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FORWARDS
Trending up: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals -- The 29-year-old superstar was at his very best on hockey’s biggest stage, putting on quite the show during the 2015 Winter Classic. In the Capitals' dramatic 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, Ovechkin was aggressive, physical and riveting to watch. He finished with a goal and an assist, two posts and four hits, and he figured in on the game winner, scored with less than 13 seconds on the clock. Trending down: Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs -- Lupul has had an awful stretch of luck with injuries over the past few years and the hits keep coming for the Leafs winger. Lupul was placed on injured reserve Thursday after sustaining a lower-body injury in the second period of the Leafs’ 4-3 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Lupul was having a productive season too, with nine goals and 17 points in 26 games, only to have it derailed by the latest in a laundry list of ailments. Surprise of the week: Joe Colborne, Calgary Flames -- Maybe it’s just the Calgary effect -- the Flames don’t ever quite garner the attention they deserve -- but the 24-year-old earned some recognition this week with a two-goal effort in his team’s 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. Heading into the match, Colborne had scored only one goal this season.
DEFENSEMEN
 Trending up: Brooks Orpik, Washington Capitals -- Yes, we’re going a little Capitals-heavy today, but that’s what you get when you are the Winter Classic champs. Orpik, who sustained a knee injury in Monday’s 4-3 loss against the New York Islanders, was questionable for Thursday’s outdoor game, but the veteran blueliner took warm-ups and didn’t look back, logging 24:44 of ice time and helping to bolster a critical penalty-killing effort for the Caps. After the game, coach Barry Trotz praised Orpik for his toughness and commitment to the team. Trending down: Keith Aulie, Edmonton Oilers -- The Edmonton D-man was hit with a two-game ban on Thursday after delivering an illegal hit to the head to Calgary Flames forward Matt Stajan on Wednesday. Nasty-looking hit and definitely not what the Oilers need right now as they sit dead last in the league with an abysmal 8-22-8 record and a measly 24 points. Surprise of the week: Alex Goligoski, Dallas Stars -- Dallas has some legitimate questions on defense, but it got some production from the back end in Wednesday’s 6-0 rout of the Arizona Coyotes. In his fifth multi-point performance this season, the 29-year-old Goligoski had two assists and finished with a plus-3 rating. Though he has just one goal on the season, he’s racked up 16 assists in 36 games.
GOALTENDERS
Trending up: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens -- Many predicted a Vezina Trophy-caliber season for Price, and the Canadiens' starting netminder has not disappointed thus far. Price has won six of his past seven starts, the most recent a 3-1 win against Carolina in which he saved 28 of 29 shots and was named the game’s first star. If Price can sustain such a superior level of play, don’t be surprised to see the Habs make another deep playoff run this spring. Trending down: Devan Dubnyk, Arizona Coyotes -- Oy, things just continue to become more and more bleak for the Arizona Coyotes and their subpar goaltending tandem is not helping matters. Dubnyk was shellacked in the team’s 6-0 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars on New Year’s Eve. Dubnyk surrendered six goal on 31 shots as the Yotes fight his former club, the Edmonton Oilers, in a race to the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Surprise of the week: Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars -- It has not been a great year for Lehtonen, but perhaps 2015 will be a bit kinder to the Stars goaltender. Lehtonen has gone through rough stretches in the first half of the season but has posted three straight wins for the surging Stars. Most recently, Lehtonen shut out the Coyotes in a 32-save effort Wednesday night.
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