NHL Week in Review: 12/25-12/31

Daily Headlines

Wednesday 12/27

• Kris Letang becomes the first defenseman in NHL history with five points in a period as his record-tying six-assist effort helps the Penguins throttle the New York Islanders 7-0. 
• The Devils get a late goal from Luke Hughes to force overtime, where Timo Meier buries a breakaway to complete a 4-3 comeback win over the Blue Jackets. 
• Arizona erases a 4-0 deficit by scoring five unanswered goals, including the overtime winner by Jack McBain to stun the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. 
• Connor Bedard returns from the break by providing all of Chicago's offense, capping his night by scoring the first overtime winner of his career in a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. 
• Sebastian Aho records his 500th point to begin a four-point night as the Hurricanes take down Nashville 5-2. 

Thursday 12/28

• Andrei Svechnikov breaks the tie late and records his 3rd career hat trick, while Sebastian Aho posts his second four-point game in as many nights as the Hurricanes beat Montreal 5-3. 

Friday 12/29

• Despite big nights from Toronto's stars, Johnny Gaudreau caps his three-point night with the game-winner in overtime to help the Blue Jackets upset the Maple Leafs 6-5. 
• Roope Hintz completes his 4th career hat trick in overtime to help the Stars defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4. 

Saturday 12/30

• In Game #600, Connor McDavid scores, adds an assist and provides a goal in the shootout as the Oilers come back from 2-0 down to beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in a shootout. 
• Sebastian Aho keeps his hot streak going by factoring toward all three goals for the Hurricanes as they take down the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Toronto. 
• Boston scores five unanswered goals, including two each for David Pastrnak and Kevin Shattenkirk, in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. 
• Artemi Panarin nets a hat trick as the Rangers dominate the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 on the road. 
• Yaroslav Askarov earns his first NHL win by beating the Washington Capitals 3-2 in a shootout. 

Sunday 12/31

• Winnipeg ruins Marc-Andre Fleury's 1,000th NHL game, getting two goals in the third period to help the Jets beat the Wild 3-2. 
• Dallas closes the year by putting up eight goals against the Blackhawks in an 8-1 win, highlighted by a hat trick from Mason Marchment. 
• Warren Foegele records the first five-point game of his career (2G, 3A) as the Oilers rout the Ducks 7-2. 

Team of the Week- Pittsburgh Penguins

Seven teams went undefeated this week, including five who went 3-0-0. The decision was tough, but I ultimately chose the Pittsburgh Penguins as my Team of the Week. They tied for the league lead in goals (14), but the deciding factor was that they allowed the fewest (3), barely edging out Edmonton (4). Half of their offensive production came in their first game after the break, when they beat the New York Islanders 7-0. Kris Letang became the first defenseman in NHL history with five assists in one period, finishing with six in the game. They would go on to beat the Islanders again on Sunday. The Penguins are 7-2-1 over their last ten games, so while they sit in 7th in the Metropolitan Division, they're well within striking distance of a playoff spot. 

Disappointing Team of the Week- Toronto Maple Leafs

While several teams went undefeated, there were a few who only picked up a point or fewer. I nearly put Montreal here after I hyped them up last week, only for them to lose all three of their games. Instead, I giving Toronto this honor for the second time this season. Not only did they manage just one point, they did so with a favorable schedule. They allowed four unanswered coming out of the break to Ottawa on home ice. Then, they got goals from all four members of the Core 4, only to lose in overtime to the only team in the Metropolitan Division that isn't in a position to challenge for the playoffs. Finally, they were outworked at home by the Hurricanes to close the week. Toronto is among a handful of teams who are in serious need of goaltending. They have all of the offensive weapons in the world, but it doesn't matter if they stop the puck.

Surprising Team of the Week- Carolina Hurricanes

Usually, I try to make this a spot for teams that are near the bottom of the league and had great weeks. This week, I took a different route. The Hurricanes were full of surprises. First, they did their best work on the road, something that hasn't been said much this season. They dominated the Predators, forcing Juuse Saros to watch the third period from the bench. They also won in Toronto, which isn't something that happens often. Both the Predators and Maple Leafs are teams in playoff positions, too. Their toughest game of the week was against the Canadiens at home on a back-to-back with a struggling Antti Raanta in the net, but they managed to win that one with some help from an Andrei Svechnikov hat trick. If you'd told me that Carolina would go 3-0-0 coming out of Christmas, especially with their last game before the break being a tough loss to the Islanders, I'd have told you to get out. Instead, they picked up six points and are playing some of their best hockey this season. 

Three Stars of the Week

3rd Star- Artemi Panarin (NYR)- 5 goals, 1 assist in 3 games

I debated between Igor Shesterkin, who had an excellent week in the net, and Artemi Panarin for this spot. I landed on Panarin because of his hat trick against Tampa Bay on Saturday. This three-goal performance helped him take the top spot in goals around the league with five, edging three others who had four. Panarin finds himself in the Top 5 in points and goals in the league entering 2024. 

2nd Star- Stuart Skinner (EDM)- 2-0-0, .962 SV%, 0.96 GAA, 1 shutout in 2 games

I also heavily considered Shesterkin and Stuart Skinner for the top goalie this week. I decided on Skinner because of his shutout over the Sharks. Skinner also stopped 28 shots in Edmonton's 3-2 win over the Kings. Shesterkin had a slightly better save percentage (.968), but Skinner had a slightly lower GAA, plus the shutout. I don't think you could go wrong with either goalie in this spot. 

1st Star- Sebastian Aho (CAR)- 2 goals, 9 assists in 3 games

There was no doubt that Sebastian Aho would be in the top spot. Aho accomplished a feat that hadn't been done in the 21st century when he recorded four-point nights on consecutive days, the last being done in 1999 by Jeremy Roenick. He started his week by recording his 500th point on a goal in Nashville and then assisted on nine of the team's next 11 goals. His teammate, Andrei Svechnikov, was the next closest in the league to him with seven points.  

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)

16. Arizona Coyotes (19-14-2/2-0-0 last week) (+2)*

15. New Jersey Devils (19-14-2/2-1-0 last week) (+2)*

14. Pittsburgh Penguins (18-13-4/3-0-0 last week) (+6)*

13. Nashville Predators (20-16-1/1-1-1 last week) (+2)

12. New York Islanders (17-10-9/1-2-0 last week) (-3)

11. Philadelphia Flyers (19-12-5/1-1-1 last week) (-)

10. Carolina Hurricanes (20-13-4/3-0-0 last week) (+6)

9. Florida Panthers (22-12-2/3-0-0 last week) (+3)

8. Vegas Golden Knights (22-10-5/1-1-0 last week) (-1)

7. Dallas Stars (22-9-4/2-1-0 last week) (-3)

6. Colorado Avalanche (23-11-3/2-0-1 last week) (+2)

5. Los Angeles Kings (20-8-5/1-1-1 last week) (-2)

4. Winnipeg Jets (22-9-4/2-0-1 last week) (+1)

3. Boston Bruins (22-7-6/3-0-0 last week) (+3)

2. Vancouver Canucks (23-10-3/0-1-0 last week) (-)

1. New York Rangers (25-9-1/2-1-0 last week) (-)

The Top 2 remained the same this week, with the Rangers occupying the top spot once again. New York went 2-1-0 this week, including dominant 5-1 wins over the Capitals and Lightning, the latter of which featured a hat trick by Artemi Panarin. Vancouver only played one game, and while it was a loss, I didn't feel like it was enough to bump them down. It was a 4-1 loss to the Flyers, but I still think they're the top team in the Western Conference at the moment. The Boston Bruins had a big rebound week, winning all three of their games. They tied for the league lead in goals with 14, converting on 62.5% of their power plays. The Winnipeg Jets took a step up, earning five of six points. They dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to Connor Bedard but earned back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Wild over the weekend. The Los Angeles Kings are back in their usual spot at #5. They earned a dominant win over the Sharks but faltered in their two games against stronger opposition. 

The Central Division continues to be a tight race, and I felt Colorado did more this week to establish themselves than Dallas did. The Avalanche jumped the Stars after going 2-0-1, though things got a little hairy on New Year's Eve against San Jose. Dallas' lone blemish was a loss to the Blues, though they recovered with two wins over the Blackhawks, including an 8-1 win on New Year's Eve. The defending champions continue to fall down the list. Vegas only played twice, splitting their decisions in a 5-2 loss to Anaheim and a 3-2 win over Los Angeles. The Florida Panthers were one of several teams to go undefeated. Their big moment was a regulation win over the New York Rangers on Friday night. 

The Carolina Hurricanes also went 3-0-0 coming out of the break, earning road wins in Nashville and Toronto. Their home win against Montreal was tight, but a hat trick from Andrei Svechnikov helped put the Canadiens away. The Canes jumped over the next two teams in my rankings in the process. The Flyers went 1-1-1 in the first three stops on their West Coast trip, with their lone win coming in Vancouver. The Islanders lost twice in regulation, both to the Penguins. They did pick up a lopsided 5-1 win over the Capitals. The Predators had a tough week, losing big to the Hurricanes before splitting overtime decisions with an overtime loss to Detroit and a shootout win against Washington. It was an especially tough week for Juuse Saros, who allowed ten goals in his two starts. 

The final three teams in my rankings are new entrants. My Team of the Week, the Pittsburgh Penguins, was perfect this week, allowing a league-low three goals in three games. They outscored the Islanders 10-1 in their two meetings, including a 7-0 pounding in their first game after the break. The New Jersey Devils are also clawing their way back into the mix after dealing with early-season injuries. They won their first two games after Christmas before dropping a 5-2 game to the Bruins in Boston. The Arizona Coyotes round out the list at #16. They hold a slim lead over the second Wild Card spot out west after winning both of their games. They erased a 4-0 deficit to stun the Avalanche in their first game back. Then, Connor Ingram pitched his fourth shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over the Ducks.