McDavid makes Kraken history
Welcome back to the NHL’s Best and Worst. We’ve got another full slate of great NHL moments from this past week, including some celebrity cameos, John Tortorella staying on brand and more Connor McDavid magic.
The week’s goal
Connor McDavid’s ascension this season into the league’s top goalscorer has been mind-bending to watch. The Oilers Captain has never been more aggressive, nor been higher-flying, or been so difficult to stop.
Do you need proof? Ask! Trevor ZegrasMcDavid just put on a hockey poster for a guy named???? arguably the nicest goal of this season. Another McDavid masterclass is certain to be difficult to top.
The week in savings
Jack Campbell’s season certainly hasn’t played out the way he or the Edmonton Oilers envisioned it would after he signed a significant free-agent contract this past July. His Oilers starting spot has been replaced by Stuart SkinnerThe Oilers, on the other hand, look like they’ll be dancing around his large cap hit for a while yet.
Perhaps, however, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Campbell has had a strong run since the start of the calendar. His.915 savings percentage in January is his highest single month total since April last year. Maple Leafs. If this save is any indication, the fans at Rogers Arena could be chanting “SOOOOUP” in due time as well.
After missing the first two games, Nik Ehlers was forced to miss the next 36 games due to a sports hernia. Winnipeg lost one of its most talented and consistent forwards. Ehlers returned to the Jets last week after a triumphant return. He has performed well since then.
Ehlers, who was scoreless in his initial game back, scored a league-leading 8 points in this week’s four games, including this beautiful no-look recipe. Pierre-Luc Dubois For the Vancouver Canucks last Sunday. The high-flying Jets arrived in 2023, skidding with several players finally coming off the shelf, they’ve bounced back in a big way and are back atop the Central Division standings, thanks in large part to the play of their Danish star.
Hands of Week
This is what it’s worth repeating, people. Buffalo Sabres Are #ActuallyGood In the madness that has been, I got lost in my insanity. Tage Thompson’s Hart candidacy year, another Sabres skater has found the fountain of youth and is producing at a career rate.
Jeff Skinner, whose contract was maligned as one of the league’s worst as recently as 2021, has exploded back into relevancy. He is now scoring over a goal per game with the electric Sabres as part of a first line that includes Thompson and Alex Tuch. This deadly trio connected Saturday night for an explosive finale, Skinner dekes Juuse Saros He jumped out of his pants in pursuit of this amazing breakaway beauty.
Stat of the Week
Did we mention McDavid is insane right now?! Well, in case you needed any further proof, check out the names he’s in lockstep with for his historic scoring pace. It has been a magical season for McDavid, and while the Oilers continue to lag behind expectations — the club continues to hang onto the final wild-card spot in the West for dear life — there’s no denying the out-of-this-world season he has put together so far.
Quote of the Week
Although it may not be the NHL’s, some hockey players are truly the epitome of “Head empty, just vibes.” The Kelowna Rockets sent some players, including Jackson Desouza as a defenceman, to talk to elementary school students. They also played an active part in the community.
However, things go sour when Desouza and his teammates are asked by a teacher what their favorite book is. It seems that Desouza and his team-mates might have different priorities. This leads to a funny sidebar between them.
Worst week
The Connor Bedard tanking expertise is unrivalled. Blackhawks On Saturday night, fans were treated to this and more. The roaring hot Seattle Kraken (more to them later) enjoyed a wonderful first period. They scored six goals on their seven first shots of hockey.
Petr Mrazek was awarded the yank for allowing four goals in five shots. Alex Stalock The referee came in, and he allowed a goal on the second two shots he faced. Finally, Stalock scored a goal after Stalock made a lunging glove save The Chicago fans cheered him on his first period, and he was greeted by a standing ovation from their faithful.
The most wholesome moment
Kris Letang, who was absent from the festivities last week, has now left. Pittsburgh Penguins He was unable to travel to Montreal to grieve his father’s sudden death. After their victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Penguins players shared condolences during a lengthy road trip. Arizona Coyotes Last Sunday, the club went one step further.
Instead of flying to Pittsburgh, the entire team flew out to Montreal Letang and his family were able to comfort the Penguins longtime star. This was an incredibly classy act by Crosby and his Pens who demonstrated how strong the brotherhood in the National Hockey League, regardless of the circumstances.
Superstar status
Henrik Lundqvist is a future Hall of Fame netminder. The Rangers legend brought The Northman star Alexander Skarsgård, as well as future Ottawa Senators Ryan Reynolds went to Madison Square Garden with Ryan Reynolds as the Rangers took on Ryan Reynolds Minnesota Wild Last week.
If that wasn’t enough, however, the stars took things a step further once the MSG crowd caught them on the big screen. First, it was Skarsgård making a show while snuggling up to his fellow Swede, before Reynolds plants a sloppy smooch on King Henrik’s cheek for the piece de resistance.
Season of the comeback
Although Hollywood stars were in town Tuesday, it was not the case. Dallas Stars The Blueshirts made their way to MSG for the thrilling conclusion to the game. With one second left, K’Andre Miller played hero for the Blueshirts, tying the game at 1-1 to send it to overtime for a doozy of a buzzer-beater.
It was a fellow defenceman in OT. Adam FoxHe was on the hunt for a second Norris Trophy and came up victorious.
Have Merc(ery)y
The Devils trio of Jack HughesNico Hischer and Jesper Bratt Although the Devils are the main focus, their great depth can cause serious damage. Grab the Devils 2020 First-round Pick Dawson MercerNow in his second NHL season, he looks like a steal of a pick for GM Tom Fitzgerald.
On pace for 50 points while playing all over New Jersey’s lineup as a 21-year-old, the Newfoundland product scored one of the nicest goals of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes This week, Metro foes will be playing in a divisional match. Mercer’s ability to get to the net on this one, all while flying through the air like Bobby Orr in the process, makes this a must-see beauty.
With the Boston Bruins Thrashing the Anaheim Ducks Things looked very over the ice at 7-1 in their barn. The two sides reached an agreement in the stands.
Burns does it all
It isn’t entirely clear why Brent Burns It was all because of the Carolina Hurricanes. Maybe it’s some market inefficiency that only the Canes are wise enough to act upon. Maybe Burns was just messing around, as he’s been known to do from time to time.
It was even more amazing that Burns beat Sidney Crosby in the dot on that one, beating him with ease.
Fun fact: Brett Burns was briefly a wingman with the San Jose Sharks Before his Norris Trophy campaign, he had taken almost 150 draws throughout his career. He has a terrible record in faceoffs. He’s a miserable 44.9 percent on his career, though that does put him ahead noted two-way pivots Elias Pettersson (43 career FOW%) Jack Eichel (44.3 career FOW%)
Blunder of a week
This one was. shades of Vesa Toskala It was written all over it when Max Willman, Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward, buried a goal last week from 185 feet from the opposing net. The victim of this unbelievable blunder, Bridgeport Islanders netminder Ken Appleby, can’t believe what he’s just done, laying face down on the ice in shame. It would have been even worse if that goal had come out as the game-winner, a 3-1 win for the Phantoms.
Consider the children!
Due to its disruptive presence in the game, there are very few people who love the offside challenge. oftentimes perplexing calls. One woman who was at the Colorado Avalanche match against the Florida Panthers had had enough. After the review had disallowed a possible game-tying goal, the fan gave the refs two one-finger salutes of disgust.
While that’s nothing out of the ordinary for a normal hockey game, there was one problem. The national ESPN televised game captured her doing it and broadcasted it to the world. It was a lot of fun for the play-by–play voice.
Torts (still) being Torts
If you wondered if John Tortorella was able to make it into the 21st century using his coaching techniques, then we have your answer. The boss of the prickly bench banned the use of iPads on the benches for Flyers players, arguing that it was taking the players out of the moment and preventing them from staying engaged in the game’s momentum.
Whether or not that’s the case, the Flyers seemed to be doing alright without them, as they’ve found some rhythm of late winning three straight and seven of 10. Torts may be onto something. Maybe the players were too busy playing Clash of Clans in between shifts.
Montreal legends
P.K., the former Canadiens great, has finally returned to Montreal after he retired. Subban got the royal treatment The Habs laid out the red carpet to honor the iconic franchise player. Subban may not be able to hang his number from the Bell Centre, but the fan favorite was still given plenty of love upon his return.
Fans were treated to one last moment of Canadiens hockey history during the ceremony. Carey Price came out to the pair to perform a final triple-low-five for the audience. There’s a certain delicious irony to the fact the pair got to celebrate the moment while the regime that banned it is now long in the club’s rearview mirror.
Trending Up: Seattle Kraken
The winners of eight consecutive contests, including the first sweep of a seven-game road trip in NHL history, the Kraken once again look like a big-time player in the NHL’s Western Conference. They are now just two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division’s top spot. With games remaining, they lead all Western Conference teams in points percentage.
Seattle has been a top-10 league team by all analytical measures, and that’s consistent with their short history. The primary catalyst for this streak has been the goaltending, which has been a weakness across the Kraken’s first two NHL seasons. Martin Jones is the hero in Emerald City. His.926 save percentage through Jan. is the highest single month save percentage of any Kraken netminder having played at least six games.
Trending Down: Colorado Avalanche
The reigning Stanley Cup Champions have been one of the league’s most unlucky teams injury-wise this season, having lost the second most point-shares This year, there was no club that suffered injury. While Mikko Rantanen has done his best to singlehandedly keep Colorado afloat, quietly putting together a career year and on pace for 58 goals at the halfway mark, it simply hasn’t been enough.
The Avalanche lost seven of the last 10 games, and they continue to grind along. sitting outside of playoff position. It’s still too early to count out the Avalanche, especially given how dominant they were en route to last year’s Stanley Cup victory, but this team is hurting in a big way and will need to find their footing if they want any shot at making the dance, much less defend their title.
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