Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators have been playing with heavy hearts following the loss of the captain's unborn son on March 19.

Karlsson opened up about the devastating tragedy, saying things haven't been easy, but he appreciates all the support he's received.

"I'm doing okay," Karlsson told the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch following Thursday's overtime win over the Florida Panthers. "It's been an extremely tough time and a situation I never expected to be in.

"I just want to thank my teammates, this organization, this community, people around the league and people we don't even know for giving us their support and our time to be ourselves and grieve. Looking back it meant a lot to us for all the people that reached out - people that we know and people that we don't know. It helped us get through this a little bit."

Karlsson doesn't anticipate things getting any easier, but he and his wife Melinda Currey have remained strong.

"It's going to take us a very long time to get back to normal, but we're going to do everything we can to stay as positive as possible," he said. "I think my wife has handled the situation better than I could have ever imagined and it's not something that you can prepare yourself for."

Thursday's win was Karlsson's third contest since his son's death, but claims it's been hard to get himself up for games, even though it's helped take his mind off things.

"It's been hard ... It's been hard to kind of get the motivation," he said. "At the same time, it's been kind of a comfort zone to get back into routine and think about something else for awhile.

"At the end of the day, these guys mean a lot to me and when we go through something like this everybody gets together and they really embraced me and given me everything that I need in this time. For me to just get back to normal and see everybody else behave normal has helped me a lot."

Karlsson's status for the team's final road trip remains unclear, but he's hoping he "can play the remainder of the season out."

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Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators have been playing with heavy hearts following the loss of the captain's unborn son on March 19.

Karlsson opened up about the devastating tragedy, saying things haven't been easy, but he appreciates all the support he's received.

"I'm doing okay," Karlsson told the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch following Thursday's overtime win over the Florida Panthers. "It's been an extremely tough time and a situation I never expected to be in.

"I just want to thank my teammates, this organization, this community, people around the league and people we don't even know for giving us their support and our time to be ourselves and grieve. Looking back it meant a lot to us for all the people that reached out - people that we know and people that we don't know. It helped us get through this a little bit."

Karlsson doesn't anticipate things getting any easier, but he and his wife Melinda Currey have remained strong.

"It's going to take us a very long time to get back to normal, but we're going to do everything we can to stay as positive as possible," he said. "I think my wife has handled the situation better than I could have ever imagined and it's not something that you can prepare yourself for."

Thursday's win was Karlsson's third contest since his son's death, but claims it's been hard to get himself up for games, even though it's helped take his mind off things.

"It's been hard ... It's been hard to kind of get the motivation," he said. "At the same time, it's been kind of a comfort zone to get back into routine and think about something else for awhile.

"At the end of the day, these guys mean a lot to me and when we go through something like this everybody gets together and they really embraced me and given me everything that I need in this time. For me to just get back to normal and see everybody else behave normal has helped me a lot."

Karlsson's status for the team's final road trip remains unclear, but he's hoping he "can play the remainder of the season out."

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Chicago Blackhawks' emergency netminder Scott Foster is soaking in his special night.

Related: Blackhawks' emergency goalie shines after being thrust into game action

Foster wasn't shy when chatting with reporters following his NHL debut, in which he stopped all seven shots he faced in relief and was named the game's first star.

The 36-year-old accountant thinks he has a lot left in the tank.

"I think I'm just hitting my prime," he told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Even though the last appearance on Foster's HockeyDB was in 2005-06 with Western Michigan University, he's managed to stay sharp over the past 12 years.

"Who would have thought? You just keep grinding away in men's league, and eventually you'll get your shot," he said.

Now there's a point of motivation every men's league player can take with them.

This wasn't Foster's first time on call for the Blackhawks, as he says he's done somewhere between 12 and 15 games. He usually ends up watching the game from the press box, has a bite to eat, and heads home. Yet, on Thursday, all it took was one injury for him to dress, and another to get him into the game.

"I'm an accountant by day, so a few hours ago I was sitting on my computer typing on the 10-key," he said. "Now I'm standing in front of you guys, just finished 14 and a half minutes of NHL hockey."

It's safe to say Foster will be pretty popular around the water cooler during his next shift.

"You know, it's funny. You think there'd be a lot of pressure. But really, tomorrow, I'm going to wake up, I'm going to button up my shirt, and I'm going to go to my day job," he said. "What pressure is there for me?"

Perhaps the reason Foster claims he felt no pressure, was because the whole thing was just a blur for him.

"The initial shock happened when I had to dress," he said. "And then I think you just kind of black out after that."

While he may have blacked out during the game, the whole experience is certainly something he will never forget.

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If you haven't already heard, the Nashville Predators are a pretty solid hockey team, and with their victory Thursday over the San Jose Sharks, the Preds set a franchise record for points in a season with 111.

Nashville has been on some kind of run recently, losing only four of their last 20 games, catapulting into first place in the NHL and in the ever-tough Central Division.

The Predators fell just short of the Stanley Cup last season, losing in the Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. However, this campaign feels different for the a re-tooled Nashville squad that has been playing with a chip on its shoulder since October.

So don't be shocked if the Preds translate their franchise record-breaking regular season into postseason success.

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Scott Foster must've been shaking in his boots.

The 36-year-old Chicago Blackhawks' emergency netminder was forced into game action after Collin Delia suffered an injury in the third period Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets.

Foster was flawless, too, stopping all seven shots he faced in 14 minutes as the Hawks won 6-2. He stoned Patrik Laine, the fans chanted his name, and he was the game's first star. Safe to say it was a night he'll never forget.

Foster's HockeyDB page is pretty thin. He tended goal for Western Michigan University for 21 games in the 2002-03 season, and one game in the 2005-06 season. That's it.

As you can see, he's still sporting his Broncos helmet.

Anton Forsberg suffered an injury in pregame warmup, making Foster's duties as the emergency backup to Delia necessary. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined he'd be taking the crease in the United Center during an actual game.

This is why we love sports.

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For the first time since Oct. 18, there's a new team atop the Eastern Conference.

Following a Thursday night victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins are the toast of the East, sitting one point up on the Lightning for the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division lead with a game in hand.

To say Boston is hot right now would be a criminal understatement, as the Bruins have gone 42-10-7 since Nov. 5.

With less than two weeks until the puck drops on the postseason, the Eastern playoff races are getting very interesting at the absolute best time of the season.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are going back to playoffs, as the Ottawa Senators did their Ontario rivals a huge favor Thursday, defeating the Florida Panthers in overtime to punch Toronto's postseason ticket.

The Maple Leafs are making consecutive trips to the playoffs for the first time in the post-lockout era.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Toronto will match up with either the Tampa Bay Lightning or Boston Bruins in the first round.

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The Washington Capitals received help from an unlikely foe Thursday night.

Sidney Crosby scored a ridiculous overtime winner against the New Jersey Devils, and with that loss, the Caps clinched a playoff spot.

This marks the fourth straight campaign the Capitals have made the postseason, and the 10th time in the last 11 years. The 2013-14 season is the only year they missed the playoffs during this run.

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