NHL Weekender: The Penguins are on thin ice

The competition for bragging rights in the Eastern Conference has certainly gotten a lot tighter. Although the Tampa Bay Lighting maintain a stronghold on the Atlantic lead, the Metropolitan is a much closer race with the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals continuing to trade off taking over the division. The biggest surprise there is that the Carolina Hurricanes have crept into a wild card position — in part because the New York Islanders fell out of position after losing four straight tilts.

The situation is quite similar out west. Although the Kings, Golden Knights, and Sharks are all within relative striking distance of each other, the competition is even tighter in the Central. The St. Louis Blues exploded this week with three straight victories, although they remain in close contention with the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators. (Two of those teams are facing off for what should be must-see Saturday night hockey, but we'll get to that in just a second.)

Who's on a skid

You would think we would be focusing on the Isles and their four-game skid. But it's really time that we talk about the season-spanning skid that the Pittsburgh Penguins are on. The Stanley Cup champs aren't just well out of a playoff spot, but they've been losing to seemingly less competition. (They got blanked by Carolina this week, in a win that has aided in catapulting the Canes into good standing.) It's anyone's guess what Friday night's Isles-Pens game is going to look like.

Out west, the Canucks are still reeling from a rough December. After stringing together a couple of wins around the Thanksgiving holiday, Vancouver went on a series of four-game slips that have them with one foot in the basement, above the Arizona Coyotes in the standings. Things only get tougher as they tango with the impressive Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Goalie to Watch

It's a shame that the Montreal Canadiens are such a disappointment this season, because Carey Price continues to be a human highlight reel. We got a glimpse of Vintage Price when the Habs and the Lightning in overtime on Thursday night. Bolts' winger Ondrej Palat broke up the ice and dished the puck to Tyler Johnson for a nice up-close attempt on Montreal's net. Price fell to his knees to stop Johnson, then pinwheeled his legs as he rolled on his back in time to kick Palat's rebound attempt away from the crease. Watch the highlight over and over — it's still difficult to fathom just how Price made the save possible.

Trade Talk

Nearing the halfway marker of the season means that the trade deadline — aka the worst day for fake hockey insider Twitter accounts — is just on the horizon. (Although there has already been a bit of trading going on. Heck, goaltender Al Montoya was reportedly just traded to the Edmonton Oilers this morning.) Yardbarker discussed the likelihood of the Montreal Canadiens trading captain Max Pacioretty earlier this week. Another team to keep an eye on over the next two months is the New York Rangers, who have some trade decisions to make as they deal with the loss of Chris Kreider.

What to watch this weekend

Saturday, Carolina at Boston, 7:00 p.m. EST, FSS, NESN 

Opt to skip NFL Wild Card weekend and watch some exciting puck instead. The real exciting tilts of the weekend get under way on Saturday night, starting with this battle of two teams in the East trying to make a big impression. 

Saturday, Nashville at L.A., 10:30 p.m. EST, FSSM, FSWHD

Keep your TV on afterwards to catch even more rough and tumble action as the LA Kings host the Nashville Predators in what is sure to be a physical bout. 

Sunday, St. Louis at Washington, 3:00 p.m. EST, FSMW, CSNB, TSN

No need to tune into football on Sunday either — this cross-division matchup between the Blues and Capitals shouldn't disappoint.