back problems -- including a scary infection -- limited Lupul over a two-year stretch, convincing the Ducks he wasn’t worth the $4.25 million a year he had coming through the 2012-13 season. Few people would have argued with them, either.

The Ducks found a willing trade partner when the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to take Lupul and prospect Jake Gardiner in exchange for Francois Beauchemin last Feb. 9.

Gardiner, who has surprised himself this season in making the Leafs out of camp, was the main attraction, but Leafs GM Brian Burke was hopeful in the back of his mind Lupul would rediscover the touch that netted a career-high 28 goals for Burke’s Ducks in 2005-06.

“Never ‘had’ to take him,” Burke, disputing that notion, wrote ESPN.com via email this week. “The year I traded him to get [Chris] Pronger, he was our best forward in the playoffs. The deal last season made sense -- [the Ducks] were at a higher point than we were, couldn’t wait for the infection to heal while they paid him big dough. We were in a position to wait.”

Few knew what to expect from Lupul entering this season, but challenging for the NHL scoring lead certainly wasn’t among expectations.

Now healthy and his back problems a thing of the past, the 28-year-old entered Friday night with 37 points (15-22) in 34 games, a dynamic force alongside linemate Phil Kessel.

Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun look at a few of the surprising goaltending performances early on this season:

Burnside: Well, my friend, it was another interesting night between the pipes Tuesday in the NHL. When Mathieu Garon was signed by GM Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay, how many people thought he would be the goalie to get the Eastern Conference finalists back on track after an ugly start to the season?

Garon was terrific again in the Lightning's 4-3 win over the Sabres and improved to a 3-1-1 record. Garon now has a 1.78 goals-against average and .942 save percentage after relieving the struggling Dwayne Roloson early on. Garon's play is mindful of Brent Johnson last season for the Penguins when starter Marc-Andre Fleury began the campaign playing like a bag of hammers. Fleury got back on track and finished with impressive numbers over the final two-thirds of the season. Do you expect the same of Roloson? What other goaltending surprises have caught your eye in the first month?

LeBrun: I do think Roloson will settle down, but given his age, 41, Yzerman was wise to bring in some veteran insurance in Garon. It's easy to forget, but Garon outplayed Steve Mason last season in Columbus and was a big reason the Jackets threatened to make the playoffs. The Lightning GM made it a priority to find a quality backup that could play some games behind Roloson. So far, that decision is proving fruitful. Garon is also a good character guy, and Yzerman was mindful of that, as well.

"He's been very good and has given us a chance to win [in] each game he's played," Yzerman told me via email Wednesday. "We did not play well in Buffalo, Mathieu had to make several difficult saves in the first period; if not, we could have been down 5-0. Somehow we got back in the game and we're fortunate to come out with a victory."

Another surprise has to be Nikolai Khabibulin in Edmonton. The veteran netminder looked to be on his way out of the league with his play last season, not to mention his legal troubles off the ice. But he is sporting a 0.97 GAA and .963 save percentage, stopping 35 shots in a 3-2 win over Vancouver on Tuesday night. Simply mind-boggling to me.

Burnside: No question Khabibulin, 38, looks like he's found the fountain of youth, at least early on. Speaking of another old-timer, how about the work of Johan Hedberg in New Jersey? With Martin Brodeur sidelined early with a shoulder injury, the Devils could have gone sideways like they did a year ago when confronted by injuries to key personnel (including Brodeur). But Hedberg, also 38, has been a rock. He stopped all 31 shots Tuesday night in a 3-0 win against red-hot Los Angeles. Hedberg is now 4-1-1 with a .937 save percentage and a 1.86 GAA.

I must admit, I didn't quite understand president and GM Lou Lamoriello's decision to bring back Hedberg since there doesn't appear to be an apparent plan of succession for the Hall of Fame-bound Brodeur; but Lamoriello has proved doubters wrong, at least early on, as has Hedberg, who is one of the most easy-going players in the league.

LeBrun: The Devils look like a playoff team right now, just as they did in the second half last season. What about St. Louis? Who could have foreseen Brian Elliott challenging Jaroslav Halak in the Blues' net early this season? Elliott wasn't even assured of a job in camp, as he had to battle Ben Bishop for the backup job before finally winning it. Elliott has been in the pipes of late, and the Blues have turned things around after a slow start. This is the same Elliott who was discarded by Ottawa and Colorado. What gives?

"Coming into training camp, there was competition for a roster spot," Blues GM Doug Armstrong told ESPN.com on Wednesday morning. "He and Bishop both played well, probably to a draw, but we decided to go with experience. When Brian has got a chance here to play, he's been very strong for us. One thing that's impressed his teammates is his mental approach and work ethic. Right now, he's on a roll and it's benefited us."

The question is, how is Halak taking it?

"Jaro understands that we need to win games," said Armstrong. "He's preparing and working real hard in practice. One of the things that we talked about to our team in camp is that we want to have great depth at all positions. We have that in goal, too. Jaro knows he's going to be a big part of things here."

Burnside: Well, in my books, no goalie has been more surprising than Dallas' Kari Lehtonen, who won again Tuesday. Lehtonen is a perfect 7-0-0 with a .955 save percentage and 1.54 GAA, and has made more stops than any netminder in the league. Having watched Lehtonen struggle early in his career in Atlanta, the jury is still out for me on whether he's a true No. 1 goalie, someone who turns in 65-70 starts a season and maintains the consistency that separates the average from the good and the good from the great. But early on, the Stars have been one of the surprise teams in the league, and Lehtonen's play has put them in a great position to secure an unexpected playoff berth. Wonder what we'll be saying about Lehtonen and the Stars at midseason?

LeBrun: Not sure I agree with you that Lehtonen is the biggest surprise. He was the Stars' No. 1 goalie last season and turned in what was for the most part a solid performance. He struggled at times, yes, but he was their No. 1 goalie from wire to wire; so, apart from the fact that he's on fire right now, I don't qualify that as a big surprise. To me, there is no greater surprise than Elliott challenging Halak. An interesting decision awaits Blues coach Davis Payne tonight in Vancouver. My guess is Elliott will get the start because he's on a roll, but how long do you let Halak sit out? Until tomorrow, my friend.

1. Leadership lacking in Edmonton

It seems everyone is prepared to give the Edmonton Oilers a free pass this season no matter what they do. While the red flares are shooting up all over the league, at least as far as the media are concerned, with teams from Calgary to Long Island to Toronto, everyone seems to pretty much shrug their shoulders at the Oilers' foibles. Fair enough. We get that they are rebuilding after a dead-last finish last season. We are a big fan of coach Tom Renney, and we think he has the perfect temperament to coach a young team that has miles to go before they sleep. But, youthfulness doesn't excuse lethargy and downright incompetence on the ice and there have to be hard questions asked about the ancillary parts of this team and the example they're setting for the team's young cornerstones, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi.

During a just-completed four-game Eastern road trip, the Oil were crushed 7-1 and 6-2 by Carolina and Detroit, respectively. They blew a 3-1 lead against woeful New Jersey, allowing the Devils to win their first home game of the season. Then to close out the trip, they led the New York Rangers 2-1 before giving up seven unanswered goals en route to a 8-2 shellacking on Sunday. And this with backup Martin Biron in goal for the Rangers.

So, just who is setting the example in Edmonton? Dustin Penner? He was minus-4 on Sunday and has shown little inclination to use his size or his abilities for the greater good. Defenseman Tom Gilbert? Likewise minus-4 on Sunday and minus-10 on the road trip.

The Oilers' sorry plight brings into sharper focus the questionable decision to banish veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray to the AHL after his squabble with management last season.

Could Souray's presence in the lineup (when he's not injured, as he is now) have been any worse an example than what the Oilers' "leadership" core has shown thus far? One would think not.

2. On the road again

Coaches in general don't like to discuss the schedule because, like the weather, what else are you going to do but get your umbrella out when it rains? Yet you could hardly blame Tampa head coach Guy Boucher for shaking his head as he packs for yet another first-quarter road trip.

After dropping a 4-1 decision to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday in Tampa, the Lightning are back on the road this week for games in Long Island, Philadelphia and Buffalo.

Before Christmas, they will have completed their second trip to the West with a swing through Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. By the time Canadians finish celebrating Boxing Day on Dec. 26, the Lightning will have played 36 games, 22 of which will have been played away from the St. Pete Times Forum.

Throw in the crippling spate of injuries that has seen the Lightning lose captain Vincent Lecavalier and Simon Gagne long term along with Steve Downie (he returned to action Sunday), and Boucher acknowledged these are difficult times for the team.

"It's survival time. Let's not kid ourselves, until Christmas it's survival time. We know it. We knew it. What we didn't know is that we were going to get all these injuries and all these guys that were sick," Boucher said.

The Lightning began the season as one of the top offensive teams in the NHL but have managed just 13 goals in their past seven games.

On Sunday the Lightning outshot Minnesota 38-18 but couldn't take control of the game when it was there to be taken.

"We want to see through the clouds. We're in a cloud right now," Boucher said.

Not that the Bolts are the only team that longs for some home cooking. As of Monday morning, the New York Islanders had played a league-low five home games and a league-high 12 road games. They have not won a game anywhere since Oct. 21, 11 games ago.

3. Wild becoming legit contender

Slowly but surely, the Minnesota Wild are edging themselves back into a position where they may be more than just a team that hovers around the edge of the playoff bubble.

Although they still rank 27th in goals per game, they have managed to lop off almost a goal per game from last year's weak defensive effort.

They currently rank sixth in goals allowed per game and combine that with two top-rated special teams and it's easy to see why the Wild are pleased with how they've turned things around as they began the week in second place in the Northwest Division, four points back of Vancouver.

"That's the strength of our team right now, our specialty teams play and our goaltending," GM Chuck Fletcher told ESPN.com.

Improving the team's goals against was a top priority from Day 1 of training camp. But Fletcher also understands there is more than a little impatience in the State of Hockey given that the team hasn't won a playoff round since 2003 and has missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

Even though the team has been without five to seven regulars pretty much since the start of the season, they still have managed to ice a squad that boasts the NHL's top power play and a penalty-killing unit that is ranked seventh.

On Sunday, the power play accounted for two more goals in a 4-1 victory, a game in which they were badly out-chanced.

"We bend a lot but we don't break," Fletcher said. "It's hard when you lose skilled players," he said. "It's been a bit of a challenge for us."

4. Elliot earns Senators' confidence

Funny how things go when it comes to goaltending. Two years ago when the Ottawa Senators added Pascal Leclaire from Columbus, they hoped the deal would solidify a position that had been in turmoil since Ray Emery's fall from grace after the 2007 run to the Stanley Cup final. But Leclaire has been prone to injury and when healthy, prone to playing poorly. In his place has stepped Brian Elliott, who was drafted in the ninth round by the Sens back in 2003. How long ago was that? They don't even have a ninth round anymore. Yet Elliott has earned the confidence of a Senators team that has surged back into the hunt for the Northeast Division crown with a 9-4 record that includes five straight victories and seven wins in his past eight appearances.

Saturday, Elliott backstopped the Senators to a 2-0 win over Boston with 31 saves in a game that saw Tim Thomas suffer his first loss of the season.

The victory also saw the Sens leapfrog Boston in the Northeast Division standings.

5. Odd man out in Philadelphia

Just in case you thought life was fair, we bring you the soon to be uncomfortable issue confronting Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren.

Netminder Michael Leighton is back skating and will soon be healthy enough to rejoin the Flyers after surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. When he does, the red-hot Flyers will have three netminders and Holmgren will be in the unenviable position of having to dispose of one of the goaltenders who helped make the Flyers' improbable run to the Stanley Cup final last spring possible. Barring a setback to Leighton, it is likely Brian Boucher will find himself sent to the AHL as the odd man out in the rotation. Of course, it was Boucher who stoned the New York Rangers in a shootout in Game 82 last year to get the Flyers into the playoffs. He was the goalie who helped the Flyers dispose of New Jersey in five games and was the goaltender that started the Flyers' historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit against Boston before he was injured and Leighton carried the freight the rest of the way.

Regardless of that valiant effort, Boucher will likely be set out with the trash in the coming days thanks to the impeccable play of rookie netminder Sergei Bobrovsky who has 10 wins, tied for second in the NHL, and boasts a save percentage of .932 and 2.08 GAA.

The Flyers could carry three netminders, but that makes little sense vis a vis the salary cap, so when Leighton gets clearance to play one will have to go. Fair? No. Reality? Indeed.

... Because three just wasn't enough.

Matthew Barnaby shows the Senators a lot of love in picking his four stars of the night as Ottawa's Jason Spezza, Brian Elliott and Peter Regin are joined on the list by Columbus' Mathieu Garon.

Thursday's results

• Former Rangers Blair Betts and Nikolay Zherdev scored to help the Flyers cruise past the Rangers. Flyers 4, Rangers 1 »
• Mathieu Garon stopped 25 shots for his second straight shutout and the Blue Jackets beat the Thrashers. Blue Jackets 3, Thrashers 0 »
• Jason Spezza had a goal and three assists and the Senators handed the Islanders their sixth straight loss. Senators 4, Islanders 1 »
• David Perron made the San Jose Sharks pay once he recovered from Joe Thornton's elbow to the head, helping the St. Louis Blues win their sixth in a row at home to start the season. Blues 2, Sharks 0 »
• Backup Cory Schneider stopped 33 shots, Ryan Kesler scored the first of three power-play goals and the Canucks won their fifth straight. Canucks 3, Avalanche 1 »
• Jonathan Quick made 24 saves in his ninth career shutout, Justin Williams scored with 14:40 to play and the Los Angeles Kings remained unbeaten at home. Kings 1, Lightning 0 »