Nikita Filatov, the No. 5 overall pick in this year's Entry Draft, entered play on Saturday night for Columbus with one goal in his first five NHL games. During the Blue Jackets 4-2 win over Minnesota, the 18-year-old rookie notched his first career hat trick -- and recorded an assist -- helping lead Columbus to its second straight win and sixth in its past eight games. Steve Mason continued his strong play in net for the Blue Jackets, turning aside 21 of 23 shots to pick up his 15th win of the season. It's a big win for Columbus, as it entered the game trailing the Wild by one point in the Western Conference standings.
Mason is still leading the league in goals against average and save percentage, and he is still not an all-star. Crazy.
Bruins 5, Hurricanes 1: Michael Ryder scored a pair of goals while David Krejci added three points of his own in Boston's 5-1 win over Carolina. The Bruins have now scored 11 goals in their past two games, after being held to just two in the two games prior to that.
Avalanche 5, Penguins 3: Michel Therrien's seat has to be hotter than the outskirts of hell at this point. Will he be coaching the Penguins on Tuesday when they return to the ice at Philadelphia? David Jones scored a pair of goals for the Avalanche in their 5-3 win on Saturday afternoon, while Andrew Raycroft made 21 saves on 24 shots to improve his record to 9-1 on the season.
Red Wings 3, Sabres 1: Derek Roy gave Buffalo an early lead on Saturday, but the Red Wings managed to bounce back with three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 decision at Joe Louis Arena. Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson and Marian Hossa all scored for the Wings, while Ty Conklin stopped 21 of 22 shots to pick up the win in net. The Red Wings had more shots on goal in the third period (23) than the Sabres did in the entire game (22).
Panthers 8, Thrashers 4: This game was tied, 3-3, heading into the third period, until the Panthers erupted for five goals on their way to an 8-4 win. Florida is currently one point behind Carolina for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Canadiens 5, Capitals 4: Crazy third period in Montreal as the two teams combined for six goals -- including four from Montreal -- as the Canadiens pulled out a 5-4 win over Washington. Tomas Plekanec scored a pair of goals for Montreal, while Sergei Kostitsyn scored the game-winner with 22 seconds to play in regulation.
Rangers 2, Senators 0: Craig Hartsburg is probably sitting on the hot seat right next to the one Michel Therrien is sitting on. The Senators, continuing to be the lowest scoring team in the league, were shutout by the Rangers, 2-0, on Saturday, as Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 33 shots he faced. Lauri Korpikoski and Brandon Dubinsky provided the offense for New York.
Flyers 4, Maple Leafs 1: Jeff Carter scored a pair of goals for the Flyers, giving him a league-best 29 on the season, while Martin Biron made 41 saves in Philadelphia's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.
Predators 4, Blackhawks 1: David Legwand scored a pair of goals and Pekka Rinne made 37 saves to help lead Nashville to a 4-1 win over Chicago.
Sharks 4, Canucks 2: Mats Sundin scored his first goal as a member of the Canucks, but it wasn't enough to overcome Patrick Marleau and the Sharks, as San Jose pulled out the 4-2 win.
Coyotes 1, Stars 0: Marty Turco and Ilya Bryzgalov each posted shutouts through overtime, while Kyle Turris scored the game-winning goal for Phoenix in the fifth round of the shootout, giving the Coyotes a 1-0 win.
Devils 5, Kings 1: I guess the news that Brendan Shanahan will soon be in the mix was quite a boost for the Devils, as they rolled to a 5-1 win in Los Angeles.
