Osgood, who has a 1.38 GAA and .939 save percentage in 15 postseason games, is the fourth goaltender in NHL history to post consecutive shutouts in Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. The 35-year-old veteran is the first since New Jersey's Martin Brodeur turned in a pair of 3-0 home victories over Anaheim to start the 2003 finals.

Consecutive Shutouts to Open a Stanley Cup Finals

1926 Clint Benedict (Montreal Maroons). . . . . . . . . .vs. Victoria Cougars
1945 Frank McCool (Toronto Maple Leafs). . . . . . . . .vs. Detroit Red Wings
2003 Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils). . . . . . . . . vs. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
2008 Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings). . . . . . . . . . .vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Clint Benedict, a Hall of Fame goaltender, was one of the earliest stars among the league’s netminders. In leading the Montreal Maroons to the Stanley Cup championship in 1926, Benedict blanked the Victoria Cougars three times in four games -- including the first two contests. When the Maroons secured the Cup in the fourth game, Benedict became the first NHL goalie to win titles with two different teams. He also won with the Ottawa Senators in 1920, ’21 and ’23.

Benedict also may be the first NHL goaltender to wear a mask. After taking a shot to the face in February 1930, he donned a leather mask with an oversized nose and some padding around the mouth and forehead. He didn’t stick with it, though, and his career ended a short time later after taking a shot to the throat.

With Hall of Fame goalie Turk Broda serving in the military, Toronto rookie Frank McCool set a record of 193 scoreless minutes in the 1945 Stanley Cup finals. He blanked Detroit by scores of 1-0, 2-0 and 1-0, but the Red Wings came roaring back to win the next three games. Toronto won Game 7, 4-3, as McCool finished with four playoff shutouts in 13 games to complete one of the finest rookie seasons in NHL history.

Nicknamed “Ulcers” for his nervous manner, McCool held out the following year. He played in just 22 games before Broda returned from military duty, and McCool never played in the NHL again.

In 2003, future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur shut out Anaheim by identical 3-0 scores in Games 1 and 2 of the finals. The Ducks roared back to win the next two games at home, making it a best-of-three series. Despite being held scoreless in the first two contests, the Ducks pushed the series to seven games, but Brodeur stopped 24 shots for another 3-0 win and his third shutout of the series in Game 7.

So, Benedict, McCool and Brodeur all recorded a third shutout en route to winning the Cup. Osgood has at least two cracks at matching the others, but he’s probably more interested in following the path of the 31 teams that have won the first two games of the finals at home. Thirty have captured the Cup.

The next step for Osgood and the Red Wings is to beat Pittsburgh at home, where the Penguins haven’t lost a game since Feb. 24. Going into Wednesday night’s Game 3, the Pens have won 16 straight at Mellon Arena.

The Western Conference finals matchup between Detroit and Dallas, which kicks off Thursday night, presents a high-profile test of that question.

Heading into Game 1, Stars goalie Marty Turco has won just twice in 18 career appearances against the Red Wings -- all in the regular season. He has an .897 save percentage facing the Wings, and a .914 mark in all other games over his seven seasons. Although Turco made 28 saves and blanked Detroit, 1-0, on Feb. 18, he has allowed four goals to the Wings in three of his last five games against them. Oh yeah: he’s 0-7-2 all time at Joe Louis Arena, where Game 1 will be played.

On the other hand, Turco has been terrific this postseason. He stopped 61 of 62 shots in Dallas’ 2-1, four-overtime victory over San Jose in the series clincher. Four of the six games with the Sharks required overtime, and Turco stopped 34 of 35 shots in sudden-death action. He ditched the reputation as a poor postseason performer a year ago, and he faces Detroit with a 1.56 GAA and .938 save percentage in his last 18 playoff appearances, dating to April 2007.

The sample size to make any kind of definitive statement about regular-season numbers or Turco’s performance against Detroit is far too small, of course, but it will be interesting to see if he can shut down Detroit’s scorers after handling the Sharks and Stanley Cup champion Ducks.

The goalie who will be on the other end of the ice has been every bit as good as Turco since taking over for Dominik Hasek in Game 4 of Detroit’s opening-round series with Nashville. Chris Osgood is 6-0 since assuming starting duties, and his 1.52 GAA ranks first among playoff goaltenders.

Osgood has a chance to lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship 10 years after he was the man in net for the 1998 team that claimed the second of two titles in a row for Detroit under Scotty Bowman. The postseason numbers back up the obvious. Osgood is a much better performer this spring than he was a decade ago, when he allowed soft center-ice goals by Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick, St. Louis' Al MacInnis and Dallas' Jamie Langenbrunner.

The other holdovers from the 1998 Wings are Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Darren McCarty, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. They’ve been through the lows of early-round exits from the playoffs in 2003, 2004 and 2006, when the dominant Red Wings were upset as the West’s No. 1 or 2 seed.

Plenty of Red Wings have come and gone over the last decade. The mainstays are inching closer to 40th birthdays -- and then there’s 46-year-old Chris Chelios -- but the geezers still get the job done. It’s easy to think of Detroit as an old team, but that’s not the whole picture.

Nearly half of the Wings’ 2007-08 goals, 121 of 252, were scored by four players in their prime: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and Daniel Cleary. The 27-year-old Zetterberg led the Wings with 43 goals during the regular season. Datsyuk, 29, collected a team-high 97 points. It’s the 28-year-old Franzen, though, who tops the team with 11 goals and 14 points in 10 playoff games this spring.

Detroit’s 1998 championship run passed through Dallas, as the Red Wings took a six-game Western Conference finals from the Stars. That’s the last time Dallas and Detroit have met in the postseason, and Osgood blanked the Stars, 2-0, in the series clincher.

Though the two teams didn’t meet in the playoffs the following season, it was the Stars who dethroned the Wings by winning the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in 1999. This Wings-Stars matchup moves the winner one step closer to regaining the Cup.

Or do they?

According to AP Sports Writer Alan Robinson, what history they do share coaxed Pens star Evgeni Malkin to say some less-than-complimentary things about his team’s third-round opponent.

In an entertaining look at the history between the two franchises on Monday, Robinson mentioned a few recent incidents that have sparked budding enmity between this spring’s Eastern Conference finalists. Malkin hasn’t forgotten an 8-2 loss in Philadelphia on Dec. 11, when the Flyers bullied the Penguins and knocked them off their game. Flyers fans showered the Pittsburgh bench with popcorn before it was over.

Then there’s the matter of Malkin being cut on the left cheek by the skate of the Flyers’ Mike Richards on March 16. In the teams’ next meeting on April 2, they began fighting less than a minute into Pittsburgh’s 4-2 win, a heated, rough-and-tumble victory that secured the Penguins’ first division crown since 1997-98.

If Philadelphia gained some revenge in the season finale four days later, when a 2-0 victory cost the Penguins the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, a number of Flyers were grumbling. The Penguins rested Sidney Crosby and played a disinterested game.

"Maybe they're scared of us, I don't know," Flyers center Jeff Carter said after the game. "I'm not really into throwing games for matchups in the playoffs. You play to win and you never want to lose a game." By losing their finale, the Penguins faced Ottawa instead of Boston in the first round, and they swept a Senators club that had lost 10 of its final 12 games when the series was over.

It will be Biron in net for sixth-seeded Philadelphia, Marc-Andre Fleury for the No. 2 seed Penguins. Fleury is 8-1 in the postseason and ranks first among the four conference finals starters with a .938 save percentage.

No one has faced more postseason shots than Biron (395 -- an average of 32.9 a game). After allowing four goals in Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss to Montreal in the Eastern Conference semifinals, he posted a .930 save percentage and stopped 133 of 143 shots in four consecutive wins over the Habs.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have a long history. For years, it was the Flyers manhandling the Penguins in their 1970s heyday, when Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Bill Barber and Bill Clement anchored talented Philadelphia teams. And the Flyers have won the last three playoff matchups -- in 1989, 1997 and 2000, overcoming a five-goal, eight-point game by Mario Lemieux (1989) and a five-overtime game in Pittsburgh (2000).

This is a great Pittsburgh team, but the Penguins face a key rival that has already knocked off two of the East’s top three seeds going into the conference finals in Pittsburgh Friday night.

Believe it or not, this is the first time the Flyers and Penguins have met in the conference finals. With the juices flowing in the last few games between them, hockey fans may be in for a memorable series.

That seems logical, and it doesn’t surprise that San Jose and Detroit were two of the top three clubs in team points over the last three weeks of the season.

Most Team Points over Final 3 Weeks of Regular Season
(March 9-April 6)

Team. . . . . . Record. . . .Tm Points
SJ. . . . . . . . .10-2-2 . . . . . .22
Was. . . . . . . .11-2-0. . . . . . 22
Det. . . . . . . .10-3-1. . . . . . 21
Ana. . . . . . . . 9-2-1. . . . . . .19
Mon. . . . . . . .9-3-1. . . . . . .19
Pit. . . . . . . . .9-3-1. . . . . . .19
Edm. . . . . . . .9-4-1. . . . . . .19

The Washington Capitals also were among the best teams over the final three weeks, when they secured the Southeast Division title and earned a No. 3 seed. The young Caps weren’t able to sustain their winning ways in the first round, though, and their season ended Tuesday night with an overtime loss in Game 7.

So, is there a link between late-regular season and postseason performance? Maybe not. The Anaheim Ducks, the defending Stanley Cup champions, finished strong and looked poised to defend their title. Only problem is they ran into the Dallas Stars, who closed 4-5-2 and had the weakest finish of the 16 playoff teams.

Fewest Team Points over Final 3 Weeks of Regular Season
(March 9-April 6)

Team. . . . . .Record. . . .Tm Points
NYI. . . . . . . .3-7-2. . . . . . . 8
Atl. . . . . . . . 4-8-0. . . . . . . 8
Clm. . . . . . . .4-8-1. . . . . . . 9
Van. . . . . . . .5-9-0. . . . . . 10
Pho. . . . . . . .4-7-2. . . . . . 10
Dal. . . . . . . . 4-5-2. . . . . . 10

Other than the Stars, no NHL team on this list played postseason hockey. Despite a weak wrap-up to the season, Dallas put away the Ducks in six games on Sunday.

Still, two other slow finishers, Ottawa (11 points) and New Jersey (13), have gone home for the summer. And six of the eight clubs still in the hunt ranked among the top 10 clubs in team points over the final three weeks of the regular season.

That’s a new league record. The 46-year-old defenseman has appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs in half of the years he’s been alive. His 23 years of playoff action also is a record.

Speaking of his age, the 24-year veteran became the second-oldest player to take the ice in an NHL contest earlier this season. Chelios still has a ways to go to catch Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, who still laced up the skates with the Hartford Whalers after turning 52 in March 1980, during his last NHL campaign. That hasn’t kept teammates from ribbing Chelios about setting the playoff record.

“When you play until you’re 60, what do you expect?” teammate Darren McCarty joked.

On Saturday, Chelios surpassed long-time Montreal and Colorado goalie Patrick Roy in playoff game appearances. Here are the others who have appeared in at least 230 playoff contests.

Most Playoff Games Played, All-Time

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Games
Chris Chelios. . . . . . . . . . . .248
Patrick Roy. . . . . . . . . . . . .247
Mark Messier. . . . . . . . . . . 236
Claude Lemieux. . . . . . . . . 233
Scott Stevens. . . . . . . . . . .233
Guy Carbonneau. . . . . . . . .231

No real surprises here, though Claude Lemieux is noteworthy for finding a way into the postseason with whatever team he played. He made playoff appearances with Montreal, New Jersey, Colorado, Phoenix and Dallas.

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers made the most offseason noise in the free-agent market, and one could make a case that they and the St. Louis Blues enjoyed the biggest payoff.

Daniel Briere left Buffalo for Philadelphia and led all of last summer’s free agents in both goals and points. He and teammate Scott Hartnell combined for 55 goals with their new club.

Most Goals & Points by 2007-08 Free Agents

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .G. . . . . . . . . .Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pts
Daniel Briere, Phi. . . . . . . .31. . . . . . . . . .Daniel Briere, Phi. . . . . . . 72
Petr Sykora, Pit. . . . . . . . .28. . . . . . . . . .Scott Gomez, NYR. . . . . . .70
Keith Tkachuk, StL. . . . . . .27. . . . . . . . . .Paul Kariya, StL. . . . . . . . .65
Radim Vrbata, Pho. . . . . . .27. . . . . . . . . Petr Sykora, Pit. . . . . . . . . 63
Chris Drury, NYR. . . . . . . . 25. . . . . . . . . Chris Drury, NYR. . . . . . . . 58
Scott Hartnell, Phi. . . . . . .24. . . . . . . . . Keith Tkachuk, StL. . . . . . .58

The Rangers’ two big signings before the season, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, collected 128 points. Among the 18 free agents with 50+ points in 2006-07 before changing teams, Gomez was one of only four players who tallied more points in 2007-08. After recording 13 goals and 60 points with the New Jersey Devils in 2006-07, he followed up with 16 and 70 in his first year in New York.

The other free agents to improve their point production in 2007-08 were Pittsburgh’s Petr Sykora, Viktor Kozlov of the Islanders and Chicago’s Robert Lang. The 31-year-old Sykora recorded his highest point total in six years with 28 goals and 63 points. Kozlov and Lang both finished with 54 points this season.

Also in this group of 18 players with 50+ points before signing a free-agent contract last summer is Keith Tkachuk, who returned to the St. Louis Blues. He matched both his goal and point total of the year before with 27-31-58 for a second straight season.

Among the 10 players with 25+ goals before becoming free agents, no one surpassed his 2006-07 total. Only Tkachuk matched his with 27. In 2007-08, however, free agents Sykora (28) and Radim Vrbata (27) joined the 25-goal club.

Overall, the production of the 2007-08 free-agent class was down. Although Briere was good for 32 goals and 95 points in his final season with the Buffalo Sabres, you won’t find the Flyers complaining about his 31-41-72 campaign.

A goalie at the top of his game can be the difference in a close postseason series, as was the case when Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastian Giguere guided the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals five years. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in the 2003 playoffs, posting a 1.62 GAA, .945 save percentage and five shutouts for the surprising Ducks.

Giguere wasn’t too shabby in Anaheim’s championship run last season, and he’s certainly playing well with the postseason just a week away. Here are the save percentage leaders among goalies since the beginning of March.

Top Save Percentages, March 1 & Since
(minimum 7 games)

Goaltender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .W-L-OTL. . . . . . . . . .GAA. . . . . . .SvPct
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit. . . . . . . . .9-1-1. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.44. . . . . . . .951
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana. . . . .5-1-1. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.55. . . . . . . .944
Dan Ellis, Nsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4-1. . . . . . . . . . . . .2.00. . . . . . . .943
Tomas Vokoun, Fla. . . . . . . . . . . .5-3-1. . . . . . . . . . . . .1.86. . . . . . . .940
Niklas Backstrom, Min. . . . . . . . . 7-1-4. . . . . . . . . . . . .1.72. . . . . . . .939

The play of Marc-Andre Fleury and his Penguin teammates makes Pittsburgh one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup finals. Minnesota’s Nicklas Backstrom has the Wild on the verge of their first Northwest Division title, and he will be key to how far the defensive-minded Wild advance in the playoffs.

Equally noteworthy is the 11-0-1 record of San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov since March 1. Although his .910 save percentage doesn’t rank with the best, he’s posted a 1.99 GAA and provides the Pacific Division-leading Sharks a dependable option in goal for the postseason.

After Colorado’s critical 7-5 loss to Edmonton Saturday afternoon, none of the four teams with a legitimate chance to win the Northwest has more than eight games remaining. On the other hand, none of the four clubs has fewer than five games against one another.

The Calgary Flames face all three of their rivals -- Minnesota, Colorado and Vancouver -- in the next four nights. In two weeks, the season closes with Minnesota at Colorado and Calgary at Vancouver.

Here is a schedule of games remaining between the four clubs, including their records against one another going into Saturday night’s action. The Flames host the Wild tonight, against whom they are 5-1-0. It’s a key opportunity to close the gap on first-place Minnesota.

Minnesota Wild (40-26-9, 89 points)
March 22 at Calgary. . . . . . . . . . .1-4-1
March 28 vs Vancouver. . . . . . . . 4-2-1
March 30 vs Colorado. . . . . . . . . 4-2-0
April 3 vs Calgary
April 6 at Colorado

Calgary Flames (38-26-10, 86 points)
March 22 vs Minnesota. . . . . . . . .5-1-0
March 24 at Colorado. . . . . . . . . 3-1-3
March 25 vs Vancouver. . . . . . . . 1-3-1
March 30 at Vancouver
April 3 at Minnesota
April 5 at Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks (38-27-10, 86 points)
March 25 at Calgary. . . . . . . . . . . 4-1-0
March 26 at Colorado. . . . . . . . . . 2-3-1
March 28 at Minnesota. . . . . . . . . 3-3-1
March 30 vs Calgary
April 1 vs Colorado
April 5 vs Calgary

Colorado Avalanche (39-31-6, 84 points)
March 24 vs Calgary. . . . . . . . . . . 4-3-0
March 26 vs Vancouver. . . . . . . . .4-1-1
March 30 at Minnesota. . . . . . . . .2-4-0
April 1 at Vancouver
April 6 vs Minnesota

Let the fun begin.

Hossa was expected to be a key contributor, but suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for six games in his first Pittsburgh appearance. While he returned in impressive fashion Sunday, Dupuis has quietly provided a boost to his new team during Hossa’s absence. The 28-year-old veteran has registered a goal and six assists in eight games, after collecting a total of just 15 points in 62 games with Atlanta.

In fact, among the 33 players with NHL experience who were dealt within 48 hours of the trade deadline, Dupuis is one of the top point scorers.

Points Leaders among Players Dealt within 48 Hours of February Trade Deadline

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Games. . . . . . . . . . . . G. . . A. . . . . Pts
Jeff Halpern, TB. . . . . . . . .10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . 6. . . . . 11
Brian Campbell, SJ. . . . . . . 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. . . . 9. . . . . 11
Brad Richards, Dal. . . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. . . . 7. . . . . .9
Steve Bernier, Buf. . . . . . . .8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. . . . 6. . . . . .8
Andrew Ladd, Chi. . . . . . . .11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . 5. . . . . . 8
Pascal Dupuis, Pit. . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . . 6. . . . . .7
Colby Armstrong, Atl. . . . . .10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . 4. . . . . .7

Ovechkin scored twice and netted the game-winner with 1:54 remaining Wednesday night, giving the Capitals a key 3-2 win over Calgary. He now has 56 goals in his quest to be the first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96.

Unfortunately for the Caps, they are just 3-3-0 in March, and they are five points out of the eighth and final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference with 11 games to play. They have fallen seven points behind the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who are 5-0-0 this month and have won eight of their last nine games.

The Hurricanes have been sparked by Eric Staal, who has netted four goals and 12 points in those five contests. He was good for a goal and two assists in Wednesday’s 3-0 blanking of the Chicago Blackhawks. Only Ovechkin has more points this month.

Most Goals in March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Points in March

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .G. . . . .Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pts
Alexander Ovechkin, Was. . . . . . .8. . . . .Alexander Ovechkin, Was. . . . . . . . 14
Jeff Carter, Phi. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . .Eric Staal, Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Brad Boyes, StL. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . .Mats Sundin, Tor. . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Andrew Cogliano, Edm. . . . . . . . .5. . . . .Jeff Carter, Phi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Johan Franzen, Det. . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . .Evgeni, Malkin, Pit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dany Heatley, Ott. . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . .Kimmo Timonen, Phi. . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Zach Parise, NJ. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . .Four others with. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Like the Caps, the Toronto Maple Leafs are five points out of the postseason picture. They looked buried until a 7-2-1 surge that includes this week’s home-and-home sweep of the No. 8 seed, the Philadelphia Flyers. Leafs captain Mats Sudin has tallied four goals and 10 points in six games this month, but Toronto’s playoff push may have taken a hit when Sundin suffered a groin strain in the first period of Wednesday’s 3-2 victory in Philadelphia.

Jeff Carter scored one of the Flyers’ goals, giving him four in Philadelphia’s last three contests, and he has seven for the month. The eighth-seeded Flyers are 3-2-2 in this stretch, and they remain four points ahead of Buffalo and five in front of Toronto, Washington and Florida.

The Detroit Red Wings have maintained their position atop the Western Conference with four wins in four games this month. It’s not the usual suspects finding the net in March. No Red Wing tops the five tallies from Johan Franzen, who has pushed his goal total for the season to 17. Franzen, Edmonton’s Andrew Cogliano and Ottawa’s Dany Heatley each have three game-winners in March.

Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin lead the way with 92 and 89 points, respectively, and the 22-year-old Ovechkin is on his way to becoming the first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux netted 69 and Jaromir Jagr tallied 62 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.

Among the 26 players who have scored 27 or more goals this season, eight of them are 23 years old or younger. With 54 goals in 68 games, Ovechkin has found the net at least 11 more times than anyone else in the NHL.

Most Goals by Players 23 Years Old or Younger, 2007-08

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Age. . . . . . . . . . . . Goals
Alexander Ovechkin, Was. . . . . . . .22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Evgeni Malkin, Pit. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Rick Nash, Cls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Eric Staal, Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Dustin Brown, LA. . . . . . . . . . . . . .23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Corey Perry, Anh. . . . . . . . . . . . . .22. . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Anze Kopitar, LA. . . . . . . . . . . . . .20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Zach Parise, NJ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Los Angeles Kings, who rank last in points in the Western Conference, have to be encouraged by their two young goal scorers. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar lead the Kings in goals, and they are the team’s best hope of returning to the playoffs anytime soon. By then Kopitar will be legal to celebrate the Kings’ first postseason appearance since 2002 with a beer.

The Red Wings were 38-10-4 at the start of February, and their numbers to that point contrast with what they’ve done since closing out January with five straight victories. Detroit has had trouble putting the puck in the net this month, and the team was shut out by both Dallas and Calgary in the last two weeks.

Red Wings, Oct-Jan vs. Feb
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oct-Jan. . . . . . . . . .February
Shots/Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.6. . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.9
Goals/Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.0
Shots Allowed/Game. . . . . . . . . . . .23.8. . . . . . . . . . . . .24.3
Goals Allowed/Game. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5
Power Play Pct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.5. . . . . . . . . . . . .19.1
Penalty Kill Pct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84.2. . . . . . . . . . . . .83.3

Perhaps the Red Wings will get back in the win column on Sunday afternoon. After recent losses to Dallas, Calgary, Vancouver and San Jose -- all teams with serious playoff aspirations -- the Wings take on the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres can’t be taken lightly however, as they are just three points out of the East’s final postseason berth and desperate to win every time out.

The most stunning deal was Atlanta trading Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh after the rumor mill had the high-scoring winger moving to Montreal. Hossa, who scored 43 goals and 100 points last season, gives the Penguins a trio of scoring threats that is arguably the best in the league.

Evgeni Malkin leads the NHL with 84 points, and he’s been terrific with Sidney Crosby sidelined since mid-January by a high ankle sprain. The Penguins add Hossa to the mix and get Crosby back in the next 2-3 weeks. With Hossa’s scoring touch and passing ability, his star teammates stand to benefit. And Hossa should do just fine himself.

Hossa, who has 26 goals and 56 points to lead all players traded near the deadline, joins his new team after scoring three goals and five assists in his final six games with the Thrashers. Among the group of traded players, no one can top Hossa in goals and points this month.

Most Points in February by a Player Dealt near Trade Deadline

Player, New Team. . . . . . Gms. . . . . . . .G. . . . . . . . . .A. . . . . . . . . . Pts
Marian Hossa, Pit. . . . . . . .10. . . . . . . . .4. . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . . 10
Andrew Ladd, Chi. . . . . . . 11. . . . . . . . .4. . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . . 10
Jussi Jokinen, TB. . . . . . . .12. . . . . . . . .3. . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . . . . . 8
Brad Richards, Dal. . . . . . . 10. . . . . . . . .2. . . . . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . . . . . 6
Jan Hlavac, Nsh. . . . . . . . .10. . . . . . . . .2. . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . . . . . 5

Andrew Ladd was traded by Carolina to Chicago for Tuomo Ruutu. He has nine goals and nine assists on the season, but 10 of his 18 points have come in February. The 22-year-old wing, who won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes two years ago, has been held without a point only twice in his last nine games.

Among the nine traded defensemen who have been in the league nearly all season, eight played for teams that have been outscored. Nearly all move to better clubs.

Looking at plus-minus on the season, the one who stands out is Bryce Salvador, who the Blues sent to New Jersey. St. Louis had been outscored by 16 goals during his tenure, but Salvador was +12 on the season, easily the best plus-minus among traded defensemen.

San Jose acquired defenseman Brian Campbell from Buffalo. Known for his ability to move the puck up ice, Campbell leads his traded peers with nine assists and 10 points in 13 games this month, though his plus-minus is -2. Brad Stuart had seven assists and eight points for the Kings in February, but he was -5.

The division leaders in the Western Conference -- Detroit, Minnesota and Dallas -- have larger leads than their Eastern counterparts, but parity still figures in a tight playoff race. Take the runaway Red Wings and Pacific-leading Stars out of the equation, and the next 10 teams in the Western Conference standings are separated by just 10 points. Those 10 clubs are in pursuit of the West’s final six postseason berths.

Going into Wednesday night’s action, Vancouver and Calgary hold down the West’s final two playoff spots with 68 points. The next four clubs in the chase -- Phoenix, St. Louis, Colorado and Columbus -- are within five points of the Canucks and Flames.

Although parity is a key theme of the playoff push down the stretch, you won’t find it between the conferences. The West has a significant edge over the East in 2007-08.

East vs. West, 2007-08

Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Record. . . . . . . . Points
Eastern Conference (vs. West). . . . . . . .52-55-12. . . . . . 116 points
Western Conference (vs. East). . . . . . . .67-40-12. . . . . . 146 points

The Avalanche may be seeded 11th in the West with a little less than six weeks remaining in the regular season, but they top all Western clubs with a 7-1-0 record and 14 points against the East. The Ducks are 6-2-0 and the Red Wings are 6-2-1 facing Eastern teams this season, and that may not bode well for the East’s representative in the Stanley Cup finals.

Until then, however, parity rules as clubs vie to play postseason hockey.

Best Plus-Minus Rating – December 19 & Since

Nicklas Lidstrom, Det +21
Pavel Datsyuk, Det +19
Brent Seabrook, Chi +18
Johnny Oduya, NJ +18