Worth watching
Storylines to follow during the remainder of the NHL season
With two months remaining in the NHL's 2019-20 regularseason schedule, here's a look at the notable story lines worth watching.
OVECHKIN CHASING THE GOAL LEADERS
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has reached the top-10 among the NHL's all-time goal-scorers. Earlier this season, he surpassed Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman. On Friday, he tallied his 695th goal to move past Mark Messier into eighth on the all-time list.
Ovechkin needs just 14 more to overtake Mike Gartner (708) for seventh place. He's also poised to become only the eighth player in NHL history to reach 700 career goals.
BATTLE OF THE PLAYOFF BUBBLE
Several clubs are jockeying for the final playoff berths in each conference. Entering Tuesday night's schedule, only two points separated fifthoverall Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers (65 points) from Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs, tied for eighth overall with 63 points.
It's almost as tightly packed in the Western Conference. The Dallas Stars sat third overall with 64 points, eight points up on 10th overall Winnipeg Jets, with the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks in between.
Given the tightness in the standings, a losing skid could prove fatal to any of those clubs.
A BUSY FEBRUARY TRADE MARKET
With the Monday, Feb. 24, trade deadline less than three weeks away, several notable players could be on the move soon.
Rather than risk losing pending unrestricted free agents for nothing in the offseason, non-playoff contenders usually attempt to trade them before the deadline. There's no superstar among this year's crop of possible trade bait, but several solid depth players could be attractive to the postseason contenders.
Topping the list are New York Rangers left-winger Chris Kreider and versatile Los Angeles Kings forward Tyler Toffoli. Ottawa Senators centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau, New
Jersey Devils defenceman Sami Vatanen, and Montreal Canadiens winger Ilya Kovalchuk could also be on the move.
Some playoff bubble teams could attempt to boost their post-season hopes in the trade market. Those that slide further out of contention will likely become sellers.
COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT
Seven NHL teams replaced their coaches thus far this season. Depending on how things shake out, a few more could receive their walking papers by season's end.
With the Detroit Red Wings headed towards one of their worst records in franchise history, there's growing speculation Jeff Blashill could be fired before season's end. Steve Yzerman inherited Blashill when he took over as general manager last year. Some observers wonder if he’ll hire Summerside’s Gerard Gallant, who was axed last month by the Vegas Golden Knights. Gallant and Yzerman are old friends and former teammates with the Wings.
Others who could lose their jobs include the Wild’s Bruce Boudreau and the Jets’ Paul Maurice. If those clubs fail to gain ground in the standings, both could be unemployed by season's end.