Along the boards

Atlanta's Patrik Stefan Since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, Stefan hasn't done much, scoring nine goals in 123 games. But Saturday against Boston, Stefan scored twice and added an assist in his 124th. Stefan added two more assists on Sunday. Boston Bruins Boston has lost four in a row and been outscored 21-13 in that span. The Bruins now find themselves two points behind No. 8 Carolina. Edmonton Oilers The Oilers are on an eight-game win streak, which includes three shutouts. Suddenly, San Jose at No. 6 in the West is in range; the Sharks are one point ahead. San Jose's Brad Stuart Before getting suspended two games for slashing Florida's Len Barrie, Stuart was minus-9 in seven previous games. He's still plus-8 for the season, showing how bad a slump he was in. Derek Gustafson A year ago, he was getting ready for the NCAA playoffs for St. Lawrence. Now, Gustafson has an NHL win under his belt after the Wild prospect beat the Islanders 4-1 in his NHL debut. Hot seat: If Eric Lindros returns to the ice this spring, he does it at the season's most intense stretch. He'll be rusty, and everyone will be holding their breath when he skates over the middle. Hot seat, Part Deux: The Bruins are on the cusp of missing the playoffs, and Mike O'Connell enters his first spring as general manager. This team needs something extra to catch Carolina.

Pat Burns has taken advantage of his free time since being fired by the Bruins in early November. This past week, he was in Daytona Beach, Florida for "Bike Week." And for the NHL trade deadline, he'll be a guest analyst for TSN, a Canadian sports network.

But when Butch Goring was fired by the Islanders and possible replacements were mentioned, Burns' name came up immediately.

"No one has phoned him from the Islanders," said Robin Burns, who is Pat's cousin and represents him. According to Robin, as long as there is an existing coach for a team, Pat will have nothing to do with rumors -- and certainly wouldn't pursue a job that wasn't officially open. In addition, the Bruins pay Burns through this season.

"Lorne Henning is the coach of the New York Islanders. They have a coach," Robin said. "But 100 percent, he wants to be back coaching in the NHL. He wants to be one of those 30 guys."

But this summer, when a few coaches assuredly will be let go, Pat Burns and his 400-plus regular-season wins will be a hot commodity. We decided to take a look at a few possible destinations for the three-time Jack Adams Trophy winner as NHL coach of the year.

New York Islanders
The Isles should be willing to spend money on Burns, and there probably wouldn't be a huge problem having interim coach Lorne Henning step aside if that's what Islanders management wanted. Henning served as an Islanders assistant coach from 1981-84, and 1989-94. He was the head coach in the lockout season before becoming an assistant with Chicago for three seasons. He returned as an Islanders assistant in 1998. He is a good company man and could stay in the organization if Burns was given the head coaching job.

Burns would need to make sure the organization has its collective act together, but the team is ripe for a guy like Burns, who can install a solid defensive system and get his players to overachieve. In Boston, Burns earned accolades for how he brought along Joe Thornton, but he was criticized in Boston for having the team play too conservatively.

Tampa Bay Lightning
John Tortorella took over for Steve Ludzik in January, and although Tortorella is a well respected coach, he is 7-20-1-1 as head coach of the Lightning. Tampa Bay might want to make a major move with someone of Burns' stature available.

Like the Islanders, the Lightning are young and need to find a way to elevate to the next level and become playoff competitive. If Nikolai Khabibulin joins Kevin Weekes in net, there will be solid goaltending. And with Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards to build around, the nucleus might be thin, but what's at the core is talented.

Dallas Stars
If the Stars don't win the Stanley Cup, it might be time for GM Bob Gainey to make some wholesale changes. And it could begin with coach Ken Hitchcock. Dallas won a Cup with Hitchcock, but there have always been grumblings that players feel stifled with his defense-first style. Hitchcock's run-in with Ed Belfour earlier this season brought some of that grumbling to the fore, although Belfour certainly exited that drama looking more the villain.

Of course, with Burns, the Stars wouldn't exactly play like the mid-1980s Oilers, but a fresh change and a respected coach always re-invigorates a team.

Phoenix Coyotes
Bob Francis wasn't hired by Wayne Gretzky and Cliff Fletcher, so he might be fired by them. If the Coyotes don't win a playoff round -- assuming they make the postseason -- Francis could be gone. Every management team likes to have its own people in power positions, and Burns has a past relationship with Fletcher from their days in Toronto.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Any coach who took over for another guy at midseason doesn't have long-term job security. Guy Charron hasn't had much to work with since assuming the reigns for Craig Hartsburg, who was fired in December. The Ducks are in the early stages of rebuilding and might not be ready to make a major coaching addition, although it's undetermined whether Charron willl return next season.

Colorado Avalanche
Bob Hartley has won a ton of hockey games for the Avs, but if the team doesn't win the Stanley Cup, somebody might have to pay for it. And it won't be GM Pierre Lacroix. Hartley's situation isn't like Hitchcock's in Dallas. There've been no signs of mutinous behavior in the Colorado locker room.

If the Avs don't win the Cup, Lacroix might decide to let some of his unrestricted free agents (Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Rob Blake) go and focus on his young talent -- Chris Drury, Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk. Maybe Hartley moves on as part of that change.

Games to watch ... and why
This week, it's all about players under pressure. Teams need big performances from their star players, and we isolated a few specific cases to keep an eye on.

Monday: Montreal at San Jose
Vincent Damphousse remains out with a shoulder injury. Teemu Selanne needs time for his knee to recover. Evgeni Nabokov has struggled of late. Brad Stuart is out for two games with a suspension. This is where Owen Nolan -- two goals in last four games -- needs to earn his money.

Tuesday: Dallas at Chicago
With Joe Nieuwendyk out with a groin injury, Mike Modano will log a ton of minutes at the center position. And the way he looked Saturday against the Avs, he appears up to the task.

Tuesday: New Jersey at Colorado
If Ed Belfour vs. Patrick Roy wasn't a good enough goalie matchup on Saturday, how about Roy vs. Martin Brodeur. Can you say Stanley Cup preview?

Wednesday: Los Angeles at San Jose
Kings coach Andy Murray has not named a captain to replace the departed Rob Blake. Luc Robitaille, Mattias Norstrom and Kelly Buchberger wear the "A" as assistant captains, and it's up to them to fill the leadership void as the Kings try to catch Phoenix and Edmonton for the No. 8 spot out West.

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

Ryan Rutledge, St.Louis, Mo.: Why do you think Blues GM Larry Pleau hasn't made a big deal in the last few seasons, and do you think the Blues have a shot at getting Keith Tkachuk?

Answer: Before this season, the Blues were still in the mindset of building a consistent, winning team. This is the first season under Pleau's leadership, which began in 1997, that there is real pressure to go after the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, that mandate has been clouded by all the injuries.

Pleau steadfastly refuses to take the "rent-a-player" route, and it seems a reluctance to part with young talent might have prevented the Blues from landing Rob Blake or Teemu Selanne. When a franchise develops good talent within the organization, sometimes it's difficult to give up those players. But it's clear that St. Louis needs a forward who gives the team more of an identity up front. Tkachuk would do that; it's just that Pleau doesn't want to give up too much of his depth to get him.

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