Teams are heading down the stretch with one thing on their minds. For a contender, it's a playoff berth. For the few teams out of the playoffs, it might be the thought of a high draft pick or a late surge that will spoil a contender's chance at a playoff appearance. Now is the time for stars to play like stars and lead their teams. Here's a look at some of the hottest players over the last month.

The Chicago Blackhawks know what is needed to succeed in the playoffs and two of their key players are leading the way. Linemates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been the two hottest players over the last month. Ranked first and second, respectively, since Feb. 8, Toews and Kane have combined for 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists), 9 points on the power play, 91 shots and a plus-12 each. They're tied for second in plus/minus and Toews has the points lead over the month's span with 22 points, compared to Kane's 20. Kane is riding a seven-game point-scoring streak while Toews had a nine-game streak from Feb. 18 to March 5. The duo, along with Patrick Sharp, is leading the surging Blackhawks at just the right time.

Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins is the third among forwards in scoring over the same span, with 8 goals, 9 assists, 41 penalty minutes, 32 shots and a league best plus-13. He's been skating with David Krejci and Nathan Horton to form a potent, bruising line. The Bruins are winless in their last three games, but Lucic has been one of the lone bright spots as they fight for the top seed in the East.

Toronto's Phil Kessel also has been heating up. Since joining Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin on the Leafs' top line, Kessel has 16 points, seven of which are on the power play (tied for first). He has 58 shots which is sixth in the League since Feb. 8 and is attempting to lead the Maple Leafs into the playoffs for the first time in six years.

One of the best defensemen in the past month has been Minnesota's Brent Burns. As the Wild fight for a playoff spot, Burns has done his best to lead the team to some wins. With 11 points, he is second behind St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo's 12 points. Also over that span, Burns has 28 penalty minutes and 38 shots on goal. If you can trade for him it would help your playoff chances as his offensive acumen can change a game.

Top Pick-Ups (owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! Leagues)

1. Steve Ott, C, Stars (18 percent) -- Ott finds himself on the third line in Dallas yet always makes his presence felt. Not only does he contribute in penalty minutes (164), but he has a scorer's touch with 10 goals and 26 points. He also finds time on the power play, with 8 points on the man-advantage, and he gets his fair share of shots (104) on a team with stars Brad Richards, Loui Eriksson and Brenden Morrow. He has 21 penalty minutes in the last four games, so if you need help, it doesn't hurt to add this bruiser.

2. Tyler Kennedy, LW, Penguins (14 percent) -- Kennedy, along with linemates Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz, has had to take on a bigger part of the team's offense due to injuries to stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He's done an admirable job, with 33 points and 188 shots. In the last six games, he has 4 points, 22 shots and is a plus-3. With new additions James Neal and Alex Kovalev on the top line with Mark Letestu, the pressure should be off the Staal line, allowing them to face second- and third-pair defensemen.

3. Martin Erat, RW, Predators (11 percent) -- One of the hotter players in the NHL, Erat has 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists) in his last 24 games and is a plus-4. He is on the top line with David Legwand and Joel Ward and enjoys a lot of time on the power play (13 points). For the season, he has 40 points, 99 shots and is a plus-13.

4. Andrew MacDonald, D, Islanders (10 percent) -- The young defenseman generally is paired with Travis Hamonic (11 points, plus -5 and 62 penalty minutes since Feb. 5) to form quite a formidable duo. MacDonald has 8 points in his last nine games, is a plus-7 with 2 points on the power play and 12 shots in that span. He has 26 points on the season and contributes in penalty minutes (35) and power-play points (12).

5. Al Montoya, G, Islanders (23 percent) -- Montoya has been an excellent addition as the Isles have had a hard time keeping healthy goalies. In 11 games, he is 6-2-2, with a 2.02 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. The former Ranger and Coyote has looked great in the crease and would be a nice addition for your fantasy team.

RANK	TEAM	3/14	3/15	3/16	3/17	3/18	3/19	3/20
1		vs. MIN	Off	vs. COL	Off	vs. PHX	Off	Off
2		vs. SJS	Off	Off	@DAL	Off	Off	@PHX
3		@TOR	Off	Off	@MTL	Off	@OTT	Off
4		Off	@CBJ	Off	@NSH	Off	@TOR	Off
5		Off	@FLA	Off	@ATL	Off	@DAL	Off
6		Off	@OTT	Off	Off	Off	Off	vs. NYR
7		Off	@MTL	@DET	Off	@NJD	Off	Off
8		Off	Off	vs. WAS	@CBJ	Off	@NSH	Off
9		Off	Off	vs. STL	Off	Off	@LAK	vs. CGY
10		Off	vs. NYI	Off	Off	vs. MTL	Off	@PIT
11		Off	@BUF	vs. TOR	Off	vs. NYI	Off	Off
12		Off	vs. CAR	Off	Off	Off	vs. ATL	vs. NSH
13		Off	Off	@VAN	@CGY	Off	@EDM	Off
14		Off	vs. LAK	Off	vs. BOS	Off	vs. DET	@BUF
15		@CHI	@DAL	Off	vs. MIN	Off	vs. STL	Off
16		Off	vs. SJS	Off	vs. CHI	Off	vs. PHI	Off
17		Off	@NSH	Off	vs. STL	Off	vs. ANA	Off
18		Off	@CGY	Off	@EDM	@VAN	Off	vs. CHI
19		Off	vs. BOS	Off	vs. DET	Off	@MIN	vs. NJD
20		Off	vs. ATL	Off	@OTT	vs. WAS	Off	@CBJ
21		Off	vs. WAS	Off	vs. TBL	@NYR	Off	@MIN
22		Off	vs. PHI	Off	vs. TOR	Off	vs. NYI	Off
23		@VAN	Off	Off	@SJS	Off	vs. CBJ	vs. MTL
24		Off	@NYR	Off	Off	@CAR	@FLA	Off
25		Off	Off	@ANA	@LAK	Off	@SJS	Off
26		Off	vs. PHX	Off	vs. COL	Off	Off	@ANA
27		Off	@NJD	Off	vs. PHI	Off	@BUF	Off
28		Off	Off	Off	vs. PHX	Off	vs. COL	Off
29		Off	vs. PIT	Off	vs. NJD	Off	vs. TBL	Off
30		vs. TBL	Off	@CAR	@FLA	Off	vs. BOS	Off