It seems a week off is the only way to stop the Washington Capitals as the NHL's best team tries to bounce back from a rare loss when it visits the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Washington, though, managed to earn a point in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss in Detroit as its six-game win streak came to end, but the Capitals are 19-2-2 in their last 23 games while becoming only the fifth team among the first 16 who took their mandatory bye week to earn a point (3-11-2).

The Pittsburgh Penguins try to extend their point streak to 10 games and improve their NHL-best 24-3-3 home record when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Pittsburgh is 6-0-3 in its last nine contests after Friday's 2-1 overtime loss in Columbus, leaving the defending Stanley Cup champion five points behind first-place Washington and one ahead of third-place Columbus in the Metropolitan Division.

The Winnipeg Jets’ see-saw season is on the upswing again with points in three consecutive games and they look to make it four when their road trip continues against the surging Ottawa Senators on Sunday. The Jets beat Dallas at home before losing in overtime at Pittsburgh on Thursday and spoiling the debut of coach Claude Julien with a 3-1 triumph in Montreal Saturday afternoon.

The Buffalo Sabres have climbed into the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race with a three-game winning streak and must raise their level of play another notch when they host the surging Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. The Sabres are 6-3-1 this month after Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 home victory over St. Louis and can complete a perfect three-game homestand by beating the Blackhawks for the first time since 2009.

After seeing their pronounced road troubles continue, the New York Islanders hope the comforts of Barclays Center will aid in salvaging a split of their home-and-home series versus the visiting New Jersey Devils on Sunday. New York, which owns an 8-0-2 mark in its last 10 home games, dropped its third straight road contest and 17th in 24 such outings on Saturday with a 3-2 setback in New Jersey.

The Columbus Blue Jackets would love to enter their upcoming five-day break with a three-game winning streak, and they can do so with a victory over the visiting Nashville Predators on Sunday. Columbus is coming off an important 2-1 overtime triumph over Pittsburgh on Friday - a win that improved it to 3-2-0 on its seven-game homestand.

The Carolina Hurricanes slowly are fading out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture thanks to a three-game winless streak, but they can gain on one of their competitors when the Toronto Maple Leafs pay them a visit on Sunday. The Hurricanes came out of their bye week and dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to NHL-worst Colorado on Friday, falling into a tie with Detroit for last in the East (56 points).

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to extend their season-high point streak to six games, but they sorely need two instead of one when they visit the league-worst Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The Lightning coughed up a pair of leads before losing 4-3 in overtime at Dallas on Saturday and are 3-0-2 in their last five contests as they attempt to stay in the race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Bruins look to complete a season sweep of the San Jose Sharks and improve to 4-0-0 under the watch of interim coach Bruce Cassidy on Sunday as they return from their break to open a four-game road trip at SAP Center. While the modest winning streak has smoothed the coaching transition from Claude Julien to Cassidy, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara knows his team can't rest on its laurels if it wishes to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.

The Anaheim Ducks hope to break out of their recent offensive funk when they play the second of their three home games this month Sunday against the Pacific Division-rival Los Angeles Kings. Anaheim has split its last two contests despite scoring just one goal in each, including Friday's loss to Florida in the opener of a brief two-game homestand.

The fading Philadelphia Flyers attempt to halt a three-game road slide and salvage the finale of their three-game trip when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. Philadelphia began the trek with losses in Calgary and Edmonton and has dropped five of its last six overall (1-4-1) to fall to sixth place in the race for the two wild cards in the Eastern Conference.