Captain Alex Ovechkin won’t have a chance to record a third straight hat trick Monday night, but the NHL-best Washington Capitals hope to extend their winning streak to four games when they visit the Montreal Canadiens. Ovechkin, who registered eight of his 34 goals in his past three outings, will serve a one-game suspension after skipping the All-Star Game weekend to rest.

Both the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils are well out of the race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot and some of the more exciting things will be happening off the ice in the next few months for the teams with the trade deadline on the horizon. The Devils hope to snap a three-game losing streak Monday night when they visit the Senators, who aim to build off a strong effort in the final game before the All-Star break.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost five of their last six games (1-3-2) to fall out of wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Presumably refreshed after the All-Star break, the Maple Leafs look to turn around their fortunes on Monday when they visit the Nashville Predators.

The Tampa Bay Lightning aim to continue their surge after a long layoff when they begin a four-game trip Monday night against the Dallas Stars, who needed the All-Star break to assess their recent slump. The Lightning have won 12 of their last 14 games to bulldoze their way into second place in the Atlantic Division, capped by a 7-1 destruction of Winnipeg on Jan. 17.

The St. Louis Blues look to build on their six-point lead atop the Central Division on Monday when they visit the Vancouver Canucks, who own a significantly smaller cushion atop the Pacific. The Blues enjoyed a sizzling 12-2-1 run before dropping their last two games before the All-Star break while the Canucks have won 11 of their last 14.

The San Jose Sharks and the visiting Anaheim Ducks hope to take the first step in potentially resetting their respective seasons on Monday when the Pacific Division rivals meet at SAP Center. The Sharks skidded into their league-mandated bye week and NHL All-Star break having dropped three in a row, getting outscored 14-4 in the process.