(In case you missed it this morning, scroll down past this post to check out Frank's report from The Rock as he attended Ilya Kovalchuk's first game for New Jersey.)

Every Saturday, FTR will pick the five games to watch over the upcoming weekend.

1. Pittsburgh at Washington, Sunday @ 12 PM EST. Did you hear that there's some big sporting event taking place on Sunday? No, not the one down in Miami, but the Penguins and the Capitals in the next round of their rivalry -- the rivalry that, though once media created, now lives up to the hype. It's hockey's version of Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair, Kirk vs. Picard, Beatles vs. Stones...and yet, will anyone watch? On one hand, this is a great way to counter-program in an effort to get all those sports fans who hate watching the Super Bowl pre-game. On the other hand, how many sports fans will be out buying beer and chips and meat or, like me, playing in a game of annual flag football with their college buddies? They've pulled their biggest guns out for this experiment, and if it succeeds, it could make everyone re-think what to do before the Super Bowl. If it fails, well...if Sidney Crosby plays Alexander Ovechkin and no one watches, does it happen?

2. Detroit at Los Angeles, Saturday @ 4 PM EST. Ottawa and Washington may be all the talk, but a similar hot streak is happening out west with the Kings winning eight straight. A game like this has major implications for the Western Conference playoff standings, and LA is looking to put some heat in the battle for home ice -- and perhaps the Pacific Division -- while Detroit is hoping to get some consistency. The Red Wings looked like the Detroit of old against San Jose, as they controlled the puck for most of the game against the Sharks. Jonas Hiller shut the Wings down with 46 saves, but there were still plenty of positive things to look at. Will LA keep rolling or will the Wings build on their play from the two games -- or will the game go to OT to further mess up the playoff races?

3. New Jersey at NY Rangers, Saturday @ 7 PM EST. For years, we saw Ilya Kovalchuk take on Olli Jokinen in Southeast Division battles. Now we've got these two guys as part of the storied Rangers/Devils rivalry, though both are more guns for hire rather than players of lore. The difference here is that the Devils are looking to contend for the Stanley Cup while the Rangers are just trying to right their ship. Both franchises have made drastic moves in an attempt to bolster their offense (and in the Rangers' case, shed a dead salary). And for sub-plots, at what point does each team's respective coach get frustrated with their new player's attitude?

4. Boston at Montreal, Sunday @ 3 PM EST. These two bubble teams are bitter rivals separated only by a few points, though Boston has played fewer games. Montreal is riding Jaroslav Halak in net while the Bruins, well, they're just hoping for anything to come out of their recent tail spin -- which included a recent 3-2 overtime loss to these same Habs. How hot is Halak? During that game, he made 48 saves to stifle the Bruins, and much of the Boston media is now grumbling about how to save the season.As this game should finish up right before the Super Bowl begins, a traditional Habs/B's rivalry game is a great way to rev up for...all those expensive commercials everyone wants to watch on Sunday.

5. Florida at Atlanta, Saturday @ 7 PM EST. Atlanta loses Ilya Kovlachuk and Florida gets David Booth back from injury. This can only mean good things for the Panthers as they battle to return to the playoffs. For Atlanta? Well...one has to hope that it provides a rallying cry for those that remain. The Thrashers future isn't forsaken, not with Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian to build the blueline around. Up front, it's a new journey, though this game could mark the beginning of the end for this bubble team -- or perhaps they put together a Cinderalla turnaround to face New Jersey in the playoffs? Wouldn't that be something?