The old adage in sports is big players make big plays in big games.

Jason Zucker is proving to be one of those players. The American Hockey League co-leader in game-winning goals with eight, Zucker knows how to get the job done.

And now he’s set his sights on another target -- the Calder Cup.

The first major honor for the Houston Aeros forward was his selection to play in the AHL All-Star Classic in Providence in January.

The Buffalo Sabres announced Friday that defenseman Tyler Myers broke a bone in his leg during the team's 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season.

The injury likely occurred while Myers was helping kill off a 5-on-3 Montreal power play late in the second period. Myers blocked two straight shots by the Canadiens' P.K. Subban right before Andrei Markov scored.

Despite the injury, Myers played a team-high 25:37.

Sabres interim coach Ron Rolston said Friday it's unlikely Myers will need surgery.

"He played the rest of the game, so it's not a major thing," he said. "It's just that he can't continue on it. It's just going to be more time than anything. He finished, he played the rest of the game, but can't move forward from there. Just get him healed up and get him strong."

PITTSBURGH -- If you are a college-hockey fan -- especially of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference -- and pick lottery numbers, you might include 1-10-23-24-35 among upcoming selections.

It's been one year removed since Union went to the Frozen Four, but 10 since a previous ECAC team reached the Frozen Four (Cornell, 2003); it's been 23 since a team from the league, established in 1961, played for the national championship (Colgate, 1990); it's been 24 years since the last ECAC team won an NCAA title (Harvard, 1989); and it's been 35 years since two ECAC teams met in the final game of the season (Boston College vs. BostonUniversity, 1984, prior to both joining Hockey East).

With just six national championships in ECAC history, a seventh is assured with the Yale Bulldogs meeting their league rival Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday in the 2013 NCAA championship game.

This past week had no shortage of great highlights, but we thought the three exciting moments below stood out from the rest. After you watch these videos, be sure to vote on what play you think deserves to be the Bridgestone Performance Moment of the Week.

Is anyone surprised that with 16 days left in the sprint known as the 2012-13 NHL regular season, there are still so many lingering questions that have no definitive answers?

The answer to that question, of course, should be no.

The hockey world is set for a frantic final two weeks of the season, and here in no particular order are the 12 most pressing questions as identified by NHL.com:

Will the Islanders lock up a playoff berth?

Arguably the biggest surprise of the second half of this season has been the dramatic turnaround of the New York Islanders.

The Islanders are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games and currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, the same as the Ottawa Senators, who have played one fewer game. The Islanders will move into sixth place if Ottawa loses in regulation on Friday to the New Jersey Devils.

It is an argument that inspires passion in every rink, sports bar and living room where hockey is being played or is on the television. It can incite elevated heart rates in person and long discussion threads on the Internet.

Who is the best?

NHL.com and NHL Network gathered 10 writers and television personalities and asked that very question. Each was asked to rank his top eight in eight categories -- centers, left wings, right wings, defensemen, goalies, coaches, general managers and guys who wore the No. 8 sweater.

The voting, which took place for all eight segments in mid-February, is complete and the points have been tallied. Here is our answer to the simple question, who are the best in the NHL?

After detailing the top players at each position and the top coaches in the NHL, it is time to shift the focus upstairs. The role of general manager has changed a great deal in the modern NHL. There are more duties than just putting the roster together and hiring a coach.

The 2012-13 season is racing toward the finish line. In fact, the regular season ends Saturday, April 27, a mere 15 days away. Although the finish line is clearly in sight, the Stanley Cup Playoffs qualification picture is far less clear. To help make sense of the numerous permutations that exist for the playoffs, NHL.com's Playoff Push Primer looks at some of the biggest movers and shakers among the postseason hopefuls.

Teams that clinched Thursday night: Montreal

Teams that can clinch Friday night: In the Western Conference, the idle Anaheim Ducks can clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Nashville Predators defeat the Dallas Stars in any fashion or if the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings in any fashion. The Blackhawks can clinch the Central Division title if they defeat the Red Wings in any fashion and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeat the St. Louis Blues in any fashion, or if the Blackhawks earn a point against the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets defeat the Blues in regulation.

The announcement Thursday that the NHL and the NHL Players' Association have formed an official partnership with the You Can Play Project drew an immediate reaction on Twitter.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was among the most prominent to weigh in, saying, "I'm officially a hockey fan."

The You Can Play Project is an advocacy organization that fights homophobia in sports.

The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association announced the historic partnership Thursday, formalizing and advancing a long-standing commitment to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world.

Though it might seem as if the 2012-13 regular season started only a few days ago, it is rapidly coming to a conclusion. We've passed the three-quarter mark, and the last of this season's 720 games will be played on April 27.

A few teams have separated themselves from the pack, but most of the eight playoff berths in each conference are still up for grabs.

Here's a look at some of the season's key numbers as we blow past the season's three-quarter mark:

0 -- Post-regulation losses by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the only team that did not lose at least once in overtime or a shootout. The Penguins won all four games they played that went beyond 60 minutes, twice in OT and twice in a shootout.

1 -- Games played without a penalty being called, matching the total for all of last season. The Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders played a penalty-free game on Feb. 27; the Leafs were also involved in 2011-12's only penalty-free contest (against the Edmonton Oilers).

Sidney Crosby has been so dominant this season that missing five games with a broken jaw isn't enough to prevent him from winning the Hart Trophy at the three-quarter mark of the season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain still leads the League in points with 56, five more than Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is tied for first in assists with 41 along with Stamkos' teammate Martin St. Louis. Although Pittsburgh defensemen Kris Letang and Paul Martin also have been injured, the Penguins are 3-2-0 since Crosby went down.

Before scoring six times against the Lightning on Thursday, the Penguins were averaging two goals per game without Crosby after averaging 3.36 goals per game with him in the lineup.

There's still time for others to make a push over the final quarter of the season, but right now, it's Crosby's Hart Trophy to lose.