The New Jersey Devils are closer to the basement than they are to the final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference as they continue a five-game homestand against the league-worst Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. New Jersey sits five points out of the second wild card but must reverse its stunning inability to win at Prudential Center.

Captain Sidney Crosby saw his pursuit of 1,000 career points unexpectedly put on hold by a pair of Western Conference cellar dwellers after being held off the scoresheet in consecutive games for the first time in nearly a calendar year. Inspired by the potential return of fellow former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin, Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins look to get back on track on Tuesday when they open a two-game homestand versus the Vancouver Canucks.

Fueled by a blistering 9-2-2 stretch in their last 13 games, the New York Islanders' rapid ascent has them trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs by just one point for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders look to move into a playoff spot and complete a three-game season sweep of the Maple Leafs on Tuesday when the clubs meet at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The Ottawa Senators have a chance to cut into the lead of the first-place Montreal Canadiens in the Atlantic Division when they wrap up a four-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. With Montreal on its bye week, the Senators look to cut into its six-point gap while holding five games in hand.

The Minnesota Wild are putting up goals and wins at a rapid pace, as the highest-scoring team in the Western Conference resides one victory shy of last season's 82-game total. Coach Bruce Boudreau's current team looks to even that bar in its 56th contest of the season on Tuesday when it vies for a season sweep of his former club, the Anaheim Ducks, at Xcel Energy Center.

One season after posting the highest point total in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars are sliding out of playoff contention as they prepare to visit the struggling Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. The Stars are coming off a crushing defeat in the opener of the three-game road trip, blowing a three-goal lead in a 5-3 loss at Nashville.

The Edmonton Oilers hope to regain their offensive touch when they continue their three-game homestand Tuesday against the Pacific Division-rival Arizona Coyotes. Edmonton recorded a total of 15 goals over its final three games before the All-Star break but scored more than one only once (two) in its five contests since the layoff, going 1-4-0 in that span.