NEW YORK -- Shortly after being named winner of the New York Rangers' Steven McDonald Extra Effort award, captain Ryan Callahan showed why he has earned the distinction in four of the past five seasons.

Following a riveting speech from the trophy's namesake, the New York police officer who was paralyzed in the line of duty in 1988, the Rangers got a lift early in their game Thursday. And it was Callahan who led the way, contributing two first-period assists as the Rangers topped the Florida Panthers 6-1 at Madison Square Garden.

Before the game, a moment of silence was held for victims of Monday's tragic bombing in Boston. Moments later, McDonald came out onto the ice with his wife and son, who also is an NYPD officer. Confined to a wheelchair, McDonald gave a stirring speech in which he implored the Rangers to contribute "one more shift, one more goal." He also suggested the Rangers dedicate the remainder of their season to Martin Richard, the 8-year-old Bruins fan who was killed in Monday's attack.

TORONTO -- John Tavares sat in his stall Thursday morning inside the visitors dressing room at Air Canada Centre answering question after question about his rise to prominence and the New York Islanders' potential to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That's the way it is when a player is a blossoming superstar who has been in the public eye since he was a teenager. And that's the way it is when that player returns home as a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate.

For Tavares, 22, playing in Toronto has always been special. Having grown up Oakville, Ontario, just a few miles west of the city, he welcomes the opportunity to play in front of friends and family -- the people who helped him in his journey to make it to the NHL. This game, though, has special meaning because for the first time in his young professional career, he is playing on a team that appears destined to make the playoffs.

"I think it's always fun playing here, but the fact we're in a playoff race and I'm playing in front of so many people that have helped me along the way gives this game special meaning," Tavares admitted. "The first couple of games I played in Toronto earlier in my career were a little nutty. There were so many people who wanted to see me. Now we're in a bit of a routine, and to be truthful, my parents look after getting tickets to people more than me."

ANAHEIM – The most embarrassing moment for a first-year player at any team's rookie party usually comes when the youngster has to stand up in front of the team and entertain the group.

Emerson Etem

Right Wing - ANA

GOALS: 3 | ASST: 6 | PTS: 9
SOG: 38 | +/-: 6

"The guys were giving it to me because I ordered a club sandwich at a fancy steakhouse," Etem said. "They were giving it to me."

Etem did have to get up and tell a story, but he is hesitant to divulge details. His own story is good enough.

Etem, 20, is living a local-boy-makes-good existence with the Anaheim Ducks, who play their penultimate home game of the regular season Wednesday at Honda Center against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Rangers are gearing up for the stretch run to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their best player, though, is hitting midseason form -- and that should be just what they want.

Henrik Lundqvist enters the Rangers' game Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) playing his best hockey of the season. In his most recent start, he stopped all 29 shots Saturday in a 1-0 overtime win against the New York Islanders, registering his first shutout of the season. And since the calendar flipped to April, Lundqvist is 5-1-1 with a 1.53 goals-against average and .948 save percentage. Because of Lundqvist's strong play, the Rangers enter Tuesday eighth in the Eastern Conference, but two points behind the sixth-place Ottawa Senators.

While time on the regular season is ticking down, Lundqvist's goaltending partner said he believes his teammate is just getting warmed up.

PITTSBURGH -- There still are times, Brenden Morrow said, that he'll have to ask a teammate where he's supposed to line up for a particular faceoff in a certain situation or part of the ice.

"I haven't totally grasped everything systems-wise just yet," Morrow said.

But as he prepares to play the 10th game into his Pittsburgh Penguins career, Morrow is feeling increasingly comfortable. It's showing in his play -- and in his offensive production.

After going without a point in his first four games upon being acquired in a trade, Morrow has three goals and three assists in his past five as he settles in with the Penguins after spending the entirety of his previous 12 NHL seasons with the Dallas Stars.

ANAHEIM -- When rumors surfaced last summer that the Anaheim Ducks sought to trade Bobby Ryan, most of the attention focused on where the four-time 30-goal scorer would land.

What wasn't talked about as much was what Anaheim was looking for in return: a second-line center to play with Teemu Selanne. The organization was looking to transition Saku Koivu into a third-line role, a natural evolution but also reflective that the chemistry between Selanne and Koivu never completely developed as much as the club wanted.

Anaheim has experimented this season with Peter Holland and Nick Bonino, who haven't quite fit the role.

Is Matthew Lombardi the answer?

Barely two weeks into April, it has already been a pretty good month for Alex Carpenter.

Just days after leading Boston College to the 2013 Frozen Four and being named a Second Team All-American, the sophomore forward was named the New England Division I Player of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

That same day, she made her debut at the IIHF Women's World Championship as she suited up for the U.S. national team. In Tuesday's gold-medal game at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Carpenter can earn another honor with a win over Canada.

Much of the crowd's attention was on the ice Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, where Canada and the United States competed in yet another epic matchup at the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship. But for some area hockey fans in the stands, it was impossible to ignore the presence of a prominent figure in Ottawa hockey history.

In town serving as the general manager of Russia's women's national team, Alexei Yashin was at the game scouting his competition. It's a unique situation for the former Senators captain, but one that he is relishing so far.

"It was an available position where I could help Russian hockey to get to the point where they need to be," Yashin said. "Because I'm retired, I saw this opportunity and felt at this particular point I could get involved."

NASHVILLE -- Marian Gaborik did not arrive in Nashville for his first game as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets until almost 10 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday after being traded by the New York Rangers.

Marian Gaborik

Right Wing - CBJ

GOALS: 9 | ASST: 10 | PTS: 19
SOG: 113 | +/-: -8

He did not meet his new teammates -- some of whom are old acquaintances from the Rangers -- until Thursday morning when the Blue Jackets held their morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. In all, he said it was a hectic day.

Because of the last-minute nature of the timing, Columbus coach Todd Richards decided to make things simple for the right wing for his first on-ice session with his new team. Richards put Gaborik on a line with some familiar faces, center Artem Anisimov and left wing Vinny Prospal -- the three played briefly together as a line with the Rangers.

"We had some good games together in New York, so hopefully we can carry it over to here," said Gaborik, who was acquired with a couple of minor leaguers for John Moore, Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett. "Work hard and enjoy ourselves also out there and do whatever it takes."

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings rookie defenseman Dan DeKeyser met with reporters this past weekend, just a day after choosing to play for the team he grew up watching.

He answered a litany of questions with no problem, but when it came to why he chose to wear No. 65 with the Red Wings … well, that's when it got fun.

"They gave me a few different numbers to pick from, so it was kind of a random pick, I guess," DeKeyser said. "It had a 5 in it."

Turns out that for most of his career -- from youth levels all the way up through college -- the undrafted late-bloomer from Macomb, Mich., had worn the No. 5 on his back.