NHL 4 Stars Nov 16-23: Showtime For The Blackhawks, Canucks’ Rookie Shines & More

Let’s get started this week by looking at last week’s four stars…

Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens went 2-1-0 in three starts (1.67 GAA, .929%) against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the St. Louis Blues, and the Boston Bruins. Price let in four goals against the Pens, while his teammates gave him no offensive support whatsoever, as they were shutout. This would change for the Habs as they scored four goals against the St. Louis Blues, while Carey only allowed one goal against. Similarly against the Big Bad Bruins, a team the Canadiens have gone 9-1-0 in their last 10 regular season match-ups, Price shutdown players like Patrice Burgeron, Milian Lucic, and others, while the Habs scored two unanswered goals (giving Price the shutout). Overall the Canadiens are still on top of the Atlantic division ,and the league, with a record of 16-6-1 as a result of great goal tending from Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski, along with offensive and defensive support.

The St. Louis Blues went on a four game road trip this week that did not treat them kindly. Playing against three teams from the Atlantic division and ending with a game against their division rival, the Winnipeg Jets, they might not have been too happy about their overall performance as a team. Going 2-2-0, losing to Boston and Montreal and winning against Winnipeg and Ottawa, Jori Lehtera (the star from the Central division last week) managed to get only three helpers in a total of four games. Although he still plays with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, a line nicknamed the STL line, the team did not perform to everyone’s expectations, playing against teams who were in the thick of playoff races. The Blues however are still a top contender in the Central division, as they hold the best record in the division, going 13-6-1. And this week coming up should help the team in the standings as they play two home games against Ottawa, who they beat 3-2 this past week, and Edmonton (who, let’s face it… suck).

The Pacific division lacked any real star last week, but Ryan Kesler managed to have a solid week, with 6 points (4G/2A) in three games. However, in four games for the Ducks this week, where they went 2-1-1, Kesler managed to only get two assists, both against the newly named Arizona Coyote, and was a -1 for the week. Overall, Kesler wasn’t a shining star this week for the Ducks, as they relied on players like Ryan Getzlaf and Sami Vatanen to provide much of the offensive support for the Ducks. Anaheim had an okay week, and they still lead the division with a 13-4-5 record. But this week coming up might be a challenge to the Ducks, as they face Calgary, Chicago, and San Jose, all teams currently in playoff spots. If Anaheim still wants to keep their spot in the Pacific, players need to step up and produce offense (including last week’s star, Ryan Kesler).

Rick Nash and the New York Rangers are still in the playoff picture with a record of 9-7-4, which is good enough for the third seat in the Metropolitan division. They went 2-1-0 losing to Tampa Bay 5-1 to start the week. After a less than ideal start to the week, Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist went on to produce two shutouts in a row for NYR against the Flyers and Habs (both home games). Although Rick Nash was a -3 against Tampa Bay, he did manage to get a goal in each of the Rangers’ wins. Nash still remains one of the top scorers in the league, as he is tied for second in goal scoring with 14 in 20 games.

And how let’s examine who were the top stars in the NHL this past week…

1 – The Central division: Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks

#showtime

The Chicago Blackhawks played four games this week, including three on the road in western Canada. Against the Dallas Stars, Patrick Kane had the game winning goal and two assists (+3) in a 6-2 win. In Calgary, Kane got 1G/1A (+1) in a 4-3 win where he got the game-winning-goal. Against the laughable Edmonton Oilers, Kane was not left off the score sheet – scoring 1 goal and getting a helper in their 7-1 win.

The only hiccup for the Hawks this week was against the Vancouver Canucks, where they lost 4-1. However, the loss wasn’t because Kane didn’t produce, as other players Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Marian Hossa had the same problem as Kane, who had 3G/4A in Chicago’s last three games. Despite ending the week on a bad note, Chicago went 3-1-0 this week, while Patrick Kane led the way in points.

So far, in this seasons 21 games, Patrick Kane has 8G/10A (-1) with three game-winning-goals, two of which he got this week. He, along with the rest of the Hawks’ championship caliber team, have had a great first quarter to the season, going 12-8-1. The Hawks will most defiantly be in the playoffs come April, and will have a chance to win their third cup in five years, because of the all-stars like Patrick Kane on their team.

2 – The Atlantic Division: Tomas Tatar - Detroit Red Wings 

This Red Wing isn’t running low on fuel

The Detroit Red Wings went 2-2-0 this week, winning against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets, while losing to Montreal and Toronto (who might have rioted if they lost to the Wings). Despite the Wings’ .500 record this week, Tomas Tatar had 4G/1A (+2) for Detroit this week, and had the game-winning-goal for both of Detroit’s wins this week.

Detroit is without the Magic Man (aka Pavel Datsyuk, who is nursing an injury), but the Red Wings seem to be coping well without him, although his presence is missed. Tatar, as a result of Datsyuk’s injury, has stepped up his game and is currently on a five game point streak. Effective support from young players like Tatar demonstrates Detroit’s ability to draft unknown players from around the world who have success in the NHL – like Tatar who was drafted 60th overall in 2009.

Tatar, in 20 games, has 9G/3A (+2). These are modest numbers so far, but Tatar’s stats have nowhere to go but up, as he is Detroit’s hottest player right now. As for his team, the Red Wings have a record of 10-5-5 and are currently in the playoff picture. Overall, Detroit has been the most consistent team in the NHL in the last two decades and will most likely be in the playoffs come April (as they have been for 23 years), because of players like Zetterberg, Nyquist, defense man Niklas Kronwall, and goal-tender Jimmy Howard, who are each model players in their respective hockey roles.

3 – The Metropolitan division: Ryan Strome - New York Islanders

Ryan Strome led the way for the Islanders with 2G/2A (+4) in three games this week, including the game-winning goal against the Lightning. As a result of Strome’s goal scoring and play making abilities, the Islanders are on a three game winning streak and have gone 8-2-0 in their last ten games.

Although Ryan is just a 21 year old center in the NHL, who plays on the third line for the Islanders, one might think he might have the opportunity to move up in the lineup and play with the like of Brock Nelson and Kyle Okposo, both of which are stars for the Islanders, who play with Captain John Tavares regularly. However, the NYI do not seem to have a problem with the center position in their line-up, as they have been successful with a deep lineup.

In 20 games, Strome has 4G/11A (+9) and has been a huge part of the Islanders’ surprising success this year. Going 14-6-0 in 20 games, the Isles are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the lead in the Metropolitan division. The battle between these two teams will be back and forth for the rest of the season, but the Islanders have a chance to put a huge dent in the standings this week, playing against division revivals, like the Caps (in a home-and-home series), the Flyers, and the Devils. Because of these key games, Strome and the rest of his teammates have a excellent opportunity to take advantage of the teams who are lower in the standings and solidify their identity as serious playoff contenders.

4 – The Pacific division: Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks

Henrik and Daniel (who played his 1000th regular season game this past Sunday) Sedin continue to help make plays for Vancouver, and Vrbata has been able to capitalize on his scoring chances, but rookie Bo Horvat, who was known as the player they got for trading Cory Schneider before he played a game in the NHL, is the writer of his own success thus far for the Canucks. Albeit, he has only played eight games and has 1G (seen below)/3A, and hasn’t had a huge sample size. But he has been a helpful player of Vancouver’s success this week, where they went 2-0-1 in their three games played.

Assisting on all three of Jannik Hansen’s goals against the Chicago Blackhawks, and facing off against Chicago’s top players like Toews, Hossa, and Keith, the former London Knight was able to prove to his coach Willie Desjardins that he deserves to be in the NHL, and a part of the Canucks. Overall, Bo Horvat, in his eight games so far, has gone over 60% in the face-off circle and even went 12/15 against Chicago, thus demonstrating that even though Ryan Kesler left Vancouver… the team continues to be deep down the middle, which has helped them in their overall success early in the season. Not to mention, Horvat played over 14 minutes against Chicago, a little over three minutes longer than his last game against the Ducks where he scored his first goal.

The Canucks are 14-6-1 and are the holders of the second seat in the Pacific division. Last year was a let down for Vancouver and its fans, but they should be happy about their overall success thus far, and how new players have been able to step up and help win games for this hockey club.