With six straight victories to comfortably clinch a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and move within one point of the top three in a competitive Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings are the hottest team in the National Hockey League.
The conference’s defending postseason champion Florida Panthers are ten points and three spots ahead of them in that group after a scorching 8-2-0 run over their previous ten games.
The teams have split their two regular season games, with the Panthers winning in Detroit in November and the Red Wings retaliating in Florida in January. It’s an intriguing and very likely matchup for the opening round of the 2023–24 playoffs.
The B/R Power Rankings have also been impacted to some extent by the momentum.
The Sharks have been struggling for another week; following their 7-2 loss to visiting New Jersey on Tuesday, their current losing streak now stands at four games. Even worse, Mackenzie Blackwood, the starting goalie, was forced off the field in the first period due to a lower-body injury despite stopping all 13 shots he faced. In relief, Kaapo Kahkonen let up seven goals on thirty-one shots.
Yes, the Blackhawks are tied for bottom place in the league overall, have lost their last ten games, and were winless for the week. However, Connor Bedard is not bad. After missing 14 games due to a broken jaw, the top overall selection and potential franchise savior has registered two goals and five assists in six games since his return.
For the unfortunate Ducks, who went 0-2-1 in three games while being outscored 14-8, a winless week is the mid-winter status quo. Anaheim, with the fewest points in the league (17 in 29 home games), suffered its two regulation losses at home.
Even though the Blue Jackets are close to.500 (4-5-1) in their last ten games and won two of their three games throughout the week, trade buzzards are still circling. Center Jack Roslovic and goalie Elvis Merzlikins are included in an NHL.com list of the best trade candidates that is constantly updated.
The Coyotes, who outshot a struggling Montreal team 38-20 but still lost 4-2 to the Canadiens on Tuesday to slump to 0-11-2 in their previous 13 games, have seen their situation only get worse. Furthermore, it is worrying that forward Clayton Keller was unable to play due to an upper-body injury he sustained on Sunday.
With a five-game losing streak, the Canadiens were in no hurry to break the run, so it was a great opportunity to welcome Arizona, the coldest team in the league, and end the run with a 4-2 victory behind 36 saves from Sam Montembeault. Defenseman Jordan Harris praised Montmebeault’s performance, saying, “I can’t speak highly enough of how he’s been all year.”
The Senators’ 10-3-3 record over 16 games started to crumble when they lost their next two games to Nashville and Washington on Monday and Tuesday. In the second of two wild-card berths, Ottawa sits 16 points behind Tampa Bay and five points above the Eastern basement.
The Sabres had won three games in a row earlier in the week, but on Tuesday they lost 3-2 in Florida. Coach Don Granato focused on Buffalo’s performance since January 1st, when the team went 12-9-0 and drew nearer to.500, but he also saw some positives. “Their appetite is growing and they have grown a lot,” he remarked. “Everyone is observing it occur.”
