NHL Week in Review: 1/29-2/4

Daily Headlines

Monday 1/29

• Ottawa marches back from down 3-0 to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Claude Giroux. 

Tuesday 1/30

• Elvis Merzlikins stops all 21 shots from the Blues, and Dimitri Voronkov breaks the ice in the third period as the Blue Jackets win 1-0.
• San Jose scores twice in the third period to back MacKenzie Blackwood's 32-save shutout in a 2-0 win over the Kraken.

Wednesday 1/31

• Vancouver acquires Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames for a package including Andrei Kuzmenko, two prospects, and two draft picks. 
• In just his sixth game of the season, Shane Pinto sends Ottawa into the break feeling good as he scores the overtime winner in the Senators' 3-2 win over the Red Wings.
• Alex Turcotte scores his first NHL goal as the Kings' fourth line scores three times in a 4-2 win in Nashville.

Thursday 2/1

• With the first pick in the 2024 NHL All-Star Player Draft, Team Hughes selects Nikita Kucherov from the Tampa Bay Lightning. 
• Behind a hat trick from Savannah Harmon, Team King takes down Team Kloss 5-3 in a showcase of the PWHL's best during All-Star Weekend.

Friday 2/2

• Winnipeg acquires Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens for two picks, including their 1st-round pick this season. 
• Los Angeles relieves Todd McLellan of his duties as the head coach of the Kings amidst the team's struggles to maintain a playoff spot. 
• Gary Bettman and the league's top officials announce plans for a four-nation tournament next season, as well as the league's inclusion at the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030.
• Connor McDavid dismantles the field by winning four events to take home $1 million as the Skills Competition champion. 

Saturday 2/3

• Team Matthews defeats Team McDavid 7-4 in the final game to take home the All-Star crown as Auston Matthews wins the MVP.

Sunday 2/4

• Pittsburgh signs Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year deal as he returns to action following offseason double-hip surgery.

Team of the Week- Ottawa Senators

The Senators won both of their games during this abbreviated week of action. They overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat the Nashville Predators in overtime on Monday before beating the Red Wings on Wednesday, needing overtime to get it done again. Ottawa was the only team to win both of their games, scoring the most goals of the nine teams that played. Brady Tkachuk led the way with two goals and three points, while Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto had two points each. The Senators remain well outside of the playoff picture at the moment, but it was good for them to garner some momentum going into the break.

Disappointing Team of the Week- Nashville Predators

With few teams playing this week, the Predators could've used this opportunity to help cement their spot in the Wild Card race. Instead, they blew a three-goal lead and were largely outplayed by the Kings' fourth line. They didn't have much puck luck, hitting several posts in the third period against Los Angeles. Now, they're on the outside of the playoffs, with St. Louis owning games in hand after feeling like they were in a great spot. It was a rough showing from the Predators.

Surprising Team of the Week- San Jose Sharks

There hasn't been much to cheer about for the Sharks this season, but this was a solid week for them. Mackenzie Blackwood put together an impressive start against the Kraken on Tuesday, stopping 32 shots in a 2-0 shutout win. They nearly went undefeated, but they couldn't hold a late 2-1 lead against the Ducks, allowing a goal late in regulation before Frank Vatrano scored in overtime. They're still at the bottom of the league overall, and they'll likely be selling over the next month as they battle for the top pick.

Three Stars of the Week

3rd Star- Auston Matthews (TOR)- 2 goals, 2 assists in 2 games

With the All-Star Game taking place in Toronto, the Maple Leafs were going to be the center of attention. They certainly delivered. Captaining his own team, Auston Matthews made sure to keep his teammates together. While he was quiet in their semifinal win over Team Hughes, he stepped up by scoring two goals and adding an assist in the final to win the mini-tournament. 

2nd Star- Connor McDavid (EDM)- 1 goal, 2 assists in 2 games & Won Skills Competition

Another captain for the weekend, Connor McDavid's team came up short in the championship game, but he did all of his damage the night before during the Skills Competition. With the contest undergoing a format change, McDavid won four of them, cruising to a $1 million victory by crushing the final obstacle course. 

1st Star- Alex DeBrincat (DET)- 3 goals, 3 assists in 2 games

Though he wasn't the captain or part of the hometown team, Alex DeBrincat posted three-point games in both wins for Team Matthews. While I don't have the official numbers in front of me, I think he led all players with six points during the tournament. While Matthews was more than deserving of the crown as the MVP as the hometown savior, DeBrincat should've been in the conversation, too.

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)

1. Vancouver Canucks (-)

2. Boston Bruins (-)

3. Colorado Avalanche (-)

4. Florida Panthers (-)

5. Dallas Stars (-)

6. Edmonton Oilers (-)

7. Vegas Golden Knights (-)

8. Winnipeg Jets (-)

9. Carolina Hurricanes (-)

10. New York Rangers (-)

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (-)

12. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)

13. Detroit Red Wings (-1)

14. Los Angeles Kings (+3)*

15. Nashville Predators (-1)

16. Philadelphia Flyers (-)

A Light Schedule = Little Movement- With only six games on the schedule this week, most of the teams didn't have to worry about suiting up. No one in my Top 12 played this week, meaning there was almost no movement. What movement did happen came near the bottom of the Top 16.  

New Faces- The only new team in the Top 16 is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings won their only game this week against Nashville, but fired Todd McLellan during the break as they try to fight out of this rough patch. They're holding onto the top Wild Card spot for now, so we'll see if the coaching change affects anything.