NHL Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Matthews Sizzling for Maple Leafs
The New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers are heading in opposite directions, so it is not a surprise that the Islanders lead the way with players on the weekly Who’s Hot list while a pair of Flyers landed on the Who’s Not list.
There is one playoff spot left unclaimed in the Western Conference with two available playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The eight teams with the best NHL championship odds have already clinched playoff spots.

When looking at the NHL news, Toronto’s Auston Matthews is closing in on becoming the first 70-goal scorer in more than two decades in the NHL.
When looking at the NHL odds and predictions, the Carolina Panthers and Florida Panthers are priced at +700 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup followed by the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers at +800 in the championship odds.
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
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: MacKinnon’s three goals in Colorado’s most recent game gave him 51 this season. He has at least two points in six of the last 10 games.
Austin Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs: Matthews scored goals Nos. 67 and 68 and he has goals in seven straight games. It has been more than 20 years since a player had 70 goals in a season and that might change soon for one of the front-runners for the Hart Trophy according to the NHL odds.
Auston Matthews scores 67th and 68th goals of season in Maple Leafs’ 6-5 loss to Devils https://t.co/04FjTyMod6
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 12, 2024
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning: While teammate Nikita Kucherov has 11 points over the last four games to continue to lead the NHL scoring race, Stamkos gets the nod with three consecutive multi-goal games to push his season total to 39.
Defensemen
Noah Dobson, New York Islanders: Dobson has two goals and two assists to go with the plus/minus rating of +5 over the last four games as the Islanders are closing in on a playoff spot.
Mike Matheson, Montreal Canadiens: Matheson has points in six straight games. In six games in April, Matheson has nine assists and a +5 defensive rating.
Henry Thrun, San Jose Sharks: After going nine games in a row without a point, Thrun has a goal and four assists over the last four games.
Goaltenders
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets: Hellebuyck is 3-0 in April with a 2.31 goals-against average. He has stopped 101 of his last 108 shots.
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars: Oettinger has allowed two goals or less in eight of his last nine games for the Western Conference-leading Stars. He has a .932 save percentage and 2.01 GAA in April.
Semyon Varlamov, New York Islanders: Varlamov is 4-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average and a save percentage of .943 for an Islanders team that has won six games in a row.
Who’s Not
Forwards
Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles Kings: Byfield has no goals and no assists over his last seven games. Even more troubling is that he has one shot on goal in the last three games.
Jake DeBrusk, Boston Bruins: DeBrusk has been known to be a streaky point producer and he is trending in the wrong direction these days with no points over his last seven games.
Tyson Foerster, Philadelphia Flyers: Since scoring his 20th goal of the season, Foerster has no goals (on nine shots), no assists and a plus/minus rating of -5.
Defensemen
Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia Flyers: Things aren’t going well for the player traded for college hockey’s top goal scorer (Cutter Gauthier). Drysdale has no points and a -8 defensive rating in his last four games.
K’Andre Miller, New York Rangers: Miller has no goals and one assist over his last 12 games. He has a plus/minus rating of -7 during that stretch.
J.J. Moser, Arizona Coyotes: Moser has no goals and no assists over his last 11 games and he is also -7 over the span.
Goaltenders
Alexandar Georgiev, Colorado Avalanche: Georgiev has allowed 14 goals on 105 shots over his last three games and has a 4.75 goals-against average in April.
Jakob Markstrom, Calgary Flames: Markstrom is 0-3 with an .869 save percentage over his last three games.
Logan Thompson, Vegas Golden Knights: Thompson has allowed 10 goals on 61 shots over his last two games for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
Questions of the Day
Who is the leading scorer in the NHL?
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov’s 141 points are the most in the NHL while Toronto’s Auston Matthews leads the league with 68 goals.
Which team has the best record against the spread this season?
The Montreal Canadiens are 50-29 against the Las Vegas odds followed by the Philadelphia Flyers at 47-32.