EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Kings aim to go into the All-Star break on a winning note when they play the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNW).

The Kings have a seven-point lead on the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division but don't want to squander points in their final game before their four-day break.

"You've got four or five days to live with the game after and think about it," Kings defenseman Luke Schenn said. "We're not fully comfortable with where we are, so we've got to keep pushing forward. Colorado's a good team with a lot of skill … they're obviously going to rebound and play hard tonight, so it's going to be a really good challenge for us."

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson has missed a month (12 games) because of a lower-body injury, but can still challenge his career-high in points with a maximum of 36 games remaining.

Carlson (96 percent owned in Yahoo), who had a personal-best 55 points in 82 games last season and was on pace for even more this season prior to injury, is considered probable for the well-rested Capitals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN). Washington has not played since Jan. 19 because of two snowstorm-related postponements last weekend.

Carlson is on pace for 55 points and 177 shots on goal if he plays 70 games.

CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames know the gravity of their situation when they host the Nashville Predators on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; SN1, FS-TN) in the final game for each team before the NHL All-Star break.

The Flames (21-23-3) are 26th in the League standings, 13th in the Western Conference and sixth in the Pacific Division, eight points behind the third-place Arizona Coyotes.

"We recognize the situation," said Flames coach Bob Hartley, whose team surprised by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. "We need to put on a streak. Coming back from the All-Star break it's a final sprint; a final sprint with the trade deadline as a hurdler.

"Apart from this, we know where we're at. We have the standings board right in the middle of our gym. It's clear. That should be our only focus. We can talk about goals-for, goals-against, power play, penalty-killing, goaltending … one thing matters right now is getting two points and moving up in the standings."

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to start another win streak before the All-Star break when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amalie Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, SN, SUN).

The Lightning (26-18-4) had their seven-game win streak ended in a 5-2 loss Saturday to the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay currently is the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference with 56 points.

Lightning forward Ryan Callahan said he and his teammates need to come out with a strong effort against the Maple Leafs and not allow one loss to turn into a losing streak.

"We have to keep our focus and not look ahead to the break," Callahan said. "These are two important points and we desperately need. So concentrate on [Wednesday] and then we'll get a little break. This is an important divisional game. Sometimes after you have such a big win streak you can let it get away from you after you lose that first game. We put ourselves behind the eight ball quite a little bit early in the season and now we've gotten ourselves back in the hunt. But we need to continue to work. We haven't accomplished anything."

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is expected to return from injury Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

"He'll take the warmup, and we'll see from there," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "I would say he's probable. I anticipate him probably being in. But we'll leave a little leeway in the warmup."

Carlson has missed the past 12 games because of a lower-body injury; he last played Dec. 26. He wouldn't confirm if he was playing but said he's ready.

"There's a lot of other things that go into it. And I've been feeling good for the past week or week and a half or so, and I just keep progressing and getting better, which is a positive," Carlson said. "We'll see where that takes us."

Each day during the 2015-16 season, NHL.com's fantasy staff will identify one player at each position worth owning in DraftKings daily fantasy hockey contests. Based on factors including but not limited to matchups, line combinations, power-play usage, statistical coverage and recent production, we'll provide you with lower-priced options that can help you build a winning lineup.

Tyler Johnson, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

DraftKings price: $4,800

We still have not seen Johnson's best, but it should only be a matter of time before his production spikes as he continues to center Nikita Kucherov, who has the second-most home points in the League since Dec. 1 (18 in 12 games). The Maple Leafs will be on short rest and have Jonathan Bernier in net, who has allowed 10 goals in his past two starts.

Each Wednesday throughout the regular season, Kevin Weekes will be offering his pluses and minuses for the teams competing in the NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry game in his Weekes on the Web blog. Weekes also will assist fans with three must-watch elements of the game.

The Washington Capitals are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. They haven't played since last Tuesday, a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, after home games last Friday and Sunday were postponed because of the weather. And you can bet they will want to enter the All-Star break with another win after an amazing and record-setting first half of the season.

It's not Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom who leads them in scoring -- it's Evgeny Kuznetsov (15 goals, 48 points), who's in his second full season in the League.

Though the Capitals will be competing for the Presidents' Trophy in the second half of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers will be trying to string together wins and make a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Flyers (20-18-8) visit the Capitals (35-8-3) at Verizon Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN). Here's my breakdown of the game:

Here is the Jan. 27 edition of Dan Rosen's weekly mailbag, which will run every Wednesday in the Over the Boards blog during the 2015-16 NHL season. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

Let's get to it:

Should the Boston Bruins trade Loui Eriksson for picks/prospects or package him for an NHL defenseman? -- @rayguarino

The only way I'd trade him is if the return includes a top-four defenseman in his mid-20s who is under contract through at least next season. I think the Bruins should be past the picks and prospects stage. They should be looking to add before the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 29, not subtract. If they can add a young, proven defenseman to make their blue line better, I think it would be OK to move Eriksson. Otherwise, I'd try to re-sign him. Boston's obvious need is defense, but Eriksson is a solid forward who I wouldn't just give away for picks and prospects regardless of the fact that he can be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

At 20:00 of the third period in the Sabres/Senators game, video review confirmed that time had expired before the puck crossed the Buffalo goal line. No goal Ottawa.

At 12:22 of the third period in the Buffalo Sabres/Ottawa Senators game, video review supported the referee's call on the ice that Bobby Ryan's shot did not cross the Buffalo goal line. No goal Ottawa.