from Katie Strang of ESPN,

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New York Islanders: The Isles have strung together four straight wins as they continue to pace the Metropolitan Division. The team’s most recent win featured a six-goal effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets, their offense continuing to roll even without top-line winger Kyle Okposo. Anders Lee has emerged to be a force for the team; both Lee and linemate John Tavares finished with four points each in the victory against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Alex Ovechkin: Joining Tavares and Lee in this category this weekend, Ovechkin also managed four points in helping to lead the Washington Capitals to a critical 5-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Ovechkin’s two-goal, two-assist performance put him in first in the goal-scoring race. He leads the NHL with 36 goals through 57 games. His teammate, Nick Backstrom, paces the league with 43 assists.

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Dallas Stars: Though the Stars have won three of their last four games and addressed a huge need via trade last week in acquiring goaltender Jhonas Enroth from the Buffalo Sabres, it’s hard to imagine them being able to carry on business as usual without star forward Tyler Seguin. A nasty hit from Florida’s Dmitry Kulikov sent Seguin to injured reserve with a knee injury. As it currently stands, the Stars sit five points back of the last wild card spot out West. Going to be an uphill battle without their best player on the ice for an extended period of time.

San Jose Sharks: Not the best way to set the stage for this weekend’s big event, Sharks. Losers in four of their last five games, the Sharks stumble into a big week following a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. A big problem facing the team right now is the fact that they are giving up way too much in their own end. In their last four losses, they have surrendered 19 goals. They face the high-flying Predators on Tuesday, a tough road game that should really test their mettle.

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