Rolling right along with the 2021-2022 NHL season, November is officially upon us. With a month of every team’s campaigns now in the rearview mirror, crunch time is upon us. Looking to see what they have before Christmas and the new year hits, there is a deadlock at the top of nearly every division. Continuing to be one of the hottest teams in the league through 12 games, the Edmonton Oilers have won five of their last six games.
Distancing themselves from the rest of the pack, Connor McDavid a Leon Draisaitl hold the lead over Alex Ovechkin at the top of the points race. In addition to the Oilers, the St. Louis Blues have begun to catch fire after a slow start to the year. Craig Berube‘s group sits at the top of the Central Division. Back with our stock up, stock down series, let’s dive into this week’s selections.
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Stock Up: Minnesota Wild
Catching fire over the last week, the Wild have won four of their last five games. They picked up back-to-back 5-2 victories over the New York Islanders and the Arizona Coyotes. One of the most high-powered offensive teams in the league, they average 35 shots per game, leading to 3.3 goals per contest. Following up his stellar season a year ago, 2020 Calder Award winner Kirill Kaprizov leads the group with 11 points while playing over 20 minutes per night.
Both Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman have also gotten off to strong starts, with 12 goals combined between the duo. Cam Talbot has enjoyed an up and down start in goal, with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. As long as he can provide solid play, this is a dangerous group.
Stock Down: Dallas Stars
Looking to right the ship after a slow start to the year, the Stars are limping along. Struggling on the offensive end, the group ranks 31st in the league with just 25 goals scored so far this season. Along with this, they also rank inside the bottom ten in the league in both shooting percentage and shots on goal. Led by Miro Heiskanen, the young defenseman has averaged a point per contest through 12 games.
However, the team has failed to get any production from veterans Jamie Benn, and Alexander Radulov as the duo has combined to score just three goals. The beneficiaries of stellar goaltending from Braden Holtby, the Stars have the leadership in the dressing room to get back on track. Although, as they fall farther and farther down in the Central Division, if they do not turn it around soon, the team will be in big trouble.
Stock Up: Detroit Red Wings
In one of the shocks of the season to date, the Red Wings sit in third place in the Atlantic Division. They have won three of their last four games, including victories over the Vegas Golden Knights and the Oilers. Tyler Bertuzzi has been spectacular for the team as the 26-year-old remains one of the early favorites to capture the Hart Trophy. He currently sits in fifth in the league with nine goals in 12 games.
Along with this, the franchise has finally seen their high draft choices begin to contribute and make an impact at the NHL level. Former fourth overall pick Lucas Raymond and 2019 first-round pick Moritz Seider have combined to rack up 25 points. With a capable goaltending duo between Thomas Greiss and Alex Nedeljkovic, the Red Wings likely remain a few years away from being a true cup contender. Nonetheless, they deserve all the credit through a month of the season.
Stock Down: New York Islanders
After advancing to the conference finals in each of their last two seasons, the Islanders look far from the sure-fire Stanley Cup contender that many pegged them to be. They have scored just four goals in their last four games, including two shutouts at the hands of the New Jersey Devils and the Winnipeg Jets. Brock Nelson currently leads the group with seven goals in 11 games. However, Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, and Kyle Palmieri have combined to score just six goals.
Recently moving on from defenseman Johnny Boychuk, the franchise also announced that they would be terminating the contract of veteran forward Leo Komarov. The Islanders are once again one of the best defensive teams in the league, with Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov both off to strong starts. The group is reportedly looking to make a move to upgrade their struggling forward core. If they cannot find any goal production from their star players, a return to the Conference Finals will likely be nothing more than a pipe dream.
Stock Up: Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks picked up a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night to capture their seventh straight victory. Currently the second-longest active mark in the NHL, the group sits all alone in second place in the Pacific Division. Catching fire in his fifth pro season, winger Troy Terry currently leads the league with points in 13 straight games. Veteran netminder John Gibson has also been rock solid in net for the group, as the nine-year veteran ranks third among all goaltenders with seven while facing the third most shots across the league. In addition to this, the group has been rock solid on special teams.
They rank ninth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (86-percent) and fourth in power-play percentage (26.5-percent). Dominating the news landscape this week after it was revealed that longtime general manager Bob Murray would step down to enter an alcohol abuse program, Anaheim has the young talent to make noise in the top-heavy Pacific Division this season.
Stock Down: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are fresh off one of the worst losses to date by any team this season. They were beaten down by the Colorado Avalanche 7-1 on Thursday Night. Slow starting through the first ten minutes of the game, Vancouver had just one shot on net while their opponent scored three goals. Unable to muster anything up through their first 14 games of the year, Travis Green‘s team currently sits in seventh in the Pacific Division.
The team ranks 26th in goals per game, with just 2.5 averaged per contest while also ranking near the bottom of the league in both power play and penalty kill percentage. Destined to face a more challenging schedule as their 2021-2022 campaign progresses, the Canucks will be looking to regroup as they look to get back to the playoffs for just the second time in the last seven years.
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