NHL 4 Stars Nov 24-30: Movember-Ender Special

Edmonton is 1-6-3 in their last ten games #TankForMcDavid

First let’s do a recap of last week’s stars and see how this past week treated them…

For Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks, everything is just dandy. In Chicago’s three road games this week, they went 3-0-0, and you cannot get any better than that. Kaner had 2G/3A (+5) in the Hawks’ three games and he now leads the team in points (10G/13A, +3). Overall we shouldn’t expect anything less from this team, as each year they play great hockey.

Last week’s second star, Tomas Tatar, had a quiet week with only two assists. Although the Red Wings had key players, like Pavel Datsyuk and Stephen Wesis return to the line-up, helping the team go 4-0-0 this week. But we’ll come back to the Red Wings a little later in this article…

Ryan Strome might have had an off-week, where he only had two assists in the Islanders’ four games, but his teammates managed to compensated for what last week’s star lacked. Although the Islanders are still tied with Pittsburgh, with 34 points in the Metropolitan division, the NYI still had a great week, going 3-1-0 and only losing to the Capitals at home. We are a quarter of the way into the season and it seems like everything is clicking for the Isles, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

The Vancouver Canucks went 2-1-0 this week, as goal-tender Ryan Miller, who posted two shutouts in a row, allowed five goals against the Detroit Red Wings. But as you recall, Bo Horvat was the star from the Pacific I picked last week. Although Horvat might not have recorded a point this week, I bet he was happy after this happened…

Horvat has been playing for relatively the same amount of time each game, hovering at about 9:30 mins/game. But he continues to do well in the game-off circle, as he is 61.3% when taking face-offs. I’m sure Coach Desjardins will look to Horvat in key situations, like the penalty kill or any time a face-off win is necessary. Until then, keep up the good work, kid!

Now on to this week’s stars…

1 – The Pacific Division: Jiri Hudler – Calgary Flames

Jiri Hudler played all three of Calgary’s games this week, where the team went 2-1-0, all on the road (only losing to the Ducks). However, Hudler led the way for Calgary with 4G/2A (+3). He is currently on a four game point streak and he leads the Flames in goals.

Calgary has been defying expectations all year. They are a rebuilding team, so they say. They are a push-over, so they say. If teams are playing against the Flames with this kind of mentality, they will most likely lose.

Hudler, in his 10th NHL season, provides great leadership for the Flames, along with captain Mark Giordano, TJ Bordie, and Jonas Hiller. Hudler has played 24 of Calgary’s 25 games, where he has scored 11G/12A (+7). Overall, Calgary is 15-8-2 and is seated third in the Pacific division.

2 – The Metropolitan Division: Johnny Boychuk – New York Islanders

Johnny Boychuk might not have had a big impact for the Isles on the score sheet, but he was a big part of the Islanders’ success this week. They went 3-1-0, winning key games against division rivals. Boychuk had two assists and was a plus 2, but his contributions this week (and this season) go beyond his offensive stats.

The New York Islanders needed help in goal-tending and defense going into this season. With the signing of Jaroslav Halak, and trading for the former Bruin Johnny Boychuk and former Blackhawk Nick Leddy, and looking at how the Islanders have done so far this season, the trades and pick-ups have worked well for the NYI.

Whether on the penalty kill, power play, or even strength, Boychuk is a great defense-man who logs a lot of ice time. This week, he played an average of 25 minutes per game, where he played the role of shutting down players like Ovechkin, Giroux, Voracek, and Jaromir Jagr. In 21 games, he has 2G/12A (+7) and he leads the NYI in points from a defense man.

3 – The Central Division: Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators

Not only has Pekka Rinne gone 3-0-0 this week, but he has had an awesome Movember. He started 11 games for Nashville this month and won 10 of them, making him an early candidate for the Vezina!

In his three starts against the Kings, Oilers, and Blue Jackets, he posed a 1.33 GAA and a save percentage of .937, including a shutout against the Oilers,a game the Oilers outplayed Nashville, with a score of 1-0 in OT.

Along with great defense from Shea Weber, consistent offence from rookie Fillip Forsberg, Nashville has everything going for them, including a goal tender who is leading the NHL in wins, with a record of 16-5-2 (1.82GAA, .933%). The funny thing about his stats is that Nashville has a record of 16-5-2, meaning that Rinne has all of the Preds’ wins!

4 – The Atlantic Division: Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings

Detroit had some key players come back from injury this week, including Stephen Wesis and this week’s star, Pavel Datsyuk, who scored 4 goals in three games for the Red Wings. As a result, the Wings made the biggest jump in the standings, going from a wild card spot to the third seat in the Atlantic division.

As Detroit has relied on many players will little experience in the NHL, having Datsyuk back in the line-up takes pressure off players like Zetterburg, Kronwall, and Howard. The line-ups for Detroit are more balanced as a result, which will lead to their continued success, as they have won all four of their games this week.

In 13 games for Detroit, Pavel has 9G/6A (+3), going at more than a point-per-game pace (which is what we except from the Magic man).