With the beginning of February in sight, the 2021 NHL Season is more than halfway in the books. The year continues to be dominated by unlikely faces. New York Rangers speedster Chris Kreider is currently leading the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. He has scored 30 goals in 44 games to sit one clear of Alex Ovechkin and Leon Draisaitl. Along with this, Florida Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau has continued to cement his case for the Hart Trophy as the game’s MVP. Tied for the league lead in points, the former first-round pick has helped lead his team to the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
Back with our weekly stock-up stock-down article, the Colorado Avalanche have begun to surge. Separating themselves from the rest of the pack, Jared Bednar’s group has earned a point in all of their previous 10 games. Furthermore, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hot on the heels of the Carolina Panthers for the top spot in the Metropolitan. Winners of four of their last five, the group has shot up the standings since the return of their two franchise players in captain Sidney Crosby and winger Evgeni Malkin.
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Stock Up: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs are fresh off a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The team has won three of their last four games to remain hot on the heels of the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Finally getting star winger Mitch Marner back from the COVID-19 reserve list, the 24-year-old has not missed a beat since returning. He has recorded multiple points in three of his last four games, including his first power-play goal in over a year. Continuing to provide stellar play in between the pipes, Jack Campbell has won six of his last eight starts. They need to sure up their back end behind their top pairing of Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie. Look for general manager Kyle Dubas to scour the market at the upcoming trade deadline to upgrade a young bottom pairing of Travis Dermott and Timothy Liljegren.
Stock Down: Washington Capitals
Quickly falling down the standings in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division, the Capitals have dropped three of their last four and seven of their last 10. They were shut out at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night. The group was also disappointingly knocked off by the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. Cementing his name into MVP talks at the age of 36, Ovechkin has remained red hot for the group with seven goals in his last seven games. However, the Capitals have struggled to get production from players lower down in their lineup. Daniel Sprong has just one point in his last six games, while Carl Hagelin has gone scoreless in his previous 10.
Stock Up: Minnesota Wild
At just a $9 million average annual value over the next four years, Kirill Kaprizov is quickly going to become one of the biggest bargains in the league. The unquestioned leader of the Wild, the exciting young superstar has led the team to points in their last five games. He has racked up nine tallies over that period of time to put his season total up to 49. One of the most well-balanced teams across the NHL, Dean Evason‘s group continues to get production from all over their lineup. Ryan Hartman is enjoying a bounce-back year after moving around the league over the last few seasons. On Friday, he added two more markers in their blowout win over the Chicago Blackhawks to push his season goal total up to 18.
Stock Down: New Jersey Devils
Nothing is going right for the Devils right now. Since the start of the new year, the team has dropped seven of their last nine games. They are currently ranked 20th in the league in goals per game and 22nd in the league in power-play percentage. Without both of their starting netminders, Jonathan Bernier remains on the injured reserve list with a hip ailment. Furthermore, the franchise also recently lost starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a heel injury. Currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan, the only bright spot for the team has been the play of Jack Hughes. He signed an eight-year contract extension at the beginning of the season. The third-year man is currently averaging a point per game.
Stock Up: Nashville Predators
Guided by the play of their young superstar goaltender in Juuse Saros, the Predators continue to string together wins. One of the front runners for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder, the Finland native, currently sits in a tie for second with 23 victories. Along with this, he has also posted a .927 save percentage and a 2.36 goals-against average. Leading Nashville to a win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, the 26-year-old stopped 33 of 35 shots. Hot on the tails of the division-leading Avalanche, the team has also gotten back bounce campaigns out of forwards Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund. The former trails only Roman Josi with 40 points in 41 games, while the latter has racked up 31 assists to lead the group.
Stock Down: Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have been unable to overcome their early-season struggles. The franchise is without their longtime head coach after Paul Maurice stepped down. The group has gone 4-5-2 under interim bench boss Dave Lowry. They are currently amid a six-game losing skid. Winnipeg was knocked off by the Panthers on Tuesday before losing 5-1 to the lowly Vancouver Canucks on Thursday Night. Remaining thin on the blue line, the team is still without top defenseman Josh Morrissey as he works his way out of the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Along with this, Logan Stanley and Dylan DeMelo are both on the injured reserve list with lower-body injuries. They will now open up a tough skid. Four of their next five games are away from the Canada Life Centre.
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