The Chicago Blackhawks have been atop the NHL standings since Feb. 2 thanks largely to a start to the season that had never been seen in the League's history.

The Blackhawks suffered three losses – all in shootouts – over their first 24 games, with the third also serving as their only setback over a 16-game stretch from Feb. 2 to March 6.

That one loss came at home against the Anaheim Ducks, a 3-2 defeat that marks the only time the Blackhawks have squandered a third-period lead and lost this season. That win was the second in a streak in which the Ducks went 13-1-3.

Wednesday night, the NHL's two best teams, the Blackhawks and Ducks, will collide in Anaheim (10 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, CSN-CH, FS-W) in a battle for Western Conference bragging rights.

Sean Monahan had quite an advantage in his first two Ontario Hockey League seasons, getting to play alongside three of the finest prospects in the league.

As it turns out, time with Tyler Toffoli, Shane Prince and Cody Ceci with the Ottawa 67's has given Monahan the extra tools needed to incorporate into his repertoire as captain of the team.

Monahan had 53 goals and 125 points in 127 games beside Toffoli, Prince and Ceci in his first two OHL seasons. Toffoli and Prince started their professional careers prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, while Ceci, who was a co-captain with Monahan at the start of season, was traded to the Owen Sound Attack in January.

Florida Panthers forward Eric Selleck faces a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Wednesday afternoon.

The following grounds for potential supplemental discipline are being considered: leaving the players' bench on a legal line change for the purpose of starting or joining an altercation (Rule 70.2). The incident occurred at the 17:02 mark of the third period during a game Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

In addition, Selleck was assessed a two-minute minor for instigating plus a five-minute major for fighting and game misconduct under Rule 46.12 (Instigator in Final Five Minutes of Regulation Time [or Anytime in Overtime]) and has received an automatic one-game suspension.

It's no surprise that one of the two teams in this week's Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/TSN2) is in first place. The surprise is that the Minnesota Wild, not the Detroit Red Wings, are the club on top of their division as the season heads for the home stretch. The Wild are trying to win just the second division title in franchise history and end a four-year playoff drought; the Red Wings are trying to make the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive season.

Here's a statistical look at this week's Rivalry Night matchup:

NHL.com will periodically be doing a series called "Five Questions With …," a Q&A with some of the key figures in the game today aimed at gaining insight into their lives and careers.

This edition features Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher:

Chuck Fletcher is in his fourth season of trying to build a winning franchise in the State of Hockey, and it appears he's on the right path.

Fletcher, the general manager of the Minnesota Wild, has built a team that is in the mix in the Western Conference race and searching for its first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2008 entering the NBC Sports Network Wednesday Night Rivalry game against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

Minnesota's two expensive offseason additions, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, are working out well so far, and young players like Jonas Brodin, Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund have all found their way onto the fabric of the team at various points this season. Other veterans are stepping up, and the goaltending has been solid enough to give the Wild a chance on most nights.

Fletcher spoke to NHL.com on Monday about his plan to build a winner in Minnesota, the inspiring play of Brodin, the usefulness of some of the other rookies, high expectations and modeling his team after the Red Wings.

The Phoenix Coyotes ended the longest scoring drought in franchise history when Shane Doan scored 11:28 into the third period of their game at Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Doan's deflection of Keith Yandle's shot snapped the Coyotes' scoreless streak at 245 minutes, 33 seconds. They had been shut out in each of their three previous games and hadn't scored since Rob Klinkhammer's goal in the third period of a 5-2 home win against Los Angeles last Tuesday.

The goal also ended the Coyotes' scoreless streak on the road at 295:51. Phoenix had been shut out in each of its first four road games this month, and was the first team since the 1967-68 Oakland Seals to be blanked in four consecutive games away from home.

VANCOUVER – Zack Kassian's return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup didn't last long.

In his return after missing two games with a back injury, Kassian had a long, spirited fight with Blues forward Chris Stewart just 2:41 into Tuesday night's game against St. Louis.

Both players threw wild punches, but few appeared to connect cleanly, and both players returned to action after serving their penalties.

MONTREAL – Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek limped to the dressing room in the second period of Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens after getting hit with a puck during a Buffalo power play.

Vanek was hunched over on the bench in pain after he was hit with the shot by Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, and went to the dressing room at the next whistle.

The Sabres announced during the second intermission that Vanek suffered an upper-body injury and will not return.

Despite the fact all 30 of the NHL's general managers will be in Toronto on Wednesday, expectations of significant movement on the trade front this week should be tempered -- even though the NHL trade deadline looms two weeks away.

There is no denying that the seeds for future deals could be planted Wednesday, when the general managers get together for a one-day meeting in Toronto, but a number of GMs told NHL.com that the majority of trade hype coming out of the meeting won't carry much weight in the run-up to the April 3 deadline.

A lack of time to formally consummate a face-to-face deal, as well as the fact trade discussions rarely have to be conducted in person, are the main reasons cited by those GMs for their pessimism about the meeting setting in motion a trading frenzy.

PITTSBURGH -- Contrary to popular belief -- and to some good-natured ribbing from teammates in the locker room -- Mark Eaton is not the sole cause for the Pittsburgh Penguins' defensive resurgence in recent weeks.

The stay-at-home defenseman was signed late last month and made his season debut in a March 2 victory at the Montreal Canadiens.

Pittsburgh hasn't lost since. What's more, the Penguins have the appearance of an entirely different team defensively during March.

It can't be entirely a coincidence, can it?

"I can't take any credit for that," Eaton said with a look that was part amused and part horrified that he'd claim he's the reason for the turnaround in Pittsburgh's defensive fortunes.