I'm starting to run out of things to say about the 2022-23 Boston Bruins. They have 68 points through 40 games played. That means they could go 18-24-0 in their final 42 games and still hit 100 points. The only hope for the rest of the Eastern Conference is that the Bruins tucker themselves out before the playoffs arrive.
2Max Pacioretty has made his debut with the Hurricanes, and he has three goals in three games. Carolina has been one of the league's best teams this season, and Pacioretty adds an elite scoring touch. As long as he can stay healthy, an already scary lineup looks that much scarier.
3Filip Gustavsson is tied for 36th in the NHL with 16 appearances, and yet he ranks 11th in the league with 8.74 goals saved above average, per Natural Stat Trick. He is a big reason the Wild are still within striking distance of the Stars and Jets in the Central Division, and he just keeps earning more starts over Marc-Andre Fleury.
4Mitch Marner is currently on a five-game point streak, and he tallied his 500th career point against the Red Wings on Saturday. That's not too shabby for the 25-year-old star, and Marner now leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 49 points. Even though Marner plays in Toronto, is he still a little bit underrated when it comes to the best players in the NHL?
5Victor Hedman had quite a resurgence in 2021-22. He tallied a career high 85 points in 82 games played while posting strong underlying numbers, and he led the Bolts to another Stanley Cup Final. This season, Hedman has taken a couple of steps back. Relative to the rest of the team, his expected goals numbers haven't been as strong, and he has one goal in 36 games played.
6Based on an absurd All-Star selection process that I don't care to understand, Adam Fox did not make the initial Metro Division All-Star roster. His 42 points and plus-16 five-on-five goal differential must not have been impressive enough. I assume he will be one of the fan vote selections, but Fox may just prefer to hit the beach and recharge the batteries for a few days anyway.
7The Capitals have gotten some reinforcements. T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom have all returned from injury in recent days. Washington's lineup looks much different when those three are in it, and the rest of the team did more than just stay afloat while they were sidelined. It'll be interesting to see what a more healthy Capitals squad can do.
8I'm getting dangerously close to going full Leroy Jenkins (that's a 2000s internet joke, kids) and putting the Sabres at No. 1. The Sabres are all gas and no brakes all the time. Just look at Buffalo's 6-5 overtime win against the Wild as an example. If you haven't watched this team yet, make Thursday night's game against the Jets a priority.
9Kyle Connor has been excellent for the Jets, as usual, but Pierre-Luc Dubois is thriving under new head coach Rick Bowness. Dubois has 19 goals and 48 points in 41 games. That puts him on pace for 93 points this season, which would exceed his current career high by 32 points. If you're wondering why the Jets went from missing the playoffs to battling for first in the Central, look no further than the year Dubois is having.
10An old problem may be returning for the Stars. The top line is still dominant. Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson is still one of the best trios in the NHL, but the depth has started lagging behind. Jamie Benn is still having a strong year, but Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment have gone somewhat cold. Since Dec. 17, those two have combined for four goals and three assists in 11 games.
11Since New Year's Day, the Kraken are averaging 5.0 goals for and 1.83 goals against per game. Matty Beniers has five goals and eight points in that stretch. I'm not sure any of those things are sustainable, but Seattle has gotten hot while the rest of the division struggles to find any level of consistency.
12Kevin Fiala's per-game numbers have gotten a significant bump over the last few days. On Saturday, he scored a hat trick in a win over the Golden Knights before tallying four points against the Oilers just two days later. Despite all that scoring, Fiala's shooting percentage is still a tick below his career average.
13Jack Eichel has returned to the mix after missing nearly a month due to injury, and he notched three points in his first game back. The Golden Knights managed to hang on to first place in the Pacific Division without him, but they haven't really looked like the clear Western Conference favorite in a while. Perhaps that changes with Eichel back.
14Jack Hughes is back on another heater. He has eight goals and 10 points in his last six games while trying to ignite the rest of his team. As he surges to superstar status, Hughes is fourth in the NHL with 22.14 expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. That ranks above players like Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and David Pastrnak.
15Mikko Rantanen has been carrying this Avalanche offense for most of the season. He has 27 goals on the year, and Nathan MacKinnon (11) and Cale Makar (10) are the only other players in double-digits. Even though it might be hard to make the money work, the Avalanche have to be a candidate to make a splash before the trade deadline.
16The Penguins have seen their comfortable playoff positioning slip in recent weeks as they've won three of their last 10 games.. Not only have the results been bad in this stretch, but the process has been lacking too. Since Dec. 18, the Penguins rank 21st in five-on-five expected goals share at 48.42%, per Natural Stat Trick.
17The Predators go as Juuse Saros goes, and he is going very well these days. Nashville has won four straight and is 5-0-1 in its last six, and Saros has been nothing short of outstanding. In the Predators' win over the Hurricanes on Thursday, Saros made 64 saves on 67 shots while saving 3.45 goals above average, according to Natural Stat Trick.
18The Blues are facing a very steep climb if they want to make the playoffs. They're only two points out of a playoff spot, but Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Torey Krug, and Robert Bortuzzo are all on injured reserve. St. Louis didn't have much margin for error before those injuries, and the wheels are in jeopardy of coming off now.
19Was that overtime loss to the Blackhawks bad? No question. Is there a reasonable explanation for it? Of course. If the Harlem Globetrotters hadn't been at the Scotiabank Saddledome the day before the game, the Flames would have been more prepared, according to Darryl Sutter.
20After their strong start to the season, the Islanders have now slipped to sixth in the Metro Division and out of a playoff spot. Since Dec. 1, the Isles are 7-8-3 and their 52 goals in that span rank 26th in the league. Their offense has struggled all season, and it may cost the team a shot at competing for a Stanley Cup.
21We're only halfway through the NHL season, but we might able to shut down the Hart Trophy discussion. Regardless of whether the Oilers make the playoffs, Connor McDavid is in another galaxy this year. He recently had a 17-game point streak snapped like a bum, but he still has 34 goals and 77 points in just 42 games. Frankly, he could take a couple weeks to visit Europe, come back, and still be the favorite to win the Hart Trophy.
22If you're looking for a reason the Flyers have won six of their last 10 games, look no further than Travis Konecny. He is riding a nine-game point streak in which he has scored nine goals and tallied 17 points. He is determined to drag Philadelphia into the realm of competent teams.
23Halfway through the season, the Panthers might be the most befuddling team in the league. They are a top-10 team in some key analytical categories like five-on-five expected goals share, high-danger chances share, and Corsi. However, the more traditional numbers suggest Florida is anywhere from middling to bad. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the results have skewed in that direction too.
24It's probably not a great sign for the Red Wings' season that defenseman Filip Hronek is tied as the team's second-leading scorer with 29 points. Don't get me wrong. He's having a solid season, but Detroit probably doesn't want to be depending on him for offense.
25Tim Stützle has taken a big step forward this season, as the Senators hoped he would when they signed him to an eight-year contract worth more than $66 million. Stützle is now up to 18 goals and 39 points in 36 games, and he is already close to surpassing his offensive totals from last season. What might be even more encouraging is that he and Brady Tkachuk already have the makings of a lethal tandem at forward.
26Just when you think things can't get any worse for Vancouver, they do. J.T. Miller is putting his brain in a pretzel explaining how his dip in production is actually a good thing. Bruce Boudreau is tired of his players not blocking shots. To top it all off, the Canucks blew a 3-0 lead to the Penguins in a 5-4 loss.
27That 7-1 beatdown at the hands of the Bruins aside, the Ducks have looked like an actual NHL team lately. In the last week, they have shutout the Stars and beat in-state rival San Jose in a fun overtime contest.
28Nick Suzuki is still on pace to surpass his 2021-22 goal total of 21 by a comfortable margin, but he has gone ice cold. He has just one goal in his last 16 games as the Canadiens spiral toward the bottom of the standings.
29As the trade rumors start to heat up around the NHL, it's probably good for the Sharks that Timo Meier is on pace to set a career high in goals and assists. Meier is on an expiring contract, and as far as star players go, his cap hit is incredibly reasonable. With all that in mind, the Sharks currently have the biggest prize of the NHL trade deadline on their roster.
30The Blackhawks had a bit of a slip-up last week when the beat the Coyotes, 2-0, on Friday night. Every point counts in draft lottery positioning, and Chicago can't just be collecting them against its biggest competition like that.
31The Blue Jackets have been shutout twice already this year, and I don't mean the 2022-23 season. I just mean 2023. Johnny Gaudreau has one goal in his last 13 games, and if he isn't scoring, then the rest of this roster definitely isn't scoring.
32The Coyotes have stopped messing around with silly things like winning and started getting serious about drafting Connor Bedard. Maybe Connor Bedard's performance at the World Juniors inspired this six-game losing streak.
