In defeat, Ovechkin heads Stars

1. Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals: It tells you all you need to know about the level that Ovechkin is at right now that the Pens were happy holding him to just two goals and an assist. If only he was getting any support, this might be a different series.

2. Dustin Byfuglien, Blackhawks: Big Buff scored a pair of goals to lead the Hawks to victory in a must-win game. He got Chicago on the board first, barging to the net and banging a rebound past Roberto Luongo, then tied the game at two late in the second with a nasty wrister from the top of the slot that beat Luongo five hole.

3. Jordan Staal, Penguins: His two-point night included his first goal of the postseason on a nifty give-and-go with the equally effective Miroslav Satan. But Staal earns his ice time with his defensive play and he was an effective physical presence in all three zones, helping to bottle up the Caps in the middle and making life easy for Marc-Andre Fleury down low.