NHL Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Tkachuk, Panthers Pile Up Points

Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers and Adam Fox of the Rangers are among those who earned spots on the “Who’s Hot” list.

The biggest NHL news item was the return of talented rookie Connor Bedard to the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks. Bedard had an assist but the Blackhawks lost 4-1 to Pittsburgh as their losing streak reached six games.

When looking at the NHL odds and predictions, the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are priced at +800 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup followed by the Boston Bruins at +900. None of those teams are currently in first place in their divisions.

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

• Matthew Boldy, Minnesota Wild: Boldy has goals in three straight games. He has three goals, four assists and a defensive rating of +4 in wins over Pittsburgh, Vegas and Arizona.
• Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers: After being held without a point for just the second time in the last 18 games in a shutout loss to Los Angeles, McDavid responded with six assists in an 8-4 win over Detroit and then he assisted on all three of Edmonton’s goals in a loss to St. Louis.

Just Connor McDavid things. 🤷‍♂️@cmcdavid97 puts up six assists for the second six-point game of his career! pic.twitter.com/OxRcK5XRPE

— NHL (@NHL) February 14, 2024

• Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers: In Florida’s four-game winning streak that moved the Panthers into first place in the Atlantic Division, Tkachuk had three goals and seven assists. Since the start of January, Tkachuk has led the NHL with 33 points.

Defensemen

• Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks: Fowler had a goal and two assists in a 5-1 win over Ottawa to give him two goals and three assists over the last five games.
• Adam Fox, New York Rangers: One of the top candidates in the Las Vegas odds to win another Norris Trophy, Fox has six assists and a plus/minus rating of +6 over the last three games. He had four assists and was +4 in Thursday’s 7-4 win over Montreal.
• Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues: After a stretch with one point in 10 games, Krug has a goal and six assists over the last three. He had assists on five of the seven goals in a win against Montreal and added a goal and an assist as the Blues topped Edmonton.

Goaltenders

• Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers: Bobrovsky is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average as he has stopped 80 of 84 shots in his last three games.
• Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars: Oettinger is 4-0-0 with a save percentage of .944 and a goals-against average of 1.91 in his last four games to lead the Stars into first place in the Central Division.
• Jonathan Quick, New York Rangers: Quick continues to close in on the record for wins by an American-born goalie. He is 3-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average over the last three games as he makes this list for the second week in a row.

Who’s Not

Forwards

• Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes: The good news is that Svechnikov is back after missing nearly a month. However, he has no goals, no assists and a -2 defensive rating in his two games since returning to the ice.
• Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres: Thompson has no goals (on 11 shots on goal) and no assists in his last three games. He hasn’t posted a positive plus/minus rating over his last 13 contests.
• Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals: Wilson has gone without a point in six straight games. He is also -4 during that stretch. He has one point as the Capitals are 1-6-2 in the last nine games.

Defensemen

• Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins: Lindholm has no goals and no assists over his last five games as the Bruins are just 1-3-1 since the start of February and no longer are in first place in the Eastern Conference.
• Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche: It’s not often that Makar lands on this list. However, he has no goals and no assists in the last four games and is also -4 during that stretch.
• Jamie Oleksiak, Seattle Kraken: Over the last four games, Oleksiak has no points and a -3 defensive rating. He has gone 26 straight games without either a goal or an assist.

Goaltenders

• Connor Ingram, Arizona Coyotes: Ingram is 0-2-1 with a 5.27 goals-against average in his last three games when he allowed 10 goals on 73 shots.
• Alex Lyon, Detroit Red Wings: In his last two games, Lyon has allowed 11 goals and 50 shots in losses to Edmonton and Vancouver.
• Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators: After allowing four goals on 18 shots in one period against Dallas, Suros has a save percentage of .884 and a 4.70 GAA in his last three appearances.

Questions Of The Day