PIERRE MCGUIRE'S In the Crease

The Capitals are the only NHL team with three top-rated goalies under age 25: Semyon Varlamov, and rookies Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. G.M. George McPhee will eventually have to move at least one of them, but he'll be dealing from a position of strength. ... One proposal that will get significant attention when NHL G.M.'s meet this week in Boca Raton, Fla., is the advisability of a challenge rule. In November, Panthers G.M. Dale Tallon proposed that coaches be allowed to challenge goal rulings after Florida was on the short end of a noncall for goalie interference in a 3--1 loss to the Maple Leafs... . Perhaps the most overlooked player in the NHL is Stars center Mike Ribeiro, whose 44 assists rank eighth in the league. If Dallas makes the playoffs, he'll be a major reason why.

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GEOFF BURKE/US PRESSWIRE (HOLTBY)