NHL Week in Review: 1/22-1/28

Daily Headlines

Monday 1/22

• For the first time in 34 games, the Winnipeg Jets allow more than three goals, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Boston Bruins in a battle of two of the league's best. 
• Tyler Toffoli completes his hat trick in overtime to help the Devils overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5. 

Tuesday 1/23

• Nikita Kucherov becomes the fourth player this season to reach 30 goals, netting a hat trick and four points in the Bolts' 6-3 win over the Flyers. 
• Brandon Saad scores with less than a minute left in regulation to help the Blues overcome a two-goal deficit as they beat the Flames 4-3. 
• Tom Hertl completes a huge comeback for the Sharks as they erase a 2-0 third-period deficit before beating the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. 

Wednesday 1/24

• Nathan MacKinnon completes a natural hat trick in less than seven minutes in a four-goal performance as he and Mikko Rantanen combine for ten points in a 6-2 win over Washington.
• Ilya Samsonov stops 32 shots, and Auston Matthews inches closer to 40 goals as he scores the lone goal in overtime of a 1-0 win for the Maple Leafs over the Jets. 
• Despite Pius Suter's hat trick, the Blues defeat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime with the help of Brayden Schenn's overtime winner. 
• Buffalo scores four unanswered goals to erase a 3-1 deficit in a 5-3 win over the Kings in Los Angeles. 
• Spencer Martin makes 26 stops in his team debut, and Jordan Martinook scores late in the third period to help the Canes defeat the Bruins in Beantown 3-2 in a battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights. 

Thursday 1/25

• Connor McDavid scores twice and adds an assist as the Oilers extend their win streak to 15 games with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Blackhawks.
• After blowing a 3-0 lead in Patrick Roy's return to Montreal, Sean Monahan scores with 2:12 left to steal a 4-3 win over the Islanders.
• Nikita Kucherov records three more points as the Bolts rout the Coyotes 6-3.

Friday 1/26

• Philadelphia signs Owen Tippett to an 8-year, $49.6 million )$6.2m AAV) extension.
• Montreal's Brendan Gallagher is suspended for five games following a high hit on New York's Adam Pelech in their win on Thursday.
• Jonathan Marchessault records his 7th hat trick as the Golden Knights dismantle the New York Rangers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden. 

Saturday 1/27

• New York's Jacob Trouba is suspended for two games for elbowing Vegas' Pavel Dorofeyev in Friday's loss.
• The Capitals score twice in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime, but Thomas Harley spoils the comeback by scoring the overtime winner for the second straight game in a 5-4 win.
• Edmonton beats Nashville 4-1 to tie the second-longest win streak in NHL history with their 16th consecutive victory. 
• Boston becomes the first team to 70 points, blowing the Flyers out of the water 6-2 in Philadelphia.
• Lars Eller celebrates his 1,000th game by scoring a goal as Marcus Pettersson provides the winner in overtime of a 3-2 win over the Canadiens. 
• Auston Matthews becomes the first player to reach 40 goals this season, picking up his 600th career point in a 4-2 win for Toronto in Winnipeg. 
• Dmitry Orlov breaks a 1-1 tie with 35.9 seconds left to help the Hurricanes escape a near-disaster in a 3-1 win over the Coyotes.
• Brock Boeser picks up a hat trick to reach 30 goals as the Canucks win 5-4 in overtime on an Elias Pettersson winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Sunday 1/28

• St. Louis extends its win streak to five games as Brayden Schenn scores in overtime to earn the Blues a 4-3 win over the Kings.
• Jordan Eberle scores twice, and Seattle holds off a Columbus comeback attempt in a 4-2 win to close the week.

Team of the Week- Carolina Hurricanes

I'll completely admit that I'm cheating as a homer because, on paper, the Hurricanes probably didn't have as good a week as the Panthers, Lightning, or Oilers. Tampa beat all three of their opponents 6-3, Florida went 4-0-0, and Edmonton has now won 16 games in a row. The reason I picked the Canes is the quality of the opponents they beat this week. They went into Boston on national television and won, and then turned around to beat a division opponent whom they have bad blood with the next night. They also did it with their moms with them, making for some excellent social media moments. They might've only scored nine goals, but they held three good teams to five total goals. They did it with Spencer Martin and Antti Raanta in the net and without Andrei Svechnikov in the lineup, too. Teuvo Teravainen posted back-to-back multi-point nights, with both of his goals coming on the power play. Sebastian Aho was a point-per-game producer. Their power play went 4-for-9, while their kill was perfect. They played three all-around solid games and came out of the week with six hard-earned points. 

Disappointing Team of the Week- Philadelphia Flyers

Everything that could go wrong this week for the Flyers did, though some of it was out of their control. On the ice, they lost all three of their games in regulation, allowing 15 goals, including six each to Tampa Bay and Boston. They were also shut out by the Red Wings. They lost significant ground in the division, entering the All-Star Break five points behind the Hurricanes for second place, and the Canes had two games in hand. Goaltending was a major issue, and it's only going to get worse with the news surrounding Carter Hart, who stepped away from the team earlier in the week for "personal reasons" likely stemming from the 2018 Hockey Canada incident. In no way am I saying that's the team's fault, but they have to figure out something quickly. Samuel Ersson doesn't have much experience as a starter, while Cal Peterson is their backup. They have the skill to remain relevant, but they are going to face some stiff competition from the teams behind them in the division.

Surprising Team of the Week- St. Louis Blues

My inclusion of the Blues in this spot was contingent on whether they could beat the Kings on Sunday. They beat them in overtime, so I'm keeping my word. The Blues played a lot of hockey this week, and I don't just mean they played four games. Three of their four games required overtime, all of which they won. They also beat some good teams. Vancouver has consistently been one of the best all season. The Kraken are turning a corner. The Kings are faltering but still solid. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer split the starts and recorded nearly identical statlines. Pavel Buchenevich scored four goals, two of which came in Seattle, and tied All-Star Robert Thomas with six points. They're now sitting in a Wild Card spot in the jam-packed Western Conference. 

Three Stars of the Week

3rd Star- Nicolas Roy (VGK)- 2 goals, 6 assists in 4 games

While some might only see him as a depth player, Nicolas Roy has stepped up in the absence of some of Vegas' stars. He tied for second in the league this week with eight points while tying for the most assists. He had points in all four games, including a three-point night in their OT loss to New Jersey. There were plenty of stars around the league I could've chosen from, but sometimes, the other guys deserve some praise. 

2nd Star- Nathan MacKinnon (COL)- 5 goals, 2 assists in 2 games

The race for the Art Ross is going to be a tight one, as evidenced by the final two guys here. The Avalanche only played twice this week, and Nathan MacKinnon was heard from in both. He recorded a four-goal, five-point game against the Capitals before being held to just two points against the Kings. He sits one point behind Nikita Kucherov overall, and they'll likely be swapping spots for the remainder of the season.

1st Star- Nikita Kucherov (TBL)- 4 goals, 5 assists in 3 games

When your offense has the type of week Tampa's did, you expect your top guys to play a large part in that. Kucherov factored in on half of the Bolts' production, leading the league with nine points this week. He recorded a hat trick and four points to start the week and had multi-point nights in his next two. He's currently on pace to set a new career high in points, besting his pace in 2018-19 when he finished with 128. 

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)

1. Vancouver Canucks (-)

2. Boston Bruins (+1)

3. Colorado Avalanche (+1)

4. Florida Panthers (+4)

5. Dallas Stars (+1)

6. Edmonton Oilers (+3)

7. Vegas Golden Knights (-)

8. Winnipeg Jets (-6)

9. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)

10. New York Rangers (-5)

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (+3)

12. Detroit Red Wings (-)

13. Toronto Maple Leafs (+3)

14. Nashville Predators (-1)

15. Seattle Kraken (+4)*

16. Philadelphia Flyers (-5)

At The Top- The Vancouver Canucks remain atop the rankings, though the Boston Bruins are closing in on them. Both teams hit the All-Star Break with 71 points, but the Canucks just edged the Bruins based on points percentage this week. Vancouver went 2-0-1, while Boston suffered a regulation loss to Carolina to go with their three wins. The Avalanche remained in the Top 5, while Florida and Dallas both joined the group after undefeated weeks. 

Falling Hard- The biggest drop of the week belongs to the Winnipeg Jets. Granted, injuries played a part in their struggles, but they only picked up one point in three games. They took a 4-1 loss to the Bruins before being swept in a home-and-home with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers and Flyers each fell five spots. New York went 1-1-1, while the Flyers were held pointless in three games.

The Metro & Central are Tight- While Boston and Vancouver had decent leads over second place, the other two divisions are tightening up. The Central Divison has three teams separated by two points, with Colorado barely holding off Dallas and Winnipeg. The Metro has seen a little separation at the top over the last week, but the Hurricanes are only two points back of the Rangers with a game in hand. 

Fresh Faces- The Seattle Kraken turned things around and have re-entered the Top 16, the only team to do so this week. While they picked on some of the lower teams in the league, the Kraken routed Chicago and got two goals from Jordan Eberle on Sunday to take down the Blue Jackets. They've worked themselves within two points of a Wild Card spot after losing four straight.