NHL Weekender: Ovechkin, Fleury close in on history

In the Eastern Conference, the Metropolitan Division race is as tight as ever. After a rough stretch of games, the Pittsburgh Penguins have taken advantage of the Washington Capitals' slight skid and overtaken first place, but the Caps — and the Flyers, for that matter — remain very close in the points race. Meanwhile, the leaders in the Atlantic have been killing it on their home ice, with the Bruins continuing their hot streak with five straight victories in Boston.

Out in the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators have won a franchise-record 10 straight tilts. Since the start of the new year, Pekka Rinne has gone 18-2-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. All in all, the Preds' streak has put a nine-point cushion between them and the second-place Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division.

Who's on a skid

As previously mentioned, the Capitals have caught a case of the hiccups. While they're only a point behind the Penguins in the standings, their 4-6 record over the last 10, including two straight losses, shouldn't be taken lightly. They continue their West Coast tour and face a tough test in a matinee contest against the San Jose Sharks. (More on that game a little later.)

Speaking of the Sharks, they hosted a struggling St. Louis Blues team on Thursday night. The Blues have gone 1-7-2 in their last 10 tilts. St. Louis played a desperate game in San Jose, with netminder Jake Allen keeping Team Teal off the scoreboard for more than 40 minute of play. He unfortunately surrendered a goal to Mikkel Boedker in the third frame, while the Blues' offense was shut out on the other end of the ice.

Milestone tracker

While the Capitals may be flailing a bit, that hasn't stopped captain Alex Ovechkin from pursuing his 600th career goal. He is two markers away from reaching the milestone and four away from passing Jari Kurri in the all-time goal scorers category. Now he just has to find the back of the net after posting zeros against both the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks this week.

Ovechkin isn't the only one aiming for history. As if the Vegas Golden Knights' inaugural season wasn't interesting enough, one of their own is chasing a milestone of his own. Marc-Andre Fleury is sitting at 398 wins in his career, just shy of the 400-victory marker. He'll have a chance to put another tally in the win column this weekend as the Golden Knights visit the Buffalo Sabres.

Streaks

Taylor Hall's points streak ended at 26 games, but the New Jersey Devil's run left a lasting impression. In fact, NHL.com compared it to Wayne Gretzky's 51-game run with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1983-84 campaign:

The odds against Hall's streak were far greater than those against Gretzky's. Prior to his streak, Gretzky had scored a point in 277 of 319 NHL games, and a player who does so in 86.8 percent of his games has a one-in-1,339 chance of getting a point in 51 consecutive games. In contrast, Hall's chances of having a 26-game streak was one in 2.17 million, based on a prior record of scoring in 57.1 percent of his NHL games (279 of 489).

What to watch this weekend

Saturday, Jets at Flyers, 1 p.m. EST, NSPA

These teams rarely see each other, but it's an important contest for two squads that appear playoff-bound. The difference is Winnipeg is coming off a four-game winning streak while Philly has dropped four straight. The Jets took the first game of the series with a 3-2 shootout win back in November, which was highlighted by Dustin Byfuglien taking out his own teammate when he put a hit on Philadelphia's Jordan Weal.

Saturday, Capitals at Sharks, 4 p.m. EST, NSWA, NSCA

Again, we have two teams that only see each other twice a season, but it's always a treat for the West Coasters when Ovi and Co. come to San Jose for a Saturday matinee — particularly since they don't have too many day games in San Jose. The Capitals defeated the Sharks in D.C. back in December, making it only the second time in 18 years that Washington beat San Jose in regulation.

Saturday, Penguins at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST, ATTP

Finally, we have a game worth watching this weekend in which the teams know each other quite well. Pittsburgh took the last game between the two 5-3 just a few weeks ago at the height of the Pens' hot streak. While the Leafs dropped their last four tilts, they've also been idle since Monday's game against the Sabres. Will they show rest or rust in Saturday's game? Tune in to find out.