The New Jersey Devils are ascending in the Metropolitan Division while the Philadelphia Flyers are having a difficult time keeping pace. The Devils look to secure their fourth straight victory and second over the Flyers in four days when the clubs meet at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.

Veteran center Mike Richards faces his former team for the first time since a messy departure as his Washington Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Richards helped the Kings capture two Stanley Cups during his four years in Tinseltown before a combination of limited production and an arrest at the Canadian border for possession of a controlled substance led to the club terminating the remaining five years and $22 million of his contract.

The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to stay close in the Eastern Conference playoff chase and a repeat performance from less than two weeks ago against the Winnipeg Jets will help bolster their chances. The Hurricanes are riding a four-game point streak (2-0-2) entering Tuesday's matchup against the visiting Jets, including a 5-3 win at Winnipeg on Feb. 5.

The Boston Bruins have some growing concerns about goaltender Tuukka Rask and their defense as they continue a six-game road trip with a visit to the resurgent Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Rask has failed to get through two of his last three starts after surrendering five goals in each of the setbacks for the Bruins.

Evander Kane has helped the Buffalo Sabres awake from a recent offensive slumber, but the rugged forward had trouble getting out of bed on Monday after attending the NBA All-Star Game. As a result of missing the morning practice, Kane will sit out Tuesday's tilt with the host Ottawa Senators despite scoring three goals in the last two games and six in the past eight.

The San Jose Sharks look to continue their road success and solidify a playoff position when they start a five-game road trip Tuesday against the suddenly struggling Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sharks own the best record away from home in the Western Conference (18-8-2) and were winners in their last two visits to Tampa Bay.

The Dallas Stars have used a tremendous first half of the month to climb back to the top of the Central Division standings and look to continue their strong play when they visit the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Dallas lost eight of its first 10 games in January to fall behind Chicago for the top spot in the division but won the final contest of that month and has begun February with a 6-1-0 mark to pull even with the Blackhawks in points and has three games in hand.

Anaheim spent a good part of the season as the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, but those days are long gone as the red-hot Ducks visit the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Anaheim improved to 11-2-1 in its last 14 games with a 6-4 victory over Calgary on Monday to bring its goal total to 53 during that span, and the club is 3-1-1 on its season-high seven-game road trip that will take it through all four time zones.