This week's article includes Old Man River in Hockeytown, the Ghost scaring up points in Philly, Sid the Kid day-to-day and the top pivotman in Anaheim not playing like a Mighty Duck.
First Liners (Risers)
Alexander Wennberg, C, Blue Jackets - Wennberg continued his recent stretch of hot play by tallying another goal Monday against the Penguins. Skating between Brandon Saad and Scott Hartnell, the 21-year old now has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last nine games. Those 10 points give him 11 in 24 games, which are half or what he scored last season in 68 contests. Wennberg got off to a slow start and then missed two weeks with a foot injury, but he has made up for lost time since returning.
Pavel Datsyuk, C, Red Wings - It only seems like Datsyuk has been around since the NHL was a six-team league, though he clearly is an aged veteran. He underwent surgery in late June to repair ruptured tendons in his right ankle, keeping him out until Nov. 13. It took The Magic Man a little while to scrape off the rust and get back in shape, but he looks to be operating at full effectiveness with eight points in his last nine games. Datsyuk will likely sit games later in the year to stay fresh but ride him while he is hot.
Leo Komarov, LW, Maple Leafs - Komarov had two goals and an assist for the second straight game Monday giving him 15 lamp-lighters for the season. He now has 24 points in 31 games, which is just six points behind his career high notched in 52 games with Moscow Dynamo in 2010-11. What's most impressive and possibly valuable about Komarov even beyond the goals and points are his 145 hits coming into Monday's game. That number, which is only a mild shock as he had 250 hits last year, gives him tremendous value in leagues using that stat.
T.J. Oshie, LW, Capitals - Oshie was held off the scoresheet Monday against Carolina but he still has eight points his last four contests, showing just how hot he has been. An offseason trade brought Oshie to the Capitals, where he is skating in an enviable spot on the wing with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The former Blue now has 13 goals and nine assists in 33 games, and should be a lock for 50-plus points if he can stay healthy.
Tobias Rieder, LW, Coyotes - Rieder showed signs last year when he scored 13 goals and 21 points while finishing third on the team in shots (189) and seventh in hits (123) in 72 games. He got off to a slow start, but is picking up the pace after moving to the first line. Rieder has eight goals and 10 assists in 32 games of the season, nearly half of which has come in last few weeks. Depending on your view, he is ready for a spike or a drop, as just two of those points have come on the man-advantage, despite averaging 2:46 a game on the PP.
Trevor Daley, D, Penguins - Daley, who came over to Pitt from Chicago in what looked like an even salary exchange before some relief was provided, extended his point streak to three games with a power-play assist Monday against Columbus. Without Kris Letang, Daley has seamlessly stepped into Pittsburgh's top power play unit. Letang is expected back soon, so Daley might shift to the second unit, but his 16 goals last year, including six on the PP, could keep him on the top group.
Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Flyers - The Ghost continues to haunt opposing defenses. His power play assist Monday gave Gostisbehere 13 points in 18 games, as he continues to step up in Mark Streit's absence. Even more impressive is that four of his six goals have come on the man-advantage with three of those markers winning games. Gostisbehere, who Philly signed after a stellar career at Union College, had his season cut short a year ago by a torn ACL but he is making people forget about that lost season.
Corey Crawford, G, Blackhawks - Crawford is not viewed by many as an elite goalie, but regardless of how he is perceived, he has helped Chicago win two Cups. He looks to be on the top of his game, winning seven of his last eight starts, with three of those victories coming via shutout. Crawford now has 18 wins on the year and should win 30-plus for the fifth straight time in campaigns within 82-game schedules. Let others hate, just enjoy the numbers he posts.
Chad Johnson, G, Sabres - Johnson, at times known as Ocho Cinco, has ably stepped in for the injured Robin Lehner as the Sabres' top netminder. Buffalo acquired Lehner to be their goalie of the future but a high-ankle sprain has sidelined him since the first game of the season. Johnson has filled that breach and is 5-2-1 his last eight starts, allowing two or fewer goals in six of those eight. Lehner may be back shortly after the New Year, but until then, go with Johnson who has been more than solid for Buffalo.
Others include Anze Kopitar, Tyler Seguin, Bryan Little, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Spooner, Mikko Koivu, Nicklas Backstrom, Aleksander Barkov, Ryan O'Reilly, Evgeni Malkin, Antoine Vermette, Jamie Benn, Leon Draisaitl, Mark Scheifele, Nikita Kucherov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Cam Atkinson, Teuvo Teravainen, Taylor Hall, Jussi Jokinen, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Jakub Voracek, Mike Hoffman, Blake Wheeler, Gustav Nyquist, Shea Weber, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Dan Boyle, Justin Braun, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Faulk, Mark Giordano, John Carlson, Petr Mrazek, Tuukka Rask, Cory Schneider, Thomas Greiss, Braden Holtby, Jonathan Quick, Jake Allen and Karri Ramo.
Training Room (Injuries)
Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins - Crosby has had an up-and-down season but seemed to have been righting the ship with three assists his last two games. Unfortunately, he is now day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The good news is if Crosby sits Tuesday, he will have an additional five days to rest, which should allow him to return to action without missing any additional games. Monitor his status closely.
Kyle Okposo, LW, Islanders - Okposo is dealing with a lower-body injury that sidelined him the last two games before the break. There are questions as to the extent of the injury, with rumors surgery may be required. Even if not, Okposo, a free agent after the year, could be out a bit longer than those two games. This is the second straight year an injury could wreak havoc on a solid campaign.
Others include Brandon Sutter (abdomen, could be back second week of January), Connor McDavid (shoulder, skating), Nick Bjugstad (UBI, won't be back right after the break), Ondrej Palat (ankle, close to returning), Michael Frolik (UBI, out several weeks), Bobby Ryan (broken finger, DTD), Kris Letang (undisclosed, out since Dec. 11, could be back after the break), Kevin Klein (oblique, out until after the break), David Savard (ankle, out four weeks), Robin Lehner (high ankle sprain, possibly back second week of January) and James Reimer (groin, inching closer).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Ducks - Getzlaf was a faller earlier in the season when he went the first 13 games without a goal. He finally lit the lamp in his 14th game and seemed to be rounding into form. Heading into Monday's game against the Islanders, he had once again gone 13 games without a goal. This time, the 14th and 15th games were not the charm, as he was shutout again Monday and Tuesday. The eight-year, $66 million contract extension he signed with the Ducks in March of 2013 looks like it could be a major albatross for Anaheim in the future.
Jarome Iginla, RW, Avalanche - Iginla's goal Saturday was his first point in 10 games. He was unable to follow that up with a point Monday and now has 17 points in 35 games on the year. Iginla, who had 60 points last year in Colorado and has 1,243 points in 1,427 career games, is now skating on the third line. So while he should rebound, temper your expectations a bit.
Seth Jones, D, Predators - Jones was held scoreless for the eighteenth straight game Monday against Montreal. After showing some signs of offensive growth, Jones got off to a hot start to the season, posting 10 points in his first 15 games. At that time, it looked like there would be a three-headed scoring blueline monster in Nashville with Jones, Shea Weber and Roman Josi. That may still be the case in the future, but for now, the kid belongs on your bench.
Henrik Lundqvist, G, Rangers - Hank has been anything but money in the bank lately. After a brilliant start to the season during which the Rangers went 16-3-2, Lundqvist and the Rangers have plummeted back to earth. New York is just 3-9-2 their last 14 games with the starter in five of his last six having allowed at least four goals in four of those games before a 3-2 win Tuesday against the Ducks. You have to figure New York and Lundqvist will eventually figure it out, but the myriad of mental and physical errors on the ice make it unclear when that will happen.
Others include Matt Cullen, Ryan Johansen, Eric Staal, Ryan Kesler, Rick Nash, Tommy Wingels, Daniel Sprong, Sven Baertschi, Patric Hornqvist, Ian Cole, Cam Fowler, Jacob Trouba, Eddie Lack, Craig Anderson, Martin Jones and Ryan Miller.
