One of the best rivalries in the NHL will take center stage on Sunday afternoon, as the Detroit Red Wings visit the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the League's nine-game schedule.

The Original Six matchup gets under way at 12:30 p.m. ET and can be seen across the United States on NBC. Both teams are in a dogfight -- Chicago (43-16-5) is battling for the top seed in the Western Conference, while Detroit (30-22-12) is one point ahead of Calgary for the conference's final playoff spot.

Fans who watch the game are in for a special treat; there will be isolated cameras on Chicago forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Ilya Bryzgalov is interested in wins, not milestones. He got one of both on Saturday night.

Bryzgalov made 32 saves for his seventh shutout of the season and franchise-record 34th win as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 at Jobing.com Arena.

"It's nice, but I'm not chasing any records here," said Bryzgalov, who has played some of his best hockey against his former team. "I came to help my teammates win games and my teammates help me win games because we are in the same boat."

Bryzgalov faced just three shots in the first period, but was kept busy by the Ducks over the final 40 minutes while earning his 15th career shutout and second against Anaheim this season.

TORONTO --  Minnesota Wild forward Derek Boogaard has been suspended for two games, without pay, as a result of a kneeing incident during NHL game #954 against the Edmonton Oilers,  the National Hockey League announced today.

Boogaard, who was suspended for five games on Feb. 28, 2009, now is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Accordingly, he forfeits $21,341.46 in salary, based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (193).  The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
 
At 7:29 of the first period, Boogaard delivered a knee hit on Edmonton forward Ryan Jones. Boogaard was assessed a minor penalty for kneeing on the play.
 
Boogaard will miss games on Mar. 7 vs. Calgary and Mar. 9 vs. Florida.  He will be eligible to return Mar. 11 at Detroit.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin had one of his virtuoso performances Feb. 7 when the rival Pittsburgh Penguins were in town, scoring three goals and an assist to propel his Washington Capitals to a dramatic comeback triumph.

Almost a month has passed since then and, believe it or not, that was the last time Ovechkin scored an NHL goal. The time lapsed includes the Olympic break, but Ovechkin has gone five games without scoring -- his longest such streak of the season.

"Every I've been here Alex has had a little bit of a stretch where he just can't find the net and then the next thing you know, once he gets one he gets 10 in four games and that's the way he's been," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "This is his little funk and I expect him to come out of it real soon."

Boudreau is correct -- last season Ovechkin had a nine-game drought early in the season that coincided with his grandfather being ill in Russia. Even during his 65-goal campaign in 2007-08, he went seven straight contests without a goal.

For the first time since Feb. 13, a Saturday features a full day of NHL hockey, with 10 games on a schedule that runs from early afternoon until late at night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, fresh off a 55-shot, 5-4 overtime victory at New York on Thursday, start the day at 1 p.m. ET by hosting Dallas. The Stars are coming off a 6-1 home loss to St. Louis on Thursday.

An hour later, the Boston Bruins start a seven-game road trip when they visit the Nassau Coliseum for a game against the New York Islanders. The Bruins ended a 10-game home losing streak with a 3-2 shootout win over Toronto on Thursday, while the Isles come home after a 6-3 whipping at Atlanta the same night.

After those afternoon appetizers, the schedule heats up after dark.

Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom earned career assist No. 800 during the first period of Friday’s game against the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena.

Lidstrom assisted on Tomas Holmstrom's 17th goal of the season at 14:00 of the opening period, giving the Wings a 2-0 lead. Lidstrom's perfect pass found Holmstrom all alone for an easy tap-in past Nashville goaltender Dan Ellis.

Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre has been suspended for four games, without pay, for a late hit on San Jose Sharks forward Scott Nichol during NHL game #949, last night, the National Hockey league announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Lapierre will forfeit $14,248.72. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Jim Rutherford must have been grinning ear-to-ear seeing the flags of Canada, the United States and Finland being raised to the rafters at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver on Feb. 28.

That's because all four Carolina players participating in the Winter Games -- Canada's Eric Staal, Team USA's Tim Gleason and Finland's Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu -- each brought home a medal. While the 'Canes are the only team in the Southeast Division to have four medalists at the Olympics, they are one of three teams (Anaheim and Vancouver) in the League to have each of their Olympians medal.

"Not much sizzle"
 
That seemed to be the big complaint about Wednesday's trade deadline. There were plenty of moves, but none that captured the fancy of fans and commentators.
 
Well, you can have the sizzle, I'll take the steak, and at this deadline, the steak was the host of trades that supplied contending teams with an element that may not be readily apparent until May or June.
 
Namely, depth.
 
You do not win a Stanley Cup without depth or unheralded players who jump onto the playoff stage and make it their own. Those were the kinds of trades that were made at this deadline, the ones that fortify a lineup for the long haul that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NEW YORK – Special live programming by League media properties will provide blanket coverage of NHL General Managers' March meeting, the National Hockey League announced today. NHL.com, NHL Network and NHL Radio will begin live programming on Monday, March 8, with three days of comprehensive, in-depth coverage.

NHL Network will wrap up each day's events with a special half hour On the Fly at the GM's Meeting show. Hosted by Dan Pollard and Craig Button, the show will air at 6:00 p.m. ET Monday through Wednesday, with an encore presentation at 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
On NHL Live!, the NHL's daily radio show, hosts Deb Kaufman and EJ Hradek will have up-to-the-minute analysis with special guest Jay Feaster, who won the 2004 Stanley Cup as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Current NHL general managers will join the panel daily to discuss the day's proceedings on NHL Live!, which is broadcast live on Sirius XM Radio, streamed on NHL.com and simulcast on NHL Network each weekday from noon - 2 p.m. ET.