Puck Wire: Top Hockey News Of The Day: February 5th

The push to the deadline is officially on in the NHL. The buyers and sellers are starting to show themselves and some potential big tickets are starting to shake loose. What happens over the course of the next 20 days will go a long way towards determining who walks away with the Cup in June.

Another huge night in the playoff race is ahead of us, with trade rumors sure to continue popping up. This is a fun time, my friends! Here’s today’s edition of ‘Puck Wire’

• Kyle Dubas pushed his chips to the middle last week when he paid the price to acquire D Jake Muzzin from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last night, against his old rivals from Anaheim, Muzzin earned a warm welcome from his new teammates and fans.
• Tonight is going to be a big night in Boston, as Bruins’ mainstay Patrice Bergeron plays in his 1,000th NHL game. A look at Bergeron’s big achievement from NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin.
• Veteran defender Andrej Sekera is closing in on a return to NHL action. Last night, the Edmonton Oilers assigned him to AHL Bakersfield for a conditioning stint. He can spend six days or play three games with the club.
• Who is finally going to break out in the west and take the Wild Card positions? ESPN takes a look at who will claim the final two playoff spots out west as we hit the season’s final 30 games.
• Injury has forced the Vancouver Canucks to make an emergency recall. With goalie Thatcher Demko hurt, the Canucks reached into the junior ranks last night to bring top prospect Michael DiPietro up.
• The Washington Capitals became the latest team to lock up their backup goalie. Yesterday, the Caps inked Pheonix Copley to a three-year contract extension.