This article is part of our NHL Barometer series.
This week's article includes Sid the Kid, Sly and the Ottawa Stone, no muzzling Muzzin and the Rangers' Captain sidelined. (Also, congrats to Martin Brodeur on having his jersey retired!)
First Liners (Risers)
Sidney Crosby, C, PIT – To clear up any questions, Crosby was on the Fallers list last week due to his first half production not meeting expectations. Maybe it was the coaching change from Mike Johnston to Mike Sullivan, a return to full health, or just the cream rising to the top. But whatever the reason, Sid the Kid is on fire. He has notched a goal in seven straight and moved up to fifth in the league in scoring as of Monday night.
Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA – Getzlaf has had an odd year, with just five goals in 48 games. But he is contributing helpers galore, having racked up 31 on the year. In addition, Getzlaf has nine in his last six as he continues to rebound after a slow start. The same can be said about Anaheim, and it's not surprising as their captain got going, so did the team.
Mark Stone, LW, OTT – Stone had a Calder Trophy nomination campaign last season with 26 goals and 38 assists. That continued his stretch of scoring at all levels, starting with juniors to the AHL, and then NHL. Despite that fine year, it was expected the 23-year old would regress, partially driven by the view his 16.6 shooting percentage was unsustainable. Stone has been up-and-down, but he has been on fire of late with goals in four straight and eight points in that span. Those four goals give him 16 on the year along with a very respectable 16.0 shooting percentage.
Chris Kunitz, LW, PIT – As mentioned before, I usually don't like having two players from the same team highlighted in the Risers section but occasionally I will make an exception. After a rough start, Kunitz has been red-hot. He's scored five goals and seven assists with a plus-13 in his last nine contests; those 12 points are almost half his season production in 50 games. Ride the wave.
Kyle Okposo, RW, NYI – Okposo will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer and he is doing his best to make sure he earns a big contract. He posted a hat trick and added an assist Sunday against Edmonton, making 15 points in his last 14 games. Okposo is now up to 41 points and is on his way to eclipsing the 60-point mark for the second time in his career.
Dougie Hamilton, D, CGY – Teach me how to Dougie, won't you teach me how to Dougie. Calgary fans weren't singing that earlier this year, as their big offseason acquisition got off to a horrible start. However, Hamilton's recent numbers show significant improvement. His goal and assist Tuesday gives him 18 points in his last 27 games, a far cry from the one point and minus-11 rating he posted in his first nine.
Jake Muzzin, D, LA – Much of the focus on the Kings' blueline is rightly on Drew Doughty. But Muzzin showed last season why he deserves to be considered in a similar light, posting 10 goals and 31 assists. Muzzin got off to a slow start but his two assists Tuesday gave the d-man 14 points his last 15 games and 31 in total.
Martin Jones, G, SJ – Jones has been up-and-down the past month. Heading into Tuesday's game and since January 13, Jones allowed one goal in four games and three or more his other five contests. In addition, he had alternated losses and wins his past six games. Following that pattern, Jones was expected to win Tuesday, which he did, posting a 33 save shutout against the Blackhawks, giving him 25 wins on the season.
Frederik Andersen, G, ANA – Andersen got the nod Tuesday after John Gibson allowed six goals Monday and made the most of this start, stopping 28 shots in a 4-1 win over the Flyers. That victory was his sixth in as many starts since January 12 and lowered his GAA to 2.18. Andersen is splitting time with Gibson but his solid play could earn him a bit more action.
Others include Joe Pavelski, Travis Zajac, Joakim Nordstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, John Tavares, Derick Brassard, Adam Henrique, Artem Anisimov, Ryan Kesler, Jordan Staal, Claude Giroux, Alex Killorn, Anze Kopitar, Leon Draisaitl, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Joe Blandisi, Artemi Panarin, Dylan Larkin, Jussi Jokinen, Filip Forsberg, David Perron, Carl Hagelin, Tomas Tatar, J.T. Miller, Nikita Kucherov, Brad Marchand, Blake Comeau, Jordan Eberle, Wayne Simmonds, Jonathan Huberdeau. Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban, John Klingberg, Shea Weber, Anton Stralman, Drew Doughty, Shayne Gostisbehere, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Braden Holtby, Petr Mrazek, Ben Bishop, Cory Schneider, Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist.
Training Room (Injuries)
Ryan McDonagh, D, NYR – McDonagh suffered a concussion when he was punched in the face by Wayne Simmonds last Saturday. After a slow start, he had nine points the 11 games before he was injured. There is no specific timeframe for his return.
Alex Pietrangelo, D STL – Pietrangelo, who injured his right knee in a collision with Charlie Coyle last Saturday, will miss the next three weeks. Prior to the injury, he had been having an average season by his standards, recording 23 points through 55 contests. In his absence, more responsibility will be heaped on Kevin Shattenkirk and Colton Parayko.
Others include Evgeni Malkin (knee, out another week), Jason Spezza (upper-body injury, week-to-week), Tyler Bozak (head, missing four-game road trip), Aleksander Barkov (upper-body, out Tuesday), Rick Nash (bone bruise, indefinite), Jaden Schwartz (ankle, could play Friday or Sunday), Johnny Boychuk (shoulder, activated), Jake Allen (knee, inching closer to returning) and Michal Neuvirth (lower-body, missed fifth straight game Tuesday).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Ryan Strome, C, NYI – Strome scored Tuesday, but has been a major disappointment this year with only six goals and 15 points. The good news is the former first-rounder is on the top line with John Tavares, who set up his most recent goal. As long as Strome remains there, he has a shot to reverse his poor season. But if he continues to struggle, he could be moved down to the third line.
Thomas Vanek, LW, MIN – Vanek was a healthy scratch Saturday. Coach Mike Yeo's attempt to jumpstart the veteran winger's game worked Tuesday, as the veteran tallied two assists. It wasn't all roses, as Vanek played on the third line and saw just over 13 minutes of action, so he still has a long way to go to be fully fantasy relevant.
Andrei Markov, D, MTL – Markov has just one goal since November 11 and eight points since the beginning of December. He has 26 points overall, which gives you a sense how good he was earlier in the season and how awful he has been lately. Look elsewhere for blueline production.
Devan Dubnyk, G, MIN – Dubnyk hasn't been as bad as Vanek but he also deserves a spot here. His loss on Saturday was his eighth straight. And Dubnyk has generally played well in defeat, but the team's inability to score has left him with an 18-18-6 record after that magical 27-9-2 run last season after arriving in Minnesota.
Others include Jori Lehtera, Scott Laughton, Anders Lee, Derek Stepan, Teuvo Teravainen, Teddy Purcell, Jason Chimera, Chris Kreider, Taylor Hall, Cam Fowler, Torey Krug, Ryan Murphy, Adam Larsson, Mike Condon, Connor Hellebuyck, Jimmy Howard and Jaroslav Halak.
