Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Big game for Washington and Carolina; Coyotes sign Turris; Brunnstrom completes SEL season; Streit to return to lineup; St. Louis continues to struggle and more...

'CANES VS. CAPS: FOR ALL THE MARBLES 
Is there a regular season game on the remaining 2007-08 regular season schedule that is bigger than this one? The Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday at 7:00 ET.

The Hurricanes currently hold down third spot in the Eastern Conference, whereas the Capitals, in ninth, are three points behind eighth. Where things get interesting, however, is the fact that Carolina is in third by virtue of the fact that they are tops in the division. But they are just two points ahead of second in the division and it just so happens that that team is Washington.

The Hurricanes are red hot, boasting a 7-2-1 record in their last 10. The Capitals, however, can do them one better--they are 8-2-0. A Carolina win would all but officially bury Washington. A Capitals' win would pull them into a tie with their division rival, but since the Hurricanes would still have an extra win they would retain the spot. However, the Caps would still have two games to change that.

Carolina is certainly thankful for the play of Eric Staal of late. The young star has 21 points in his last 12 games and is hotter than pretty much any player in the NHL right now. Except one. Washington's Alexander Ovechkin has 26 points in his last 14 games and is the league's scoring leader. Caps goaltender Cristobal Huet has been nothing short of spectacular, posting an 8-2-0 record in his new uniform, to go with a 1.83 GAA and a .931 SV%. Carolina answers with Cam Ward, who has certainly been no slouch, going 12-3-1 in his last 16 games.

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BRING ON BRUNNSTROM! 
Farjestad was eliminated from the SEL playoffs Monday, meaning that undrafted but highly-coveted prospect Fabian Brunnstrom is a free agent. INTEL: Detroit is rumored to have the inside track on signing the 22-year-old late bloomer, but don't count out Boston, Vancouver or Toronto. Brunnstrom is thought to be NHL-ready and could contribute decent offense right away. It is not entirely clear when NHL teams can officially move forward with signing UFA's from the Swedish Elite League, but for all intents and purposes Brunnstrom is now available.

ON THE MARK 
Montreal defenseman-turned-forward Mark Streit showed marked improvement over the weekend and is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday. He had taken a shot off the foot last week, causing it to swell. He missed Saturday's game against Toronto. INTEL: Streit is arguably the biggest surprise in fantasy hockey this season, taking a solid run at 60 points. His eligibility in multiple positions in many rotisserie leagues makes him a valued commodity.

GETTING EVEN? 
Kristian Huselius played just 9:03 in Sunday's 6-2 loss to rival Vancouver. He was a minus-3 in the game, too. INTEL: Either coach Mike Keenan is onto something by scratching the skilled winger, or Huselius has decided to stop playing for Keenan, perhaps to get back at him for the extreme rollback in quality ice time. Either way, poolies need to steer clear of him for now.

FOUR WEEKS FOR SAKU? 
The Team 990, a radio station in Montreal, is reporting that Habs captain Saku Koivu could be gone for four weeks with a broken foot. INTEL: If this is true, it would be a devastating blow to Montreal's playoff hopes. More will be known when the swelling in Koivu's foot goes down.

KYLE SMILES 
Kyle Turris has signed a contract with the Coyotes one day after his team was eliminated from the Frozen Four Tournament. It is a three-year entry-level deal. The young pivot is en route to Phoenix and is expected to play in their final three games. INTEL: Turris is arguably the top prospect outside of the NHL and unquestionably the top prospect in the Phoenix organization. Turris will get a taste of life in the NHL and fantasy leaguers will get a taste of what the blue chipper can do for their fantasy roster.

TWO FOR JAGS 
Jaromir Jagr scored once and added an assist to lead the Rangers to an important 2-1 overtime win over the Penguins. The points give him 19 in his last 20 games. INTEL: By Jagr's usual standards, 19 points in 20 games is ho-hum, but considering the terrible season he has had offensively, look at it as a positive. One little known tidbit about Jagr's contract: it automatically kicks in next season, with a raise, if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. With that kind of motivation, how can he not be a good pick in playoff pools?

HE NEEDED THAT ONE 
Atlanta netminder Kari Lehtonen stopped 36 Tampa Bay shots to earn the shutout in the 2-0 victory. INTEL: Lehtonen's up and down season has been mostly down of late, as he had gone 2-8-3 in his last 15 games. He has faced 209 shots in his last five starts. Look for Atlanta to address their defensive woes during their long summer.

LETANG SCRATCHED 
Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien decided to move Ryan Whitney back to the point after several games as a left winger. The moved forced him to make rookie blueliner Kris Letang a healthy scratch. INTEL: Whitney and Letang will be a formidable 1-2 punch on the backend for Pittsburgh for years, but both of the youngsters are still in learning mode for now.

LAVALLEE DEBUTS 
Thrashers' prospect Jordan LaVallee made his NHL debut Monday in Atlanta's 2-0 win over the Lightning. INTEL: The 6-3, 220-pound youngster saw just over 11 minutes of ice time, some on the power play. He projects to be a decent scoring third-line power forward who could give fantasy leaguers 45 points and 90 penalty minutes in a few years.

ST. LOUIS' BLUES 
Tampa Bay forward Martin St. Louis continues to slump, after being held off the scoresheet for the fifth straight contest Monday. It was the 13th time in the last 20 games that St. Louis went pointless. INTEL: Incredibly, the diminutive forward is a minus-21 in those 20 games and has just nine points. It will be interesting to see how Tampa Bay improves the supporting cast around him. If they don't, it could be a long season next year for St. Louis owners.