FanHouse TomasVokoun

If Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury and Carolina's Cam Ward can repeat their Game 1 performances, when the two youngsters matched each other save-for-save in the Penguins 3-2 win, this series likely won't be decided until a seventh game.

Ward, 25, and Fleury, 24, have already helped lead teams to the Stanley Cup Final, while Ward not only won the whole thing as a rookie in 2005-06, he also took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

So, are these two guys considered elite, franchise goaltenders?

Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead.

Avalanche 4, Canucks 1: This is a loss that could come back and bite the Vancouver Canucks. When you're fighting for a division title, losing to teams fighting for the first overall pick in the draft -- especially when said team entered the game on a franchise-worst eight-game losing streak -- is not something you want to do.

Vancouver has now lost three in a row, and has a monster game on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames -- a game that could go a long way toward deciding the Northwest Division crown.

Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2: With the Montreal Canadiens in complete meltdown mode, the Florida Panthers entered Monday's game against Carolina with an opportunity to take over the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference with a win. Instead, the Panthers failed to win for the seventh time in their past nine games, dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime.

With the Panthers trailing, 2-1, late in the third period, Cory Stillman scored on a 5-on-3 advantage, sending the game to overtime. Just 1:37 into the extra period, Carolina's Ray Whitney one-timed a shot behind Tomas Vokoun for the game-winner.

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.

Senators 5, Canadiens 4: It could be argued that Montreal has already hit the panic button by firing Guy Carbonneau, but if there's another one hidden in the bowels of the Bell Centre, it might be time to press that one, as well.

Thanks to their 5-4 loss to Ottawa on Thursday, the Canadiens have now lost four in a row and six of their past eight, as they continue to flirt with the possibility of missing the postseason.

We're in the home stretch of the NHL season, and both conference playoff races are heating up as the standings change on a daily basis. The Eastern Conference has seven teams separated by just seven points in the No's 4 through 10 spots, while everybody except Phoenix and Colorado is still competing for a playoff spot in the West.

I never thought I'd say this but when the playoffs finally start, the Panthers are going to be a scary opponent for anyone to face presuming, of course, they make the playoffs.

Last night the Cats earned a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins, the East's best team and arguably the best in the NHL. That is, if you look at the standings. The Panthers, currently tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference and caught up in a tight playoff race, are quietly emerging as a counterpart of the league's best teams.

Three of the teams fighting for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference were in action on Tuesday night, and thanks to wins by Buffalo and Florida, and Carolina's loss to Boston, there is a major pileup at the bottom of the playoff picture.

Buffalo burned rookie netminder Justin Pogge for three goals on nine shots in the first period, while the Sabres pulled out a 4-1 win in Toronto. Meanwhile, in Miami, the Panthers cooled off New Jersey with a 4-0 win thanks to Tomas Vokoun's 36-save shutout.

Panthers 5, Hurricanes 0: With the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference on the line the Florida Panthers went into Carolina and pulled out a 5-0 win. The Hurricanes actually held a commanding edge in the shots department, firing 42 shots at Tomas Vokoun, who stopped them all to pick up his fourth shutout of the season.

Florida managed only 23 shots on goal, but was able to get four behind Cam Ward and another past Michael Leighton. The Panthers now hold a three-point edge over Carolina for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins and Capitals helped kick off the second half of the NHL season on Tuesday, and the top two teams in the Eastern Conference did not disappoint in Boston's 3-2 overtime win.

While it was an exciting game for much of the night, the best action came in the overtime period as goaltenders Tim Thomas and Jose Theodore exchanged incredible saves at each end of the ice. Following a Niklas Backstrom hooking penalty, David Krejci sent a pass through the slot only to have it bounce off Shaone Morrison's skate and find the back of the net behind Theodore for the game-winner.