NHL Roundup: 3 Things We Learned from Saturday's Games

Saturday night's NHL slate featured 11 games, 22 teams and a host of storylines as the league rapidly approaches its second season.

League executives are thrilled that 15 of the 22 teams that played last night are either in the playoffs currently or in serious contention for a spot in their conference's final eight. The more teams involved, the more fanbases that remain hopeful and watching.

Here is a rapid-fire report of what we learned from a full night of ice action in the NHL.

Not a Wrap for the Caps

The 2011-12 Washington Capitals are a saga unto themselves. Coaching changes, suspensions, key injuries, lackluster defense and a decidedly underachieving, star-studded cast have all contributed to the team sitting in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They've been counted out a thousand times, but like the honey badger, they don't care.

But wait, with a 4-3 road win over the Bruins last night, Washington sits alone in the eighth slot with 74 points, just one point behind Southeast Division rival Florida. What does that mean? Washington is just one win, and a Florida loss, away from the third seed in the East.

The Caps have now won back-to-back games and the dynamic, yet enigmatic duo of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin seem to be waking from their slumber.

There's something to be said for peaking at the right time, eh?

The Dallas Stars are Good (and Hot)

In their last 10 games, the Dallas Stars are 9-0-1—the only team to post such a record. Dallas won yet again last night, fueled by Brendan Morrow's power-play goal in his return to the Stars after missing 18 games and a 21-save effort from Kari Lehtonen for his 20th career shutout.

Dallas now sits three points ahead of Phoenix for the Pacific Division lead and third seed in the Western Conference. Dallas is not a sexy hockey market, and it may not get a lot of coverage, but you'd better believe that opponents are paying attention in light of the Stars' recent streak.

Solid goaltending, timely scoring and grit? Sounds like a strong playoff contender to me.

Au Revoir Anaheim and Toronto

Anaheim got blanked by Kari Lehtonen and the Dallas Stars while Toronto lost a heartbreaker to the Flyers, in which both teams were shut out through regulation and overtime. With that loss, Anaheim falls even further off the pace, now eight points behind Colorado (a surprise in their own right) for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Same story for Toronto, now six points behind Washington for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams will likely be forced to clean out their dressing rooms when the regular season ends. Both are Brian Burke products...eerie similarity or just coincidence?

Those are just three takeaways from last night. Eight more games on tap today, with playoff implications scattered across the landscape.

What lessons did you learn last night? What are you looking forward to today? Comment below.

Ryan O'Leary is a researcher and writer for Bleacher Report's Video Production Department with seven years experience in the sports industry. Ryan covered the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Hockey Tournament with CTV and has spent time covering the IIHF World Championships, NHL and Collegiate Hockey during his career.