This week's article includes steak Tatar in Detroit, an Islander rising from the ashes, Old Man River on the blue line in Montreal, lots of goalies injured and a sniper shooting blanks in Toronto:
First Liners (Risers)
Bryan Little, C, Jets: Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele seem to get more of the publicity, but Little is the No. 1 center for the 'Peg. Little scored his 18th goal Sunday against Arizona, giving him 37 points in 47 games and 12 in the last 11. He basically has evenly split his points between home and away games this season (20 and 17). The 64 points Little tallied last year may not be reachable, but he may have a decent shot at it while paired with Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd on one of the better top lines in the league.
Mikael Backlund, C, Flames: Backlund missed more than two months with an abdominal injury but is more than making up for it lately. He ripped off a four-game goal-scoring streak and then added an assist when that streak was halted Saturday. Backlund will skate on the first or second line while hot, so ride this streak for all it's worth, but be ready to jump when he cools.
Tomas Tatar, LW, Red Wings: Tatar had a major breakthrough last season, helping to carry the Red Wings with several stars out with injuries. Coming into this season, there were some questions as to whether that play would carry forward with everyone healthy. Those questions have been answered; Tatar already has 21 goals on the season, besting the 19 he tallied last year, with six coming on the power play and five of them game-winners. In addition, Tatar is now riding a five-game point streak, compiling five goals and two assists in that span, which has given him 13 helpers on the year along with a plus-5 rating. Tatar could hit a slump, but his 119 shots on goal rank him among the league's top-60, which should keep him in good sted.
Brandon Saad, LW, Blackhawks: The big winger is on a roll; his two goals Sunday extended his point streak to four games, during which he has tallied five goals and an assist in that span. Saad had a breakthrough campaign last year with 47 points in 78 games and looks to be on target to exceed that number this year. He has 15 goals and 16 assists through 45 games, putting him on pace for 50+ points this season as a 22-year old.
Josh Bailey, LW, Islanders: Normally, I wouldn't profile three left wingers, but Bailey clearly deserves the last spot here. After missing time with lower- and upper-body injuries, Bailey got a shot to play with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and has exploded since then. His goal Monday against the Flyers gave Bailey three and eight helpers in his last 11 games since that change. Before this hot streak, Bailey hadn't produced enough to justify his selection as ninth overall in the 2008 draft, topping out at 38 points. Bailey has 20 points in the 33 games he has played, and if he remains on that top trio, should easily exceed 38 points.
Torey Krug, D, Bruins: Krug burst on the scene in the 2013 playoffs, all but eliminating the Rangers with his howitzer from the point. Last season, Krug tallied 14 goals and 26 assists in a very solid rookie campaign. This season he has been up-and-down but has been back on the beam lately with five straight games with a point before getting shut out Saturday. With eight goals and 15 assists in 42 games, he will end with numbers right around what he posted last season if he keeps up the pace.
Andrei Markov, D, Canadiens: They say age is just a number, and for Markov, that sure looks like the case. Markov posted three assists in Montreal's win over the Islanders on Saturday, giving him six assists, including four on the power play, in his past four games. For the year, Markov has 20 assists and five goals in 44 games, putting on pace to slightly top the 43 points he scored last year as a 35-year old.
Anton Khudobin, G, Hurricanes: Heading into Carolina's game Monday against Toronto, Khudobin had won his past four starts, though that streak goes all the way back to Dec. 23 for the first of those outings. However, Monday's start means Khudobin has started three of the Hurricanes' last four games, so a changing of the guard from Cam Ward could be occurring. The team as a whole is nothing special at best, but a starter is a starter, and you could do worse as third goalie.
Ryan Miller, G, Canucks: Miller entered Monday's game fresh off back-to-back shutouts. In addition, he has just two regulations losses in the past five weeks. Miller is 22-9-5 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, rebounding after struggling down the stretch with St. Louis last season.
Others: Anders Lee, Nicklas Backstrom, Steven Stamkos, Anze Kopitar, Claude Giroux, Aleksander Barkov, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Johansen, Tyler Ennis, Derek Stepan, Logan Couture, Tomas Plekanec, Jason Spezza, David Perron, Gustav Nyqvist, Andrew Ladd, Michael Frolik, Ryan Strome, Ondrej Palat, David Backes, Max Pacioretty, Alexander Steen, Chris Kreider, Benoit Pouliot, Colin Wilson, Jaden Schwartz, Bobby Ryan, Dustin Byfuglien, Jarome Iginla, T.J. Oshie, Henrik Zetterberg, Kris Letang, Anton Stralman, Alex Goligoski, Kevin Shattenkirk, Mark Giordano, Justin Faulk, Drew Doughty, Tobias Enstrom, Mark Streit, Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, Brian Elliott, Rob Zepp, Michael Hutchinson, Frederik Anderson, Braden Holtby and Henrik Lundqvist .
Trainer's room
Trevor Daley, D, Stars: Daley missed Saturday and Sunday's game with an undisclosed injury, but the hope/expectation was that he wouldn't be out long. That thought has to be revised, as it was announced Monday that Daley may not be ready to return following the All-Star break. Daley has 11 goals and 10 assists through 43 games and along with Goligoski and Klingberg, coupled with Jason Demers, has steadied the Dallas blue line while providing O from the D, so his absence will be noticeable.
Others: Mathieu Perrault (UBI following cross-check, DTD), Johan Franzen (shoulder, out since Jan. 6, limited to off-ice workouts), Tyler Toffoli (mono, could be back after ASG), Matt Carle (torn abductor muscle, out 6-to-8 weeks), Curtis Glencross (LBI, placed on IR), Jacob Trouba (UBI, skating with team, could be back after All-Star break), Jimmy Howard (groin, targeting return to action at some point between Jan. 31 and Feb. 7), Steve Mason (LBI, could be back after All-Star break), Pekka Rinne (sprained knee, out 2-to-4 more weeks), Carey Price (UBI, practiced Monday, close to returning) and Martin Jones (back spasms, IR).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Brayden Schenn, C, Flyers: Schenn's overall numbers -- 29 points in 47 games -- are solid but you are left expecting more. He has seen time on the top line but has just one goal since Dec. 9 while going through several cold streaks. Schenn should easily post a career-high in points and his ancillary numbers are in line with prior years, but I thought he would produce a lot more and be more consistent.
Phil Kessel, RW, Maple Leafs: Coming into Monday's game, Kessel has been held off the scoresheet for four straight games. Our update for Saturday paints a fairly bleak picture: "He has just two points -- both in the same game -- in six games since Coach Randy Carlyle was fired. We have to wonder about his ability to fit into the Leafs' new defensive scheme -- he's getting back defensively, but he seems tentative in the offensive zone. Hopefully he can get things figured out soon. The Leafs and Fantasy owners alike need that. Bad." Maybe the accusations of him costing Carlyle his job are preying on his mind, but whatever it is, his owners and the Maple Leafs need Kessel to wake up and quick.
Brent Seabrook, D, Blackhawks: Seabrook's two assists Saturday were his first points in seven games. With seven goals and 17 assists, Seabrook is having a nice season, but those numbers are bolstered by a hot stretch in December, during which he scored seven points in seven games. As you can see, beyond that he has struggled, so don't overrate him the balance of the season, even though he is on a very good offensive team.
Jonathan Quick, G, Kings: It's been a rough season to date for Quick. While the overall numbers -- .912 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average -- aren't horrible, they are coupled with a 16-11-9 record, and you are left wanting and expecting more. Of course, we have seen this show before so it would not shock me or likely anyone to see Quick turn into a stalwart down the stretch and carry LA far in the playoffs. But that does his owners little good right now. He did have a good start Saturday, and with Martin Jones dealing with back spasms, maybe Quick will rise to the occasion with additional playing time.
Others: Riley Nash, Sean Couturier, Nick Bonino, Scottie Upshall, Matt Beleskey, Jiri Sekac, Jakob Silfverberg, David Clarkson, Ryan O'Reilly, Andrej Sekera, Nick Holden, Jay Bouwmeester, Jhonas Enroth, Mike Smith (even though he is starting) and Niklas Backstrom.
