It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Pacific Division.
San Jose saw its Presidents' Trophy campaign come to a surprising end in the first round of the NHL playoffs, Los Angeles is still the perfect spot for Dany Heatley, and is there any hope for success on the ice in Phoenix?
After loading up at the NHL's trade deadline with Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold, the Calgary Flames went from run-of-the-mill playoff team to a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. Or so we thought. After being knocked out of the first round in six games against the upstart Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames have decided to part ways with head coach Mike Keenan after just two years on the job.
As the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Jonathan Toews has always been blessed with exceptional talent. He's excelled on the ice during his first two years in Chicago, he's currently the youngest captain in the NHL, and now that he's getting an opportunity to shine in the playoff spotlight, he's certainly not disappointing.
Toews scored a pair of goals in the second period on Saturday night, as the Blackhawks erased an early deficit to pull out a 3-2 win in game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal. Chicago now has a 2-0 lead in the series as it heads to Calgary on Monday.
After the performance Martin Havlat put on in the third period and overtime of Chicago's 3-2 win on Thursday night, that seven-year playoff drought was almost worth it for long-suffering Blackhawks fans. After scoring the game-tying goal with just under eight minutes to play in regulation, Havlat buried the game-winner behind Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff just 12 seconds into the extra period, giving Chicago its first playoff win since April 18, 2002.
In this week's power rankings, the New Jersey Devils remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL, holding off the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot thanks to an historic week for goaltender Martin Brodeur.
Vancouver makes a big jump, while the Montreal Canadiens continue to fade at the absolute worst time of the season.
Flames 6, Red Wings 5: After the first period of Thursday's game, the Detroit Red Wings held a ridiculous, and somewhat dominating 28-4 edge over the Calgary Flames in the shot department, thanks in large part to a series of five-on-three power plays. Somehow, the Flames managed to keep themselves in the game and rally for a 6-5 shootout win, thanks to a three-goal performance late in the third period.
Trailing, 4-2, with less than four minutes to play in regulation, Calgary received goals from Jamie Lundmark (two) and Olli Jokinen to take a 5-4 lead. Just 38 seconds after Lundmark gave the Flames their first lead of the night, Detroit's Daniel Clearly picked up his 13th goal of the season, sending the game to overtime. Jokinen scored the game-winner in the shootout, helping Calgary snap its three-game losing streak.
Wild 3, Ducks 2: Thanks to a pair of goals from Stephane Veilleux and 35 saves from Niklas Backstrom, the Minnesota Wild picked up a huge 3-2 win in Anaheim. The Wild had lost eight of their past 11 games entering play on Sunday, and moved to within one point of No. 8 seed Nashville. The Western Conference race is every bit the logjam the east is, as six teams are separated by just four points.
Entering play on Sunday, the Ducks held a slim one-point edge over Minnesota, and now find themselves two points back of a possible playoff spot. Anaheim has been slumping as of late, losing seven of its past 10. It's not getting any easier in the coming week with games against Vancouver, San Jose and Nashville.
Even in retirement, Barnaby appears to have found a way to get on the nerves of those in the league, as Calgary Flames head coach Mike Keenan took exception to Barnaby's reporting on TSN prior to Wednesday's trade deadline.
Each Friday throughout the season, I'll provide you with my predictions on whose stock is on the rise and whose is failing miserably like the American job market pretty much everything these days. It's a neat little segment entitled Buys and Sells. There are a few teams/players/issues to buy and a few to sell.
This year's trade deadline features 22 trades that sent 45 players to new cities. There were only a handful of major ones, but those should still have an impact on their respective teams. Those deals can also drastically change the complexion of a the playoff races. Today, we'll examine if that will be the case for any of the teams currently in the hunt.
Flames 5, Flyers 1: The Calgary Flames were the big winners during the NHL's trade deadline, picking up Olli Jokinen from the Phoenix Coyotes and Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche. It didn't take the two newcomers long to make an impact for the Flames, as they each scored in the first period of Calgary's 5-1 win in Philadelphia.
Jokinen scored a pair of goals in the first period, while Leopold added his seventh of the season to help the Flames race out to a 4-0 lead.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Pacific Division.
In this week's power rankings, the New Jersey Devils remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL, holding off the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot thanks to an historic week for goaltender Martin Brodeur. 
Flames 6, Red Wings 5: After the first period of Thursday's game, the Detroit Red Wings held a ridiculous, and somewhat dominating 28-4 edge over the Calgary Flames in the shot department, thanks in large part to a series of five-on-three power plays. Somehow, the Flames managed to keep themselves in the game and rally for a 6-5 shootout win, thanks to a three-goal performance late in the third period.
Wild 3, Ducks 2: Thanks to a pair of goals from Stephane Veilleux and 35 saves from Niklas Backstrom, the Minnesota Wild picked up a huge 3-2 win in Anaheim. The Wild had lost eight of their past 11 games entering play on Sunday, and moved to within one point of No. 8 seed Nashville. The Western Conference race is every bit the logjam the east is, as six teams are separated by just four points.
Matthew Barnaby spent his entire NHL career getting under the skin of every player and coach in the league. He was a pest, an agitator and a troublemaker that nobody enjoyed playing against. Basically, he was the Sean Avery of his time, only far more entertaining on the ice (and without the incredible sense of style and fashion off of it).
Each Friday throughout the season, I'll provide you with my predictions on whose stock is on the rise and whose is failing miserably like 
Flames 5, Flyers 1: The Calgary Flames were the big winners during the NHL's trade deadline, picking up Olli Jokinen from the Phoenix Coyotes and Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche. It didn't take the two newcomers long to make an impact for the Flames, as they each scored in the first period of Calgary's 5-1 win in Philadelphia. 
