NHL Week in Review: 2/12-2/18

Daily Headlines

Monday 2/12

• Joel Eriksson Ek scores twice, and Matt Boldy adds three points as the Wild knock off the defending champions 5-3 in Vegas.
• A three-goal third period allows the Flyers to overcome the Coyotes 5-3 as Travis Konecny notches three points. 

Tuesday 2/13

• Morgan Rielly is suspended for five games after cross-checking Ottawa's Ridly Greig in the head after clapping an empty-net goal.
• Connor McDavid records six assists, including the 600th of his career, as the Oilers dominate the Red Wings 8-4.
• Without Marner, Tavares, and Rielly in the lineup, Bobby McMann scores his first career hat trick to help the Maple Leafs beat the Blues 4-1.
• Brady Tkachuk buries three goals in a 6-3 win for the Ottawa Senators over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Jordan Greenway scores twice and adds an assist to pace a seven-goal onslaught for the Sabres, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stops all 33 shots in a 7-0 win over the Kings.

Wednesday 2/14

• The Flyers name Sean Couturier as the 20th captain in the team's history.
• A two-goal night from Anton Lundell, and three points by Matthew Tkachuk help the Panthers close in on the Bruins with a 5-2 win over the Penguins.

Thursday 2/15

• The NHL announces that Ohio Stadium in Columbus will host an outdoor battle between the Blue Jackets and the Red Wings next season.
• The Blue Jackets fire General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen after 11 seasons in charge of the club.
• Auston Matthews record his league-best fifth hat trick with a natural hat trick in the second period, and William Nylander wins the game 4-3 in overtime over the Flyers after blowing a late lead.
• Chris Kreider's hat trick helps the Rangers explode for seven goals as they take down the Canadiens 7-4.
• In a battle between the top two point scorers in the league, Nikita Kucherov scores twice and adds an assist as the Bolts score four unanswered to best Nathan MacKinnon and the Avs 6-3.
• Paired with Boston's 4-1 loss to Seattle, the Panthers take over first place in the Eastern Conference behind Anthony Stolarz's 45-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Sabres. 

Friday 2/16

• Jordan Martinook's goal 16 seconds into the game sets the tone as the Hurricanes destroy the Coyotes 5-1 on the road in Friday's only contest.

Saturday 2/17

• Behind two goals and three points from Nico Hischier, the Devils win the first game of the 2024 Stadium Series 6-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers. 
• Auston Matthews picks up five points, including his second straight hat trick, and William Nylander notches his 500th career point as the Leafs decimate the Ducks 9-2.
• A trio of Panthers score two goals each to help the Panthers destroy their in-state rivals in a 9-2 win over the Lightning for their 11th straight road win.
• After taking a penalty in overtime, Brandt Clarke comes out of the box and buries the game-winner on a breakaway for his first career goal in the Kings' 5-4 win over the Bruins in Boston.
• Dylan Cozens ties the game in the final minute of regulation for the Sabres before Henri Jokiharju wins it in overtime for a 3-2 comeback win over the Wild. 

Sunday 2/18

• Down 4-1 at one point and 5-3 late in the third period, the Rangers score twice on the power play in the final five minutes before Artemi Panarin scores ten seconds into overtime to beat the Islanders 6-5 in the second game of the 2024 Stadium Series.
• Adrian Kempe scores twice in the final 6:11 of regulation to help the Kings beat the Penguins 2-1.

Team of the Week- Florida Panthers

There's a new sheriff in town, and it's the defending Eastern Conference champions. The Panthers completed a perfect 3-0-0 week, winning all three games on the road, by scoring a league-high 18 goals, including nine goals in a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. 9-2 was their combined score during their mid-week back-to-back sweep of the Penguins and Sabres, so they doubled their totals in one win. With their three road victories, the Panthers have now won 11 straight games on the road, moving them one shy of the league record. Florida got it done in every aspect of their game. They converted on more than half of their power play. They killed 90 percent of their penalties. Matthew Tkachuk finished tied for second in points this week (8). Sergei Bobrovsky was great in his two starts, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 45 shots in a 4-0 shutout win over the Sabres. Everything is clicking for Florida right now. They'll have a chance to earn their 12th straight road win on Thursday in Raleigh.

Disappointing Team of the Week- Vegas Golden Knights

This is incredibly harsh on my part because Vegas only went 0-2-0, while Arizona went 0-4-0. The reason Arizona isn't here is because they've been falling off a cliff for a few weeks. Plus, the Coyotes played three very good teams and Minnesota. Vegas also played Minnesota, losing 5-3 at home. Then, they didn't play until Saturday night when the Carolina Hurricanes came to town. The Canes had just beaten Arizona 24 hours prior, meaning they'd be starting their third-string goalie in the second half of a back-to-back. Regardless of how well Carolina has been playing, this was a game they should've won against a team that was likely incredibly tired. They started well, but the Canes found a way to shut them down. Vegas was the better-rested team, yet they were unable to do anything against Spencer Martin. They have Edmonton breathing down their necks, and Los Angeles isn't far behind, either. Now is not the time for them to start messing around.

Surprising Team of the Week- Boston Bruins

While home is where the heart is, this recent homestand for the Bruins was not great. After losing two of three last week, Boston lost all three of their games, granted two were in extra time. They fell into a 2-0 hole against Tampa Bay during Brad Marchand's 1,000th game, but the Bruins' captain helped spur a comeback that eventually fell short in a shootout. They then were outplayed by the Seattle Kraken, losing 4-1 despite putting 37 shots on Joey Daccord. To close the week, they blew a 3-1 second-period lead and a 4-3 lead in the final 1:35 of regulation to the Kings, failed to capitalize on a power play in overtime, and allowed the game-winning goal on a breakaway to the rookie who committed the penalty. The Bruins have now been passed in the division by the streaking Panthers. They have a chance to lessen the blow in the final game of the homestand on Monday afternoon, but things aren't looking great in Beantown.

Three Stars of the Week

3rd Star- Nico Daws (NJD)- 3-1-0, .942 SV%, 2.02 GAA in 4 games

The Devils turned to Nico Daws for all four of their games this week, and it's a good thing they did. He won three of his four starts, and in his one loss, he stopped 27 shots against the Kings in a 2-1 game. The highlight of his week was his 44-save performance in New Jersey's 6-3 win outdoors against the Flyers, setting an outdoor record for the most saves in a game. Overall, Daws stopped 129 of 137 shots, by far the most in the league.

2nd Star- Connor McDavid (EDM)- 0 goals, 10 assists in 3 games

It's hard to believe that there are still things that Connor McDavid hasn't accomplished in his career. It feels like every other week, we're finding new things for him to do. This week, he set a career-high by recording six assists in Edmonton's 8-4 win over Detroit. He followed that up by adding three more helpers against St. Louis. McDavid finished the week with ten assists, leading the league over the last seven days and taking the overall lead for the season (60). His ten assists were enough to grab him the league lead in points for the week, too.

1st Star- Auston Matthews (TOR)- 6 goals, 2 assists in 3 games

Don't be surprised when Auston Matthews scores 70 goals because he's well on his way to doing it after putting together back-to-back hat tricks this week. He was held off the scoresheet against St. Louis before scoring a natural hat trick in the second period against Philadelphia and scoring three more in Toronto's rout of the Ducks. He added two assists in the Anaheim game, too. Matthews is now nine goals clear of Sam Reinhart for the most in the league and could hit 50 as soon as Monday when the Leafs play the Blues. 

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)

1. Vancouver Canucks (-)

2. Florida Panthers (+2)

3. Dallas Stars (-)

4. New York Rangers (+2)

5. Boston Bruins (-3)

6. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)

7. Colorado Avalanche (+1) 

8. Winnipeg Jets (+2)

9. Edmonton Oilers (-)

10. Vegas Golden Knights (-5)

11. Los Angeles Kings (+3)

12. Toronto Maple Leafs (+5)*

13. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)

14. Tampa Bay Lightning (+2)

15. Detroit Red Wings (-4)

16. New Jersey Devils (+3)*

Small Changes at the Top- While the Vancouver Canucks maintained their spot at the top of the rankings, there was a little shuffling among the league's best. The Florida Panthers now hold a one-point lead over the Boston Bruins in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. They've won five straight to help them with their push, and it has resulted in them taking the #2 spot. The Bruins have also been surpassed by the New York Rangers, who hold the league's longest win streak at seven games. They have equaled the Bruins in points with more regulation wins. Boston remains in the Top 5 at #5 despite losing all three of their games this week, two of which were in extra time. 

New Faces- Two new teams have entered the Top 16. The first team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won all three of their games by scoring 17 goals, including nine against Anaheim on Saturday. They seem to be on an upswing, holding a one-point lead on the Lightning for third in the division with three games in hand, but they seem to change on a weekly basis. The same can be said for the second new team, the New Jersey Devils. They sit at #16 after going 3-1-0 this week. They closed it out with a big 6-3 win in their Stadium Series win over the Flyers. They're just on the outside of the Wild Card picture, sitting two points behind Detroit for the second Wild Card spot.

Free Falling- The Vegas Golden Knights took the largest fall of any team anywhere in my rankings, falling from #5 to #10 after losing both of their games this week. Two losses don't seem too bad in hindsight, but they had a chance to pounce on a tired Carolina team, only to be completely shut down in the final 40 minutes. The Red Wings fell four spots after losing two of three games. While they were able to save their week with a 5-0 win in Calgary, they were dismantled by Edmonton and Vancouver. The Bruins fell three spots, but remained in the Top 5 largely because of the fact they earned a point in two of their three games.