Injuries, trades mark beginning of regular season climax

It's crunch time in the NHL.

With the trade deadline just three weeks away, teams have begun the seasonal search for that missing piece of the puzzle that could mean the difference between an early exit from the playoffs in April or a surge of success into June.

The most surprising thing about the league right now has to be the lack of close competition for the final playoff spots. If I had to predict the 16 playoff-bound teams right now, I wouldn't make any changes to the current standings, save perhaps for the crowded Western Conference, where the Nashville Predators (65 points), St. Louis Blues (64 points), Los Angeles Kings (65 points), and Dallas Stars (66 points) are competing for the last three spots. The most interesting battles will probably take place at the top where division leaders within only a few points of each other scramble for hegemony.

The Eastern Conference race should make for an especially exciting stretch run. The Philadelphia Flyers (78 points), who have been atop the conference for much of the season, continue to lead the other division leaders -- the Toronto Maple Leafs (76 points) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (72 points) -- but the tide might finally be turning.

The Flyers have come back from the All-Star break looking less than primed for a playoff run. They've lost their last two games and newly acquired goalie Sean Burke gave up a combined ten goals in the losses. Burke was picked up from the Phoenix Coyotes after Robert Esche, who had worked all season making a name for himself in Philadelphia, injured his knee and veteran back-up Jeff Hackett was diagnosed with vertigo (don't ask) and retired.

In addition to these odd goalie circumstances, Philadelphia's leading-scorer, Jeremy Roenick, might have played his last NHL game last Thursday when he was hit in the face with a puck that broke his jaw. According to Roenick (who has been surprisingly talkative to the press when one considers that his jaw is wired-shut), the concussion that resulted was the ninth of his career and a good reason for the 34-year old to contemplate retirement.

The Leafs, on the other hand, seem to be on the rise. The problem is, the highly competitive Northeast Division tends to magnify any mistakes -- Toronto is currently tied in points (76) with the streaking Ottawa Senators and the red-hot Boston Bruins are only trailing by one point.

Toronto expects forward Alexander Mogilny back from hip surgery this week after the prolific scorer missed a full three months of action. The squad has also seen surprising production from defenseman Bryan McCabe, who has 25 assists, and 37-year old Gary Roberts, who has a team-leading 22 goals this year after playing only 15 games last season due to injury. The team's only major concern is goaltending, with Ed Belfour still listed as day-to-day with a back injury and replacement Trevor Kidd struggling to keep the puck out of the net in the absence of "The Eagle."

The often-overlooked Lightning, though not likely to move up the standings, are probably the most comfortably situated team in the entire league. They lead the lowly Southeast Division by a ridiculous 17 points, assuring them the third playoff spot in the East. Winger Martin St. Louis is quietly having an MVP-caliber year for the Bolts, ranking fourth in the league in points with 63. The Quebec-native has scored five goals in the last four games, including one on Tuesday night during his team's 5-2 victory over the Flyers.

In the West, the Predators seem to be poised to make their first playoff appearance. From the looks of the team's recent off-ice activity, the Nashville management seems to realize the opportunity at hand. On Monday, they acquired the Chicago Blackhawks' leading scorer, Steve Sullivan, for two second-round draft picks. Sullivan has been a consistent scorer throughout his nine-year career, and could very well act as a spark plug for the team's inconsistent offense. In fact, Sullivan scored three goals in his first game with his new squad, taking down the San Jose Sharks 7-3.

In other late-breaking news, the Senators picked up Peter Bondra from the Washington Capitals yesterday for prospect Brooks Laich and a second-round draft pick in 2005. Ottawa hopes that the five-time All-Star can help them overtake Toronto for the division lead. The Flyers, not to be out-done, traded for Blackhawk captain Alexei Zhamnov yesterday.

Vancouver Canuck All-Star Markus Naslund, the NHL's leading scorer, is out for at least a week with a concussion. The injury came on what the Canucks are charging was a dirty hit from Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore. No penalty was called on the play, but this new influx of bad blood between the already bitter division rivals will make their last two games against each other (March 3rd and 8th) considerably more intriguing.

The prevalence of significant injuries has come to define this season for many teams. Whether or not the playoff contenders can stay healthy down the stretch, and whether or not they can make savvy late-season player additions without disturbing the team chemistry, will be the major factors in determining the viability of a run for the Stanley Cup (read: close like Kerry, not Dean).