Matchups

The beginning of the second-half schedule sets up nicely for the Boston Bruins, who will play their first three games against the two worst teams in the Atlantic Division - starting with Tuesday night's clash against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins are holding down the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference but have six teams within five points of them.

The New York Rangers appeared to get back on track by winning three of their final four games entering the All-Star break and hope to continue the momentum when they visit the Metropolitan Division-rival New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. It will mark the first of three meetings over the next three weeks between the Rangers and Devils.

Zach Parise told reporters that the Minnesota Wild are trying to walk too fine a line, and they routinely found themselves off course in the process. After mustering just 23 goals in their last 13 games (3-7-3), the Wild look to get back on track Tuesday when they return from the All-Star break to visit the New York Islanders.

The Montreal Canadiens bolted out of the blocks with nine straight victories to begin the season before a pronounced losing skid has sent the club spiraling to the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Division. Mired in a 5-18-1 swoon, the Canadiens look to get back on track Tuesday when they return from the All-Star break to visit the Philadelphia Flyers.

Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins are on quite the roll, and that could spell negative news for the sputtering Ottawa Senators. With two shutouts in his last four starts and a 5-0-1 mark in his last six at home, Fleury looks to send the surging Penguins to their fourth straight victory when they host the Senators on Tuesday.

The Washington Capitals won’t have captain Alex Ovechkin when they start the post-All Star Game portion of the schedule against the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday in a battle of Eastern Conference division leaders. Ovechkin (28 goals) was suspended one contest by the NHL for skipping the All-Star Game due to an undisclosed injury.

The Nashville Predators began to find their best form before the All-Star break and look to carry that over with a four-game homestand that begins against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Nashville has allowed one goal in each contest during its perfect four-game road trip prior to the break, pushing itself into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On the one hand, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the Dallas Stars, who sit just three points behind Central Division-leading Chicago for first place in the Western Conference as they return from the All-Star break to face the host Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. But Dallas stumbled into the break, going 3-6-1 in its final 10 games of the first half and scoring only 25 goals in 11 contests last month.

The All-Star Game came at an opportune time for the slumping Chicago Blackhawks, who kick off "the second half" of the regular season by visiting the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Chicago, which has the second-most points in the NHL with 70 behind Washington's 74 and leads the Central Division by three over Dallas, was outscored 11-3 in losing three of four contests prior to the break after winning a franchise-record 12 consecutive contests.

The Edmonton Oilers welcome rookie Connor McDavid back to the lineup when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. McDavid, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, missed the last 37 games because of a broken clavicle and hopes to help Edmonton achieve better results as it ranks last in the Pacific Division - and Western Conference - after carrying a three-game slide into the All-Star break.

Los Angeles hasn't won a division title since the 1990-91 season, but it hardly seems to matter since the Kings have won two of the last four Stanley Cups. Los Angeles, though, has a seven-point lead in the Pacific and continues its quest for a long-awaited division title and the No. 1 seed that goes with it when the Kings visit the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, beginning a stretch when they play eight of nine on the road.

After a rough start to January, the San Jose Sharks finished it with a flourish to pull into second place in the Pacific Division. San Jose continues its charge toward the top Tuesday, when it kicks off a four-game road trip against the division-rival Anaheim Ducks.