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Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa Bay continues to surge with three straight wins as it inches closer to its Atlantic Division foes, the first-place Montreal Canadiens. With a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the Lightning recorded their third straight win to pull them within two points of the high-flying Habs. The Bolts lead the league with a plus-45 goal differential and have scored 12 goals during their current three-game streak. Next up? Montreal on Tuesday night.
Cam Talbot, New York Rangers: The 27-year-old backup netminder has capably stepped in for the injured Henrik Lundqvist since the starter suffered a neck injury January 31 . Talbot, whose stellar play has certainly increased his future trade value, blanked the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday night, stopping all 29 shots faced for his second shutout in his last six starts. He has posted a save percentage of .925 or better in five of his past six games.
Ottawa Senators: We have not given enough credit in this space to the plucky Sens, who refuse to give up on the season and are making things interesting down the stretch. Despite blowing a four-goal lead, the Sens still managed to edge the Calgary Flames in the shootout on Sunday 5-4 to pick up their third straight win. They have won eight of their last nine games and they trail the Boston Bruins by just five points for the last wild-card spot in the East.
Trending down
Columbus Blue Jackets: Seriously, just when you thought the Jackets’ injury luck could not get any worse, the hockey gods find new ways to torture the downtrodden club. Newly acquired forward David Clarkson, who came to Columbus in a stunning deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, hardly had time to get acquainted with his new teammates. He has been ruled out for four to six weeks with a torn oblique muscle suffered last week, essentially putting an end to his season.
Nazem Kadri, Toronto Maple Leafs: It’s been an ugly season for the Leafs, and tensions have not eased since the trade deadline. Phil Kessel went on an emotional rant last week against the local media, the Leafs got their doors blown off 6-1 by the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, and just a day later forward Nazem Kadri was reportedly sent home by interim coach Peter Horachek for arriving late to practice. Never a dull day in hockey’s biggest fishbowl.
Injury report
Doctor’s orders: Speaking publicly for the first time since suffering a harrowing vascular injury, Lundqvist told reporters last week that he feels good conditioning-wise but must await the green light from the Rangers’ medical staff before he returns.
Banged-up Bruins: The Bruins have suffered their fair share of injuries this season, and the bad luck continued almost immediately following their trade deadline acquisition of Brett Connolly last week. Connolly broke his right index finger during his second practice with the team and had to undergo surgery to repair the injury on Thursday. Connolly told reporters he still hopes to make it back in time for the postseason.
Ellis in net: After a wild game last Tuesday in which both Roberto Luongo and backup netminder Al Montoya sustained injuries during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers have been forced to rely on AHL call-up Dan Ellis as they continue to battle for the last wild card spot in the East. Ellis was edged in overtime in his season debut for the Panthers on Thursday, but earned his first win of the season with a 25-save effort against the New York Islanders on Saturday.
What to watch for
Bragging rights: The Habs and Bolts square off Tuesday night with the two teams jockeying for first place in the Atlantic Division standings. Montreal hosts Tampa Bay, who will bring a three-game winning streak into the Bell Centre in hopes of pulling even in points with their Eastern Conference foes.
Tough test: The Sens are surprising some folks with their late push, and they have a chance to gain some ground on the teams ahead of them in the East with a big week ahead. Ottawa hosts the Bruins, who currently occupy the last wild card spot, on Tuesday before traveling to Montreal Thursday and New York on Friday for a back-to-back set against the Canadiens and Isles.
Babs not happy: Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is not pleased with his team’s performance as of late and he let them know following Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins. Babcock said his team has performed worse since the trade deadline, despite adding some key pieces in veteran forward Erik Cole and defenseman Marek Zidlicky. “We obviously got to get that fixed,” Babcock told reporters after the game.
