NHL Week in Review: 2/19-2/25

Daily Headlines

Monday 2/19

• In a game featuring 17 goals and three hat tricks (Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Miller), Minnesota scores seven goals in the third period to take down the Vancouver Canucks 10-7.
• Sean Monahan completes a natural hat trick in the first period against his former team, but the Flames score five unanswered goals to shut down the Jets 6-3.
• Patrick Kane notches his 800th assist, and Ben Chiarot plays the hero in overtime as Detroit beats Seattle 4-3.
• Boston's Justin Brazeau and Vegas' Mason Morelli each score in their NHL debuts as Boston beats Dallas 4-3 in a shootout, and Vegas wins 4-0 in San Jose. 

Tuesday 2/20

• The Islanders blow a two-goal lead in the third period, but Adam Pelech helps them avoid disaster by winning it in overtime to beat the Penguins 5-4. 

Wednesday 2/21

• Auston Matthews returns home and scores twice to break 50 goals, becoming the fastest U.S.-born player to reach that mark as the Maple Leafs down the Coyotes 6-3. 
• Edmonton erases a three-goal deficit and forces overtime, but Charlie McAvoy scores a filthy goal in extra time to help the Bruins escape with a 6-5 win.

Thursday 2/22

• Sebastian Aho scores with 18.9 seconds left to break a scoreless tie and help Pyotr Kochetkov (45 saves) earn a shutout as the Canes snap the Panthers' road win streak at 11 games in a 1-0 win.
• Pavel Buchnevich scores a natural hat trick, and Jordan Binnington stops 38 shots to help the Blues blank the Islanders 4-0. 
• Max Domi scores twice, and Auston Matthews adds his 52nd of the season to lead Toronto to a 7-3 victory over the Golden Knights.

Friday 2/23

• Nikolaj Ehlers scores twice, and Kyle Connor helps the Jets avoid an upset in overtime of a 3-2 win after Tyler Johnson scored with 43 seconds left to force the extra frame.

Saturday 2/24

• Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek score in the final 7:11 of regulation to force overtime before Boeser wins it in overtime with his second of the game in a 3-2 win over the Bruins.
• Tyler Bertuzzi celebrates his birthday by scoring a hat trick, including the game-winner with 2:51 left as the Maple Leafs beat the Avalanche 4-3.
• Matt Rempe gets into a huge fight with Nicolas Deslauriers before scoring his first career goal in the third period to push the Rangers past the Flyers 2-1. 

Sunday 2/25

• Patrick Kane returns to the United Center in grand fashion, scoring the game-winner in overtime to help the Red Wings beat the Red Wings 3-2. 
• Nikita Kucherov's four-point game makes him the first player to hit 100 points this season as the Bolts beat the Devils 4-1.  
• Sidney Crosby finishes with four points, and Bryan Rust scores twice as the Penguins beat the Flyers 7-6 in a barnburner.

Team of the Week- Detroit Red Wings

A few teams probably have a claim to this title, but I've chosen the Red Wings because of their flair for the dramatic. En route to a perfect 4-0-0 week, Detroit needed overtime to get the job done three times. Everything went right for the Red Wings. Alex Lyon put in three incredible performances in the net, allowing just five goals. Patrick Kane recorded his 800th assist on Monday before scoring in overtime against both Colorado and Chicago. He and Alex DeBrincat had six points each across four games. They've reached 70 points in the standings, leading Tampa Bay by one point with two games in hand. They're also well ahead of the pack chasing them, with New Jersey eight points back of the second spot. The Yzerplan is working.

Disappointing Team of the Week- New Jersey Devils

I was very tempted to put the Vancouver Canucks here, but they're so far ahead in their division that it felt more appropriate for the Devils to sit here instead. Injuries continue to be a problem for them, but even with their best forwards healthy, they can't find any momentum. They lost three of their four games this week, pushing them further back in the Wild Card race. They were blown out of the water by the Capitals, Rangers, and Lightning. Even their win over Montreal on Saturday took them until the final minutes to get. Goaltending is their biggest issue, and while they could address it at the deadline, I'm not sure they have enough time to catch Tampa Bay or Detroit. Their best hope is to overtake Philadelphia, who leads them by five points for third in the division. 

Surprising Team of the Week- Ottawa Senators

The Senators have finally made it out of the basement in the Atlantic Division, moving into 7th place above the struggling Canadiens. While they're still well out of a playoff spot, it was an overall good week for them. They earned seven of a possible eight points, with wins over Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Vegas and a shootout loss to Florida. They were in the Top 10 in goals allowed per game, thanks to a great week in the net from Anton Forsberg. They aren't a playoff team and will likely be trading a few guys in the coming weeks, but they aren't going down without a fight. 

Three Stars of the Week

3rd Star- Mitch Marner (TOR)- 1 goal, 9 assists in 4 games

There was a lot of competition to finish in the Top 3 this week, but I opted for Mitch Marner in the third spot. Marner finished tied for second in the league with ten points, and his nine assists tied him with Josh Morrissey for the league lead. Toronto is on fire, and Marner has a lot to do with it, currently holding a ten-game point streak and a seven-game multi-point streak. He has 21 points during his streak, and he has worked his way into the Top 10 in the league with 49 assists. 

2nd Star- Igor Shesterkin (NYR)- 3-0-0, .975 SV%, 1.00 GAA in 3 games

Several goalies had decent cases, too, but Igor Shesterkin was the runaway winner for this week's best goalie. Shesterkin won all three of his starts, facing at least 40 shots in each win. He faced the second-most shots in the league and made the most stops, allowing three goals on 122 shots. He hasn't lost in over a month as the Rangers try to pull away in the Metropolitan Division. He's starting to look like the Vezina winner from a few years ago after a tough start to the season.

1st Star- Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)- 6 goals, 6 assists in 4 games

After they scored ten goals on Monday, it makes sense that a Minnesota Wild player is at the top. Three players on the team finished in the Top 5 in scoring, led by 12 points from Kirill Kaprizov. During that 10-7 win over the Canucks, Kiprizov finished with a hat trick and three assists. He finished his week with a two-goal, three-point performance against Seattle on Saturday. Kiprizov is another player on a hot streak, earning points in his last eight contests. 

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)

1. New York Rangers (+3)

2. Florida Panthers (-)

3. Vancouver Canucks (-2)

4. Boston Bruins (+1)

5. Winnipeg Jets (+3)

6. Carolina Hurricanes (-)

7. Dallas Stars (-4)

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (+4)

9. Colorado Avalanche (-2)

10. Edmonton Oilers (-1)

11. Los Angeles Kings (-)

12. Vegas Golden Knights (-2)

13. Detroit Red Wings (+2)

14. Tampa Bay Lightning (-)

15. Philadelphia Flyers (-2)

16. Nashville Predators (+2)*

New #1- While their week might've ended on a sour note, the New York Rangers jumped into the top spot this week on the back of a ten-game win streak. They knocked Vancouver out of the spot after they held it for six weeks. Their loss to Columbus on Saturday was their first loss in February, but they beat Dallas, New Jersey, and Philadelphia this week, earning them the top spot.

Joining the Group- The Nashville Predators are the only new team in the Top 16, coming in at #16 after a perfect 4-0-0 week. They have won five straight games, all on the road, since losing 9-2 at home to Dallas on February 15. This streak includes wins over Los Angeles and St. Louis, who they're fighting in the Wild Card race. They currently hold a four-point lead over St. Louis, but the Blues have two games in hand.

Risers and Fallers- The Toronto Maple Leafs took the largest jump of anyone in the rankings, moving up four spots. They won all four of their games this week during a four-game road trip, including convincing wins over Arizona and Vegas. Their 21 goals were second only to Minnesota. The Rangers and Jets each moved up three spots, both going 3-1-0. The Dallas Stars took a significant tumble, losing three of their four games. While their one win came against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, they struggled during this recent road trip.