* Eastern Conference division leaders face off when the NHL-best Capitals (35-8-4, 74 points) welcome the Panthers (29-15-5, 63 points) to Verizon Center for their third and final matchup of the season (WSH: 1-1-0, FLA: 1-0-1).

* Following a successful All-Star weekend, the Predators (24-18-8, 56 points) – who have won four straight to move into the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference – look to gain ground on the Blues (28-16-8, 64 points) when they meet at Bridgestone Arena.

* The Avalanche (27-22-3, 57 points), who also are in the thick of the Wild Card and Central Division races, try to climb the ladder when they drop the puck against the division-leading Blackhawks (33-16-4, 70 points) at Pepsi Center.

* The Coyotes (24-20-5, 53 points), who sit in third place in the Pacific Division, continue their playoff push when they welcome the division-leading Kings (30-16-3, 63 points) to Gila River Arena for their fifth and final matchup of the season (ARI: 3-0-1, LAK: 1-3-0).

* Intrastate rivals separated by just five points in the Pacific Division meet when the Sharks (26-18-4, 56 points) visit the Ducks (22-18-7, 51 points) – who have won three straight and five of their last six overall – at Honda Center.

McDAVID RETURNS FOR OILERS
Forward Connor McDavid, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, is expected to return to the lineup when the Oilers (19-26-5, 43 points) face the Blue Jackets (19-27-5, 43 points) at Rexall Place. McDavid, who has missed the last 37 games, paced all rookies with 5-7—12 in 13 contests prior to his injury.

“Anxious is probably the better word,” McDavid said of his first NHL game since Nov. 3. “I’m excited. It feels like my first game all over again.”

WHERE THEY STAND . . .
A quick look at where teams stand entering the final two months of the 2015-16 season:

* 24 teams are within five points of a playoff berth
* In the Atlantic Division, teams Nos. 2-6 are separated by six points
* In the Metropolitan Division, teams Nos. 2-6 are separated by five points
* In the Central Division, teams Nos. 1-3 are separated by six points
* In the Pacific Division, teams Nos. 2-5 are separated by five points

^ Just 21 points separate the 16 teams that currently occupy playoff spots. Last season, only 16 points separated the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs. That was the narrowest gap in the 16-team postseason era. The last time there was a smaller gap (in any playoff format) was in 1964-65, when four of six total teams qualified for the postseason (13 points).

^ Seven teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season currently hold postseason spots (ARI, BOS, COL, DAL, FLA, LAK and SJS). In 2014-15, a record seven teams made the playoffs after not qualifying the prior season.

. . . TRACKING RULE CHANGES
A snapshot of the impact of 3-on-3 overtime and the coach’s challenge during their first season:

3-on-3 Overtime
* 109 of the 171 games that have required overtime this season have been decided in the extra period (63.7%)
* Last season, in the 4-on-4 overtime format, at this point (740 GP): 84 of 186 games were decided in the extra period (45.2%)

Coach’s Challenge
* There have been 150 coach’s challenges – 112 have been upheld, 38 have been overturned
* 92 coach’s challenges have been for goaltender interference (76 upheld / 16 overturned)
* 58 coach’s challenges have been for offside (36 upheld / 22 overturned)

LOOSE PUCKS
REMINDER: Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman will have a hearing today with Hockey Operations for an incident involving linesman Don Henderson . . . ICYMI: Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford and Penguins defenseman Kris Letang were named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of January . . . Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January . . . Canadiens forward John Scott, Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson and Sabres forward Jack Eichel were named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 31 . . . Dave Stubbs profiled Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr in his debut piece for NHL.com . . . Chicago Wolves forward Pat Cannone earned MVP honors in leading the Central Division to victory at the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Challenge at War Memorial Arena in Syracuse.

SNEAK PEEK AT TUESDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Toronto @ Boston, 7:00 p.m., TVAS, TSN4, NESN
NY Rangers @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m., MSG 2, MSG+
Minnesota @ NY Islanders, 7:00 p.m., FS-N, FS-WI, MSG+2
Montreal @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., SNE, RDS, CSN-PH
Ottawa @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., TSN5, RDS2, ROOT
Florida @ Washington, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN
St. Louis @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., SN1, FS-MW, FS-TN
Dallas @ Winnipeg, 8:00 p.m., FS-SW, TSN3
Chicago @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., CSN-CH, ALT
Columbus @ Edmonton, 9:00 p.m., SNO, SNP, SNW, FS-O
Los Angeles @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., FS-W, FS-A
San Jose @ Anaheim, 10:00 p.m., CSN-CA, PRIME, FS-SD

the above information was provided by the NHL PR department