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NHL Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Kucherov, MacKinnon Still Lighting It Up

It has been a slow stretch with just six games played since Monday as the teams headed into the NHL All-Star break. With such a light schedule, little has changed when it comes to the NHL odds.

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov are both among the top contenders in the NHL MVP odds. They also landed on the “Who’s Hot” list for the second week in a row.

NHL Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Kucherov, MacKinnon Still Lighting It Up
Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning | Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP

When looking at the NHL news, Edmonton’s 16-game winning streak and Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli expected to miss eight weeks are among the items dominating the headlines.


When looking at the NHL odds and predictions, the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and Edmonton Oilers are all priced at +800 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Keep reading for information on the hottest forwards, defensemen and goalies, as well as players recently struggling, to help with your NHL spread picks.

 

Who’s Hot

Forwards

  1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning: Kucherov had at least two points in his last three games. His four goals and five assists helped Tampa Bay win its last three games. He was also +7 in wins over Philadelphia, Arizona and New Jersey.
  2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: There’s nothing quite like a four-goal game to get somebody on the Who’s Hot list. He had seven goals and four assists as Colorado won its last three games to move back into first place in the Central Division. MacKinnon and Kucherov are both priced at +2000 by the sportsbook in the Rocket Richard Trophy odds.
  3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers: McDavid headed into the NHL All-Star break with three goals and four assists in his last two games as the Oilers extended their winning streak to 16 games.

 

Defensemen

  1. Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars: Harley has three straight multi-point games. He had consecutive game-winning goals in overtime as Dallas went into the break on a three-game winning streak.
  2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks: After scoring one of the two goals in a win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Hughes assisted on five of the nine goals over the next two games and is on a pace for a 104-point season.
  3. Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins: Lindholm extended his streak of not having a negative plus/minus rating to eight. He also has five assists over the last six games for the Eastern Conference leaders.

 

Goaltenders

  1. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks: Demko has won his last eight starts and, over the last five, he has stopped 118 of 127 shots for the Western Conference-leading Canucks.
  2. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers: Will Skinner or the Oilers even lose again? He has won his last 12 starts and he finished January with a 1.33 goals-against average to go with a .953 save percentage.
  3. Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: Swayman is 5-0-0 with a save percentage of .944 and a 1.59 save percentage over his last five games. He hasn’t suffered a regulation loss in his last eight games.

 

Who’s Not

Forwards

  1. Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken: Beniers has no points over his last five games and he finished January with one goal and no assists in eight games.
  2. Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets: Perfetti has no goals, one assist, and a -3 defensive rating over his last seven games as Winnipeg fell into third place in the Central Division after leading the division for much of the first half of the season.
  3. Fabian Zetterlund, San Jose Sharks: Zetterlund has no goals and no assists in his last four games despite having 10 shots on goal during that stretch.

 

Defensemen

  1. Noah Hanifin, Calgary Flames: Hanifin has been held without a point in three of the last four games. He also had a two-game stretch with a -3 defensive rating.
  2. Simon Nemec, New Jersey Devils: Nemec was -3 in the final game before the NHL All-Star break and that makes him -9 over his last seven games.
  3. Ivan Provorov, Columbus Blue Jackets: Provorov has gone seven points without registering a point. He has a plus/minus rating of -2 over his last five games.

 

Goaltenders

  1. Martin Jones, Toronto Maple Leafs: Jones has a save percentage of .855 and a 4.12 goals-against average while losing three of his last four games.
  2. Mads Sogaard, Ottawa Senators: Sogaard has a 5.09 goals-against average in his last four games as he has allowed 14 goals on 80 shots during that stretch.
  3. Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings: Talbot is 0-4 with a 6.10 goals-against average and a save percentage of .827 in his last four games.

 

 

Questions Of The Day

Who is the leading scorer in the NHL right now?


Nikita Kucherov’s 85 points are the most in the NHL while Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon has 82 points.

Which teams have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup?


The Boston Bruins join the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers with +800 odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

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