Along the boards

Hawks coach Alpo Suhonen Riding a 5-0-1 streak heading into Sunday's game vs. Pittsburgh, perhaps he's no dog after all. Steve Ellman Even if he gets his financing, he already looks like an owner who is in over his head. Of course, financing millions of dollars takes a bit of leveraging and admirable risk, but in this era of the nouveau riche, isn't there someone wealthier in the Phoenix area who also wants hockey to stay there? Alexei Yashin On Dec. 30, the Senators lost 5-3 to the Penguins. Anyone assessing Yashin's potential contract value wouldn't rate him on par with Mario Lemieux (1-3-4) or Jaromir Jagr (2-1-3). Yashin did get a goal, but it was his only shot on net – Jagr and Lemieux combined for 11. So, why is his stock going up? Because since that game, Yashin has 10 goals and 14 points in nine games. He might not be worth 100 percent of Jagr, but three-quarters still shakes out to about $7 million a year. Eric Lindros and Bob Clarke No, duh. Too easy, eh? Let's settle this one on pay per view as the undercard for the next Wrestlemania: A steel-cage match between these two with the winner getting what he wants. Hot seat: Penguins GM Craig Patrick. If Pittsburgh's recent road trip showed anything, it was that, if the Penguins want to contend for the Cup, the acquisition of a goalie may be necessary. Hot seat, Part deux: Sharks GM Dean Lombardi might need a top-two center before all is said and done. The loss of Vincent Damphousse for the remainder of the regular season is a major blow. If he's a definite to return for the postseason, the Sharks might be OK. If he isn't – and he's not replaced – San Jose won't be deep enough to compete with the big boys. What's trendy: Taking dives Firing coaches Starting trade rumors Third jerseys

The theme this week is goaltending. Many teams have issues between the pipes, but for our look ahead to the coming week, let's focus on the current list of playoff-caliber teams.

Not all the teams listed below have question marks due to poor performances; there are considerations of playoff experience as well.

The reason the Sharks and Evgeni Nabokov don't make the list is because Steve Shields didn't exactly play himself out of the No. 1 spot. He also helped beat the Blues in the first round last year. As for doubts in St. Louis and Ottawa: Well, they're just doing too well to seriously doubt them at the moment.

Take a look at which teams need cautious looks, and then check out why during their upcoming games:

Vancouver: Felix Potvin, Bob Essensa
Pittsburgh: Garth Snow, Jean-Sebastien Aubin
L.A.: Jamie Storr, Steve Passmore
Philly: Roman Cechmanek, Brian Boucher

Monday: Kings at Flyers
The Kings don't have Stephane Fiset for a long while due to a knee injury, so someone needs to step up as a clear – and consistent – No. 1 goalie. Jamie Storr (16-12-5, 2.78 GAA) has the inside track over journeyman Steve Passmore (3-6-1, 3.18 GAA), but Storr has battled consistency and fatigue while playing the lion's share of the games. For Philly, Roman Cechmanek (16-7-4, 2.14) might be an All-Star, but who knows if he can keep it up? And if he remains No. 1, it will be the second consecutive season the Flyers enter the playoffs with a rookie goalie.

Monday: Canucks at Stars
The Canucks are a year or so away from really competing for the Cup. Doing it this year will be difficult with the tandem of Felix Potvin (12-15-3, 3.09 GAA) and Bob Essensa (12-4-1, 2.40 GAA). Essensa has been the better of the two, however the franchise continues to hope Potvin can recapture some of the prowess that prompted his "Felix the Cat" nickname in his Toronto days. Based on his play so far, there aren't any signs that it will happen.

Wednesday: Canadiens at Penguins
On Jan. 5, the Canadiens were the first team to beat the Penguins after the un-retirement of Mario Lemieux. They did it by lighting the lamp four times on 21 shots. Garth Snow (11-13-4, 3.09 GAA) was the netminder in question that night. Since returning from a knee injury, Jean-Sebastien Aubin hasn't been much better. Last Wednesday, the Pens scored four times against Phoenix, but Aubin (10-7-0, 3.01) allowed five goals on 29 shots. These are games the Penguins must win, and their goalies have to stop hurting them.

Wednesday: Hurricanes at Rangers
If the Rangers can sweep this week's home-and-home with Carolina, they're right back in the playoff hunt. The Rangers weren't on the troubled-goalie list, but with Mike Richter's unpredictable knee – and the Rangers' often porous team defense – GM Glen Sather might be tempted to take a flyer on Nikolai Khabibulin, especially if his acquisition is one of the contingencies to acquiring Keith Tkachuk from Phoenix. Richter, a Rangers mainstay over the years, has played better of late. But like Adam Graves, his time might be past in New York. It all depends whether Sather has the moxie – or lack of patience – to pull the trigger during this season, instead of this summer.

Mailbag
Got a question? Send it in and Breakout will break it down.

Monte Cooper, Menlo Park, Calif: With Joe Sakic having an MVP season, but scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and with Ray Bourque – in all probability – in his last (or at least next-to-last) season, is it conceivable Pierre Lacroix would actually dare to trade Joe before the March deadline?

Answer: In most circumstances, trading a guy heading into undrestricted free agency goes under serious consideration – and eventually trading him is deemed a wise move. However, the Avs are playing so well – as is Sakic – that trading Sakic sends a devastating message to fans.

As is, the Avs have a great chance to win the Cup. Should Lacroix opt to go for the title, he'll just deal with the consequences later. If he trades Sakic, he basically gives up a chance at the Cup because no matter what player(s) the Avs get in return likely won't make this team better than it is.

The potential PR hit might be too risky – and the allure of the Cup too great – so don't expect Sakic to go anywhere.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.