1

Kings
What has gotten into Trevor Moore this yr? The 28-year-old ahead has a profession excessive of 48 factors, however he has by no means cracked 30 in any of his different 5 NHL seasons. Moore is already as much as 12 targets and 21 factors in 2023-24, and he simply scored an absolute gem of a objective towards the Avalanche on Sunday. Not less than a few of his success is because of the unbelievable chemistry Moore has discovered with Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala. 4 15-4-3
2

Rangers
Artemi Panarin scored a hat trick final weekend, and he’s now on tempo for 53 targets this season. That may be a profession excessive, however even when he slows down a bit this yr, he may nonetheless shatter his profession excessive of 32 by a large margin. Whereas Panarin is a superb energy play weapon, he has been doing a big portion of his injury at five-on-five. His 11 targets in these conditions are tied for the league lead. — 18-5-1
3

Bruins
After scoring 27 targets in 64 video games final season, Jake DeBrusk has simply 4 targets in 23 video games this season. Whereas these numbers are disappointing, DeBrusk has been discovering different methods to contribute to Boston’s success. His plus-10 objective differential at five-on-five is tied for second on the crew, and the Bruins management 57.2% of the anticipated targets with him on the ice in these conditions. DeBrusk will get scorching within the scoring division, however within the meantime, he is nonetheless having a powerful yr. — 17-4-3
4

Stars
The Stars’ prime line has gotten a whole lot of reward lately, and that has been well-earned. Nevertheless, a brand new dominant trio has emerged in Dallas. The road of Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment has been an absolute menace. These three are outscoring opponents 18-6 and have managed 61.9% of the anticipated targets at five-on-five. It additionally helps that they’ve mixed for 21 targets and 49 factors. 3 14-7-3
5

Jets
On the season, the Jets have been a moderately sturdy defensive crew. They’ve allowed 2.54 xGA/60 at five-on-five, which ranks twelfth within the NHL. That is strong, and it ought to give any crew the prospect to be a strong playoff crew. Nevertheless, these numbers have dipped considerably of late. Within the final three weeks, Winnipeg has been permitting 2.94 xGA/60. That ranks twenty seventh over that span, however Connor Hellebuyck has been bailing his crew out persistently.

6 14-8-2
6

Avalanche
The Avalanche goaltending state of affairs has gotten pretty attention-grabbing. Alexandar Georgiev has not gotten off to one of the best of begins, and 24-year-old Ivan Provetsov has performed fairly effectively in restricted motion. Provetsov has posted a 2.45 GAA, .919 save proportion and a 2.11 targets saved above common in six appearances. Possibly Jared Bednar lets Provetsov get just a few extra begins within the close to future. 3 16-7-2
7

Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov has only one objective in 15 video games since getting back from harm, however that does not imply he is been taking part in poorly. Actually, Svechnikov has been extremely efficient as a playmaker, choosing up 10 assists since he returned to recreation motion. Carolina has additionally smashed opponents with Svechnikov within the recreation at five-on-five. Ultimately, that 2.6% capturing proportion will rise. — 14-10-1
8

Panthers
Niko Mikkola has earned a shoutout at this level. I used to be not a fan of his recreation when he was with the Blues and Rangers, however he has actually stunned me with the Panthers. Mikkola’s five-on-five impacts have been fairly sturdy, and he has even offered some offensive pop. With Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour again within the lineup, Mikkola ought to solely get higher now that he’s getting extra favorable matchups. 4 15-8-2
9

Pink Wings
Now that the Canucks have circled their five-on-five play, I’ve shifted my skepticism to the Pink Wings. Detroit ranks thirtieth in xGF/60 at five-on-five, however it’s second in precise GF/60. These two issues do not mesh, and that disconnect can most likely be defined by the Pink Wings’ 13.5% capturing proportion in all conditions. Detroit has some expert offensive gamers, however can they preserve this up for all 82 video games? 10 14-7-3
10

Canucks
I believe I am beginning to purchase the Canucks as a legit menace within the Western Convention, even when the wins have not been coming as regularly. Earlier within the season, I dismissed them as a result of their underlying numbers had been fairly lackluster, particularly when in comparison with their jaw-dropping outcomes. Nevertheless, that course of has improved in current weeks. Since Nov. 15, Vancouver has owned 53.1% of the five-on-five anticipated targets and 54.6% of the high-danger possibilities. 4 16-9-1
11

Golden Knights
Chandler Stephenson was good for the Golden Knights final season, however he has taken a step again in 2023-24. Stephenson’s offensive manufacturing has actually fallen off with simply two targets and 11 factors in 22 video games, however his five-on-five impacts have been much more regarding. He has a minus-4 objective differential in these conditions, and Vegas has been taking over water. Stephenson must get right into a groove in for the Golden Knights to succeed in their most potential. 3 17-5-5
12

Maple Leafs
Mitch Marner wanted an offensive spark amid an eight-game objective drought, and he bought one towards the Kraken final week. Marner scored a hat trick within the Maple Leafs’ shootout win through which he tallied all three of the crew’s regulation targets in addition to the shootout winner. Possibly that can ignite a scorching streak for Marner, who totaled 99 factors final yr. 2 12-6-4
13

Lightning
As one would possibly anticipate, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return from hip surgical procedure has not been terribly easy. His 3.03 GAA and .887 save proportion are a lot worse than we’re used to seeing from him, and he has allowed 2.05 targets above common in his 5 appearances. The excellent news is he rebounded from an unsightly 8-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday to close them out on Monday. 1 12-10-5
14

Flyers
Joel Farabee did not break a lot of a sweat within the Flyers’ 4-3 additional time loss to the Devils final week. That is as a result of he performed a whopping 56 seconds. Farabee made a mistake on his second shift of the sport, and it led to a objective for Alexander Holtz. Flyers coach John Tortorella selected to connect Farabee to the bench for the remainder of the sport after that. It appeared like an excessive response from Torts, however he is getting outcomes, so who am I to evaluate? 1 13-10-2
15

Coyotes
Issues are heating up within the desert. The Coyotes have received 5 straight video games, and Michael Carcone can’t miss. The 27-year-old performed simply 30 NHL video games previous to this season, however he now has 12 targets on the yr after tallying 4 in his final three video games. Eleven of these have come at five-on-five, which ties him with Artemi Panarin for the league lead. I believe it is truthful to say nobody noticed this coming from the previous undrafted free agent. 5 13-9-2
16

Capitals
Alex Ovechkin remains to be sitting on 5 targets this season, which isn’t good for his possibilities of catching Wayne Gretzky on the all-time targets listing. It is not for a scarcity of attempting, although. Ovechkin has thrown 81 pictures on objective and generated 9.68 anticipated targets. Each of these are first on the crew, however Ovi is capturing simply 6.2% on the season. — 12-8-2
17

Devils
I do not assume accidents are contagious, however the Devils try to persuade me in any other case. After lastly getting Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier wholesome on the identical time, star defenseman Dougie Hamilton can be out indefinitely after present process pectoral surgical procedure. New Jersey has been snake-bitten thus far within the season, and the crew has no different alternative however to produce other gamers step up if it should climb the Metro Division standings. 3 12-10-1
18

Predators
Luke Evangelista is quietly having a powerful rookie season with 4 targets and 10 assists in 24 video games. The previous second-round decide has proven some good playmaking means for the Predators, and he has been getting some energy play time in consequence. If Evangelista proves to be a real top-six possibility for Nashville, that can be one other piece for GM Barry Trotz to construct round as he reconstructs the roster. 9 13-12-0
19

Flames
Now that Nikita Zadorov is a member of the Vancouver Canucks, all the eye will now be directed towards what the Flames will do with defenseman Noah Hanifin, a pending free agent. Hanifin is on an expiring contract, and he ought to be a fascinating participant for playoff contenders. Hanifin owns a plus-4 objective differential at five-on-five, and the Flames have completed a pleasant job controlling scoring possibilities with him on the ice. Hanifin can be having a pleasant offensive season with 12 factors in 25 video games. 4 10-12-3
20

Oilers
The Oilers have now strung collectively 4 straight wins, and this streak simply occurs to coincide with improved goaltending from Stuart Skinner. Since Nov. 24, when this run started, Skinner has saved 2.4 targets above common and has stopped 93.1% of the pictures he is confronted. These aren’t loopy numbers, particularly over such a small pattern, however it’s been greater than adequate for Edmonton to begin stacking wins. 5 10-12-1
21

Blues
Jordan Kyrou has simply 4 targets this season, and he’s at present within the midst of a 10-game objective drought. Kyrou hasn’t discovered the again of the web since his two-goal recreation towards the Lightning on Nov. 14. He has taken three or extra pictures in six video games all through this stretch, so he ought to snap out of it quickly, however he nearly definitely will not match his 37 targets from final season. 1 13-11-1
22

Penguins
The Penguins’ depth points stay obviously apparent. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the remainder of the highest six forwards are doing their half this season. Nevertheless, they cannot do it alone. 5 Pittsburgh forwards have at the very least six targets and 13 factors. Nobody else has greater than three targets and eight factors, which makes it tough for the Pens to win if the highest gamers are quiet. 9 11-11-3
23

Islanders
The Islanders have led for just below 598 minutes this season, which ranks seventh within the NHL. The issue is that they have had a depressing time holding onto these leads, and that difficulty reared its ugly head towards the Sharks on Tuesday night time. The Isles held a 4-1 lead with beneath 10 minutes left, however San Jose rallied to tie, getting two targets with an additional attacker within the course of. The Sharks went on to win in additional time, and the Islanders had been shocked but once more. 1 10-7-7
24

Wild
John Hynes has are available in and gotten the Wild utterly again on monitor. Why did not Dean Evason think about having the crew rating on 13.7% of its pictures and save 95.5% of the pictures it faces? All kidding apart, the Wild have clearly responded to the teaching change, they usually have been a dominant five-on-five crew since then. Now we simply must see whether or not it is a short-term bump or if these enhancements are right here to remain. 4 9-10-4
25

Senators
The Sens aren’t as dangerous as their last-place place within the Jap Convention signifies, however they are not that significantly better both. Ottawa has been effectively beneath common at five-on-five this season, and goaltending has hardly ever bailed the crew out. In even worse information, star defenseman Thomas Chabot suffered a lower-body harm simply two video games after getting back from a fractured hand. 4 10-10-0
26

Sabres
Tage Thompson is wholesome, however that is concerning the extent of the excellent news in Buffalo as of late. The Sabres are driving a four-game dropping streak, and their play has taken an actual nosedive. During the last two weeks, Buffalo has gone 2-5-1, and its five-on-five anticipated targets share is a horrific 43.2%. The Sabres are actually beneath the Canadiens within the Jap Convention standings, and their playoff possibilities look bleak. 8 10-14-2
27

Canadiens
If we’re on the lookout for positives in Montreal, we will discover it between the pipes. Sam Montembeault has been a pleasing shock, and he has held up pretty effectively regardless of not being in an surroundings that is typically conducive to creating saves. Montembeault has saved 3.33 targets above common with a .913 save proportion. He is managed to maintain the Habs in a variety of video games this season. 2 11-11-3
28

Kraken
Final season, Seattle was capturing the lights out. The Kraken had been scoring on 10.3% of their pictures at five-on-five, however that quantity has dropped to 7.28% this season. That is not simply poor luck both. Seattle is struggling to generate high quality possibilities at a excessive fee. Their 10.0 HDSC/60 ranks twenty ninth within the NHL, and it is a large purpose why the crew’s capturing proportion has plummeted. 2 8-12-6
29

Blue Jackets
Not a lot has gone proper for the Blue Jackets this season, however Dmitri Voronkov seems like he could be an actual difference-maker on the NHL stage. A former fourth-round decide, Voronkov has posted much better five-on-five outcomes than most of his teammates, and he has began to contribute on offense extra persistently. His 5 targets are tied with Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli this season. 2 8-14-5
30

Sharks
San Jose has been doing somewhat an excessive amount of profitable currently, and it has sacrificed its inside monitor within the draft lottery. Tomas Hertl could be accountable for that as a result of he has 9 factors in his final six video games, together with a hat trick towards the Islanders on Tuesday. The excellent news for the Sharks is that the Blackhawks have two video games in hand on them. 2 7-17-2
31

Geese
The Geese are very dangerous, however I believe Leo Carlsson is excellent. The rookie has now scored in back-to-back video games, and he’s now third on the groups in targets (8) regardless of having performed seven or eight video games lower than most of his teammates. Carlsson was an extremely gifted prospect. He did go No. 2 general for a purpose, however I did not anticipate him to make this sort of prompt influence. 14 10-15-0
32

Blackhawks
With two wins of their final 10 video games, the Blackhawks have sunk all the way in which to the underside of the NHL standings. Regardless of that, Connor Bedard has nonetheless been driving play and creating at a fast tempo. That is sort of a perfect state of affairs for Chicago, which is now in line so as to add Macklin Celebrini alongside Bedard. 2 7-16-1