This article is part of our NHL Barometer series.
This week's article includes Jumbo Joe, a hot Hub in Florida, the top goalie in St. Louis down for a bit, Price on the mend, and a slumping Nuge.
First Liners (Risers)
Joe Thornton, C, SJ – Jumbo Joe is old and slow but he is still productive. His goal and assist Monday puts him at eight and 23 on the year in 40 games. Thornton added another goal Tuesday and is almost on pace to match the 16 and 49 he posted last year as 35-year old. As he ages, he seems to be playing better – or at least not regressing. His two points Monday also gave Thornton back-to-back multi-point efforts, with four such efforts in his last seven contests.
Matt Duchene, C, COL – Duchene continues to roll in the Rocky Mountains. He had two goals and an assist Sunday, giving him six points in the last four. The two goals lifted Duchene to 21 on the year, the fifth time he has surpassed the 20-goal barrier and lining him up to easily exceed his career-high of 27 set in 2010-11. If he stays hot, Duchene could surpass his career-high of 70 points set in 2013-14.
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, FLA – The Panthers saw their win streak end at 12 Monday but Huberdeau extended his point streak to four in the defeat. After a rebound campaign last year, the 22-year old has built on that by notching seven goals and 24 assists in 43 games. Huberdeau, who scored 54 points last season, has thrived on a line with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr.
Corey Perry, RW, ANA – Perry's overall numbers are not where they usually are but after a rough patch, his game is on the upswing. His goal Sunday gave him three markers in his last four games and 16 for the season. It's highly unlikely he breaks the 40-goal barrier again but 30 is definitely within reach, which would be the fifth straight full season he hits that mark.
Sven Baertschi, LW, VAN – Baertschi, who arrived last March from Calgary, didn't get off to a great start this season. Those struggles mirrored what he went through as a Flame, which paved his way out of town. Baertschi is making up for those rough times lately. His assist Monday gave him five goals and three assists in his last eight, excelling on Vancouver's second line with Bo Horvat.
Mattias Ekholm, D, NAS – Ekholm has been overshadowed by the other d-men in Nashville but he is having a fine season in his own right. The trade of Seth Jones to Columbus opened up a second unit PP role for Ekholm and he has seen over two minutes the past two games on the man-advantage. The Swede has already almost matched his career-high of 18 points from last season and 30-plus could be in the cards this year.
Kris Letang, D, PIT – Letang missed nine of 11 games in December due to a concussion but he has been on fire since returning. Named the most recent third star of the week, he has 10 points his last seven games, including a goal Tuesday. On the season, Letang has five goals and 21 assists in 31 games, but a minus-12 rating. It's always high-risk, high-reward with the blueline star due to his injury history, but when Letang is on the ice, he produces.
Braden Holtby, G, WAS – Holtby has taken his game to another level, leading the Caps to the top seed in the East. After making major strides last year under coach Barry Trotz and goaltending coach Mitch Korn, Holtby has taken his game to another level. He sports a 27-4-2 record with a 1.93 GAA and .932 save percentage and has not lost in regulation in 21 games. He notched 41 wins a year ago – a number that could well be exceeded this year.
Al Montoya, G, FLA – Montoya, the sixth overall pick by the Rangers in 2004, is having an excellent campaign backing up Roberto Luongo in Florida. His win Sunday made him 7-1-1 with a sterling 1.62 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Montoya, who has given up only a single goal in each of his last six appearances, won't see that much action for the Panthers but when he does, you can expect a solid performance.
Others include Sidney Crosby, Ryan O'Reilly, Ryan Spooner, Henrik Sedin, Andrew Shaw, Pavel Datsyuk, Vincent Trocheck, Joe Pavelski, Nicklas Backstrom, Bo Horvat, Aleksander Barkov, Ryan Johansen, Brayden Schenn, Alexander Wennberg, Jonathan Toews, Tyler Bozak, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Jason Zucker, Shane Doan, Mike Hoffman, David Pastrnak, T.J. Oshie. Alex Ovechkin (congrats on #500), Patrick Kane, Tyler Toffoli, Cam Atkinson, Michael Raffl, Max Pacioretty, T.J. Oshie, Ryan McDonagh, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tyler Myers, Brent Burns, Anton Stralman, Ryan Suter, Brent Seabrook, Seth Jones, Jonathan Quick, John Gibson, Corey Crawford, Jacob Markstrom, Karri Ramo, Roberto Luongo, Petr Mrazek, Louis Domingue and Brian Elliott.
Training Room (Injuries)
Carey Price, G, MON – Price, out since November 25 with a leg injury, was able to get on the ice and do some light skating on Tuesday. He is expected to remain out until after the All-Star break but seeing him on the ice was a good sign and a positive development for the Vezina Trophy winner. Montreal treaded water for a while without Price but sit 3-7 in their last 10, so they need Price back. When he was healthy, Price posted a 10-2-0 record, including two shutouts.
Jake Allen, G, STL – Allen is week-to-week with a lower body injury suffered Friday night against the Ducks. After a hot start, which enabled Allen to take the top job away from Brian Elliott, he has struggled the last four games. Despite that rough patch, Allen still has a 18-10-3 record with a 2.17 GAA, and .924 save percentage. Unless Elliott stands on his head, Allen should be the starter when he returns.
Others include Connor McDavid (collarbone, won't return until after the All-Star Game), Brandon Sutter (abdomen, could be back during Vancouver's road trip), Lance Bouma (leg laceration, week-to-week), Michael Cammalleri (upper-body injury, could return on Devils' upcoming road trip), James van Riemsdyk (broken foot, out 6-8 weeks), Nail Yakupov (ankle, could play Thursday), Nick Foligno (upper-body, out indefinitely), Patrik Elias (arthroscopic knee surgery, out indefinitely), Aaron Ekblad (concussion protocol), Travis Hamonic (lower-body injury, out 2-3 weeks), John Carlson (lower-body, close to returning), Erik Johnson (lower-body, could play Saturday), Shayne Gostisbehere (lower-body, day-to-day) and Sergei Bobrovsky (groin, faced shots in practice Tuesday).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, EDM – The Nuge is in the midst of a major cold stretch. Coming into Tuesday, Nugent-Hopkins hadn't scored since Dec. 14 at Boston, a span of 12 games. Overall, he has eight goals and 21 assists in 42 games compared to 24 and 32 in 76 last season. RNH's shots are down a bit but one would expect him, based on his history, to get on a hot streak before too long, though it remains to be seen when that will happen.
Andrew Ladd, LW, WPG – Ladd has just one goal along with three assists since Dec. 18. After tallying 24 goals and 38 assists last year, the Jets captain has only tallied 10 and 14 this season. Maybe his pending free agency is weighing on his mind and impacting his game. But whatever the reason, Ladd's play has suffered recently.
Cody Franson, D, BUF - Franson expected to sign a big deal this off-season, but the then free agent was left standing at the altar waiting for interest until Buffalo signed him to a two-year deal in September. The hope was Franson would be the Sabres' PP QB but that's failed to materialize. Rasmus Ristolainen has assumed that role while Franson has been relegated to the third pair while going scoreless his last eight contests.
Eddie Lack, G, CAR – Lack, who came over to Carolina this offseason from Vancouver, will likely eventually become the 'Canes starting netminder. That time is not now, as the Swede has struggled this season, posting a 2.96 GAA and .890 save percentage, which isn't good enough to hold off Cam Ward. Lack signed a two year extension this October, which should keep him in Carolina through 2017-18, but his struggles and that of the team make him a risky bet for at least this season.
Others include Nick Bonino, Tyler Johnson, David Legwand, Chris Higgins, Carl Hagelin, Joel Ward, Josh Bailey, Tomas Fleischmann, Thomas Vanek, Trevor Daley, Nick Leddy, Hampus Lindholm, Chad Johnson, Jaroslav Halak and Mike Condon.
