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Hurricanes 4, Devils 2: Having lost three in a row, the Hurricanes were in need of a win on Wednesday night to help take advantage of the recent slumps by Florida and Buffalo. Thanks to a 40-save performance from Cam Ward, and a 3-for-5 night on the power play, Carolina picked up a 4-2 win over Kevin Weekes and the New Jersey Devils.

Anton Babchuk scored a pair of power play goals for the 'Canes, while Eric Staal and Sergei Samsonov also tallied goals in the win. Ward faced a barrage of shots from New Jersey, as the Devils outshot Carolina 33-14 over the final two periods.

The New York Islanders surprised the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon with a seven-goal explosion that ultimately chased goaltender Martin Brodeur. Leading the goal-scoring assault for the Islanders was 25-year-old forward Sean Bergenheim, who capped off his first career hat trick with just 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation.

Back in November, the prospect of months without Martin Brodeur seemed like a long and daunting wait, but with Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes playing the way they have, the time has gone quicker than expected. Still, everyone in New Jersey wants Marty back, and we're getting closer and closer to the reality of having No. 30 between the pipes again.

Brodeur had his first full practice with the team today after almost four months. "I'm comfortable to go into a game if I had to [Sunday]," he told Tom Gulitti, but any hockey fans hoping for a cinematic return against the incredible Sharks to inject some drama into this NHL season will have to settle for Claude Lemieux possibly playing his former team instead.

The New York/New Jersey newspapers already started speculating on Martin Brodeur's return a couple of weeks ago, but the issue has become much realer today, given that there's now a tangible return date for the future Hall of Famer -- a February 26th contest against the Avalanche.

Given the team's tight-lipped nature regarding Brodeur's recovery, the fact that this news has leaked gives that date a lot of gravitas, even though it's still just a "tentative" target.

Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom put on a clinic last night as the Capitals pounded Carolina, 5-1. Semin had a part in every Washington goal, scoring two and assisting on three, as he took over the NHL's scoring lead from Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, in what is sure to be an exciting scoring race all season.

Ovechkin scored his fourth goal of the season, while Backstrom finally ended his season-long drought, picking up his first tally of the year. Between them, the trio combined for 12 points and a +12 on the night, as they tortured Carolina Goalie Michael Leighton.

The Capitals Blog Japers' Rink offers a nice breakdown of the game, including how this Capitals team can still get better, and a less-than-flattering performance by the oldest Staal brother, Eric.

I don't think I've ever seen a "superstar" have a worse period than Eric Staal did in the first. He botched tap-ins on an extended 5-on-3, lost a key defensive zone draw that led to the Caps' second goal, and just flat out stunk the building up. It's probably a different game if he has a better opening stanza.

While the news of Martin Brodeur's elbow injury is still resonating from Newark to East Rutherford and back, Blackhawks General Manager Dave Dale Tallon was quick to get on the horn and offer a helping hand. Actually, he was probably trying to offer himself a helping hand, but that's okay, too.

According to Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald, Tallon was making plans to call Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello to gauge his interest in Nikolai Khabibulin, now that Brodeur is expected to miss three-to-four months recovering from a torn distal biceps tendon.

A Devils source said interest in Khabibulin was a "definite possibility," but another source indicated Lamoriello might prefer to wait several weeks to pursue another goalie until he sees how Weekes performs.

Khabibulin is off to a strong start for the Blackhawks, but they've been trying to get rid of him since, what seems like, the day they signed him. He's already passed through waivers once this year, and they've never been able to find a team willing to take his contract in a trade.