Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Briere and Philly face crunch time; 'Alexander the Great' makes history; Turris debuts for Phoenix; Lecavalier and Alfredsson hurt on Wednesday; Jagr is heating up; Filatov ponders a move to North America; and more...

BRIERE TIME 
The Philadelphia Flyers face a must-win situation on Friday night at home against the New Jersey Devils. Naturally, they will look to their leaders to pave the way.

One such player is veteran center Daniel Briere, who was involved in several critical games the last two seasons as a member of the Buffalo Sabres--who reached the semifinals in the Eastern Conference both years, losing in 2006 to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and last year to the Ottawa Senators. The 30-year-old Briere has endured a trying first campaign in Philadelphia, and he's still a team-worst minus-22 on the year.

However, Briere has gotten hot at the right time. Since returning on March 6 from a one-game absence due to a right shoulder injury, he has produced nine goals and 15 points in 13 contests. Unfortunately for Briere and his mates, the Flyers' road loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night has placed them in a critical position heading into Friday's game with the Devils. Following Washington's 4-1 win against Tampa Bay on Thursday, the Flyers are now on the outside looking in on the playoffs--one point behind the Capitals. This is when an NHL team's top players step up, so Philly will look to Briere--who signed an eight-year, $52 million contract last summer--to do so.

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OVIE MAGIC 
Washington Capitals franchise winger Alexander Ovechkin scored his 64th and 65th goals of the season in his club's 4-1 home victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night. INTEL: Ovechkin's second goal was not only the game-winner on this night, but it also broke the NHL single-season record for most goals by a left-winger previously held by future Hall-of-Famer Luc Robitaille.

TURRIS DEBUTS 
Phoenix Coyotes center prospect Kyle Turris played his first NHL contest against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. INTEL: The No. 3 overall pick in 2007 recently completed his freshman campaign with the University of Wisconsin. Turris is expected to play a top-six role for Wayne Gretzky as early as next season.

VINNY INJURED 
Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier left Thursday night's road contest at Washington early due to what appeared to be a left shoulder injury. INTEL: Lecavalier fell awkwardly when hit by Capitals winger Matt Cooke.

ALFIE HURT 
Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson left Thursday night's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs early after getting hit hard by Leafs forward Mark Bell. INTEL: The Senators are calling the injury of the 'upper body' variety so it's anyone's guess as to what really happened to the Swedish right-winger. In fact, it could be a knee problem. He could be out a while.

JUSTIN TIME 
Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Justin Abdelkader, the MVP of the 2007 NCAA Frozen Four tournament while a member of the Michigan State Spartans, made his NHL debut against Columbus Thursday. INTEL: The spunky Abdelkader spent three years at Michigan State, after being taken 42nd overall by the Wings in 2005 out of Cedar Rapids (USHL).

LANGKOW RE-SIGNS? 
Various reports suggest the Calgary Flames are on the verge of re-signing No. 1 center Daymond Langkow to a four-year contract worth an estimated $20 million. INTEL: The 31-year-old is one of two key Calgary forwards scheduled to become UFA's this summer--the other is Swedish winger Kristian Huselius--so this would be another key move by Flames GM Darryl Sutter if true.

FISHER HURT TOO 
Ottawa Senators' two-way center Mike Fisher was injured during the Thursday night blowout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. INTEL: Apparently, Fisher suffered a knee injury during the contest and is questionable for Friday night's game against Boston.

KING OF SHUTOUTS 
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist registered his league-leading 10th shutout of the season in helping his club to a 3-0 road victory over the archrival New York Islanders on Thursday night. INTEL: After a slow start to 2007-08, Lundqvist has played at an elite level in the second half. He's now put himself in the discussion for the Vezina trophy.

ANTOINE FOR TROIS 
Ottawa Senators forward Antoine Vermette recorded his first career hat trick in the 8-2 road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Vermette added an assist as the top scorer in the game. He logged 24:13 in the absence of both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher for part of the contest.

JAGR HOT 
New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr scored two goals in leading the team to a 3-0 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night. INTEL: Jagr now has three goals and five points in his last three games. Despite a woefully substandard campaign, the Czech right-winger is heating up at the best possible time for the Blueshirts.

HILLEN SUITS UP 
Defenseman Jack Hillen, who signed an entry-level contract with the New York Islanders as a free agent out of Colorado College on April 1, made his NHL debut Thursday night against the New York Rangers. INTEL: The 22-year-old puck-moving defenseman will have a shot at earning a spot on the Isles' 2008-09 roster, since Marc-Andre Bergeron was dealt to Anaheim at the trade deadline and veteran Bryan Berard will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

FILATOV TO NORTH AMERICA? 
According to reports out of Russia, CSKA Moscow winger Nikita Filatov is contemplating a move to North America for the 2008-09 campaign. INTEL: Filatov would likely be selected among the first three picks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft if he made this intention known. He'll probably move to the Canadian Hockey League as part of the 2008 CHL Import Draft, but could also challenge for a roster spot right away with the NHL club that drafts him.

DOUGHTY GETS TWO 
Guelph Storm (OHL) defenseman Drew Doughty, a projected top-five pick in this year's NHL draft, registered a goal and an assist to lead his team to a 4-1 win over Sault Ste. Marie in Game 1 of their second-round match-up. INTEL: Doughty is likely to be the first defenseman selected on draft day...possibly as high as second overall.

SIMON SAYS DA? 
Reports out of Russia suggest current Minnesota Wild enforcer Chris Simon could be on his way to the Russian Superleague for the start of the 2008-09 campaign. INTEL: Acquired from the New York Islanders at the trade deadline, Simon will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The club interested in Simon's services is apparently Vityaz Chekhov.