TAMPA -- Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos didn't want to make a big deal about closing in on his 250th NHL goal.

Truth be told, he doesn't think it's much of a milestone.

"It's kind of cool to think about when you are getting close to something like that, but I never really thought something-and-50 was a milestone," Stamkos said before scoring that goal against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. "I think when you get to 200, 300, 400 … I mean it's halfway to 500, but if we're at 499 one day you can ask me if I'm thinking about the next goal. Not that I am taking it for granted, it's always fun to score goals, but I want to help this team."

Stamkos scored 47 seconds into the second period at Amalie Arena. It tied the game 2-2, but the Lightning lost 5-3.

OTTAWA -- Dave Cameron apparently doesn't do anything too quickly.

The new coach of the Ottawa Senators jokingly said he holds the record for taking the longest to get an undergraduate degree at University of Prince Edward Island, at 10 years.

"I enrolled in '76, graduated with the class of '86," said the 56-year-old, who became the Senators' 10th coach when Paul MacLean was fired Monday.

Cameron was pursuing his career as a hockey player during that 10-year span, which included three NHL seasons with the Colorado Rockies and the New Jersey Devils.

It's taken him a long time on a long road, but he has his first job as an NHL coach.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- NHL players are conditioned to play through adversity. Injuries or illness are expected to be brushed aside as best as possible.

The Minnesota Wild have a strong hockey team, maybe one of the best in the NHL this season. They've also been dealing with a lot of key players missing from the lineup at various points because of adversity. What makes their situation a little out of the ordinary is the nature of why players are not available.

Five members of the Wild defense corps have contracted the mumps. No. 1 defenseman Ryan Suter is the most recent of the group, missing the past two games.

"It is bizarre," Wild captain Zach Parise said last week. "It is 2014, and who knew the mumps were still around, right? It's weird, and hopefully we don't see it around anymore."

The current Western Conference standings provide a study for how fleeting success is in the NHL and how quickly teams on the bottom can rise toward the top.

There are pros, like the Winnipeg Jets' defense and puck possession, which can be looked at as one in the same. There are cons, like the Dallas Stars' defense and puck possession, to the point where they have allowed the most goals in the NHL.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has played like a Vezina Trophy candidate, so that's a pro. Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has not, so that's a con.

The Vancouver Canucks have reestablished their offensive game and overall consistency, a big pro. The San Jose Sharks appear to have lost a bit of each, definitely a con.

The Calgary Flames have found ways to win, particularly with six third-period comeback victories. That's a pro. The Minnesota Wild have been weighed down by their struggling power play, a con all season long.

Paul MacLean lost faith in the Ottawa Senators.

Not the organization, but the players wearing the uniform.

He admitted as much, even if he was joking, when he said that he was scared to death of who he was putting in his own lineup during a session with reporters in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

But even before MacLean uttered those ultimately fateful words, his lack of faith was clear.

No Senators player this season, with the exceptions of captain Erik Karlsson and top forwards Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur, had a clearly defined role. As was suggested by general manager Bryan Murray in explaining his decision to fire MacLean on Monday, this lack of consistency in usage was most striking among the Senators' young players.

BROSSARD, Quebec -- The Montreal Canadiens are going through their worst stretch of the season, with one win in their past seven games, and coach Michel Therrien is attempting something drastic to help get them out of it.

Since taking over as Canadiens coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, Therrien has relied on Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais to form two-thirds of his top forward line.

Over the past three seasons Pacioretty has been one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL, and there was a belief that his chemistry with Desharnais dating to their time together in the American Hockey League was one of the reasons why he has had so much success.

Under Therrien, Pacioretty has played 84 percent of his even-strength minutes with Desharnais, according to HockeyAnalysis.com.

That, however, is about to change, with Therrien intending to split up his go-to offensive pairing when the Canadiens host the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Long before Dave Cameron was hired as assistant coach of the Ottawa Senators three years ago, he was already building a reputable coaching resume in the Canadian Hockey League and internationally.

Cameron was promoted to coach of the Senators on Monday when general manager Bryan Murray fired Paul MacLean. In making the change, Murray cited an "obligation for a lot of people to perform better."

He's hoping Cameron can ignite the spark his team needs.

"He'll be a good teacher," Murray said. "We don't have a lot of older players, so the [younger ones] will certainly like Dave."

Cameron, 56, spent four seasons as the coach and general manager of the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey League before being hired by the Senators on June 23, 2011. In four seasons with the Majors, Cameron went 165-91-16 in 272 regular-season games. In 2010-11, he led the Majors to the OHL championship series and the championship game of the Memorial Cup.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Among many platitudes, Martin Brodeur is often lauded for his calm demeanor. But even a veteran of 21 seasons and a three-time winner of the Stanley Cup, four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy and owner of NHL records in games played, minutes played and shutouts still gets nervous before every game.

Once he was tapped on the shoulder by St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, his team trailing by three goals to the New York Islanders after one period of play at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, there were no nerves, only the mission of keeping his team in the game and hoping to provide a spark.

"It seems that when you're preparing yourself you're nervousness comes from what if, what if. … When you get into the momentum of a game, I think that's what probably what players saw in me in New Jersey through the years, how composed I am when I play the game," Brodeur said. "It doesn't mean I'm not excited or nervous in between periods or before games."

Jaroslav Halak has found a home.

After watching 26 goaltenders get selected before him at the 2003 NHL Draft.

After stealing the No. 1 job from Carey Price and leading the Montreal Canadiens to an unlikely berth in the 2010 Eastern Conference Final, only to be traded to the St. Louis Blues a few weeks later.

After playing extremely well for the Blues for four seasons, only to be traded to the Buffalo Sabres for another goalie, Ryan Miller, last season.

NASHVILLE -- Not playing in eight months, even a future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame like Martin Brodeur was curious about what a return to NHL action would feel like.

After all, a 42-year-old doesn't react like a 22-year old. There's a lot of mileage on Brodeur's body.

But despite a 4-3 loss in his St. Louis Blues debut to the Nashville Predators on Thursday, when Brodeur stopped 20 shots, it was evident there is some game left in the tank. It was Brodeur's first game since April 13, when he was with the New Jersey Devils.

"It was a different feeling for me [Thursday]," Brodeur said. "I haven't played in a long time. And coming in the organization with different players, different team, coaching staff, not sure what to expect. I did it for so long with the same people over and over."