Matchups

Chicago has been busy prior to Monday's trade deadline and it's only fitting that the visiting Washington Capitals get the first crack at the new-look Blackhawks on Sunday in a nationally-televised game and potential Stanley Cup Finals preview. Chicago's biggest move was reacquiring Andrew Ladd from Winnipeg on Thursday and the 30-year-old left wing, who scored 17 goals for the Blackhawks when they won the Cup in 2009-2010, should be pumped in his return to the Windy City.

The Carolina Hurricanes look to get their offense back in gear after two straight losses, but it won’t be easy when they host the normally stingy St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon. The Hurricanes crept close to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference before suffering a damaging 3-1 defeat at Toronto on Thursday and dropping a 4-1 decision to Boston a day later.

The Minnesota Wild looked as though they were surging toward a playoff position in the Western Conference a week ago after winning four in a row. The Wild have dropped three straight games since – the last two by a goal – but will try to change the trend Sunday afternoon, when they host the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, who acquired three veteran players on Saturday.

Captain Steven Stamkos has put together his longest goal-scoring run of the season and the Tampa Bay Lightning are following his lead in the win column. Stamkos and the Lightning look to extend their streaks to six games when they visit the Boston Bruins on Sunday in a battle that will snap a tie for second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Vancouver Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday in the first contest of their five-game series as a scheduling quirk has them playing the entire set in 33 days, including three in the next seven. Vancouver trails third-place San Jose by 10 points in the Pacific Division, but the Canucks' best playoff hope - however bleak - comes in the wild-card race, where it trails Colorado by eight points with four games in hand on the Avalanche.

Hockey in Southern California has been heating up of late, and the race for the Pacific Division title could get even hotter when the second-place Anaheim Ducks host the division-leading Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Los Angeles raced out to a large lead in the Pacific before sliding back to the pack recently, but the club appears to have found its form despite struggling offensively as it enters the showdown with Anaheim with a four-game winning streak.

The New York Islanders attempt to remain perfect on their season-high road trip and secure in their position in the Metropolitan Division when they visit the cellar-dwelling Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. New York is 3-0-0 on its seven-game trek, allowing a total of two goals, and sits in third place in the Metropolitan - three points ahead of Pittsburgh and five behind the second-place New York Rangers.