After getting bounced from the 2016 playoffs in seven games, fresh off posting his lowest offensive totals in three years, it was fair to say Ryan Getzlaf was looking for redemption this season.

The Anaheim Ducks captain's 2015-16 campaign wasn't his most inspiring effort, as his 13 goals and 63 points sat well below the 31 goals and 87 points he posted just two years prior.

But this year, it seems Getzlaf has managed to right the ship.

The captain has already essentially matched last year's totals, doing so in 10 fewer games and with eight more to go. His 14 goals have bested last year's mark, while his 62 points are just one shy of reaching that campaign's benchmark.

However, it's Getzlaf's exceptional play as of late that has the Ducks truly picking up steam.

Since the beginning of March, the veteran has been on a flat-out tear, piling up 16 points through 11 games to tie for the second-most among all skaters over that span. Getzlaf also ranks fourth in the league in points per game since March 1, while this has clearly been the centerman's strongest month of the season:

That's excellent news for the Ducks, as their division has become far tougher with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames both taking significant steps forward in their rebuilds.

Add in the Stanley Cup finalist San Jose Sharks, and it's clear the postseason grind won't be easy in the West, meaning picking up momentum as the regular season comes to a close could be crucial.

Unsurprisingly, Anaheim has posted a strong month alongside their captain. The Ducks have reeled off seven wins in their past nine contests, leaving them neck and neck with the Sharks for the division lead.

With five of their remaining eight tilts matching them up with division rivals - including three combined games against the Oilers and Flames - a strong finish will be key. But with Getzlaf taking his club on his back and regaining his elite offensive touch, that doesn't project to be an issue for the surging Ducks.

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Sergei Bobrovsky hit a benchmark Saturday that few of his countrymen have reached.

With a 1-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets netminder became just the fourth Russian goalie in NHL history to post a 40-win season.

Evgeni Nabokov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Semyon Varlamov are the only others to achieve the feat, with Nabokov having done so three times.

The most wins by a Russian goalie in a single season is 46, by Nabokov, which he accomplished during the 2007-08 season as a member of the San Jose Sharks.

The Blue Jackets have eight games remaining, meaning it might be tough for Bobrovsky to hit Nabokov's record, but, nevertheless, the 28-year-old has certainly had one heck of a campaign.

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The Calgary Flames dipped into the collegiate pool for some defensive depth.

Ohio State blue-liner Josh Healey signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the club, the Flames announced Saturday.

Healey recorded 25 points in 35 games in his senior season with the Buckeyes, who were eliminated by Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in overtime Friday night.

The 22-year-old will finish out the campaign with the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, and his two-year deal will begin next season.

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Who knew Brock Boeser's NHL debut could get even more memorable?

The Burnsville, Minn., native and new Vancouver Canucks forward banged home a rebound against the Wild on Saturday afternoon to score the first goal of his career in front of a hometown crowd that included some rather excited family members.

Boeser signed his entry-level deal with the Canucks earlier Saturday, and the club invited his parents, Duke and Laurie, into the dressing room before the game to announce the team's starting lineup, which featured their son.

The 20-year-old's sophomore season with the University of North Dakota ended Friday night, when the Fighting Hawks were eliminated from the first round of the NCAA tournament by Boston University in double overtime.

He was drafted 23rd overall by the Canucks in 2015.

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The Vancouver Canucks made Brock Boeser's NHL debut a family affair Saturday afternoon.

The club invited the new signee's parents into the dressing room to reveal the starting lineup for the Canucks' game against the Minnesota Wild, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

Related: UND's Boeser signs with Canucks, makes NHL debut

Boeser's father, Duke, lives with Parkinson's disease.

The moment was captured by the younger Boeser's new agent, Ben Hankinson.

Boeser hails from nearby Burnsville, Minn., about a half-hour drive from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where Saturday's game took place.

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Ryan O'Reilly isn't holding a grudge against Sidney Crosby.

The Buffalo Sabres forward says there are no hard feelings after the Pittsburgh Penguins star speared him in his nether regions early in Tuesday's game.

"It happens," O'Reilly told reporters Saturday, via TSN. "I didn't expect it and he apologized after the play and it was understood. (The spear) threw me off. I wasn't expecting anything and then something (happened), but he's a good guy. He's just playing hard and he takes a beating every night, too, so it happens."

Crosby wasn't penalized for the incident, and later claimed he simply misfired.

"(Later) as we were skating down the ice, he says, 'Sorry about that, I was going for your stick,'" O'Reilly said. "Would have been nice to get a (power play), but it happens."

Crosby also escaped discipline two nights later when his slash on Marc Methot shattered the Ottawa Senators defenseman's finger, an act the Penguins' captain also attributed to an attempted stick slash gone wrong.

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A difficult season for Patrick Sharp is mercifully over.

The Dallas Stars forward will have hip surgery Tuesday that will end his 2016-17 campaign, the club announced Saturday.

Sharp's ailment prevented him from being dealt before the trade deadline, and that issue - plus a pair of concussions - limited him to only 48 games this season.

On a more positive note, the Dallas chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association nominated Sharp as its candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy on Saturday.

It's awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Sharp will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The three-time Stanley Cup champion turned 35 in December.

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Now is not the time for the San Jose Sharks to be mired in their worst losing streak of the season.

The lowly Dallas Stars crushed San Jose 6-1 on Friday night, handing the Sharks their fifth consecutive defeat and allowing the surging Anaheim Ducks to draw even with San Jose atop the Pacific Division with 91 points.

While the Sharks still lead the division courtesy of their three-game advantage in the regulation-or-overtime wins column, their downward spiral leaves them with only eight remaining regular-season contests to right the ship.

It also comes as the Ducks - who've won the last four Pacific Division titles - have reeled off three straight victories, including Friday's win over the Winnipeg Jets. Anaheim has prevailed in five of its last six and seven of its last nine games.

The Sharks obviously don't want to stumble into the playoffs like this, but it seemed like they might do just the opposite before the losing streak began on March 16.

Prior to this rough patch, San Jose won seven of nine, scoring 28 goals and allowing only 15 (less than two per game) in that span. In the five losses since then, they've scored only five goals.

While they drove possession during the previous run of success, the Sharks' even-strength Corsi For percentage during their losing skid has actually been better.

(Courtesy: Corsica Hockey)

So, shot attempts and puck possession aren't the issues. Clearly, the problem has simply been the inability to bury their chances, and the fact that beyond two inexcusable losses to the Stars, this five-game set has also matched them up against the St. Louis Blues, the Ducks, and the Minnesota Wild.

Can't blame the schedule, though, and it doesn't get any easier over the rest of the month:

On Friday afternoon, Ducks forward Corey Perry talked about the timing of streaks and skids over the course of an 82-game season, and his comments are even more relevant after the evening's results.

“You peak at the wrong time, you’re in trouble,” Perry told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. “You want to start peaking at the right time at the end of the year. Of course you want to play consistent(ly) and avoid big roller coasters all season long."

The Sharks and Ducks have been moving in opposite directions lately, and it's Anaheim that appears to be peaking at the right time while San Jose has allowed both the Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers to threaten their lead atop the division.

The pressure's now squarely on the Sharks to turn things around quickly if they hope to head into the playoffs on a high note and return to the Stanley Cup Final this spring.

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The Boston Bruins will head into an important game against the New York Islanders without Tuukka Rask on Saturday night.

The Bruins' No. 1 netminder will miss the contest with what's only being referred to as a "lower-body" ailment, the club announced.

Anton Khudobin will start in place of Rask, who's considered day to day, and Boston recalled goaltender Zane McIntyre from the AHL on an emergency basis earlier Saturday.

The Islanders are sitting in the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with a game in hand on the Bruins. Both clubs have 82 points.

Rask allowed five goals on 28 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

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Brock Boeser will make his NHL debut in his home state.

The Vancouver Canucks signed the 20-year-old forward to an entry-level contract and announced the Burnsville, Minn., native will play against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon.

The former University of North Dakota standout's sophomore season came to a close Friday night when the Fighting Hawks were eliminated by Boston University in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Boeser followed up his 27-goal, 60-point freshman campaign with 16 goals and 34 points this season.

The Canucks selected him 23rd overall in 2015.

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