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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; It took him a while to get going, but Alex Ovechkin is white hot these days. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Allan Muir&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 It's just like old times for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Both are back in league-leading positions after Sunday's win over the Lightning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Here's more on that Dodger Stadium outdoor game I wrote about yesterday. The Kings are now  talking openly about their desire for a game against the Ducks. They're looking at a Jan. 25, 2014 date for their chance to host outdoor hockey in Southern California. Hint to boss: If you need anyone to cover this one...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 The Ottawa Senators have dropped the first three stops of a seven-game road trip and Tim Wharnsby notes  a common theme. He also touches on the revival of the Caps and Jaromir Jagr's hardcore practice habits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Their play over the past two games suggests the Dallas Stars might be a better team  without Jagr in their lineup. I'll have more on this later today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Sunday's win over the Predators earned the Blackhawks the  first ticket to the 2013 Western Conference playoffs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Patrick Kane is right. It's  tough not to get emotional about this moment from yesterday's Hawks/Preds game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Buffalo's young players have 10 games to prove they can step up and fill  the leadership void in the Sabres' dressing room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Three straight losses dropped Minnesota perilously close to ninth spot in the West, making last night's 3-0 win over Columbus one of the season's biggest for the Wild.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 The Wild are hoping that  shoulder surgery for Dany Heatley will have him back in the lineup before the end of the regular season. That doesn't sound right, does it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 St Louis played its third contest in 3-1/2 days, but offered  a gritty two-way effort to support a return-to-form game from Brian Elliott in a win over Detroit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Blues forces the Red Wings to  take the hard road to secure a spot in the Western Conference playoffs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 A shootout loss to the Ducks  ended L.A.'s chances at the Pacific title, but the Kings were happy with a playoff-caliber performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 A pair of rookies made very different impressions on Mike Babcock this weekend. It didn't take Detroit's coach long to decide that 2010 first-rounder Riley Sheahan  isn't ready to contribute just yet, but the coach liked what he saw from free agent signee Danny DeKeyser.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 James Reimer has  a lot to learn from a battle-tested netminder like Henrik Lundqvist. The two face off tonight as the Maple Leafs host the Rangers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 I guess a headline like \"Morrow's value to Pens should come in playoffs\" is a nice way of saying the former Dallas Star hasn't done much since arriving in Pittsburgh, eh?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Apparently, last week was  the best ever to cover the Vancouver Canucks. Clearly Ed Willes wasn't around in the Sheldon Kannegiesser days...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 The Edmonton Oilers need to find  the intensity button as they try to make their case for playoff legitimacy down the stretch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Diving accusations in the wake of a Boston-Montreal game? &lt;em&gt;C'est ne pas possible!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Life without  Patrice Bergeron is not going to be easy on Boston's goaltenders. The team has scored just twice since he was lost indefinitely to a \"moderate\" concussion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Another gruesome skate-cut injury last night, this time in the AHL, where Philadelphia farmhand Eric Wellwood fell awkwardly and was cut by his own blade. Scary stuff. Here's hoping for a quick recovery for the two-time Memorial Cup winner.\n\u2022 Elliotte Friedman didn't help matters by tweeting  this photo.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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