Photo credit: Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images

Evgenii Dadonov plays the hero for the Golden Knights, the Flames light up the Oilers, and the LA Kings start to get some players back.

8. Seattle Kraken (20-39-6)

Last week: 8

Playoff odds: 0%

Seattle won the battle of the two worst teams in the NHL last Tuesday, beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2. It was the Kraken’s third win in four games and their second in a row, the first time in over two months they’d strung together consecutive wins, though the streak ended at two with a 4-2 loss to the LA Kings on Saturday.

Carson Soucy scored twice in the win over the Coyotes. He leads all Kraken defensemen with nine goals on the season.

This week: @ LA, VS VGK, VS VGK, VS DAL

7. Anaheim Ducks (27-29-11)

Last week: 7

Playoff odds: 0%

The wheels have really fallen off in Anaheim. Limping toward the finish line, the Ducks’ winless streak is up to nine games now after a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

30-year-old Sam Carrick, playing in his 100th NHL game against the Blackhawks, recorded his first career multi-goal game.

This week: VS DAL, VS DAL, @ ARI, VS EDM

6. San Jose Sharks (29-28-8)

Last week: 6

Playoff odds: 0.5%

The Sharks split a trip through Alberta, beating the Calgary Flames 4-3 and losing 5-2 to the Edmonton Oilers, before winning at home against the Ducks on Saturday.

Timo Meier was at it again against Anaheim. He scored his second hat trick of the season, reaching the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career in doing so.

This week: @ ARI, @ COL, VS DAL

5. Vancouver Canucks (32-26-9)

Last week: 5

Playoff odds: 14%

It’s been an impressive road trip for the Canucks, who’ve picked up five of six points so far against some quality opponents in the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars. Saturday’s 4-1 win over a Dallas team that entered the day in possession of the second Wild Card was crucial in keeping hope alive in Vancouver.

Coming into the contest with just one goal in the previous ten games, Elias Pettersson scored twice in the win over the Stars.

This week: @ STL, VS STL, VS VGK

4. Vegas Golden Knights (36-28-4)

Last week: 4

Playoff odds: 45.2%

In very real jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the Golden Knights closed out the week with a pair of big wins, 6-1 over the Nashville Predators on Thursday and then a huge 5-4 comeback overtime win over the Blackhawks on Saturday. Down 3-0 heading into the third period, Vegas tied things up with three goals in the first 3:16 of the frame. The teams then traded goals before Evgenii Dadonov sealed the win in overtime.

In two games since rejoining the Knights lineup following the trade deadline debacle, Dadonov has two goals and three assists. He also has five goals in his last four games. Could this whole thing end up being a blessing in disguise for Vegas?

This week: @ SEA, @ SEA, @ VAN

3. Edmonton Oilers (36-25-5)

Last week: 2

Playoff odds: 85.4%

It didn’t take long for the Oilers’ decision not to address their goaltending situation prior to the trade deadline to be scrutinized. Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith combined to give up nine goals on 38 shots in Saturday’s 9-5 loss in Calgary, which dropped Edmonton to 1-2-1 since the end of a five-game winning streak.

They didn’t add a goalie, but they did pick up Derick Brassard, who’s scored in each of his first two games as an Oiler.

This week: VS ARI, VS LA, VS STL, @ ANA

2. LA Kings (36-22-9)

Last week: 3

Playoff odds: 90.3%

The Kings picked up five of six points, with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Thursday being all that stood between them and a perfect week. Before that was a 6-1 win over the Predators on Tuesday and a 4-2 win over the Kraken on Saturday. They’re starting to get healthier, too, as Alex Edler, Tobias Björnfot, and Viktor Arvidsson have all returned from the injured list.

They aren’t so healthy yet that there isn’t still room for Jordan Spence on the blue line, though. Spence may get squeezed out of the lineup at some point with the eventual returns of Matt Roy and — hopefully — Drew Doughty, but he made sure to score his first NHL goal before that happens.

This week: VS SEA, @ EDM, @ CGY, @ WPG

1. Calgary Flames (40-17-8)

Last week: 1

Playoff odds: 100%

The week began with a 4-3 loss to the Sharks and a 4-2 win over the Coyotes before the main show on Saturday, which had to have been an awfully fun night at the Saddledome. The fans were chanting, “We want 10!” as the home side closed out a 9-5 win in the Battle of Alberta.

Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk, and Mikael Backlund each scored twice, while Johnny Gaudreau racked up five assists. He now has 60 on the season, good for the fourth-most in the league.

The vibes are high in Calgary. So high that the Sean Monahan situation is being overshadowed. The Flames’ one-time franchise center has declined severely over the last few years and, after going 14 straight games without a point, has found himself a healthy scratch in each of the last two contests.

This week: VS COL, VS LA, VS STL

Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *