NHL Power Rankings: Week 15 Injuries, Prospects, In-Depth Analysis

Previous Ranking: 29 (-1)

Team Record: (13-25-6)

Goals For: 90

Goals Against: 142

Special Teams

PP: 20-for-133 (15.0 percent) (T-24th)
PK: 33-for-148 (77.7 percent) (26th)

Injury List

Dave Bolland (lower body) – out indefinitely
Max Domi (hand) – out indefinitely
Brad Richardson (leg) – out indefinitely
Ryan White (lower body) – day-to-day
Martin Hanzal (personal) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Radim Vrbata (44gp 10g 19a 29pts)
Top Defenseman: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (44gp 9g 15a 24pts)
Top Rookie: Christian Dvorak (40gp 4g 8a 12pts)
Top Goaltender: Mike Smith (8 wins 2.99GAA .914 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Radim Vrbata (4gp 1g 4a 5pts)

Louis Domingue and Radim Vrbata had a good week, but the rest of the Coyotes did not since they only put up a record of 1-3-0. After a strong start to the week with a victory over Winnipeg, everything after that went south and Winnipeg brought things back full circle Wednesday night handing Arizona a 6-3 loss. Mike Smith started in three games the past week and despite gathering the only win, he also brought back with him some terrible numbers.

Radim Vrbata was the top player of the week putting up a solid five points in four games but had a minus-three rating attached. Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was right behind him with four points in those four games but he had a horrendous minus-eight rating. Louis Domingue only played in one game last week and in doing so was quite decent despite losing his only game, he had a very respectable .923 save percentage and a 1.74 goals-against-average. So what should Arizona do going forward with their netminders? I guess just keep riding whoever is going to win you games, but as of now it definitely looks like Arizona will be front-runners for the first pick in this year’s draft. And next week will help their cause since they got games against Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Florida.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Nick Merkley, Kelowna (WHL)

2016-17 stats: 35gp 10g 17a 27pts

A strong playmaker who has an excellent eye for the game, Nick Merkley can create chances from nothing and plays every single shift with the highest of energy. His incredible work ethic allows him to take advantage of turnovers and puck-possession. He’s also not afraid to battle against the bigger guys and in the dirty areas of the ice. He doesn’t have the largest frame or the best skating, but he makes up for it with his outstanding hockey I.Q and understanding of the game. He still has a couple of small things to work on, but once he does, he’s going to be a top six center for Arizona which will complement their youth movement very well.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 28 (-1)

Team Record: (13-28-1)

Goals For: 86

Goals Against: 142

Special Teams

PP: 19-for-140 (13.6 percent) (T-27th)
PK: 34-for-159 (78.6 percent) (24th)

Injury List

Erik Johnson (leg) – out until mid-February
Semyon Varlamov (going) – shut down until after All-Star break

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Nathan MacKinnon (42gp 11g 19a 30pts)
Top Defenseman: Tyson Barrie (42gp 3g 20a 23pts)
Top Rookie: Mikko Rantanen (37gp 6g 12a 18pts)
Top Goaltender: Calvin Pickard (7-11-1 3.06GAA .902 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Nathan MacKinnon (3gp 1g 2a 3pts)

Veteran Semyon Varlamov returned from injury this past week and got the nod in all three games. The question is, why? As expected, his lousy season picked up where it left off and just continued for three straight losses in which he allowed three or more goals in each start. Varlamov apparently re-aggravated the groin injury though and it appears as though he will now be shut down until after the All-Star break. Sticking with the goaltending, I could see why Jared Bednar felt he needed to give the Russian veteran those starts after Calvin Pickard allowed four or more goals in three of five starts, including six goals versus Calgary and NY Rangers. That being said, any expectations of success are out the window at this point. Pickard is a young netminder and these rough stretches tend to happen. Just look at the debacle over in Winnipeg. It doesn’t mean Hellebuyck won’t be a great starter in this league one day. With the Avs likely dangling Varlamov’s $5.9 million dollar contract in Las Vegas’ face (his old GM by the way), mid as well give this kid as many starts as possible down the stretch – experience is key.

Things could get very interesting over the next month and a half if you’re an Avs fan. You’ve heard the rumors, now it’s just a matter of time before the dominoes start falling. I’m not sure we’ll see as many bodies moving out as presumed, but we’ll definitely see a few significant pieces being moved to acquire major future assets. It should be an exciting time to be an Avs fan after the way things have played out the past few years. Just think, you might finally find a solution to the blue line issues, and you’ve got upcoming talent such as Tyson Jost, A.J. Greer, and J.T. Compher, among others. If management plays their cards right, a simple re-tool will help this franchise get back to being contenders relatively quickly.

Weekly Prospect Profile: D Duncan Siemens, San Antonio (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 39gp 2g 2a 4pts

If you’re looking for reasons that contribute to the Avs current struggles, look no further. Colorado used an 11th overall selection on Siemens, but swung and missed – just one of a few over a 4-5 year period. There’s still hope that the 23-year-old could be a late bloomer, but at this point, the odds are stacked against him.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 30 (+2)

Team Record: (17-17-8)

Goals For: 119

Goals Against: 125

Special Teams

PP: 16-for-118 (13.6 percent) (T-27th)
PK: 26-for-130 (80.0 percent) (T-21st)

Injury List

Ryan Pulock (foot) – day-to-day
Mikhail Grabovski (concussion) – out indefinitely
Travis Hamonic (lower body) – out week-to-week

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: John Tavares (42gp 16g 16a 34pts)
Top Defenseman: Nick Leddy (41gp 7g 14a 21pts)
Top Rookie: Anthony Beauvillier (29gp 4g 7a 11pts)
Top Goaltender: Thomas Greiss (11-7-2 2.41GAA .925 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F John Tavares (3gp 5g 0a 5pts)

Well, it was a better week this time around for the New York Islanders. They went 2-1-0 with wins over Florida and Boston (4-0 shutout victory). Unfortunately, that 7-4 loss to Carolina put a nasty blemish on an otherwise perfect seven-day stretch. Starter Thomas Greiss looked a lot sharper immediately upon Halak’s demotion, but his play is since starting to fall off a little bit. Still, he managed a respectable 3.11GAA and .913 save percentage and a pair of wins, giving him a total of 11 in 2016-17.

Johnny T had a productive week after two multi-goal games. He had a hat-trick versus Florida, followed up by a pair of goals in Carolina. Now with six goals, two assists in his last 10 games, Tavares is starting to heat up with 34 points in 42 games. Josh Bailey also had a big week with five points in three games. He now has eight points in his last 10 contests, which gives him 29 points in 42 games. Defenseman Nick Leddy also found the scoresheet with frequency over the last seven days. With four points in the last week and seven over his last 10, a third of his production on the entire year has come over that stretch. The only other notable performers were forwards Anders Lee and Jason Chimera. Lee had a goal and two assists, giving him 15 goals (21 points) in 42 games. Chimera had three goals, one assist and is currently riding a rare three-game point streak.

Weekly Prospect Profile: D Ryan Pulock, Bridgeport (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 15gp 4g 5a 9pts

Selected 15th overall back in 2015, Pulock is a very promising offensive d-man. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 tallying four points in 15 games. He began the 2016-17 season on the injured reserve. Now healthy, Pulock is on a tear down in Bridgeport. I get the feeling that New York is more than comfortable keeping Ryan down in the AHL this year since it’s likely he’ll be exposed in the expansion draft. They might be hoping that limited NHL experience might sway Vegas to go in a different direction.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 20 (-7)

Team Record: (21-20-5)

Goals For: 124

Goals Against: 133

Special Teams

PP: 38-for-166 (22.9 percent) (4th)
PK: 31-for-157 (80.3 percent) (20th)

Injury List

Steven Stamkos (knee) – out indefinitely
J.T. Brown (upper body) – day-to-day
Brayden Point (upper body) – day-to-day
Ryan Callahan (hip) – out indefinitely
Victor Hedman (illness) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Nikita Kucherov (39gp 17g 24a 41pts)
Top Defenseman: Victor Hedman (44gp 7g 31a 38pts)
Top Rookie: Brayden Point (36gp 3g 12a 15pts)
Top Goaltender: Ben Bishop (11-10-2 2.64GAA .910 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Ondrej Palat (4gp 2g 2a 4pts)

Last week was pretty solid for the Lightning, both goalies played extremely well and the offense was on par with how they should be performing. Tampa Bay posted a winning record of 2-1-1 gathering six of a possible eight points, which was much needed since they currently sit outside of a wild card spot. And since star forward and Steven Stamkos replacement Nikita Kucherov was rather silent last week, Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula filled in.

Tampa’s week started off with a big win over Buffalo, but Columbus took the following game, after that they took a win in Los Angeles despite losing in overtime Tuesday to Anaheim. Ondrej Palat was great last week posting four points in four games with a plus-three rating, Filppula also had four points on the week but unfortunately finished as an even player. Both Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy had decent weeks. Bishop finished with a 2-0-1 record with a .937 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against-average. On the other hand, Vasilevskiy lost the only game he played but he still had some decent stats. He had a .933 save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against-average. This week things are going to be back and forth for Tampa Bay as they start the week off tough then get an easy game and then finish the week off with another tough one. And it all starts with San Jose, after that it’s Arizona then finishing with Chicago.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Dennis Yan, Shawinigan (QMJHL)

2016-17 stats: 39gp 28g 22a 50pts

Dennis Yan is a very physical forward who also has tremendous size, but he’s also a very talented playmaker and goal scorer. Since he’s played in Russia, the United States and Canada, Yan’s potential is sky high since his experience and maturity is rivaled by few in his age group. However, one thing Dennis can work on is his defensive side of the game, which will come the rest of this year in the QMJHL and the next in the AHL.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 25 (-1)

Team Record: (21-16-7)

Goals For: 120

Goals Against: 117

Special Teams

PP: 21-for-124 (16.9 percent) (21st)
PK: 12-for-110 (89.1 percent) (1st)

Injury List

Bryan Bickell (illness) – out indefinitely
Eddie Lack (concussion) – day-to-day
Ron Hainsey (undisclosed) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Jeff Skinner (43gp 17g 18a 35pts)
Top Defenseman: Justin Faulk (37gp 8g 12a 20pts)
Top Rookie: Sebastian Aho (44gp 11g 13a 24pts)
Top Goaltender: Cam Ward (18-13-6 2.42GAA .912 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Brock McGinn (3gp 3g 3a 6pts)

The Canes recent hot run came to a screeching halt on Tuesday night when they faced a juggernaut in Columbus. Give Carolina a ton of credit, though, they put together an outstanding stretch of hockey. Hopefully, Tuesday night’s loss was simply a blip on the radar. They’ll certainly be tested over the next seven days with games against Pittsburgh, Columbus (again), and Washington. Heck, if they can squeeze out even two points and a single win, you might call next week a win for the Hurricanes.

Seeing as Carolina had no issue finding the back of the net over the last seven days, that leaves us with several productive skaters. The player who stands out was also named the NHL’s 3rd star of the week, Brock McGinn. I’ve long been a big fan of this kid with high hopes, so it’s nice to see him finally getting a serious look, but not just that, making the most of his opportunity this time around. Playing the Canes top-six, McGinn has gone off for four goals, five assists in his last seven games. This isn’t a fluke folks, the former 2nd rounder is expected to be an important core piece of the future. Jordan Staal also continues his impressive 2016-17 campaign after posting five points in three games. He now has 23 points in 37 games. Forwards Elias Lindholm and Lee Stempniak both had four points over the last week. After a slow start, Lindholm is on fire lately with five points in his last four contests. Three more skaters were operating at a point-per-game pace: forward Jeff Skinner (2g 1a), defenseman Justin Faulk (1g 2a), and forward Teuvo Teravainen (1g 2a).

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Aleksi Saarela, Lukko (SM-Liiga)

2016-17 stats: 30gp 8g 5a 13pts

Selected 89th overall (3rd round) by the New York Rangers in 2015, Saarela was part of the return package in exchange for Eric Staal. The Finn stands 5’11 198lbs with phenomenal speed. The only issue, the feet get moving quicker than the hands, or faster than he can make decisions. If he can find a way to slow the game down mentally, Saarela could be a dangerous player.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 27 (+2)

Team Record: (21-19-6)

Goals For: 108

Goals Against: 128

Special Teams

PP: 19-for-143 (13.3 percent) (29th)
PK: 25-for-125 (80.0 percent) (T-21st)

Injury List

Ben Hutton (hand) – day-to-day
Jannik Hansen (knee) – day-to-day
Derek Dorsett (shoulder) – out indefinitely
Erik Gudbranson (wrist) – out indefinitely
Philip Larsen (upper body) – day-to-day
Anton Rodin (knee) – day-to-day
Jayson Megna (illness) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Bo Horvat (46gp 13g 17a 30pts)
Top Defenseman: Troy Stecher (37gp 1g 12a 13pts)
Top Rookie: Troy Stecher (37gp 1g 12a 13pts)
Top Goaltender: Ryan Miller (13-10-3 2.54GAA .917 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Henrik Sedin (3gp 1g 2a 3pts)

Vancouver had a great week 14, they put up a winning record despite losing their first two games in overtime (Philadelphia and New Jersey respectively). Their final game on Tuesday night they brought home a regulation win against Nashville in a 1-0 victory giving the team five of a possible six points. Both Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom were outstanding as well as forward Henrik Sedin.

Speaking of Ryan Miller, he played in two of the three games last week gathering a win and overtime loss accompanied by a .938 save percentage and a 1.93 goals-against-average. Jacob Markstrom was just as good in the only game he played putting up a 1.95 goals-against-average with a .909 save percentage. Henrik Sedin lead the team in scoring with three points in three games while being a plus one. Forwards Markus Granlund, Brandon Sutter, Daniel Sedin, Loui Eriksson, Jayson Megna and defenseman Troy Stecher all had two-point weeks and in doing so all combined for a plus-nine rating, meaning defense was very well last week. Those three things (goaltending, scoring, and defense) will have to continue into this week since Vancouver has some very important games against Florida, Chicago, and Colorado.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Jordan Subban, Utica (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 32gp 9g 12a 21pts

While not as skilled on the backend as his older brother P.K. Subban, Jordan Subban is still a fantastic offensive defenseman with amazing hockey sense. He’s a very mobile defenseman due to his great skating and high-end acceleration. He backchecks hard every play but due to his size, it often limits what he can do physically. The only thing he needs to work on is his awareness in the defensive end, cause his offensive capabilities are already very, very high.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 19 (-5)

Team Record: (20-18-9)

Goals For: 108

Goals Against: 126

Special Teams

PP: 24-for-160 (15.0 percent) (T-24th)
PK: 24-for-149 (83.9 percent) (7th)

Injury List

Alex Petrovic (ankle) – out week-to-week
Jonathan Huberdeau (achilles) – out until February
Aleksander Barkov (lower body) – day-to-day
Nick Bjugstad (groin) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Vincent Trocheck (47gp 17g 15a 32pts)
Top Defenseman: Keith Yandle (47gp 3g 20a 23pts)
Top Rookie: Michael Matheson (46gp 3g 9a 12pts)
Top Goaltender: Roberto Luongo (13 wins 2.45GAA .920 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Vincent Trocheck (4gp 5g 2a 7pts)

Despite Florida having a slightly below average week with a 1-2-1 record, Vincent Trocheck was still in full effect on the scoring sheet. Goalies Roberto Luongo and James Riemer, however, were not. After starting the week with a loss to the Islanders, Florida stormed back for a big win over Columbus. But after that, things fell apart as they lost to Calgary by a fair margin and then lost to Edmonton in overtime.

Vincent Trocheck was absolutely solid putting up seven points in four games, five of which were goals showing he’s still that pure sniper that he was last year. Second-year star defenseman Aaron Ekblad was just behind Trocheck with four points in four games even though he was also a minus two on the week. After that, both Jaromir Jagr and Keith Yandle both combined for six points and a plus-two on the week. Now shift over to the goalie struggles, Roberto Luongo played in two games last week and in doing so put up a record of 0-2-0 and a .884 save percentage with a 4.08 goals-against-average. James Riemer wasn’t that much better statistically (.892 save percentage, 3.36 goals-against-average) although he had a record of 1-0-1. This is something that will need to improve this week since Florida has games against Vancouver, and Arizona, two teams in which the Panthers should be able to gather wins from.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Jonathan Ang, Peterborough (OHL)

2016-17 stats: 41gp 17g 26a 43pts

Jonathan Ang is incredibly strong on the puck despite being under 170 pounds. He’ll also use his body to shield the puck from defenders trying to knock it off his stick. He’s also got amazing backchecking abilities which make’s him a great two-way forward. And to go along with those attributes, he also has great hockey sense and can read plays very well. After a few more years of development, Ang has the potential to be a very strong top nine forward.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 26 (+3)

Team Record: (19-18-9)

Goals For: 102

Goals Against: 130

Special Teams

PP: 21-for-152 (13.8 percent) (26th)
PK: 24-for-141 (83.0 percent) (T-10th)

Injury List

Vernon Fiddler (lower body) – day-to-day
Andy Greene (arm) – day-to-day
John Moore (concussion) – out indefinitely
Yohann Auvitu (lower body) – day-to-day
Sergey Kalinin (lower body) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Taylor Hall (36gp 11g 18a 29pts)
Top Defenseman: Damon Severson (46gp 3g 19a 22pts)
Top Rookie: Miles Wood (27gp 5g 3a 8pts)
Top Goaltender: Cory Schneider (14-14-7 2.69GAA .910 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Kyle Palmieri (4gp 2g 3a 5pts)

New Jersey is coming off a very successful four-game road trip in which they managed to go 3-0-1, leaving just a single point on the board. After falling short 3-2 in OT to Edmonton in Taylor Hall’s return, the Devils headed a bit south to grab two points over Calgary. After that, they headed out to British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Canucks, before closing things out with a massive win in Minnesota. The only criticism, NJ could only muster up a pair of goals in their first three games before scoring four on Vezina candidate

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The only criticism, NJ could only muster up a pair of goals in their first three games before scoring four on Vezina candidate Devan Dubnyk. With an overall -28 goal differential on the season so far, the Devils will need to find a little more goal-scoring consistency. If they don’t, we’ll continue to see the odd week like this where they come out on top of low-scoring one-goal games, otherwise, it’s a great recipe for landing a Draft Lottery pick.

The secondary forwards were non-existent as usual on the scoresheet, with much of the offense coming from the big guns. Palmieri led the way with five points and now has eight points over his last 10 contests. Hall had another productive week posting four points, which now gives him three goals, three assists in nine games since returning from injury. Even Travis Zajac joined the party with a three-point effort, giving him 28 points in 45 games.

While I’d love to point the finger at a few different areas (or players), there’s one player in particular that needs to step up more than anyone else over the second half. Yes, I’m talking about highly-touted rookie Pavel Zacha. They’ve struggled to find room for him in the top-six and his role has been somewhat limited in year one. It’s a fear I had in the offseason when I spoke about the possibility of moving Henrique or Zajac to make room for Zacha up the middle. The big Czech center/left wing has underwhelmed with just eight points in 38 games. NJ needs to find a way to get him more minutes and get this guy going for sustained success. Heck, they might even be able to help spread out the scoring through the top nine so they have more than a couple lines that produce.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Blake Pietila, Albany (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 34gp 13g 12a 25pts

Selected 129th overall (5th round) back in 2011, Pietila was a product of the US National Development Program. He began his NCAA career the following season (2011-12) and spent four years with Michigan Tech. Blake joined AHL Albany in 2015-16 to start his pro career and had a promising rookie season despite recording just 17 points in 58 games. He even made his NHL debut with the Devils, tallying two points over seven contests. His productive has taken off in year two down in the AHL and he’s already played a couple games with the Devils. If he’s not a regular by the end of this season, expect him to join the Devils full-time in 2017-18.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 23 (+1)

Team Record: (21-23-4)

Goals For: 133

Goals Against: 147

Special Teams

PP: 26-for-152 (17.1 percent) (20th)
PK: 39-for-173 (77.5 percent) (27th)

Injury List

Ben Chiarot (upper body) – day-to-day
Tyler Myers (lower body) – day-to-day
Marko Dano (lower body) – out until early March
Patrik Laine (concussion) – out indefinitely

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Mark Scheifele (45gp 20g 23a 43pts)
Top Defenseman: Dustin Byfuglien (48gp 7g 21a 28pts)
Top Rookie: Patrik Laine (42gp 21g 16a 37pts)
Top Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (16-13-1 2.82GAA .907 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Mark Scheifele (4gp 1g 3a 4pts)

After losing their first three games of the week, the Jets finally made the call down to Manitoba for Ondrej Pavelec. Goaltending has been just one of many issues plaguing this team in 2016-17, but management is likely hoping for a little stability from Pavelec between the pipes as Winnipeg fights for a playoff spot. He got the win in his season debut versus a struggling Coyotes squad, but most importantly, he made a couple big saves, something this team wasn’t getting from Hellebuyck or Hutchinson. It’s not an ideal situation to roll with three netminders for the rest of the year, but it is what it is. Hellebuyck can’t go down to the minors without clearing waivers, so Winnipeg is just going to have to find a way to make this work, at least temporarily. Who knows, if Winnipeg still struggles and find themselves as sellers closer to the deadline, this short stint for Pavelec might help bring a future asset or two.

Looking back at the Jets busy week, a few skaters managed to stand out despite all the losses. Mark Scheifele led the way with four points and continues his impressive tear in 2016-17 now with 43 points in 45 games. Four skaters each had three points: defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (1g 2a), captain Blake Wheeler (2g 1a), forward Mathieu Perreault (3a), and center Bryan Little (1g 2a). Six other players managed to post two points: Nikolaj Ehlers (1g 1a), Drew Stafford (1g 1a), Jacob Trouba (1g 1a), Josh Morrissey (1g 1a), Shawn Matthias (1g 1a), and Paul Postma (2a). The spread out production through the secondary is a promising sign for a team still hoping to sneak into the playoffs.

One last note, which is a bit off-topic. If the Winnipeg Jets honestly hope to capture one of those final Wild-Card spots, they’ll need to be a heck of a lot more disciplined. Here’s a team that for two or three years ranked in the top for spending most time shorthanded, but managed to lose the tag in 2015-16. A season later, we’re looking at the same team taking stupid, unnecessary penalties. I truly believe that fixing the discipline could go a long way to helping this team succeed in the standings.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Chase De Leo, Manitoba (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 33gp 8g 10a 18pts

Selected 99th overall (4th round) in 2014, De Leo was a point-per-game player in his final two seasons of junior hockey with WHL Portland. Continually climbing up the Jets prospect pool, Chase has the makings of decent everyday NHLer. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 suiting up in two games for Winnipeg and should see a few more games towards the end of 2016-17. Give him a year or two to further develop his two-way game, De Leo could be a useful bottom-six forward.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 22 (+1)

Team Record: (19-19-8)

Goals For: 126

Goals Against: 144

Special Teams

PP: 27-for-155 (17.4 percent) (19th)
PK: 40-for-154 (74.0 percent) (29th)

Injury List

Jamie Oleksiak (hand) – day-to-day
Ales Hemsky (hip) – out indefinitely
Mattias Janmark (knee) – out until March
Johnny Oduya (undisclosed) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Tyler Seguin (46gp 16g 28a 44pts)
Top Defenseman: John Klingberg (44gp 7g 19a 26pts)
Top Rookie: Devin Shore (46gp 7g 12a 19pts)
Top Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen (9-12-4 2.86GAA .900 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Radek Faksa (4gp 1g 4a 5pts)

The Dallas Stars were operating a .500 this past week after going 2-2-0. Sadly, one of those losses came at the hands of Buffalo, a team struggling in many ways itself. Time is running out for the Stars to make their name as a serious contender once again. If they keep sputtering along like this, maybe sneak into the playoffs, it isn’t exactly a team you’d expect to make noise – not like last year at least.

Sure, you can find reasons for optimism. Brett Ritchie is looking more and more comfortable, starting to find the scoresheet a little more. Radek Faksa looked poised for another breakout second half now with four goals, two assists in his last 10 games. Even rookie Devin Shore continues to prove his worth. All of that being said, there are still far too many holes on this roster that need to be addressed. Until GM Jim Nill is willing to sacrifice a bit of his offensive talent – and he’s got a ton more of it coming through the pipeline – in exchange upgrades on the blue line and in goal, this team will continue to fall just short of expectations. It won’t be easy for Dallas to wheel and deal given their cap situation, but they’re gonna have to do something in a hurry if they hope to salvage the 2016-17 campaign.

Weekly Prospect Profile: D Ondrej Vala, Kamloops (WHL)

2016-17 stats: 37gp 6g 7a 13pts

This big 6’4 209lbs Czech defender was signed as an undrafted free agent this past summer. He made the leap to North America in 2015-16 for his draft year joining WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. The 18-year-old has assumed a bigger role in 2016-17 and continues to show improvement on both sides of the puck. Somewhere down the road, this could be a sneaky good signing for the Stars.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 24 (+4)

Team Record: (21-13-8)

Goals For: 131

Goals Against: 118

Special Teams

PP: 32-for-131 (24.4 percent) (2nd)
PK: 22-for-142 (84.5 percent) (5th)

Injury List

Ben Smith (hand) – day-to-day
Martin Marincin (lower body) – day-to-day
Joffrey Lupul (abdomen) – sent to Robidas Island
Morgan Rielly (lower body) – day-to-day
Nathan Horton (back) – out indefinitely

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Auston Matthews (42gp 22g 16a 38pts)
Top Defenseman: Jake Gardiner (42gp 6g 16a 22pts)
Top Rookie: Auston Matthews (42gp 22g 16a 38pts)
Top Goaltender: Frederik Andersen (19-9-7 2.68GAA .918 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Nazem Kadri (3gp 2g 2a 4pts)

Toronto has been on a fantastic roll during their last ten going 8-1-1, and last week helped that as they posted an undefeated record of 3-0-0. Frederik Andersen continues to shine in net and waiver pickup Curtis McElhinney was solid in his Leafs debut. And rookie star Auston Matthews continues to lead the young Leafs.

Toronto’s great week started off with a big win against the Rangers, that momentum was carried into Ottawa where Curtis McElhinney picked up his first win in his first game as a Leaf. Tuesday Toronto was behind the Sabres on the scoresheet and came back to win the game for the first time all season after trailing after twenty minutes. But in they lost star defenseman Morgan Rielly in the process. Nazem Kadri has come into his own under his new defensive role with Toronto and in doing so has put up a great season so far. Frederik Andersen was great last week as well posting a 2-0-0 record with a .921 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against-average. Toronto hopes to continue their successful ways this week as they have games against the Rangers, Senators, Flames, and Red Wings.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Adam Brooks, Regina (WHL)

2016-17 stats: 35gp 24g 51a 75pts

Adam Brooks is a serious offensive prospect, he possesses’ amazing passing abilities which are complimented by his excellent vision and hockey sense. He’s also a very strong skater with great speed. His shot is very effective since it’s accurate and the release is awesome, however, he is more of a pass-first type of player. If he keeps improving his game, which he’ll have no problem doing, he’s got the potential to be a second-line center in the NHL.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 16 (-3)

Team Record: (23-19-6)

Goals For: 120

Goals Against: 121

Special Teams

PP: 26-for-148 (17.6 percent) (17th)
PK: 21-for-160 (86.9 percent) (2nd)

Injury List

Matt Beleskey (knee) – day-to-day
Colin Miller (lower body) – day-to-day
Kevan Miller (concussion) – day-to-day
Brian Ferlin (lower body) – has been considered day-to-day since Oct.6

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Brad Marchand (48gp 17g 28a 45pts)
Top Defenseman: Torey Krug (48gp 4g 25a 29pts)
Top Rookie: Austin Czarnik (44gp 5g 8a 13pts)
Top Goaltender: Tuukka Rask (22 wins 2.11GAA .919 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Brad Marchand (4gp 2g 5a 7pts)

Despite putting up a losing record of 1-2-1 last week, Boston had some significant standouts. Forwards Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and defenseman Torey Krug were great, however, Tuukka Rask and Zane McIntyre were not. If Detroit didn’t force overtime Wednesday (a game in which they won) Boston would have finished with a .500 record, hopefully, they can put up a winning week this week.

Brad Marchand was great last week putting up a fantastic seven points in four games but he did finish with an even rating, showing that the team was not great defensively. Torey Krug had himself a four-point week as well as veteran forward Patrice Bergeron, but both combined for a minus-two rating. Tuukka Rask played in three of the team’s four games and in doing so had an even .500 record of 1-1-1. And to go along with that record were some terrible numbers, he posted a .836 save percentage with a 3.72 goals-against-average. Zane McIntyre wasn’t much better as he brought home a loss as well as a 2.74 goals-against-average and a .893 save percentage. The offense was definitely clicking last week, so if Boston can keep that up and improve defense and goaltending they’re going to have a great week 15. But it may be difficult cause they do have games against Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Peter Cehlarik, Providence (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 33gp 14g 10a 24pts

Peter Cehlarik is a big bodied winger who has great offensive skills and also has a goal scorers release. While not being a pure sniper, he does make the players around him better due to his great playmaking skills. He’s very dangerous around the net due to his size that’s complemented by his hands and great hockey sense.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 18 (-)

Team Record: (17-18-9)

Goals For: 103

Goals Against: 119

Special Teams

PP: 31-for-140 (22.1 percent) (8th)
PK: 34-for-130 (73.8 percent) (30th)

Injury List

Josh Gorges (hip) – day-to-day
Johan Larsson (wrist) – out for season
Dmitry Kulikov (back) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Kyle Okposo (43gp 13g 16a 29pts)
Top Defenseman: Rasmus Ristolainen (44p 3g 24a 27pts)
Top Rookie: William Carrier (30gp 4g 2a 6pts)
Top Goaltender: Robin Lehner (10-12-5 2.54GAA .920 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Brian Gionta (4gp 1g 2a 3pts)

Buffalo’s week fourteen was less than great, they only won one game out of the four they played. Anders Nilsson had a horrendous week as well to say the least. The only netminder to gather a win on the week was Robin Lehner. Both Jack Eichel and Brian Gionta combined for six points but despite that, they had a combined even rating.

Jack Eichel has been great since returning from injury and in doing so has put up 17 points in 23 games, last week three of those points came in four games. Five Sabres each had two points a piece but only combined for a plus-one rating. Now back to goaltending, it seems Buffalo is going to have a conundrum soon cause when Nilsson is hot Lehner is cold and vice versa often switching starting positions in net. And speaking of Nilsson he played in three games last week losing all three, while Lehner played in one and got the win. So what should Buffalo do going forward? I guess just ride the hot hand and hope offense keeps putting up numbers to help win games. And this week that will need to happen since they have some tough games in Detroit, Montreal, and Nashville.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Nicholas Baptiste, Rochester (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 31gp 17g 8a 25pts

Nicholas Baptiste is a hard-charging power forward who is often hard to knock off the puck. He plays a consistent physical game in which he makes things hard for the opposition. While not being the fastest skater in the world, he often positions himself in the right spot to cut off an ensuing play. He’s the type of player who would rather crash the net and hope for the best than being over critical and make to many passes.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 21 (+4)

Team Record: (20-19-6)

Goals For: 112

Goals Against: 132

Special Teams

PP: 17-for-152 (11.2 percent) (30th)
PK: 25-for-133 (81.2 percent) (17th)

Injury List

Jimmy Howard (lower body) – out until late January-early February
Niklas Kronwall (groin) – day-to-day
Brendan Smith (knee) – day-to-day
Darren Helm (shoulder) – day-to-day
Joe Vitale (concussion) – out indefinitely
Johan Franzen (concussion) – out indefinitely

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Thomas Vanek (34gp 12g 19a 31pts)
Top Defenseman: Mike Green (37gp 8g 13a 21pts)
Top Rookie: Anthony Mantha (30gp 11g 11a 22pts)
Top Goaltender: Petr Mrazek (10 wins 3.15GAA .894 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Gustav Nyquist (4gp 3g 3a 6pts)

Detroit had an amazing week fourteen, to say the least, they posted a 3-1-0 record and the offense was going on all cylinders. However, despite the three wins, goaltending was subpar statistically speaking. After a big loss to Dallas to start the week, Detroit rebounded in their next three and gathered wins against Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Boston.

Gustav Nyquist was dynamite putting up six points in four games where three of which were goals, he was a minus one, however. Thomas Vanek was only a point behind as he had himself a five point week and was a plus two as well. Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, Mike Green, and Anthony Mantha all had three-point weeks combining for 12 points but had a horrible combined rating of minus six. Rookie goalie Jared Coreau played in three of Detroit’s games last week and in doing so posted a surprisingly low .895 save percentage with a 2.79 goals-against-average. Star netminder Petr Mrazek didn’t fair out any better in the stats column since he only had a .867 save percentage with a 3.16 goals-against-average. So goaltending will have to tighten up this week since Detroit’s got some tough games against some teams who can score very well in Buffalo, the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Jordan Sambrook, Erie (OHL)

2016-17 stats: 37gp 9g 13a 22pts

A smooth skating two-way defenseman, Jordan Sambrook displays solid creativity and offensive instincts as well as a strong defensive game. He’s often relied upon in every situation due to his high skill set and on-ice vision and ability to play longer shifts than the other average player. Although he could be a bit quicker, his size does allow him to also play physically and can protect the puck very well. He’s got the potential to become a top four defenseman in the near future who will play a lot of minutes.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 17 (+1)

Team Record: (25-13-9)

Goals For: 123

Goals Against: 116

Special Teams

PP: 32-for-150 (21.3 percent) (10th)
PK: 28-for-165 (83.0 percent) (T-10th)

Injury List

Clayton Stoner (lower body) – day-to-day
Nate Thompson (achilles) – out indefinitely
Simon Despres (concussion) – out indefinitely
Nic Kerdiles (concussion) – dealing with concussion-like symptoms, considered day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Ryan Kesler (47gp 18g 20a 38pts)
Top Defenseman: Cam Fowler (47gp 9g 14a 23pts)
Top Rookie: Ondrej Kase (31gp 4g 7a 11pts)
Top Goaltender: John Gibson (18-10-8 2.29GAA .921 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Rickard Rakell (4gp 3g 1a 4pts)

Anaheim had an amazing week last week posting a record of 3-0-1 collecting seven of eight points which have helped them hold onto first place in the Pacific division. Both John Gibson and Jonathan Bernier were outstanding as well as forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. Corey Perry was also quite excellent on the defensive side of the game.

So speaking of Corey Perry, even though he had two points all week he still had an outstanding plus six rating. Rickard Rakell put up four points and in doing so was a plus four and Ryan Getzlaf put up four as well while being a plus five. So to say the least, Anaheim’s week was dynamite in all aspects of the game. John Gibson played in three games getting two wins and an overtime loss and in doing so he had a very respectable .954 save percentage with a 1.33 goals-against-average. Jonathan Bernier, on the other hand, won the only game he played and in doing so brought home a shutout as well. Anaheim has a chance to keep up this trend this week since they have games in Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. The toughest game’s of the week will unquestionably be against Minnesota and Edmonton since their goal scoring and goaltending is always a threat.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Nick Sorensen, San Diego (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 20gp 4g 7a 11pts

Nick Sorensen is a great skater with impressive forechecking abilities, he also battles hard every night and is often hard to knock off the puck. He can handle the puck extremely well and his shot has a great release. While his offensive capabilities are quite high, his overall potential sees him as a bottom six player in the future.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 14 (-1)

Team Record: (20-17-7)

Goals For: 118

Goals Against: 112

Special Teams

PP: 26-for-144 (18.1 percent) (16th)
PK: 23-for-134 (82.8 percent) (13th)

Injury List

Miikka Salomaki (lower body) – day-to-day
P.K. Subban (upper body) – day-to-day
Petter Granberg (undisclosed) – day-to-day
Colin Wilson (undisclosed) – day-to-day
Roman Josi (upper body) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Ryan Johansen (44gp 7g 23a 30pts)
Top Defenseman: Roman Josi (42gp 5g 17a 22pts)
Top Rookie: Kevin Fiala (32gp 6g 3a 9pts)
Top Goaltender: Pekka Rinne (16-12-6 2.36GAA .921 save percentage)

Player of the Week: G Pekka Rinne (2 wins 1.51GAA .946 save percentage)

Well, the Preds managed to reel off another decent week going 2-1-0. It’s a promising sign after this team struggled late in 2016. Even better, it looks like elite starter Pekka Rinne is back to form. The question is, for how long? It’s been a roller coaster ride of inconsistency for the Finn thus far, but things are coming together in 2017. He has only allowed more than two goals once in his last six starts, while only sacrificing 10 goals total over that stretch. Rinne has a 1.58GAA and .944 save percentage over the last 15 days.

With only five goals scored in three games, it didn’t exactly leave much opportunity to get on the scoresheet. Austin Watson continued his recent tear with a pair of points, and now has five points in his last six contests. Filip Forsberg was the only other skater to produce more than a single pair after scoring a goal versus Boston and another one two days later versus Colorado.

Give the Predators some credit, they’re playing decent hockey with key players seemingly out a lineup at all times. Right now, they’ve got both stud defenders Roman Josi and P.K. sidelined, as well as forwards Colin Wilson and Miikka Salomaki. I’m still not sure what to make of this team in 2016-17 as I’d love to see just a short stretch of full health. If they’re lucky, the pieces will start to come together following the All-Star break, which is a perfect time to start going on a roll heading into the final stretch.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Vladislav Kamenev, Milwaukee (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 34gp 9g 16a 25pts

Selected 42nd overall (2nd round) in 2014, Kamenev spent one more year in the KHL before making the leap to North America in 2015-16. He posted 37 points in 57 games in his AHL rookie season, and since followed it up with a productive sophomore campaign. The 6’2 196lbs Russian winger actually made his debut with the Preds in 2016-17 appearing in two games.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 12 (-2)

Team Record: (22-19-4)

Goals For: 112

Goals Against: 110

Special Teams

PP: 22-for-134 (16.4 percent) (23rd)
PK: 24-for-141 (83.0 percent) (T-10th)

Injury List

Tyler Toffoli (lower body) – day-to-day
Jonathan Quick (groin) – out indefinitely

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Jeff Carter (45gp 23g 17a 40pts)
Top Defenseman: Alec Martinez (45gp 6g 19a 25pts)
Top Rookie: D Derek Forbort (45gp 2g 12a 14pts)
Top Goaltender: Peter Budaj (20 wins 2.12GAA .917 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Dustin Brown (4gp 1g 4a 5pts)

After starting the week with two big wins over St. Louis and Winnipeg, things fell apart for the Kings as they ended up losing the next two games. And despite things falling apart leaving them with a 2-2-0 record, forwards Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Marian Gaborik was great as well. As with Peter Budaj who’s continuing to rewind time with his play.

Peter Budaj ended up playing all four games last week and in doing so left him with a goals-against-average of 2.01 and a save percentage of .925. He’s definitely making a case to the Kings for a contract extension for next year. Dustin Brown was great as well putting up a solid five points in four games. Both Kopitar and Gaborik combined for eight points and a plus-six rating for the week. After that three Kings combined for three points a piece, so scoring was definitely firing on all cylinders and goaltending was consistently solid. The Kings will need to continue this top level play going into this week since they got games against the Islanders, Rangers, and Devils.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Erik Cernak, Erie (OHL)

2016-17 stats: 24gp 0g 7a 7pts

Erik Cernak is a giant defenseman with great reach and strength. He’s brilliant defensively and in front of his own net making him hard to play against. He can also play on the power-play due to his great hockey sense, he also doesn’t take a lot of penalties. The only thing Erik needs to work on is his skating, which will come with a year or two of extra development.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 15 (+2)

Team Record: (23-15-4)

Goals For: 108

Goals Against: 110

Special Teams

PP: 23-for-131 (17.6 percent) (T-17th)
PK: 24-for-135 (82.2 percent) (14th)

Injury List

Craig Anderson (personal) – leave of absence
Clarke MacArthur (concussion) – day-to-day
Andrew Hammond (ankle) – out week-to-week

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Mark Stone (41gp 15g 19a 34pts)
Top Defenseman: Erik Karlsson (42gp 7g 29a 36pts)
Top Rookie: Fredrik Claesson (D) (8gp 0g 0a 0pts)
Top Goaltender: Mike Condon (11-7-3 2.46GAA .914 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Mike Hoffman (3gp 3g 1a 4pts)

Ottawa had a solid week fourteen as well putting up a record of 2-1-0. And while Mike Condon played all three games, winning two, his numbers weren’t that impressive. Three Senators each had four-point weeks but Mike Hoffman was the obvious standout as he put up three goals in the process.

Besides Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris had four points each on the week as well and all three Sens combined for 12 points and a plus-five rating. Like stated previously, Mike Condon may have won two games in the week but his numbers were not great, he only had a .888 save percentage with a 3.03 goals-against-average. Ottawa has a very tough week ahead of them as they have two games against the Blue Jackets, a visit from Washington and a shot at revenge as they play Toronto again. They could very well squeak out a couple points or not win a game all week, Mike Condon and the offense will have to be in top form if they want to collect some points, though.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Nick Paul, Binghamton (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 35gp 4g 11a 15pts

Nick Paul is a strong, skilled power forward who plays best in big games. He’s also a very quick player, even for his size and shows some offensive flash as well when he’s near the net. As he continues to develop in the AHL, Nick will just keep getting better and better.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 10 (-2)

Team Record: (22-18-6)

Goals For: 127

Goals Against: 144

Special Teams

PP: 36-for-159 (22.6 percent) (6th)
PK: 27-for-138 (80.4 percent) (9th)

Injury List

Matt Read (lower body) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Jakub Voracek (46gp 13g 28a 41pts)
Top Defenseman: Ivan Provorov (46gp 3g 17a 20pts)
Top Rookie: Travis Konecny (45gp 7g 14a 21pts)
Top Goaltender: Steve Mason (14-15-6 2.95GAA .897 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Claude Giroux (3gp 0g 3a 3pts)

Philadelphia had a tough three-game stretch over the past week. They barely edged the Canucks 5-4 in a shootout before dropping the next two contests versus Boston and Washington (5-0 loss). Steve Mason got two of three starts, struggling in both. He allowed four goals on 24 shots in the win against Vancouver, then allowed five goals on 17 shots in the loss to Washington. Michal Neuvirth didn’t look any better in his lone start versus Boston after allowing five goals on 38 shots. Since his return on Jan.7, Neuvirth has a 3.30GAA and .877 save percentage.

A lack of goal scoring didn’t much for a whole lot of offense. Brayden Schenn and P.E. Bellemare were the only two players to score more than a single goal and only six players managed to produce more than one point. Claude Giroux is starting to catch fire after a quiet start in 2016-17. He now has seven assists in his last eight games. Wayne Simmonds (1g 1a) and Jakub Voracek (2a) added to their impressive seasons. Simmonds is up to 34 points in 46 games, while Voracek leads the team with 41 points.

Weekly Prospect Profile: G Alex Lyon, Lehigh Valley (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 16-7-0 2.68GAA .909 save percentage

The 24-year-old Minnesota-born netminder earned an NHL contract as a college free agent in the summer of 2016. Alex was coming off an impressive 2015-16 campaign with Yale University posting a record of 19-8-4 with a 1.64GAA and .936 save percentage. It’s still unclear what the future holds for Lyon, but it’s a promising sign to see him succeed in his AHL rookie season.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 9 (-2)

Team Record: (23-17-5)

Goals For: 127

Goals Against: 134

Special Teams

PP: 32-for-144 (22.2 percent) (7th)
PK: 24-for-158 (84.8 percent) (4th)

Injury List

n/a

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Vladimir Tarasenko (45gp 20g 25a 45pts)
Top Defenseman: Kevin Shattenkirk (45gp 9g 21a 30pts)
Top Rookie: N/A
Top Goaltender: Jake Allen (17-11-3 2.76GAA .900 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Alex Steen (4gp 2g 2a 4pts)

The St. Louis Blues had a busy seven-day stretch playing four games, including one of the notoriously tougher road trips out in California. They dropped the first game to Los Angeles 5-0, but bounced back with a win 4-0 win in San Jose, followed up with a 2-1 OT victory in Anaheim. They flew home to play host to Ottawa two days later and fell short in a high scoring 6-4 games.

Jake Allen to a back seat to Carter Hutton following the loss to LA. The backup looked great versus San Jose and Anaheim before allowing five goals to 23 shots to Ottawa. It’s been a surprising to see starter Jake Allen struggle the way he has, but hopefully riding the pine for a few games might help motivate him and get him back on track for a strong second half.

A few skaters had themselves a productive week. Veteran Alexander Steen takes home POW honors and tied defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for the team lead in scoring this past week. With four points in four contests, Steen now has 27 points in 39 games, while Shattenkirk has 30 points in 45 games.

I could see why folks in St. Louis are saying there’s no real need to move Kevin Shattenkirk given his elevated play in 2016-17. At the same time, I argue that’s more of a reason to trade him. He won’t be back in 2017-18, that much we know. So, you have to ask yourself, is Kevin Shattenkirk the difference between getting over that elusive hump or not? I’d say not. The X-Factors on this team will be guys like Jake Allen, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Alex Pietrangelo. You need to get something for this guy while his value is peaking. The timing is particular perfect now that Colton Parayko is starting to come around after what looked like a sophomore slump in the works.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Mackenzie MacEachern, Chicago (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 26gp 4g 3a 7pts

Selected 67th overall (3rd round) back in 2012, MacEachern spent the next three years playing NCAA hockey with Michigan State University. He showed progression over his college career before inking his entry-level deal with the Blues. Mackenzie has since begun his pro career in 2016-17 joining St. Louis’ AHL affiliate down in Chicago. Give the 6’2 192lbs American winger a couple years down in the minors, he could eventually blossom into a decent secondary scorer in the Blues bottom six.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 6 (-4)

Team Record: (28-10-5)

Goals For: 140

Goals Against: 94

Special Teams

PP: 25-for-122 (20.5 percent) (13th)
PK: 19-for-120 (84.2 percent) (6th)

Injury List

Victor Bartley (triceps) –out indefinitely
Jonas Brodin (finger) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Eric Staal (43gp 15g 24a 39pts)
Top Defenseman: Ryan Suter (43gp 6g 20a 26pts)
Top Rookie: Joel Eriksson Ek (9gp 2g 3a 5pts)
Top Goaltender: Devan Dubnyk (23-8-3 1.85GAA .937 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Eric Staal (4gp 2g 2a 4pts)

Don’t let the drop in six spots upset you. That four-spot difference that keeps them in the top 10 doesn’t mean a whole lot with the parity we’re seeing across the board in 2016-17. Minnesota had a busy schedule with four games this past week and managed to collect six points going 3-1-0. Unfortunately, that most recent loss to New Jersey leaves a bit of a sour taste in your mouth. Look for Minnesota to bounce back with upcoming games versus Anaheim, Nashville, and Dallas.

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Devan Dubnyk had a decent week between the pipes. It’s a promising sign after a rare stretch of rough outings from Dec.29 to Jan.5 in which he allowed four goals in three straight games. He bounced back on Jan.8 allowing just one goal in a win versus Anaheim, followed it up with another one-goal outing in the 7-1 beatdown on the Habs, then sacrificed just two goals on 35 shots versus Chicago. He closed things out by allowing four goals on 26 shots against New Jersey, which dragged his weekly GAA down to 2.34 and save percentage to .915.

So, how did the Wild manage to reel off six of eight points? Simply put, they found that secondary scoring that has been missing. Who knows how long it’ll last, but with 15 skaters posting more than a single point, it gives you just a bit of an idea of how well Minnesota is spreading things out right now. I still think this club could use another scoring presence on the 2nd or 3rd line to help further spread things out, but they’re certainly a dangerous team that could make some noise in the postseason.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Cristoph Bertschy, Iowa (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 33gp 8g 7a 15pts

Selected 158th overall (6th round) back in 2012, Bertschy is a Swiss-born right winger. He spent three more years playing for NLA’s SC Bern before finally making the leap to North America in 2015-16. After posting 35 points in 72 games, Bertschy turned some heads in his AHL rookie season. He even saw a short three-game stint with the Wild. Cristoph continued to impress back in September/October in training camp and nearly earned a spot with the big club. Don’t be surprised if he manages to secure a bottom-six roster spot in the Fall of 2017.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 11 (+2)

Team Record: (27-16-2)

Goals For: 118

Goals Against: 104

Special Teams

PP: 24-for-143 (16.8 percent) (22nd)
PK: 20-for-119 (83.2 percent) (9th)

Injury List

Tomas Hertl (knee) – mid-to-late February
Logan Couture (illness) – day-to-day
Joonas Donskoi (upper body) – day-to-day
Dylan DeMelo (wrist) – out until mid-March

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Joe Pavelski (45gp 16g 25a 41pts)
Top Defenseman: Brent Burns (45gp 19g 27a 46pts)
Top Rookie: Kevin Labanc (32gp 7g 5a 12pts)
Top Goaltender: Martin Jones (23 wins 2.25GAA .916 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Joel Ward (3gp 1g 2a 3pts)

Even though San Jose started the week off with a 4-0 loss to St. Louis, they came back and won their next two games to finish the week with a winning record of 2-1-0. The big wins came against Winnipeg by a score of 5-2 and Los Angeles by a score of 3-2. So while scoring wasn’t necessarily hot, goaltending was a bit above average.

Both Joel Ward and Joe Thornton lead the team in scoring with three points on the week but Ward finished with a plus-one rating while Thornton finished as an even player. After that four Sharks combined for two points a piece and an overall rating of plus-one. Martin Jones played in all three games which means he gathered the 2-1-0 record but ontop of that he also had a .909 save percentage with a 2.34 goals-against-average. So both offense and goaltending will have to bring things up just a tiny bit heading into this week so they can hold onto the third spot in the Pacific division. And next week will be perfect for that since they have back to back games against Colorado than games against Winnipeg and Tampa Bay.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Mark Shoemaker, North Bay (OHL)

2016-17 stats: 42gp 0g 6a 6pts

Mark Shoemaker isn’t an offensive defenseman by any means, but what he is, is a giant shutdown defenseman who will use his body any chance he can get. This makes him tough to play against every game, and since he won’t put up amazing statistics every season, what he will do is protect his own end of the ice due to his great shutdown ability.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 13 (+5)

Team Record: (25-15-7)

Goals For: 132

Goals Against: 122

Special Teams

PP: 30-for-144 (20.8 percent) (12th)
PK: 26-for-137 (81.0 percent) (18th)

Injury List

Iiro Pakarinen (knee) – out week-to-week
Darnell Nurse (ankle) – out indefinitely
Tyler Pitlick (leg) – out for season

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Connor McDavid (47gp 15g 39a 54pts)
Top Defenseman: Andrej Sekera (45gp 5g 16a 21pts)
Top Rookie: Matt Benning (34gp 2g 7a 9pts)
Top Goaltender: Cam Talbot (24 wins 2.42GAA .918 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Connor McDavid (4gp 1g 5a 6pts)

Edmonton had a perfect record last week going 4-0-0 with three of their four wins coming in extra time, showing that they can win games when it matters but also defense needs to tighten up a bit so they can end it in regulation. Speaking of which, Cam Talbot was brilliant even though the defense let him down here and there. All-star Connor McDavid yet again leads the team as well as their other star center in Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid keeps showing the world that he’s going to be taking the number one position from Sidney Crosby soon, he had six points in four games last week and has 54 points so far in 47 games this season. Leon Draisaitl is also continuing to show Edmonton’s management that he’s fit and ready for that number two center position, he had five points on the week and was a plus three overall. Now back to Cam Talbot, he played in all four games last week and in doing so registered a .928 save percentage with a 1.67 goals-against-average, pretty outstanding for playing in all four. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was behind Draisaitl and McDavid with three points and then six Oilers combined for two points a piece. So it’s easy to say Edmonton was ontop of their game every night they played last week. But can they continue it this week? We shall see since they have games against Nashville, Calgary, and Anaheim.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Markus Niemelainen, Saginaw (OHL)

2016-17 stats: 33gp 1g 3a 4pts

Markus Niemelainen is a complete all-around defenseman who has a knack of making the game look very easy. Has great size and is a very mobile skater who can get up and down the ice with ease. His maturity is sky high as well as his decision making and positioning with and without the puck. He’s also great defensively, he will take away shooting lanes and passing lanes due to his on-ice vision and hockey smarts. He’s got the potential to become a very solid two-way defenseman that could find his way in the top four as time goes by.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 8 (+1)

Team Record: (24-20-3)

Goals For: 122

Goals Against: 125

Special Teams

PP: 32-for-152 (21.1 percent) (11th)
PK: 32-for-174 (81.6 percent) (T-15th)

Injury List

Garnet Hathaway (upper body) – day-to-day
Michael Ferland (lower body) – day-to-day
Ladislav Smid (neck) – out for Season, hasn’t made decision on retirement yet

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Mikael Backlund (47gp 14g 18a 32pts)
Top Defenseman: Dougie Hamilton (46gp 7g 20a 27pts)
Top Rookie: Matthew Tkachuk (43gp 8g 21a 29pts)
Top Goaltender: Chad Johnson (16-10-1 2.24GAA .923 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Sean Monahan (3gp 3g 1a 4pts)

Calgary had a perfect .500 week posting a record of 1-1-1. Both Chad Johnson and Brian Elliott were superb statistically despite the team’s overall record. And forwards Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund were obvious standouts with defenseman Mark Giordano in the mix as well.

Chad Johnson may just finish the season as Calgary’s starter since he’s been playing solid all season long, and last week he played in two games finishing with a 1-1-0 record with a .931 save percentage with a 2.02 goals-against-average. Brian Elliott, on the other hand, took home the overtime loss and in doing so put up a .963 save percentage with a 0.92 goals-against-average. Monahan was great putting up four points in three games, and three of those four points were goals and he was also a plus-four. Backlund wasn’t too far behind with three points in three games with an even rating while defenseman Mark Giordano also had three points but was a plus one as well. The Flames goalies will need to stay hot going into this week cause they have games against Nashville, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Oliver Kylington, Stockton (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 28gp 4g 9a 13pts

Probably one of the best defensive prospects Calgary has, Oliver Kylington is a very smart two-way player who has a tremendous feeling for the game and can read any play very well. While not being overly big, Kylington makes you forget about all of that with his great hockey sense, vision, and skating abilities. He’s often relied upon for the power-play as well since he has a great shot with great passing abilities.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 4 (-2)

Team Record: (28-16-1)

Goals For: 156

Goals Against: 122

Special Teams

PP: 31-for-136 (22.8 percent) (5th)
PK: 23-for-125 (81.6 percent) (T-15th)

Injury List

Matt Puempel (concussion) – out indefinitely
Jesper Fast (upper body) – day-to-day
Antti Raanta (lower body) – day-to-day
Marc Staal (concussion) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Derek Stepan (45gp 12g 24a 36pts)
Top Defenseman: Ryan McDonagh (44gp 2g 26a 28pts)
Top Rookie: Jimmy Vesey (44gp 11g 8a 19pts)
Top Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (18-12-1 2.89GAA .902 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Derek Stepan (3gp 3g 2a 5pts)

It was a tough week for the New York Rangers after dropping all three games to Toronto, Montreal, and Dallas. With 12 goals in three games, including six versus Dallas, offense wasn’t the problem. In fact, we mid as well talk about the elephant in the room. Henrik Lundqvist is struggling in a way I’ve never seen before. He has allowed four or more goals in last four starts and has a 6.94GAA and .789 save percentage last week. I’m not too sure what’s going on with King Henrik at the moment, but you’ve gotta believe that with an elite netminder of his caliber that it’s a matter of time before he’s back to his old self. The sad thing is, this nasty stretch could have been masked with a healthy Antti Raanta. Unfortunately with the backup sidelined, the Rangers only other option is Magnus Hellberg.

Several skaters managed to have a productive seven-day stretch despite racking up the losses. Pavel Buchnevich (1g 4a), Mats Zuccarello (5a), and Derek Stepan (3g 2a) led the way offensively. Chris Kreider (2g 1a), Ryan McDonagh (3a), and Rick Nash (1g 2a) also contributed at a point per game pace. Perhaps the best news of all though; the return of Mika Zibanejad. Remember that Rangers team that was scoring goals at an unbelievable pace? Yea, the one that existed before the Swedish center broke his fibula. Well look for New York to find their groove again over the second half and make a serious push for a Presidents’ Trophy.

Weekly Prospect Profile: G Brandon Halverson, Hartford/Greenville (AHL/ECHL)

2016-17 stats: 4-7-0 3.32 .886 save percentage/3-1-0 1.70GAA .943 save percentage

Selected 59th overall (2nd round) back in 2014, Halverson is an American-born goalie that stands 6’4 203lbs. He was one of the CHL’s top netminders during his junior career playing for OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In 2014-15, he actually managed a jaw-dropping record of 40-5-2. Brandon has since begun his pro career in 2016-17 starting with AHL Hartford. He took a beating in his first 11 starts and has since found himself down with ECHL Greenville. On a positive note, he’s 3-1-0 with a 1.70GAA and .943 save percentage.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 7 (+2)

Team Record: (28-11-5)

Goals For: 155

Goals Against: 131

Special Teams

PP: 35-for-152 (23.0 percent) (3rd)
PK: 33-for-152 (78.3 percent) (25th)

Injury List

Matt Cullen (foot) – day-to-day
Kris Letang (knee) – out week-to-week
Brian Dumoulin (mouth) – out indefinitely

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin (38gp 27g 23a 50pts/44gp 21g 29a 50pts)
Top Defenseman: Justin Schultz (44gp 7g 23a 30pts)
Top Rookie: Scott Wilson (41gp 5g 7a 12pts)
Top Goaltender: Matt Murray (15-4-1 2.46GAA .917 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Evgeni Malkin (4gp 4g 2a 6pts)

It wasn’t a very good week for one of the NHL’s best teams. On a positive note, they managed to squeeze out a pair of wins in four games, including the extra point in a wild 8-7 OT win over Washington. Poor Matt Murray was left in goal for all seven and saw his 2016-17 GAA drop from 2.17 to 2.43 since last week – that drastic of a drop just doesn’t happen at the midway point, even for guys who started the year on the shelf. Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t exactly fare any better surrendering six goals on 34 shots to Detroit in a 6-3 loss. Look for Pens goaltender to bounce back heading into week 15.

Despite losing their offensive weapon on the blue line (Kris Letang), the Pens still managed to find the back of the net with frequency. Numerous skaters had a productive week, which was led by Evgeni Malkin, who is now tied again with Sidney Crosby for the team lead in points. Speaking of Crosby, he had a great week as well with a goal and four assists. The other standout forward was Conor Sheary. He had three goals, two assists, with three of those points coming in the wild Pens-Caps game. Looking to the blue line, Justin Schultz is doing exactly as we had hoped and spoke of last week – once again stepping up in Letang’s absence. He has four assists in his last four contests and now has five goals, five assists in his last 10 games total.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Teddy Blueger, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 17gp 3g 3a 6pts

Teodors (aka Teddy) is a Latvian-born skater who was selected 52nd overall (2nd round) in 2012. Despite being born overseas, Blueger grew up in North America coming up through the ranks with the infamous Shattuck St. Mary’s program. After being drafed, Teddy began his NCAA career with Minnesota State University of Mankato, where he spent four seasons as a productive college player. He enjoyed a nice 20-game stint (10 regular season/10 playoffs) with the Baby Pens in 2015-16, and has since officially begun his pro career in 2016-17.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 5 (+1)

Team Record: (30-9-4)

Goals For: 143

Goals Against: 95

Special Teams

PP: 33-for-131 (25.2 percent) (1st)
PK: 20-for-120 (83.3 percent) (8th)

Injury List

David Clarkson (back) – out indefinitely
Zach Werenski (illness) – day-to-day
Markus Nutivaara (undisclosed) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Cam Atkinson (43gp 21g 22a 43pts)
Top Defenseman: Zach Werenski (43gp 6g 20a 26pts)
Top Rookie: Zach Werenski (D) (43gp 6g 20a 26pts)
Top Goaltender: Sergei Bobrovsky (27-6-2 1.97GAA .932 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Boone Jenner (3gp 3g 0a 3pts)

The Blue Jackets responded nicely after a tough week that eventually led to backup Curtis McElhinney being waived, and subsequently claimed by Toronto. Columbus immediately turned to promising young Finn Joonas Korpisalo early in the week as Goalie Bob was battling an illness. He looked outstanding in his debut allowing just one goal on 32 shuts versus Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, he had a rough go of things the next night versus the Panthers stopping just 28 of 32 shots. Bobrovsky returned on Tuesday and had another solid outing to add to his Vezina-worthy season as Columbus defeated Carolina. This should be a very interesting tandem to watching over the second half of the year. I get the feeling that Jarmo Kekalainen might feel Vegas sniffing around their young netminders (Korpisalo/Forsberg), so the thought process might be to see exactly what they have before they can feel comfortable losing it. Last thing this time wants is to lose a guy who winds up being an elite NHL starter.

A few different skaters managed to have a productive week for the Blue Jackets. Team points leader Cam Atkinson continued his tear with three more points. 43 games into the season and the undersized winger is still on pace for 82 points, that’s pretty impressive. Brandon Dubinsky also had a good week with three points. Defenseman Ryan Murray had three helpers. Scott Hartnell had a goal and an assist. Most impressive of all though, Boone Jenner, who scored a goal in all three contests. It’s a promising sign to see him on a four-game point streak after an extremely disappointing start to the year. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come moving forward.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Justin Scott, Cleveland (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 33gp 7g 5a 12pts

Following a pair of productive seasons with OHL’s Barrie Colts, Justin Scott was signed as an undrafted free agent by Columbus in 2016. The 6’1 195lbs center is off to a decent start in his AHL rookie season, although it may take a little time for the 21-year-old to fully transition to the pro-style game. It might be a longshot, but this rugged power forward definitely has an opportunity to be an everyday NHLer in the Blue Jackets bottom-six at some point in the future.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 3 (-)

Team Record: (27-13-6)

Goals For: 138

Goals Against: 116

Special Teams

PP: 30-for-139 (21.6 percent) (9th)
PK: 34-for-163 (79.1 percent) (23rd)

Injury List

Brendan Gallagher (hand) – out until early March
Andrei Markov (lower body) – day-to-day
David Desharnais (knee) – out indefinitely
Greg Pateryn (ankle) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Max Pacioretty (46gp 20g 17a 37pts)
Top Defenseman: Shea Weber (46gp 10g 18a 28pts)
Top Rookie: Artturi Lehkonen (37gp 10g 5a 15pts)
Top Goaltender: Carey Price (21 wins 2.35GAA .920 save percentage)

Player of the Week: D Alexei Emelin (4gp 1g 2a 3pts)

Montreal’s week 14 didn’t quite go as planned, scoring was pretty stagnant, defense was nonexistent and goaltending was fairly weak as well. Carey Price had a week he will definitely not want to talk about and only two Canadiens registered three points in the week.

The Canadiens offense was terrible last week, Alexei Emelin put up three points on the week and finished with an even rating while forward Phillip Danault also had three points and an even rating as well. Four Canadiens registered just two points on the week and together they had a combined rating of minus two, so their defensive side was pretty flagrant. And star goalie Carey Price didn’t help the team much either, along with his 1-3-0 record he also had a .845 save percentage with a 4.02 goals-against-average, something that will need to improve this week. But that’s not the only thing that needs to improve this week, their offense and defense need to as well. Cause Montreal has games against New Jersey, Buffalo, and Calgary.

Weekly Prospect Profile: Charlie Lindgren, St. John’s (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 25gp 13w, 2.67gaa, .915sv%, 1so

Charlie Lindgren is a very skilled netminder who often gets looked over despite having tremendous success at every level he’s played at. He’s very athletic who fills the net with his decent frame, he also moves very quickly from side to side but the standout of his potential is his competitive nature.

– Matt Duscharme

Previous Ranking: 1 (-1)

Team Record: (29-9-6)

Goals For: 137

Goals Against: 90

Special Teams

PP: 25-for-134 (18.6 percent) (14th)
PK: 22-for-157 (86.0 percent) (3rd)

Injury List

John Carlson (lower body) – day-to-day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Nicklas Backstrom (44gp 13g 30a 43pts)
Top Defenseman: John Carlson (43gp 5g 20a 25pts)
Top Rookie: Jakub Vrana (12gp 1g 2a 3pts)
Top Goaltender: Braden Holtby (21-8-4 1.96GAA .930 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Nicklas Backstrom (3gp 2g 3a 5pts)

What a wild seven-day stretch for the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby helped shut out a dangerous Blackhawks squad 5-0, then backup Phillip Grubauer helped the Caps earn two straight shutouts with a 5-0 win over Philly. They closed the week out with what some have deemed the game of the year narrowly losing 8-7 to Pittsburgh in OT. Holtby, Grubauer, and Murray all had nasty stat-lines after that one – in fact, Murray saw his season GAA drop from about 2.17 to 2.43.

We’ve given Nicklas Backstrom back-to-back POW honors after another productive week. Although truth be told, a number of Caps skaters followed suit after scoring at an average six goals per game over the past week. Ovie failed to find the back of the net, but did provide four helpers across three contests. T.J. Oshie matched Backstrom’s output, now giving him 28 points in 36 games. Justin Williams led the way in the scoring department with three goals. He’s on a bit of a tear of late with five goals, four assists in his last 10 games. The other productive skaters included defenseman Matt Niskanen and fowards Andre Burakovsky and Lars Eller, each of which had two goals, two assists.

Weekly Prospect Profile: G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 9-7-1 2.64GAA .902 save percentage

Selected 39th overall (2nd round) in 2014, Vanecek is currently in his second year of pro hockey. The 6’1 180lbs Czech netminder spent almost all of 2015-16 with ECHL South Carolina and had a solid first year in North America. He had a record of 18-7-6 with a 2.03GAA and .917 save percentage. Vitek has since joined the Caps AHL affiliate down in Hershey and has looked fairly solid thus far.

– Ryan Ritchie

Previous Ranking: 2 (+1)

Team Record: (28-14-5)

Goals For: 130

Goals Against: 119

Special Teams

PP: 26-for-141 (18.4 percent) (15th)
PK: 30-for-121 (75.2 percent) (28th)

Injury List

Marcus Kruger (hand) – out week-to-week

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Patrick Kane (47gp 14g 33a 47pts)
Top Defenseman: Duncan Keith (47gp 2g 29a 31pts)
Top Rookie: Ryan Hartman (42gp 10g 9a 19pts)
Top Goaltender: Corey Crawford (17-10-3 2.54GAA .919 save percentage)

Player of the Week: F Marian Hossa (3gp 0g 3a 3pts)

After a tough start to the week, Chicago managed to close things out with a 6-4 win versus Colorado. They started things off by dropping contests to Washington and Minnesota, both of which are two very difficult opponents. Look for the Hawks to bounce back this upcoming week with games versus Boston, Vancouver, and Tampa Bay.

It was a quiet week in particular for Chicago’s star forwards. Other than a two-goal performance against Minnesota, Patrick Kane remained relatively quiet. Artem Anisimov had a pair of helpers, while Artemi Panarin supplied a lone assist. Marian Hossa (3a) and Tanner Kero (2g 1a) actually led the way offensively, while guys like Duncan Keith, Ryan Hartman, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Richard Panik, and Brian Campbell were all left off the scoresheet completely.

I’m still sticking to my guns with this Blackhawks team. They seem destined to be one of the league’s best over the second half and should be able to challenge for another Stanley Cup. Expect Chicago’s big stars to shine over the next seven days as they tend to do after going quiet for a few games. In fact, don’t be surprised if Kane managed to close the gap even further on Connor McDavid for the league lead in points.

Weekly Prospect Profile: F Alexandre Fortin, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)

2016-17 stats: 30gp 11g 21a 32pts

The 19-year-old French-Canadian turned more than a few heads at Blackhawks training camp, eventually earning a contract after going undrafted. In fact, for awhile, it looked as though Fortin might secure a spot with Chicago to start the 2016-17 season. Instead, he re-joined the Huskies down in the Q and is currently scoring above a point-per-game pace. Here’s another guy that’ll eventually step in to replace the production lost from cap constraints.

– Ryan Ritchie

Games of the Week (Jan.19 – Jan.25)

Thursday, January 19th

Washington Capitals at St. Louis Blues

A hot Capitals team rolls into St. Louis to take on a Blues squad that is struggling to collect wins. STL looks to bounce back after dropping their most recent game 6-4 to Ottawa on Tuesday.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

Friday, January 20th

Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are riding hot, but coming off a tough loss to Columbus. They’ve got games versus Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Washington this upcoming week, so the Canes should be well motivated for this contest.

Saturday, January 21st

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames

The battle of Alberta is getting even more interesting as they teams fight it out for a playoff spot. This is an exciting rivalry that tends to always make for exciting games, so don’t be surprised if Connor McDavid and company put on a show.

Next: Mid-Season Grades: Pacific Division

Sunday, January 22nd

Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators

The Sens don’t get much credit for what they do, but there’s a reason they’re in the playoff hunt. With Bobrovsky and Condon likely starting, this one has the makings of a low-scoring goalie duel.

Tuesday, January 24th

Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks

If Tampa Bay can reel off a bunch of wins over the back half, we could be looking at one of those teams rolling at the exact right time – especially when you consider Steven Stamkos eventually re-joining the team. If that were to happen, this could very well be a preview of this year’s Stanley Cup Final, or perhaps one in the near future.

Wednesday, January 18th

Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings/Maple Leafs clash in this Original Six match-up. Toronto is on fire of late, while Detroit is struggling to put together wins. Can the Blue and White walk away with two points on the road?