ESPN NHL

Lou Lamoriello was in a talkative mood Friday morning, the phone line burning with his passion for the game, but mostly his passion for his New Jersey Devils.

While the conversation began with thoughts on his team showing the experts wrong by reaching the Eastern Conference finals, it’s clear the longtime GM of the Devils was tempering his present success with the regrets of last season.

A year ago, his team missed the postseason for the first time in 14 seasons. It’s just not something the Devils do under Lou Lamoriello. It was a nightmarish first half that ultimately forced him to fire loyal Devil John MacLean as head coach just before Christmas.

"Last year I take full responsibility because you can’t have the players we have and the summer we had and put that in the hands of a young coach," Lamoriello told ESPN.com on Friday. "Once the wheels start coming off, unfortunately we had to make the decision we did. Then we got it back on track but it was too late. We’ve always felt that we should be able to have a team that can compete."

They are doing more than just competing right now, fresh off a five-game second-round victory over the favored Philadelphia Flyers.

Just don’t tell Lou the Devils "have surprised."

"We did have over 100 points during the season; it’s not like we weren’t one of the teams that have a chance," he pointedly observed.

When Jacques Lemaire went back into retirement after last season, Lamoriello filled the coaching void with Pete DeBoer, who had been fired in Florida. And that’s where this year’s success begins, Lamoriello said.

"I think Pete is very intelligent; that’s the first thing I recognized about him. He has no ego, and that’s a prerequisite here," Lamoriello chuckled. "And I felt very comfortable when I spoke to him.

"Philosophically, he believes in defense [another Devils must] and yet he wanted to push a little. The game has changed today and you have to adjust. But the one thing you don’t do is change the fundamentals, the particulars, that players have to do. He’s done, in my mind, a tremendous job coming from last year to this year."

Under DeBoer, star winger Ilya Kovalchuk has flourished. A year ago, Kovalchuk was the whipping boy for the critics, some of it fair given his lack of production at times and his seeming difficulty adjusting to the Devils after signing a huge contract in the summer of 2010. Today, Kovalchuk is the Devils’ top Conn Smythe candidate through two rounds.

"I can’t say enough about Ilya," Lamoriello said. "First thing you have to know about Ilya Kovalchuk is that he’s a good person. He cares about his teammates, he gets along with them, he interacts with them. He came into an organization [Atlanta] when he was 18 years old and he was asked to do things that you really shouldn’t ask anyone to do and along the way you take things into your own hands. He’s come here, he’s fit in, he’s responded to the changes that were asked of him to make for the good of the team, and I can’t say enough about him. I just can’t say enough."

Before I can ask another question, Lamoriello moves on to captain Zach Parise. Again, hefty praise.

"We’ve got a leader here in Zach who just exemplifies what you want out of a player every shift," Lamoriello said. "And Patrick Elias and Marty [Martin Brodeur] and [Bryce] Salvador -- the leadership has been strong. We’ve got people who help each other. They don’t want to let each other down right now and that’s what you need."

What better way to end the conversation than with "Marty." Can anyone remember a time when neither Lamoriello nor Brodeur was not part of the scene in New Jersey?

Having just turned 40, Brodeur is defying those who said his game was slipping.

"I mean, how many years now people have said, 'Marty this' and 'Marty that,'" said the Devils GM. "I don’t know of any other goalie that I’d want in a seven-game series -- including today. Where he’s at, he’s been tremendous."

Marty and Lou on a playoff run. The game has changed, but some traditions haven’t.

Making His Point: Martin Brodeur has contributed in more ways than one to the Devils playoff success. He currently has three points this postseason (all assists), which ties the NHL record for most points by a goaltender in a playoff year. It’s been done nine times, most recently by Tom Barrasso, Kirk McLean and Glenn Healy in 1993.

• Adam Henrique scored in the second overtime period to give the Devils a 3-2 victory over the Panthers. The only other rookie to score an overtime goal in the seventh game of a NHL playoff series was Claude Lemieux for the Canadiens against the Hartford Whalers in a second-round series in 1986.

Martin Brodeur (age 39) and Jose Theodore (35) were the goaltenders in the Devils victory over the Panthers. It marked only the third time in NHL history that a pair of goalies, both age 35 or older, faced each other in Game 7 of a playoff series. The others were Dominik Hasek (Red Wings) vs. Patrick Roy (Avalanche) in 2002, and Tim Thomas (Bruins) vs. Dwayne Roloson (Lightning) last year.

• Marc Staal and Dan Girardi gave the Rangers a two-goal lead and Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 26 shots in the Rangers' 2-1 victory over the Senators. It was first time in Rangers history that a pair of defensemen gave them a 2-0 lead in a playoff game, and it was only the second Game 7 in NHL history in which defensemen provided all the scoring for the winning team. Maybe some of our senior-most readers would know the name of Leo Reise Jr., a Red Wings defenseman who scored an overtime goal in Detroit's 1-0 victory over Toronto in the 1950 NHL semifinals.

Honorable mention to Brian Leetch, who scored the first two goals for the Rangers in a playoff victory over the Flyers in 1995, as did Ott Heller in a 1932 win over the Canadiens.

• Rookie Braden Holtby made 44 saves to lead the Capitals to a series-tying 2–1 win over the Bruins. In the NHL’s expansion era, the only other rookie goaltender to make that many saves while posting a win in a non-overtime playoff game was Montreal’s Ken Dryden on April 16, 1971, at Boston. Dryden stopped 46 of the 48 shots he faced in a 4–2 victory.

Washington has won 16 games over the last four playoff years and all of those wins have been recorded by rookie goaltenders: seven by Semyon Varlamov in 2009, three more by Varlamov in 2010, four by Michal Neuvirth in 2011 and two by Holtby this season. That’s one more playoff win than all rookies have posted for other NHL teams combined over the same span.

• It was the first playoff shutout in four days short of three years for Martin Brodeur, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on May 6. Over the last 40 years, only two NHL goaltenders as old as Brodeur have posted playoff shutouts: Dominik Hasek with two shutouts for the Red Wings at age 42 in 2007 and Dwayne Roloson with a shutout at age 41 for Tampa Bay last year.

• Marcus Johansson scored one goal and assisted on another for the Capitals in their shootout win at Boston. Johansson’s two points in Thursday’s victory give him a total of 10 points in 15 games in March (2 goals, 8 assists). It’s the first time in Johansson’s two seasons in the NHL that he’s reached double figures in points for a calendar month.

• Mikko Koivu’s goal 15 seconds into overtime earned the Wild a 3–2 win against the Panthers on Thursday. It was the second-fastest overtime goal in an NHL game this season (Washington’s Brooks Laich scored at 0:12 of OT on Dec. 3 vs. Ottawa) and the quickest overtime goal in Minnesota franchise history, 10 seconds faster than the previous record, 25 seconds by Marian Gaborik at Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 2006.

• The Islanders, who won 5–3 at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, completed a sweep of their home-and-home set against the Penguins with a win by the same score at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. Josh Bailey had a hand in all five Islanders goals, scoring two and assisting on three. Bailey is the second NHL player to score five or more points in a game this season and record a point on every one of his team’s goals. Sam Gagner did that with four goals and four assists in the Oilers’ 8–4 win over the Blackhawks on Feb. 2.

• Danny Briere set a single-game career high with four assists in the Flyers’ 7–1 win at Toronto. Briere is only the third Flyers player to record four assists in a road game over the last 11 seasons. The other Philadelphia players with four assists in a road game since 2000–01 were Mike Richards (Oct. 24, 2008, at New Jersey) and Claude Giroux (Jan. 23, 2011, at Chicago).

• Martin Brodeur was not at the top of his game on Thursday night, allowing four goals while facing only 20 shots, including three goals by Ryan Malone, but he still posted a 6–4 win against the Lightning. It was Brodeur’s 115th win over the last four seasons but only the second in which he gave up more than three goals. The other one was a 5–4 overtime victory against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 29, 2010.

Marc-ed Man: Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury is one win from his fourth straight season with 35 or more wins. From Elias: Only three goaltenders in NHL history have recorded at least 35 wins in four or more straight seasons. Martin Brodeur did it 11 straight seasons (1996-2008). Miikka Kiprusoff had 35 or more in each of the past six seasons (28 so far this season) and Henrik Lundqvist did so in each of the past five seasons (31 so far this season).

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 are concerned about the recent play of some star goalies. How would they handle the situations?

Custance: Good morning, Pierre. Hope your evening last night went better than the Buffalo Sabres’ did. Ryan Miller is pulled after six minutes of play and Ville Leino's time centering the Sabres top line lasted a good three shifts. You can't help but feel for Leino, who probably wanted a better performance than the one he turned in against his former team Wednesday. He hasn't scored a goal since the season opener and is far and away the leading candidate for the year's biggest free-agent bust. There were certainly some eyebrows raised when Leino signed a six-year, $27 million deal on July 1, and right now, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is looking pretty smart for passing on spending that money to sign Leino and using it elsewhere. Especially with the way Jaromir Jagr has established immediate chemistry with Claude Giroux.

"Their chemistry moving the puck around and exercising those little give and goes that great players can do is pretty fun to watch," Holmgren said when we were recently chatting about that duo.

But it raises the question: Do we need to be concerned about the Sabres? They've now lost four of five games, and the surprising Toronto Maple Leafs are actually creating some space on top of the Northeast.

LeBrun: Yes, the car horns were honking here in the streets of Toronto last night after another win by the Maple Leafs. Just kidding, of course. It’s not December yet. The Sabres have surprised me -- and not in a good way. I really thought they were going to come flying out of the gates. Yes, I know they have some new faces and sometimes that can lead to an adjustment period, but I felt the trip overseas would help accelerate the chemistry process. I was wrong. The Sabres are having problems playing 60 consistent minutes of hockey. They look terrific at times, disjointed at others. I had a short chat with Ryan Miller this morning and asked him why he thought the team was inconsistent.

“We’re just not playing our system,” Miller told ESPN.com.

His concern is that this is what happened a year ago, and the Sabres dug themselves an early-season hole.

Head coach Lindy Ruff is showing his impatience now by juggling lines. He’s had a hard time, as you mentioned, getting Leino going. You have to wonder if signing the biggest contract of his career has put too much pressure right now on the Finnish forward. It’s always easier, mentally, to be the guy claimed off waivers with no expectations like he was in Philly. Everything he did was gravy in that context. Now he’s an offseason marquee signing, and that carries a burden. Miller, meanwhile, knows a thing or two about pressure, having been named 2010 Olympic hockey MVP. Sabres fans were on him last night, but let’s be honest: Two of those goals were near-perfect shots.

“Honestly, if you want to break it down, and if you really know hockey, those were two really nice shots,’’ Miller told me. “I’d like to at least get a piece of them, but they were nice shots. What are you going to do? Most days I think you can get a piece of those.’’

In other words, there will be another day. I know some Sabres fans were asking me on my chat Wednesday about whether Jonah Enroth can push Miller for the starting job. It’s a little early for that talk, even if Enroth has looked terrific. Everyone take a deep breath in Western New York. Miller is an all-world goalie, folks.

Custance: Yeah, I'm not ready to ship Ryan Miller out of town but I certainly don't think it would hurt the Sabres if they rode Enroth a little bit if he's on a hot streak. He looked good in relief of Miller last night, stopping all 15 shots he faced.

The bigger goalie question for me is in New Jersey where Martin Brodeur allowed five goals to the Maple Leafs. It was Brodeur's first game back from his shoulder injury. We'll allow for some rust from the future Hall of Famer. His stick save on Phil Kessel in the third period shows he still can still come up big, but you can't help but wonder how much Brodeur has left at this point in his career. The loss dropped Brodeur to 0-2 in three starts this season, and he has a goals-against average of 3.88. It's a small sample size, for sure, but Johan Hedberg was great in Brodeur's absence (with a .924 save percentage), and I think it may be time for a more balanced workload between the two veteran goalies.

If I'm picking between the twos for a starter in Game 7 of a playoff series, it's definitely Brodeur. But they have to make the playoffs first, and managing Brodeur's ice time may be the best way to get there.

LeBrun: The dicey thing with that, though, Craig, is that in order for Brodeur to get back into a rhythm, he needs to play. It’s a catch-22 in that regard. But overall, certainly not the kind of start, at 4-5-1, the Devils were hoping for, and it doesn’t get any easier with a date in Philadelphia tonight.

“Well, we’ve shown signs of what we can do, but we haven’t done it on a consistent basis. It’s as simple as that,’’ Devils GM Lou Lamoriello told me this morning. “Until we get everything consistent, we’re going to be just as we are now. The good news is that we know what we can do; the bad news is we’re not doing it yet.’’

Star winger Ilya Kovalchuk has only two goals in 10 games. I know he’s been hampered by the injuries at center for the Devils, but at the money he’s making, he’s got to produce for this team to have any chance.

“He’s working hard; he’s doing everything that’s asked,” Lamoriello responded when I asked him about Kovalchuk. “The end results will come. It’s about the right play at the right time and that goes for everyone. There’s no finger-pointing here.’’

Custance: His struggles certainly aren't from a lack of playing time. Kovalchuk loves to be on the ice, and Pete DeBoer must be endearing himself to his star winger with how much he's sending him out there. His 25:35 leads all NHL forwards in ice time per game, and it's not even close, but you're right, Pierre: He needs to produce when he's out there. It'll be interesting to see if they can bounce back tonight against the Flyers. But the game I'm looking forward to the most tonight is out West, where the Sharks are hosting the Penguins. These two were my preseason picks to play each other in the Stanley Cup finals, and I'm sticking to my guns on that one.

The Sharks showed me a lot during their six-game road trip that they finished 5-1. I especially liked that they were hacked off after losing to the Rangers. It would have been easy for them to go home happy with a great road trip, but they weren't thrilled with that loss. It's been a challenging early schedule for San Jose, and so far, they're passing nearly every test.

"We take the schedule as it comes. We had a great start opening night against Phoenix, played really, really well and then didn't play for a week after that," Sharks GM Doug Wilson said. "As we integrated eight or nine new players, the key was to just play hockey and get into a rhythm."

They did that on the road; now they need to avoid the letdown that often comes in the first game back home following a long trip. A high-profile game against the Penguins should help.

LeBrun: Yes, Pens-Sharks is our game of the week at ESPN.com, and our pal Scott Burnside will have a preview story on the game. As you know, I also picked the Sharks to win the Cup this season, although I have Washington representing the East. Nice early-season test for the Sharks tonight. I'll certainly be watching.

The Capitals-Penguins rivalry took on another chapter Thursday night when the latest thrilling encounter between the two rivals was marred by a fight that made one's stomach churn.

Washington's Jay Beagle was dropped by a thunderous right hand from Pittsburgh's Arron Asham in a total mismatch of a fight that erupted after the Caps winger received a roughing penalty on Pens star blueliner Kris Letang. Asham came to Letang's defense, and Beagle didn't have much of a choice but to drop the gloves with a rugged customer.

You can see the video here and above.

Asham's antics were all the buzz on Twitter after he signaled the international signs for "you're out" and "sleeping" as Beagle lay on the ice bleeding. That's bush league. We'll give Asham credit for owning up to his actions and calling the gestures "classless" after the game, but it was still a stupid move when he did it.

What bothers me more than anything was the momentary fear that Beagle wasn't going to get up. Today's NHL fighters are punching harder than ever. I hold my breath every time there's a knockout punch in this league.

Either way, there will not be any league discipline for Asham, according to this statement released by the NHL late Thursday night: "Nothing will come of the Asham incident. Asham was remorseful after the game and didn't realize how badly hurt Beagle was at the time of the incident."

Break up the Islanders!

Seriously, these young studs might very well make some noise this season. John Tavares was most impressive again, posting two goals and two assists in a 5-1 rout against the visiting Tampa Bay Lighting. Tavares seems to have taken a giant step in his play this season. He was good last season, but he looks great right now. He's stronger on the puck, quicker to the net and more decisive. Real impressive.

Don't believe in the Cup hangover?

Just ask the 2011 Stanley Cup finalists, Boston (1-3-0) and Vancouver (1-2-1), as they have combined for only two wins in eight games after Vancouver was dropped 2-0 in Detroit on Thursday. To Vancouver's credit, the Canucks played a decent road game in a tough rink in a back-to-back situation after playing the night before in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, ho-hum, the Red Wings are 3-0-0 to start the season and perhaps not too thrilled with all the experts (including this one) picking the Blackhawks to win the Central Division. Jiri Hudler, who didn't have a good 2010-11 season with the Wings in his return from overseas, has looked sharp early on and has three points (1-2) in three games.

Brodeur hurt

The Devils survived the loss of veteran goalie Martin Brodeur to a shoulder injury and still beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in a shootout. Brodeur, hammered by injuries over the past few seasons, told reporters after the game it wasn't serious. The Devils looked good in outshooting the Kings 37-27. Looking at the big picture, however, Brodeur's injury scare reminds us again that one day he won't be around. At some point, maybe this summer, it behooves the Devils to phone L.A. about Jonathan Bernier or Vancouver about Cory Schneider.

And back to Pittsburgh

Caps netminder Tomas Vokoun was hard on himself after getting shelled for five goals Monday night against Tampa Bay. He was terrific Thursday night against the Penguins, as the Caps were outshot 18-3 in the third period and 41-19 overall. Everyone take a deep breath in Washington. Your team is 3-0-0 and your new goalie will be fine.

Stock Up

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: It goes without saying this hasn’t been a banner season for the greatest goaltender of all time or the New Jersey Devils, but the Martin Brodeur we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks is certainly more familiar to fans. Brodeur was at it again Thursday night, as he collected his 114th career shutout and his fourth win in his past five starts in a 2-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brodeur turned aside all 23 shots and was especially heroic in the third period, when the Devils were outshot 10-3. The Devils are 4-0-1 over this recent span and playing their best hockey of what has been a lost season.

Darren Helm, Detroit Red Wings: As usual, Detroit has found a way to win despite its injury-depleted roster. Helm has seen his opportunities increase and has taken full advantage. The Winnipeg native has 11 points in his past 11 games, including the overtime winner Thursday night against St. Louis, and has four multi-point games over that period. The Red Wings continue to hang around the top of the Western Conference standings despite of missing key personnel (Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Cleary, Brad Stuart and Chris Osgood).

Stock Down

Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning: After being held scoreless in the Lightning’s 3-2 shootout win versus Atlanta on Thursday, Lecavalier has managed just one goal in his past 11 outings. Lecavalier has eight goals on the season and is on pace for his worst goal production since his rookie season in 1998-99. Lecavalier did miss some time earlier this season with a hand injury, but his struggles highlight the burden being carried by Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning continue to hold down top spot in the Southeast Division, but it’s hard to imagine a long playoff run without Lecavalier contributing at a more significant level.

Nikolay Zherdev, Philadelphia Flyers: As the NHL ploughs into the second half of the regular season, you have to figure the Zherdev experiment is pretty much a flop. Maybe it doesn’t matter when you’re as good as the Flyers are? The gifted Russian has scored just once in his past nine games and saw his ice time diminish during Thursday’s 6-2 thrashing of the Ottawa Senators (he ended up playing some on the fourth line). Ostensibly signed to replace veteran Simon Gagne, who is enduring his own struggles in Tampa, Zherdev has 14 goals; but his streaky play makes it difficult to imagine him having much of an impact come playoff time.

Call this the anti-Vezina list.

Next week, we at ESPN.com will hand out our midseason awards. Today, we bring you what we believe are the five most disappointing goaltenders at the halfway point given their pedigree and expectations. In no particular order:

Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets

It seems like years ago when he put up 33 wins and a 2.29 goals-against average and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Well, it was just two seasons ago. Since then, the sophomore slump has extended into a Year 3 malaise. As of Thursday morning, his 3.20 GAA was 40th among NHL goalies, and his .902 save percentage was 32nd. He's played better of late, which is good, because the Jackets need him to turn things around. He's only 22, so I suspect everything will be fine. It had better be after the Jackets extended his contract, a two-year, $5.8 million deal that kicks in next season.

Chris Mason, Atlanta Thrashers

When the Thrashers signed him to a two-year, $3.7 million deal this past summer, it was with the idea that he would be their starter or at least compete with young Ondrej Pavelec for starts. Neither has happened. His .896 save percentage is 39th in the league, and his 3.66 GAA is dead last in the NHL. Luckily for the Thrashers, it hasn't mattered because Pavelec is having a Vezina-worthy season.

Mike Smith, Tampa Bay Lightning

No wonder Lightning GM Steve Yzerman felt compelled to bring in Dwayne Roloson via trade. Smith's .883 save percentage is second-to-last in the NHL, and his 3.20 GAA is 41st. Dan Ellis hasn't been much better, but Smith is the guy long viewed as a possible starter after his trade from Dallas. The consistency has never come. He'll be an unrestricted free agent July 1 and won't be in Tampa next season.

Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche

How the mighty have fallen. Nominated for the Vezina last season after a sensational campaign, Anderson has the 38th-ranked GAA (3.13) and 33rd-ranked save percentage (.901) in the NHL. Granted, the Avs' blue line isn't Detroit's, so there's plenty of rubber coming his way, but it was the same when he stood on his head last season. Talk about bad timing, especially with Anderson set to be a UFA on July 1. There is plenty of time to turn things around, but if he doesn't, it will be a costly season for him.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

It's safe to say we never thought the day would come when we would put his name on this list. We tremble just doing it. But the numbers don't lie -- a .882 save percentage (44th and dead last among all goalies) and 3.15 GAA (39th). Nothing from this season will take anything away from what is arguably the greatest goaltending career in NHL history. And to be fair, it's not as though the team in front of him has been any help. (Still, a bit surprising to see the Devils actually ranked first in the NHL in fewest shots allowed per game as of Thursday morning.) Brodeur has one more year left on his deal at $5.2 million. Let's hope next season is a bounce-back one and he can go out in style.

(Dis)honorable mentions: Pascal Leclaire, Ottawa; Rick DiPietro, N.Y. Islanders; Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton; Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET

Steven Stamkos will share the spotlight the next two nights against the league's brightest stars, Tuesday night with Alex Ovechkin and Wednesday night with Sidney Crosby.

It is only fitting that Stamkos is facing the Capitals and Penguins in January, because it was around this time in his 2008-09 rookie season when he started to find his offensive groove. Since the 2009 calendar year began, Stamkos is tied with the most goals in the NHL. His 44 power-play goals in that span are 12 more than anyone else.

The Capitals are coming off a win over Pittsburgh in the Winter Classic and are on a three-game winning streak. The Lightning have won their last two and lead the Southeast Division based on win percentage, because both teams have 51 points in the standings.

Most goals since Jan. 1, 2009

Sidney Crosby	101
Steven Stamkos	101
Alex Ovechkin	95
Ilya Kovalchuk	81

E.J. Hradek's pick: I'll take Tampa.

Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. ET

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur has been struggling of late and it appears that he will share the goaltending duties with Johan Hedberg, who will get the start in this game. Hedberg has four wins and three ties in nine career appearances against the Wild.

Devils goalies since Nov. 15

	Brodeur	Hedberg
W-L-OTL	1-10-0*	4-5-0
GAA	3.75*	2.30
Save pct.	.851*	.918

* - Worst in NHL since Nov. 15 (min. 10 games)

E.J. Hradek's pick: I'm calling for a Wild win.

Buffalo Sabres at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. ET

The Avalanche were once the highest-scoring team in the league. But in their last six games, they have scored just 10 goals in that span. Since the 1998-99 season, the Sabres are 5-1-2 on the road against the Avalanche.

Fewest goals per game since Dec. 20

Avalanche	1.7
Devils	1.7
Senators	1.8
Oilers	1.8

E.J. Hradek's pick: I suspect the Avalanche will get things turned around with a win over the Sabres.

Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m. ET

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard has come back to Earth after a terrific start. Since Dec. 1, Howard has lost five games in regulation. In the first two months of the season, Howard lost a combined three games in regulation and OT/SO.

Howard's season

	Oct.-Nov.	Dec.-Jan.
W-L-OTL	14-2-2	6-5-1
GAA	2.52	2.99
Save pct.	.913	.901

E.J. Hradek's pick: The pick is Detroit.

• Hradek's picks for all of Tuesday's games

1. Devils most valuable asset?

You have to imagine the New Jersey Devils' embarrassing 7-1 thrashing in Atlanta on Saturday night might represent rock bottom in a season seemingly without a bottom. Thus far, president and GM Lou Lamoriello has resisted the urge to fire rookie head coach John MacLean. Not sure why this is the case, unless it is out of pure vanity. MacLean isn't the only problem -- injuries to Zach Parise and Martin Brodeur among others have been crippling -- but it seems patently clear MacLean is at a loss as to how to motivate the players who do show up.

If Lamoriello feels he's got a young Scotty Bowman in the making, he is going to let MacLean work through his growing pains. Fair enough. But the hard reality is that this season is lost. As of Monday, the Devils are 18 points out of a playoff spot and have won twice in their last 10 games. They are dead last in the league in goals scored per game and 26th in goals allowed per game. The power play is ranked 24th.

The sobering aspect of this lost season is that the future looks equally grim. The Devils are poorly constructed, and the Ilya Kovalchuk deal and all of the assets lost in that misguided pursuit of the underachieving superstar mean things aren't going to get better, unless the Devils take drastic action. There are no young stars waiting to step into prominent roles, a function of having made the playoffs in 13 straight seasons. They are already facing the prospect of being unable to bring restricted free-agent star Parise under contract after this season (would you sign a long-term deal with this team?) and needing to create space for him contractually. They put Brian Rolston on waivers, but there were no takers. They might be able to move the sullen Jason Arnott, although he has a no-movement clause, or captain Jamie Langenbrunner.

But, what is the team's most valuable asset? Is it not Brodeur? The game's greatest goaltender is back from an elbow/arm injury but has played poorly, a function perhaps of rust and the team in front of him. He has another season left at $5.2 million in salary and cap hit. Hard to imagine he would play beyond the end of his current deal with the team in such dire straits. Would Brodeur waive his no-trade clause for another shot at a Cup? Who knows, but what would Brodeur's value be to a Cup-hungry Washington team that has two promising young goaltenders and a bevy of young prospects? Or to Tampa? What was once unthinkable (Brodeur in a jersey other than the Devils) now must become part of the discussion for a team at the bottom of the well.

2. Kings puzzle not complete

Interesting days ahead for Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Despite lofty expectations heading into this season, the Kings began the week below the playoff bubble in the tightly packed Western Conference. Now, it would be a major shock if the up-and-coming Kings don't work their way comfortably into a playoff spot, but it's no longer just enough to sneak into the postseason for Lombardi's crew.

The Kings' GM was fortunate that he wasn't successful in his pursuit of Kovalchuk in the offseason, but he still needs to add a big-time scorer up front to keep up with the big boys in the Western Conference in Detroit, Chicago and Vancouver.

Perhaps more troubling than adding an offensive piece, though, has been the failed Willie Mitchell experiment. Lombardi was lauded when he signed the injury-plagued Mitchell in the offseason; the theory being that if the veteran defenseman stayed healthy, Mitchell represented a minute-munching presence to compliment Rob Scuderi and to work with young defensive stars Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. But Mitchell has played in only 15 games for the Kings and is now out week-to-week with what is believed to be a knee injury (Kings refer to it as a lower body injury).

Regardless of when he returns to action, Lombardi has to accept that he cannot count on Mitchell for any length of time and must be looking to add key defensive piece to the Kings' puzzle before the Feb. 28 trade deadline.

3. Goalie conundrum in Philly

The assumption has been that once Michael Leighton gets healthy, Brian Boucher will be the odd man out in the Philadelphia Flyers' game of goaltending musical chairs. After all, Sergei Bobrovsky is putting up numbers that are garnering him rookie of the year discussion with a 2.32 GAA and .923 save percentage, so sending him back to the minors seems a non-starter. But Boucher, 33, is making things difficult for GM Paul Holmgren by actually outplaying Bobrovsky. Boucher has a sparkling 2.11 GAA, fifth best in the NHL. He was recently tabbed by head coach Peter Laviolette for big games against the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh and Boston, and he won all three, giving up just four goals. Boucher has gone 6-0-1 in his last seven starts.

Holmgren told my colleague Pierre LeBrun that he was content to carry three goaltenders now that Leighton has returned from a back injury that kept him out of NHL action all season. Carrying three netminders isn't a viable option, but the issue is finding time to get Leighton into game action with Bobrovsky and Boucher playing so well. Does Holmgren try to get Leighton some starts and then move him? Boucher's stock will never be higher than it is now, and he is affordable at $925,000. Can Holmgren get away with sending one of his veterans to the minors or would he almost certainly be nabbed by another team if Holmgren tries to bring him back up?

None of these are particularly palatable options and certainly they have been made less palatable by Boucher's inspired play.

4. The Avs' Shattenkirk making case for Calder

It appears that San Jose's Logan Couture has the edge in the race for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and why not. The kid has been terrific for the up-and-down Sharks. But there's another first-year player that has been, in our eyes anyway, equally as impressive: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

Perhaps overwhelmed in training camp, Shattenkirk (14th overall pick in 2007 entry draft) was sent to the Avs' AHL farm team, the Lake Erie Monsters, in Cleveland to begin the season.

"It wasn't a great training camp for Kevin," head coach Joe Sacco told ESPN.com this week. "He didn't play the way we expected him to."

But when injuries piled up for the Avs and Shattenkirk was called up, he returned to the big league a different player.

"The biggest difference was he was moving his feet," Sacco said.

Shattenkirk, a 21-year-old native of Greenwich, Conn., was able to make smart plays and get himself out of trouble by keeping his feet moving.

And, oh yeah, he began putting up points like a demon.

In 22 games since being summoned from the AHL, Shattenkirk has 19 points, the most among all rookie defensemen, even though he's played far fewer games. In fact, as of Monday, he was tied for 14th among all NHL defensemen, most of whom have played 10 or more games than Shattenkirk. No gradual learning curve, either, for Shattenkirk, who is logging 19:56 in ice time a night and is a plus-1.

"He's really very comfortable right now," Sacco said.

Sometimes "comfortable" and "rookie" are a dangerous combination, but Sacco said he thinks Shattenkirk is skilled and mature enough not to take things for granted.

"He does a lot of things that you can't teach," Sacco said.

5. Orpik happy to avoid spotlight

If one of the reasons to open your doors to an enterprise like HBO's "24/7: Road to the Winter Classic" is to draw in the casual fan, the first episode suggests the gamble is paying off. At least that's assuming Brooks Orpik's friends are any barometer.

The Pittsburgh defenseman admitted he was a bit taken aback by the language in the first episode.

"Yeah, there was a lot of swearing," Orpik said. "That was the one thing we heard. I thought it came out really good besides the language could have been really better."

But he did say friends, who are not necessarily hockey fans, enjoyed the production.

"I got texts from a lot of people that watched it, people I hadn't heard from in awhile, people that I'm friends with but besides being friends with me really aren't hockey fans," Orpik said. "So obviously getting people to tune in that wouldn't normally tune into hockey."

Did they like the show?

"Yeah they were positive. A couple of people asked me if I was still on the team because they didn't see me on the show. That's the way I like it, so keep it that way," Orpik joked this week.

Stock up

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning: It’s hard to ignore the wild and woolly affair that was the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 8-7 come-from-behind road victory over the Flyers on Thursday night. True, Steven Stamkos collected three goals and two assists, but let’s not forget St. Louis’ five-assist performance. The former NHL MVP is on a seven-game points streak with three goals and 10 assists over that period. He ranks third in points in the NHL, and we’ll soon have to start wondering aloud whether he and Stamkos are in danger of splitting Hart Trophy votes come April.

Daniel Cleary, Detroit Red Wings: Holy red-hot, Batman. After collecting just one goal in his first 10 games, the pride of Carbonear, Newfoundland, is on a tear with a six-game goal-scoring streak and an eight-game points streak heading into Friday’s tilt with Minnesota. We talked to Cleary during training camp and he was stoked about getting back into the groove after an injury-plagued 2009-10 campaign. Good to see one of the game’s good guys has finally gotten there. The Red Wings are thankful, too, as they have won six of seven heading into Friday.

Stock down

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: Any hopes that the woeful Devils were going to turn their season around may have jetted home with the Hall of Fame-bound netminder Thursday night. Brodeur started the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but reinjured his right elbow and Johan Hedberg took over in net in the third en route to a 3-1 loss. Even when healthy, Brodeur has been, like the rest of the Devils, under siege. He has a 4-10-1 record and an un-Brodeur-like .901 save percentage and 2.74 GAA. Now it looks like Brodeur will rest the elbow while the Devils’ season continues to spin out of control.

David Booth, Florida Panthers: It’s been an up-and-down season so far for the retooling Florida Panthers, but it looks to be a lot more “down” than “up” moving forward if top scorer David Booth continues to struggle. The former 30-goal man who lost most of last season to a concussion (thanks to a Mike Richards blindside hit) has fallen off the map offensively with just one goal in his past eight games. He is riding a six-game goalless drought after the Panthers were shut out by Boston on Thursday. Booth has zero points over that span as the Panthers have sunk to 13th in the Eastern Conference as of Friday morning.

... Because three just wasn't enough.

Barry Melrose loved the play in net on Thursday night and made his early top picks all goaltenders.

Martin Brodeur -- The league's career leader in wins and shutouts made 29 saves for his 112th career shutout. The short-handed Devils may need a shutout from him every night in order to get a win.

Tim Thomas -- He earned back the starting job from Tuukka Rask, and now he is making a case to keep it. With 38 saves against the Capitals, Thomas got his fourth straight victory.

Jimmy Howard -- The Red Wings know how to score goals. So with Howard shutting down the Flames in the second and third periods to total 34 saves, Detroit's offense rallied past Calgary.

Martin Biron -- Not a bad start to the season for Biron. The Rangers' goalie had 24 saves in his debut to help New York gets its first win since opening night.

Give us your four stars of the night »

Thursday's results

• Nathan Horton scored his fourth goal in five games, and No. 2 overall draft pick Tyler Seguin had an assist in his Boston debut as the Bruins beat the Capitals for the second consecutive game. Bruins 4, Capitals 1 »
• Ruslan Fedotenko and Artem Anisimov provided all the offense the New York Rangers needed to hand the Leafs their second straight loss. Rangers 2, Maple Leafs 1 »
• Ryan Getzlaf scored with 1:46 left in the third period in front of a crowded net, sending the Ducks past the Flyers. Ducks 3, Flyers 2 »
• Johan Franzen's third-period goal broke a tie and Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi both had a goal and an assist as Detroit rallied for the win. Red Wings 4, Flames 2 »
• Jason Arnott had a goal and an assist to back Brodeur's shutout as the Devils got just their second win of the season. Devils 3, Canadiens 0 »
• Jamie Benn returned after missing three games with concussion-like symptoms and had three assists in the Stars' victory. Stars 4, Panthers 1 »
• Matt Moulson scored a delayed, video-reviewed goal in overtime to give the Isles the edge over the Lightning. Islanders 3, Lightning 2 (OT) »
• Joe Pavelski scored two power-play goals in the second period and Antero Niittymaki made 29 saves to give the Sharks their first win on North American ice this season. Sharks 4, Avalanche 2 »
• Kris Letang scored on a slap shot with 1:11 left in overtime and Sidney Crosby added two goals and an assist in the Pens' win. Penguins 4, Predators 3 (OT) »
• Kyle Brodziak scored a pair of goals to help Minnesota pass Edmonton. Wild 4, Oilers 2 »
• Lee Stempniak scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick, but only 6,706 fans made it to the game in Phoenix. Coyotes 4, Kings 2 »