Alexander Ovechkin

Not even an apparent injury to Alexander Ovechkin could slow down the Washington Capitals. Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and an assist while Eric Fehr added a goal and an assist Monday night, leading Washington to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington played the last 2 1/2 periods without Ovechkin, who was helped off the ice at 7:55 of the first period after initiating a knee-to-knee collision with defenseman Tim Gleason. Ovechkin, who hit Gleason with his right knee as the defenseman was attempting to take the puck out of his own zone, received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, his second in his last three games.

Pluses Dallas Coach Glen Gulutzan is keeping the Stars in playoff contention in the West - and might have saved his job - with wins over the Ducks, Kings, San Jose Sharks (twice) and Nashville Predators. They're younger and grittier since they traded Brenden Morrow, Derek Roy and Jaromir Jagr and they've banded together. Player to watch: right wing Alex Chiasson, who has six goals and seven points in six games since his post-trade deadline promotion. The New York Islanders' impressive push has them in position to earn their first playoff berth since 2007.

The Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin scored his 50th goal Thursday, becoming the second rookie to reach 50 goals and 100 points. Teemu Selanne was the first. Rookies who have scored at least 50 goals: *--* Goals Player, Team Year 76 Teemu Selanne, Winnipeg 1992-93 53 Mike Bossy, N.Y. Islanders 1977-78 51 Joe Nieuwendyk, Calgary 1987-88 50 Alexander Ovechkin, Washington 2005-06 *--*

Two division titles, several playoff positions and the Presidents' Trophy for the top overall record were decided on the final day of the regular season, a day that ended several postseason droughts. The Pacific champion Phoenix Coyotes won their first division title, including their Winnipeg origins. The Florida Panthers won the Southeast and their first playoff berth since the 1999-2000 season, and the Vancouver Canucks won the Presidents' Trophy for the second straight season.

Top NHL shootout scorers, based on shooting percentage (through Tuesday, three-goal minimum; GDG -- game-deciding goals): *--* PLAYER, TEAM Pos. Shots Goals S% GDG 1. Jussi Jokinen, Dallas LW 8 8 1.000 2 2. Alexander Frolov, Kings LW 3 3 1.000 1 3. Geoff Sanderson, Phoenix LW 3 3 1.000 2 4. Jaroslav Balastik, Columbus LW 4 3 750 1 5. Mike Richards, Philadelphia C 4 3 750 1 6. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington LW 9 6 667 3 7. Sergei Zubov, Dallas D 8 5 625 3 8.

R.J. Umberger scored his second goal of the game on a power play 1:45 into overtime to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Capitals played much of the game without Alexander Ovechkin, who left early in the second period and did not return. Blue Jackets left wing Raffi Torres scored twice in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation, including the tying goal with 23 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Rick Nash had a goal and two assists for Columbus (6-5-1)

They once played together on the Russian national team and will do so again during the Winter Olympics in February at Turin, Italy. But Alexander Frolov said now is not the time to look forward to that kind of reunion with Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals' star rookie. Tonight Ovechkin is the enemy. "For me it's just another game," said the King forward, who has 13 goals and 20 assists. "And it's really important to us, especially right now, to do everything we can to win."

New blood put some life into the Ducks on Wednesday. Old habits drained them. Bobby Ryan seemed to fulfill at least a portion of last summer's prophecy, when Ducks' officials said he was destined to skate on their top line. But by the end of a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals, Ryan was reduced to a feel-good blip.

The last time the NHL gathered for an All-Star game, in 2004, Sidney Crosby was 16 and playing for Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Alexander Ovechkin was 18 and toiling for Moscow Dynamo in Russia. The 2005 game was canceled because of the labor dispute that wiped out the season, and no game was held last year in advance of the Turin Olympics.

Scott Niedermayer is the Mighty Ducks' highest-paid player, their emotional leader and the man who logs more ice time than anyone else on their roster. It is no surprise that he is the focus of the Calgary Flames' game plan in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. Their plan is to wear him down. "He's a big key for their club," Flame captain Jarome Iginla said Sunday. "The amount of minutes he plays, we're trying to make sure we all finish our checks.

Times columnist Helene Elliott rates the pluses and minuses in the NHL from the previous week: + The word "regal" was coined for Jean Beliveau, the former Montreal Canadiens captain and 10-time Stanley Cup champion who was hospitalized last week after suffering a stroke. His wife, Elise, told the Montreal Gazette that by week's end he was laughing, speaking and regaining his strength. Best wishes go to the man who epitomizes class. + Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller shut out the Ducks and Sharks on the road and had a shutout streak of 155 minutes 37 seconds before he yielded a goal at Vancouver on Saturday.

The NHL's effort to fast-track a proposed rule that would punish blindside hits to the head was welcomed Wednesday by Kings Coach Terry Murray , who has seen many similar ideas stall over the years, and by Kings center Jeff Halpern , who could influence the final form of the rule as a member of the NHL's competition committee. General managers last week recommended banning hits that involve "a lateral, back-pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted."

Not even an apparent injury to Alexander Ovechkin could slow down the Washington Capitals. Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and an assist while Eric Fehr added a goal and an assist Monday night, leading Washington to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington played the last 2 1/2 periods without Ovechkin, who was helped off the ice at 7:55 of the first period after initiating a knee-to-knee collision with defenseman Tim Gleason. Ovechkin, who hit Gleason with his right knee as the defenseman was attempting to take the puck out of his own zone, received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, his second in his last three games.

The Phoenix Coyotes' bumpy six-month journey through U.S. Bankruptcy Court has come to an end with a judge's approval of the sale of the franchise to the NHL. Judge Redfield T. Baum signed the order Monday after a quiet, brief hearing in a mostly empty courtroom, a stark contrast to earlier scenes of high drama featuring countless high-priced attorneys locked in often-bitter arguments. The NHL's bid totals about $140 million. The figure listed in the sale order is $128.

R.J. Umberger scored his second goal of the game on a power play 1:45 into overtime to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Capitals played much of the game without Alexander Ovechkin, who left early in the second period and did not return. Blue Jackets left wing Raffi Torres scored twice in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation, including the tying goal with 23 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Rick Nash had a goal and two assists for Columbus (6-5-1)

Alex Ovechkin scored twice in a 28-second span of the second period, and the Washington Capitals beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday to end a four-game losing streak. Alexander Semin and Matt Bradley also scored for the Capitals, who had lost 11 straight to San Jose since February 1999. Evgeni Nabokov was 8-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average lifetime versus Washington before Thursday. Capitals goalie Jose Theodore left after the first period with an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Semyon Varlamov, who stopped all 15 shots he faced.

Times columnist Helene Elliott rates the pluses and minuses in the NHL from the previous week: + The word "regal" was coined for Jean Beliveau, the former Montreal Canadiens captain and 10-time Stanley Cup champion who was hospitalized last week after suffering a stroke. His wife, Elise, told the Montreal Gazette that by week's end he was laughing, speaking and regaining his strength. Best wishes go to the man who epitomizes class. + Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller shut out the Ducks and Sharks on the road and had a shutout streak of 155 minutes 37 seconds before he yielded a goal at Vancouver on Saturday.

Pluses Dallas Coach Glen Gulutzan is keeping the Stars in playoff contention in the West - and might have saved his job - with wins over the Ducks, Kings, San Jose Sharks (twice) and Nashville Predators. They're younger and grittier since they traded Brenden Morrow, Derek Roy and Jaromir Jagr and they've banded together. Player to watch: right wing Alex Chiasson, who has six goals and seven points in six games since his post-trade deadline promotion. The New York Islanders' impressive push has them in position to earn their first playoff berth since 2007.

New blood put some life into the Ducks on Wednesday. Old habits drained them. Bobby Ryan seemed to fulfill at least a portion of last summer's prophecy, when Ducks' officials said he was destined to skate on their top line. But by the end of a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals, Ryan was reduced to a feel-good blip.

All Alexander Ovechkin did last season was lead the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points, win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Lester Pearson Award from his peers as the most outstanding player, and receive a key to the city of Washington. The Capitals' left wing believes he can top that this season, and he has a number in mind. Not 70 goals. Not 75. "If I score one goal and we go to playoffs I will be happy," he said, during a preseason visit to Southern California.