Along the boards

Colorado's Peter Forsberg Forsberg is hitting his stride at just the right time. He might be the second-best center on the Avs, but in February, Forsberg has been the best one in the whole league. In 10 games this month, he has six goals and 20 points, including 10 on the power play. Byron Dafoe and the Bruins Dafoe is hurt again, and without him, the Bruins are a different team. Dafoe has only started 32 of 61 games. If he doesn't return soon, Carolina might distance itself for the No. 8 seed. Buffalo's Dominik Hasek And you thought he was all washed up. In his last nine starts, The Dominator is 7-2 with a 1.73 GAA and .940 save percentage. With eight shutouts, he once again leads the league in that category. Philly, Tampa Bay This isn't soccer. A 0-0 tie. Or should we say nil-nil. Open things up a little. Is losing Simon Gagne for part of a game enough to completely shut down the Flyers' offense? Alexei Kovalev It's quite an accomplishment when Kovalev stands out on a team that boasts Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Beyond the three hat tricks this month, the key to Kovalev's emergence is that he's taking shots. His 242 shots on goal in 61 games is third in the league -- one behind Jagr -- and Kovalev is only 12 short of a career high. For comparison's sake, look at Kovalev's rookie year with the Rangers in 1992-93. He played 65 games and had 134 shots. Hot seat: With several injured players in limbo and Blake in Colorado, Blues GM Larry Pleau needs to do something -- and fast. Bob Hartley's dilemmas: Who plays on the power play? Who plays at crunch time? What if Avs don't win the Cup?

The Colorado Avalanche made the first major splash in the trade pool by acquiring Rob Blake from the Kings. There's little doubt it further solidifies Colorado as the league's most talented team. But talent doesn't guarantee the Stanley Cup, and be assured the other power teams out West will scramble to remain on a competitive plane with the Avs. So, keep an eye on the Western Conference's elite teams because reaction to Blake's trade could be swift and big.

Here are some games to watch to gauge what each of the top teams out West might need to challenge Colorado:

Monday: San Jose at St. Louis
Believe it or not, if Detroit wins the Central and Dallas overtakes San Jose in the Pacific, the Sharks and Blues could meet again in the first round -- this time as Nos. 4 and 5 seeds.

Imagine the collective dread in St.Louis.

San Jose has done an impressive job during the suspension of Owen Nolan, who is set to return Thursday against Ottawa. The Sharks are 5-2-2-0 without Nolan heading into this game. But in terms of the big picture, San Jose needs to add another forward before the March 13 trade deadline, especially because it's unknown how effective Vincent Damphousse will be when he returns from a serious shoulder injury. The interesting challenge for GM Dean Lombardi will be what to do with goalie Steve Shields, who has been playing extremely well. Other teams recall Shields beating St. Louis in last year's playoffs, so Lombardi will get calls. If Lombardi moves Shields, he could get that extra piece up front or even some added depth on defense, but it'll also mean he heads into postseason battle with Evgeni Nabokov, who has never started an NHL playoff game.

Because San Jose has overachieved this season, they might not have the same win-now pressure that St. Louis has. It's been stated how St. Louis had the league's best record last season and lost in the first round. Now, the Blues are in a struggle to win the Central Division and are dealing with injuries -- Al MacInnis and Pavol Demitra remain out, although Chris Pronger gave the team a boost with his return Saturday night. St. Louis didn't get Blake -- they were rumored to be in play until the end -- and with Mike Richter out for the year, that rumor is gone, too. Although the coaching staff publicly supports Roman Turek and Brent Johnson, the hyped lack of faith in the goaltending has spread, so don't be surprised if GM Larry Pleau makes a move there. If Demitra, Michal Handzus and Tyson Nash all get healthy, the Blues are strong up front, although they could use a big, punishing winger. If MacInnis doesn't return, not getting Blake will hurt.

The bottom line is that the Blues need to make a big splash -- Keith Tkachuk? -- while San Jose refuses to mortgage the future for a playoff run ... this year.

Wednesday: Dallas at Vancouver
Vancouver's position is not unlike San Jose's in that the Canucks are overachieving. The major difference is that San Jose's goaltending is a strength, whereas Vancouver has relatively untested Dan Cloutier and Bob Essensa. Canucks GM Brian Burke likes the makeup of this team and hasn't been involved in too many trade rumors, especially since he let Felix Potvin go.

Interestingly, Dallas has been quiet as well. GM Bob Gainey isn't afraid to make a deal, but word out of the Big D is that the Stars might stand pat and make do with what they have. But since Colorado picked up Blake, Gainey might be forced to alter that approach. They don't need a goalie. Their defense is big, pretty mean and fairly skilled -- if healthy. The biggest weakness up front is at left wing, where after Jere Lehtinen, Dallas has Brenden Morrow, Benoit Hogue and Ted Donato. That's certainly a spot that could be upgraded.

This week, the Stars play four road games in six days, with the Canucks game the third in four nights. If Dallas is going to show signs of fatigue -- the roster's average age is 30-years-old -- it will be Wednesday in Vancouver.

Wednesday: Detroit at Anaheim
Detroit is rolling on an 8-0-2-0 streak. Outside of the Capitals, no NHL team is playing better hockey. Chris Chelios is back. Chris Osgood looked sensational in making 28 saves in a 4-2 win over St. Louis on Friday. And Sergei Fedorov -- who might miss a little time with a broken nose -- is having a great season with 31 goals and 62 points.

Chelios' knee injury could be a blessing in disguise for the 39-year-old defenseman. In last year's playoffs, Chelios looked tired. If his knee holds up, Chelios could be as fresh as he's been in years because he'll have played around 35 games, his lowest total since 1983-84 when he played 12 games for Montreal.

How does Detroit react to Blake going to Colorado?

They could use another left wing to give more offensive punch behind Brendan Shanahan. Although Teemu Selanne is a right wing, the Wings will get a close look at him during this game, and Selanne might be available. A solid, strong-skating defenseman would help Detroit as well. But like Dallas, don't look for anything wholesale. No one ever expected to see Chelios in a Red Wings uniform, so anything's possible from GM Ken Holland.

Wednesday: St. Louis at Edmonton
The Oilers have enough talent to be a playoff team, but they don't have the money to compete with the top five. Instead of talk of bolstering for a playoff run, there's been some scuttlebutt that Doug Weight might have to be moved because of how much he's going to earn down the road.

New Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe might not want to be too aggressive in the trade market in his first season. Teams likely will inquire about defenseman Igor Ulanov, who is having a career year with 18 assists and a plus-8 rating. Edmonton is always difficult to play in the playoffs; however, this team is not built -- and won't be altered -- for a playoff push like St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Colorado and even San Jose.

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

Jason Petho, Ramsey, N.J.: With the injury to Mike Richter, who will the Rangers turn to for a playoff run?

Answer: It's difficult to project a Rangers "playoff run" because the Rangers are nine points out and have two teams (Boston and Carolina) to leapfrog. Having said that, they do need a goalie. This is Richter's second major knee injury in as many years, and Richter's athletic style needs two healthy knees. GM Glen Sather can't pin the future on Kirk McLean and Vitali Yeremeyev. Of course, Nikolai Khabibulin's name has already come up, but the Coyotes might be inclined to hold onto him. If so, Sean Burke is an option, but he's 34-years old. Montreal's Jeff Hackett is an option, as is Shields or even Philly's Brian Boucher. Even though a playoff appearance would be great for the franchise, further stockpiling of older veterans wouldn't be the best thing for Sather because he needs to think long-term, especially if he wants to go after Joe Sakic this summer.

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