We\u2019re down to the home stretch here. With 12-to-15 games left, the playoff races in the East and West are both coming down to the wire with the East looking especially spicy.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, we\u2019ve picked one player from each team to watch during the final stretch of the season. From trade deadline newcomers to incoming rookies to players that are heating up since the Olympic break, every team has at least one interesting guy to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n
1. Colorado Avalanche, 44-13-10<\/p>\n
Last week: 1
Sean: 1
Dom: 1<\/p>\n
There was plenty to like about the Avalanche\u2019s deadline acquisition of Nicolas Roy even before they added Nazem Kadri; Roy hadn\u2019t been great with the Maple Leafs but spent plenty of time as a rock-solid, bottom-six center for the Vegas Golden Knights. With Kadri in the mix, the logic went, Roy could slot in perfectly as a 4C.<\/p>\n
He hasn\u2019t settled into any role just yet, though, scoring two goals and posting the worst five-on-five numbers on the roster since his acquisition. Good as the Avs are, they\u2019d look a whole lot better if they could roll Roy as an effective fourth-liner.<\/p>\n
2. Dallas Stars, 43-15-10<\/p>\n
Last week: 2
Sean: 2
Dom: 2<\/p>\n
There are a lot of players worth watching on the league\u2019s hottest team, currently on a 15-1-1 run. We\u2019re going to hone in on Mavrik Bourque, who has been sensational on the top line since the Olympic break, offering some interesting top-nine configurations for when Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen return. Bourque has nine points in 11 games since the break and a 60 percent xG rate. The Stars have become a five-on-five juggernaut during this stretch and Bourque elevating his game to a true top-six level is a big reason.<\/p>\n
3. Buffalo Sabres, 43-20-6<\/p>\n
Last week: 4
Sean: 3
Dom: 3<\/p>\n
The Sabres are appointment viewing for a lot of reasons<\/a>. For fans of opposing teams, they offer a chance to watch the belle of this year\u2019s free-agency ball, Alex Tuch. Despite not having a spot on the top power-play unit, Tuch is on pace for his second 35-goal season and is a nightly force at five-on-five.<\/p>\n For Sabres fans, Rasmus Dahlin is making a late push into the Norris conversation. Can he do enough over the final 13 games to be a finalist?<\/p>\n 4. Carolina Hurricanes, 43-19-6<\/p>\n Last week: 3 Since the break, Nikolaj Ehlers leads the Hurricanes in goals (six) and points (13) despite posting the worst five-on-five expected goal share on the team. Something tells us the Hurricanes are OK with that \u2014 they signed Ehlers for springtime production. If he brings his current mix to the postseason, Carolina will be better for it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth keeping an eye on goaltender Brandon Bussi, who has an .835 save percentage and nearly seven goals allowed above expected since the Olympic break. Freddie Andersen, get ready.<\/p>\n 5. Tampa Bay Lightning, 42-21-4<\/p>\n Last week: 6 Nikita Kucherov would be a worthy Hart Trophy choice. Anytime a player is doing things usually reserved for Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, it\u2019s worth your time. Over his past 45 games, Kucherov has 93 points, the best 45-game stretch<\/a> since Lemieux in 1995-96. We\u2019re witnessing a truly special season.<\/p>\n 6. Minnesota Wild, 39-19-12<\/p>\n Last week: 5 If you\u2019re wondering why Vince Trocheck isn\u2019t wearing a Wild jersey, rookie center Danila Yurov has plenty to do with it. Minnesota held onto Yurov, 21, rather than sending him away for a more established center, but his post-Olympic play (three points in 12 games, 53 percent expected goal share) has been a mixed bag. The Wild, thin down the middle as always, need more from him right now \u2014 not just in the future.<\/p>\n 7. Columbus Blue Jackets, 36-21-11<\/p>\n Last week: 9 Columbus needs Adam Fantilli to be a star, in the short and long term, and lately, he\u2019s once again looked the part. Since Rick Bowness took over as coach on Jan. 13, Fantilli has been a point-per-game player, compared to 28 in 45 games under Dean Evason. If he keeps that up, the Blue Jackets\u2019 lineup makes a bunch more sense. They\u2019re officially in playoff position<\/a>, by the way, after starting the Bowness Era in 28th place.<\/p>\n 8. Pittsburgh Penguins, 34-18-16<\/p>\n Last week: 11 Plenty has been said this week<\/a> about the decline of 38-year-old Kris Letang. At the risk of repeating some of it \u2026 hoo boy. Letang was particularly brutal against Carolina on Wednesday night; Pittsburgh was out-attempted 32-10 with him on the ice, outscored 2-0 and posted an expected goal share in the teens.<\/p>\n Outside of that, since the Olympic break, Letang has been on the ice for 13 goals against; no other Penguin has been on for more than nine. He\u2019s playing second-pair minutes, too, and Pittsburgh is short on other options. That seems like a potential postseason problem.<\/p>\n (Note: Pittsburgh and Montreal have the same points total and points percentage. We gave the Pens the age based on their 25-12 lead in goal differential.)<\/p>\n 9. Montreal Canadiens, 37-21-10<\/p>\n Last week: 7 Does Cole Caufield have ground to make up on Nathan MacKinnon in the Rocket Richard Trophy race? Certainly. Is he capable of doing just that? Also, certainly. In his first nine games after the Olympic break, Caufield scored eight times \u2014 three more than MacKinnon, who also had two games in hand.<\/p>\n 10. Boston Bruins, 38-23-8<\/p>\n Last week: 14 After flashing some mid-season heat, Fraser Minten has cooled off considerably with just one point since Feb. 1 (13 games played). He has an opportunity to get back on track, though, after being elevated to the top line next to David Pastrnak. Last night\u2019s 6-1 win over Winnipeg was his third consecutive in the role, and both he and Pastrnak scored.<\/p>\n 11. Ottawa Senators, 35-24-9<\/p>\n Last week: 16 The Senators are always on the hunt for more scoring and Drake Batherson has been delivering of late, with eight goals in 11 games since the Olympic break. Batherson has quietly jumped up a level this season and is scoring at a 35-goal and 76-point pace. He\u2019s the one to watch as Ottawa aims to sneak into the playoffs.<\/p>\n 12. New York Islanders, 39-25-5<\/p>\n Last week: 8 You know exactly who we\u2019re going with here. We don\u2019t care, because he\u2019s the obviously correct choice<\/a>. After a bit of a midseason lull, Matthew Schaefer is back to doing generational stuff on a nightly basis, playing at a point-per-game pace while putting up an absurd 62 percent xG. He\u2019s now one of just four defensemen to score 20 goals this season and, according to his projected Net Rating, is on track to be the best non-McDavid rookie in the analytics era.<\/p>\n 13. Detroit Red Wings, 38-23-8<\/p>\n Last week: 15 Justin Faulk, for the first couple weeks of his Red Wings career, played shutdown minutes on a pair with Ben Chiarot, and the results for Detroit were middling at best. In a 3-1 win against the Canadiens on Thursday, though, they controlled the expected goal share, largely against Montreal\u2019s third line, and neither team scored. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, meanwhile, aptly handled the Canadiens\u2019 top line. Todd McLellan might want to stick with that setup.<\/p>\n 14. Utah Mammoth, 36-27-6<\/p>\n Last week: 13 Barrett Hayton hasn\u2019t been productive overall, with just three points in 12 games since the Olympic break, and we\u2019re specifically wondering how much longer Andre Tourigny can stick with him on the power play; that unit scores 0.7 more goals per 60 when Logan Cooley is on the ice.<\/p>\n 15. Anaheim Ducks, 37-27-4<\/p>\n Last week: 10 It\u2019s always a shock when a big name gets sent to the press box for a few games, and Mason McTavish is no exception. McTavish hasn\u2019t taken the offensive leap some expected and remains a defensive mess to the point that it\u2019s not a massive surprise that he\u2019s been the odd man out. The question is how he responds if\/when he returns to the lineup. Will this be the spark that ignites his potential or will it signal the end of his Ducks\u2019 tenure?<\/p>\n 16. Edmonton Oilers, 34-27-9<\/p>\n Last week: 17 Before Thursday, Vasily Podkolzin had played about 105 minutes this season on Connor McDavid\u2019s wing. In those minutes, the Oilers outscored their opponents 8-3. Leon Draisaitl\u2019s injury means that we\u2019ll see more of those two together. It\u2019s worth noting Matt Savoie didn\u2019t take long<\/a> to click as McDavid\u2019s linemate, either. Wonder what the common thread could be.<\/p>\n 17. Vegas Golden Knights, 30-22-14<\/p>\n Last week: 12 Don\u2019t look now, but Adin Hill has posted a save percentage above .900 over three straight games for the first time this season. Vegas only needs Hill to be average and he\u2019s been anything but in 2025-26. If he\u2019s back, the Golden Knights still have a shot to challenge for the Pacific Division crown.<\/p>\n 18. Philadelphia Flyers, 31-24-14<\/p>\n Last week: 18 Folks, we\u2019ve got Matvei Michkov fatigue, just like most of you. How many more words need to be typed about a player barely on pace for 40 points?<\/p>\n But Michkov is interesting for what he represents: one of Philadelphia\u2019s few hopes at assembling a contending core. His sophomore results being this uninspiring is a big deal, especially as the Flyers march themselves toward the 13th pick where finding a legit difference-maker to add to the core will probably be difficult. And if Michkov struggles to show signs that he can get there himself down the stretch \u2026 Woof. (If you\u2019re at your Michkov limit, go with Noah Cates<\/a>, who has 12 points since the break.)<\/p>\n 19. Washington Capitals, 34-27-8<\/p>\n Last week: 20 Cole Hutson made his NHL debut on Wednesday, and if you\u2019ve watched his brother Lane play just once in your life, you can guess how things went. We saw a dazzling array of puck possession, pretty passes and a whole bunch of offensive-zone time culminating in 56 percent of the expected goals. Not a bad debut for the other Hutson. How he fares down the stretch will dictate a lot for what to expect from the Capitals next season and beyond.<\/p>\n 20. Los Angeles Kings, 28-24-16<\/p>\n Last week: 21 The Kings have been a mess, but they\u2019ve still somehow got a decent chance at sneaking into the playoffs. If that\u2019s what comes to pass, we\u2019ll thank the Pacific Division for giving us a few more games\u2019 worth of Anze Kopitar\u2019s incredible career. The Kings legend has points in eight of his last nine games.<\/p>\n 21. New Jersey Devils, 35-31-2<\/p>\n Last week: 25 Since returning from his Olympic adventure, Jack Hughes is fifth in the NHL with 4.69 points per 60. The guy said he\u2019s been focused on hockey \u2014 might as well believe him. A few more injury-free weeks of similar production would help Devils fans feel a whole lot better about whatever happens next.<\/p>\n 22. San Jose Sharks, 32-29-6<\/p>\n Last week: 19 At some point soon, the Sharks will feel less like Macklin Celebrini and a group of backup singers. Keep your eyes on Michael Misa, who has eight points in his last 11 games as San Jose\u2019s 2C, and Sam Dickinson, who\u2019s been on the ice for more expected goals per 60 than any of the team\u2019s defensemen since the Olympics. He\u2019s done that in tougher minutes, too.<\/p>\n 23. Nashville Predators, 31-28-9<\/p>\n Last week: 24 Against all odds, the Predators are feasibly hanging around the playoff race and if a miracle run to play exactly four playoff games is going to happen, they need vintage Filip Forsberg leading the way. He had three points in a big win over Seattle last night, bringing him up to a point-per-game rate since the Olympic break.<\/p>\n 24. Seattle Kraken, 31-28-9<\/p>\n Last week: 22 The Kraken have long been desperate for elite starpower and they\u2019ve finally found it in Bobby McMann. Seattle\u2019s deadline addition has four goals and six points in five games, or a 67-goal and 98-point pace. We say he does it.<\/p>\n 25. Florida Panthers, 34-31-3<\/p>\n Last week: 23 In five January starts, Daniil Tarasov was solid (.917 save percentage, 3.7 GSAx). Since the Olympics, things haven\u2019t gone quite so well (.881, minus -1.1). He\u2019s worth watching if only for one reason: To see what life for the Panthers could look like if Sergei Bobrovsky winds up elsewhere come July 1.<\/p>\n 26. St. Louis Blues, 27-30-11<\/p>\n Last week: 26 One main reason that Jordan Binnington\u2019s name was out there at the trade deadline was because it was becoming increasingly clear that St. Louis\u2019 net belonged to Joel Hofer. Since March 1, he\u2019s fifth in GSAx at 11.1, 16 goals better than Binnington.<\/p>\n 27. Winnipeg Jets, 28-29-11<\/p>\n Last week: 27 It\u2019s been a disappointing season for the Jets, but they may have found themselves the league\u2019s next big thing for the nerds. Defenseman Elias Salomonsson, 21, has given them solid minutes, putting up a 53-percent expected goal share in his first 24 games, 20 of which have come after assuming Neal Pionk\u2019s spot next to Dylan Samberg on Winnipeg\u2019s second pair.<\/p>\n 28. Chicago Blackhawks, 26-30-12<\/p>\n Last week: 29
Sean: 4
Dom: 4<\/p>\n
Sean: 5
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Sean: 6
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Sean: 9
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Sean: 12
Dom: 10<\/p>\n
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Dom: 11<\/p>\n
Sean: 10
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Sean: 13
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Sean: 21
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Sean: 21
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Sean: 28
Dom: 28<\/p>\n