NHL best and worst: Ovechkin keeps climbing, more McDavid magic - Yahoo Sports

Another week of NHL enactment — chalk afloat of wicked goals, nasty saves and viral moments — is successful the books, and we’ve got each you request to see, perceive and cognize from the past 7 days close here.

Let's dive close into the goodness, shall we.

Goal of the week

While Tampa Bay started their play disconnected a small spot dilatory for their liking, the three-time Eastern Conference champs person recovered their stride of late, winning 5 straight. One of the league’s hottest teams, they’ve been led by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, but don’t hide astir Brayden Point.

The Bolts pivot has bounced backmost this twelvemonth pursuing a mates of sub-point-per-game seasons and looks rejuvenated this twelvemonth successful a large way. That was nary much evident than past Tuesday erstwhile Point eviscerated the NHL’s newest franchise with this implicit doozy of a goal.

Save of the week

Folks, we mightiness conscionable person our caller save-of-the-year candidate. The Columbus Blue Jackets person mostly had a play to forget, particularly connected the goaltending front, but this 1 decidedly sticks out. Blue Jackets third-stringer Daniil Tarasov — seemingly the lone netminder really stopping pucks for Columbus astatine this constituent — perfectly robs Nikita Kucherov point-blank with the mitt hand, stretching retired with a larcenous prevention to prime the puck close disconnected the extremity line.

Player of the week

Alex Ovechkin entered the past books this week with a chapeau instrumentality against the Chicago Blackhawks, becoming conscionable the 3rd subordinate ever to scope 800 vocation markers down Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. While helium wasn’t capable to walk Mr. Hockey’s 801 people this week, helium remains connected the precipice of passing the NHL legend, leaving conscionable one, Gretzky-sized domino to autumn earlier The Great Eight reigns supreme.

Hands of the week

McDavid’s hands this week were truthful nice, we had to prime him twice. McDavid scored a brace of end-to-end beauties against 2 antithetic Central Division teams, arsenic the NHL’s champion subordinate tortured his opponents this week.

First, it was the Nashville Predators, who could lone beryllium backmost and ticker arsenic McDavid buries aft 1 of his patented solo rushes to the net. Then, conscionable 2 days later, McDavid decided to play with his nutrient again, this clip leaving Alexei Toropchenko, Jordan Binnington, and the remainder of the St. Louis Blues successful his wake. At this rate, this file mightiness conscionable person to adhd a “What did McDavid bash this week” section.

Hit of the week

While hockey has continued to determination towards an ever-increasing grade of accomplishment and speed, that doesn’t mean the pugnacious feline is extinct rather yet. Ryan Reaves, for example, has recovered a mode to carve a niche astatine 35 years old, forechecking hard, laying the body, and doing the soiled enactment portion providing a spark with the fisticuffs each truthful often too. Against the Detroit Red Wings past week, Reaves laid the roar connected defenceman Filip Hronek, leaving him level connected his wallet with an epic hit.

Worst of the week

There are undisciplined penalties, and past there’s immoderate happened here. After New Jersey Devils defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler broke his instrumentality connected the punishment kill, Erik Haula did precisely the close thing, getting the defenceman his twig to support the blueliner capable to support the forward. The lone occupation is, Haula was connected the different broadside of the slot, prompting him to chuck his stick into Siegenthaler’s hands and resulting successful a brutal (and hilarious) punishment connected the play.

Full marks for the creativity, though.

Quote of the week

NHL players are masters of the chirp, however, astir of what goes connected astatine the crystal level doesn’t marque its mode to the fans, which is astir apt for the better. Every present and again, however, the unusual blistery mic gives fans a glimpse astatine immoderate of the extracurriculars going connected betwixt the benches, which is precisely what happened here. Jordan Greenway deed Darnell Nurse wherever it wounded with this hilarious chirp astatine the blueliner’s expense.

'The fans don’t similar your questions'

Klim Kostin whitethorn beryllium successful his archetypal play with the Oilers, but the erstwhile first-round prime definite is uncovering ways to endear himself to the fans quickly. In this hilarious clip, Kostin throws immoderate shadiness astatine longtime writer Jim Matheson with a hilarious quip connected the scribe's “divisive” online personality.

Stat of the week

Who says the aged guys can’t compete? In a league afloat of young stars, and connected a squad that leads the mode arsenic its youngest, it’s 41-year-old Craig Anderson that’s making past arsenic his goose ovum against the Los Angeles Kings made him the 2nd oldest goaltender to ever unafraid an NHL shutout. Now that deserves a celebratory solid of prune juice.

Watch it, I’m wearing a mic!

With Kailer Yamamoto yipping successful his ear, NHL referee Corey Syvret fto the 24-year-old cognize to support it PG-13. With the blistery mic rolling, the hilarious informing was large and clear, not lone for Yamamoto, but the remainder of the hockey satellite tuning into the broadcast.

Wholesome infinitesimal of the week

What Kris Letang has done since suffering from a changeable successful precocious November has been thing abbreviated of astonishing. The longtime Penguins defender returned to enactment little than 2 weeks aft the archetypal incident, past went and scored successful his 3rd crippled back. Simply singular worldly from the aboriginal Hockey Hall of Famer.

Down horrendous

After spending each of past play connected the league’s worst team, it tin beryllium excused that Jake Allen whitethorn beryllium a small spot excited to beryllium connected a young and breathtaking squad that has exceeded expectations to this point. Allen’s colourful connection choice, however, doesn’t permission precise overmuch to the imagination. Somebody get this antheral a room.

Jack of each trades

Jack Hughes’ detonation into the league’s elite has been an implicit pleasance to watch, and it’s nary concealed why. In a procreation of flashy, highly skilled players, Jack Hughes mightiness conscionable beryllium atop the battalion arsenic 1 of the astir thrilling. Against the Flyers past Thursday, New Jersey’s franchise prima took the Flyers for a walk, splitting the defence and burying an implicit beauty.

Big nap guy

Mad props to Seth Jarvis for speaking his truth. Naps are the best, and anyone that says different is simply lying to your face. As for what question prompted this answer, well, I don’t cognize that I could archer you if you gave maine a cardinal guesses.

Wisconsin cheesehead

The fable of Phil Kessel continued its upward trajectory arsenic erstwhile teammate Kris Versteeg shared this hilarious communicative of Kessel’s pregame repast regular from his days with the Maple Leafs. Hey, immoderate gets your humor pumping Kessel. If the NHL’s robust antheral is doing it, who are we to judge?

The person of my friend…

The Canadiens and Senators whitethorn beryllium part foes and battling arsenic NHL bubble teams, but astatine slightest the 2 tin enslaved implicit their communal hatred of the Maple Leafs. Even with the Maple Leafs successful New York City preparing to look the Rangers the pursuing day, the 2 Canadian Eastern Conference foes enactment their quarrels speech to fto the radical cognize that Toronto does, successful fact, suck.

Miller Time

For a defenceman, K’Andre Miller definite makes this 1 look easy. Even aft being tripped up connected the breakaway, Miller finds it successful himself to get to his feet, nonstop Carter Hart’s jockstrap to the rafters, and people a beauty.

Word salad

Jack Edwards is backmost successful the spotlight with immoderate much antics. It’s lone been a fewer weeks since the Bruins broadcaster body-shamed Pat Maroon, but erstwhile again the 65-year-old has recovered himself twisting his lingua and speaking nonsense. If anybody tin ace the codification and fig retired what the heck is going connected here, beryllium my guest.

Scrap of the week

Full marks spell retired to Michael McLeod connected this one, arsenic the Devils youngster does his champion to spell toe-to-toe with Flyers heavyweight Nicolas Deslauriers. The Flyers pugnacious feline gets the champion of McLeod overall, but this spirited tilt was plentifulness of amusive to ticker anyway.

Trending up

Winners of their past six, the New York Rangers are back. Just 5 points backmost of the part lead, New York has recovered a mode to get it done, acknowledgment successful ample portion to Igor Shesterkin’s large period and instrumentality to elite-level play. On the violative broadside of the puck, Jimmy Vesey besides played the improbable leader for the Blueshirts, arsenic the erstwhile Harvard merchandise exacted immoderate revenge connected his aged nine with a brace of goals against the Maple Leafs connected Thursday. Whether oregon not the Rangers tin prolong this whitethorn beryllium a question for a antithetic time — they inactive fertile 24th successful expected extremity percent since December 1st — but for now, arsenic agelong arsenic they support getting saves, things volition proceed to spell the Rangers' mode until further notice.

Trending down

A amazingly blistery commencement to the year, buoyed by immoderate coagulated goaltending, Dylan Larkin elevating his game, and some astonishing breakout stars, had the Red Wings looking beauteous heading into December. Unfortunately, overmuch of that magic fairy particulate seems to person sprinkled off, arsenic the Red Wings person deed the skids successful a large mode for the archetypal clip this season.

Detroit had mislaid 5 consecutive heading into Sunday, and are winners of conscionable 2 of their past 10 games. They’ve besides been leapfrogged by some the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers betwixt precocious November and mid-December, which surely doesn’t bode good for a squad looking to marque the jump. They’ll person to crook their vessel astir successful abbreviated bid if they privation immoderate anticipation of making a playoff propulsion aft all.

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