Trending up
Vancouver Canucks: Vancouver forward Nick Bonino spoiled Ryan Kesler's first game against his former club on Sunday, scoring the lone goal in the shootout of a 2-1 win over the Ducks to give the Canucks their third win on a four-game road trip, and pulling them within one point of Anaheim in the Pacific Division race. Had to be some extra satisfaction there for Bonino, who was also part of the package that sent Kesler to Anaheim.
Nashville Predators: The balance of power in the Central Division shifted again as the Preds knocked off the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday, snapping the Blues’ seven-game winning streak and moving into the top spot. Filip Forsberg extended his point streak to five games with a goal and an assist in the team’s most recent victory and the Preds wrapped up a six-game trip with an 4-2-0 record.
Vladimir Tarasenko: Though the St. Louis Blues have been hampered recently with injuries to some of their star player, youngster Vladimir Tarasenko has stepped up with some dazzling offensive contributions. The 22-year-old Russian, who is steadily compiling a bevy of highlight reel-worthy goals, has eight points in the last five games and 12 in the last seven.
Mark Giordano: The Calgary Flames' captain got some well-deserved recognition as the NHL's first star of the week after registering seven points in the past three games for his squad. The 31-year-old defenseman has 11 points in his last six games and has helped to lead the way for a plucky Flames team that is currently sitting in third place in the Pacific Division behind Anaheim and Vancouver.
Trending down
Dallas Stars: Not even a hat trick from Tyler Seguin could help the Stars snap their current skid, as the team dropped its seventh straight in a 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. The Stars appear to be in a free fall, with a 29th-ranked defense, a poor home record and an ailing power play.
Minnesota Wild: The Stars are not the only team out West struggling to gain traction. Mike Yeo’s squad took a tumble in Montreal over the weekend, falling to the Canadiens 4-1 for the team’s third consecutive loss. The Wild are missing two key players in Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon and have converted on only two power plays in 40 attempts this season, a measly five percent success rate that has them 29th in the league. The only team worse on the man-advantage? The lowly Buffalo Sabres.
Injury report
Parise (concussion) missed the Wild's most recent two-game road trip, while Jared Spurgeon has not played since Oct. 30 (shoulder). Defenseman Keith Ballard returned to the Wild lineup this weekend after missing nine games with a viral infection.
Blues forward T.J. Oshie remains on injured reserve with a concussion and does not appear to be nearing a return.
Anaheim’s John Gibson is expected to miss six weeks with a groin injury. Both Igor Bobkov and Jason LaBarbera have been recalled in the past week in wake of the injury news.
What to watch for
In a much-anticipated rematch of last spring’s grudge match of a playoff series, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings will meet in a home-and-home set that begins in Anaheim on Wednesday and wraps up with a game Saturday night in Los Angeles.
The Winnipeg Jets have been a pleasant surprise in the Central Division, but their mettle will be tested as they play the remaining three games of a five-game road trip that features stops in Montreal, Carolina, Nashville and Minnesota.