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          Cross Checks Blog

          Avs and Blues are rising, Stars and Wild falling out West

          • Katie Strang, ESPN.comJan 12, 2015, 11:09 AM ET
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              Katie Strang covers the Detroit Tigers for ESPN.com. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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          Trending up

          • Colorado Avalanche: The Avs have been arguably the most disappointing team in the first half of the 2014-15 season, though Patrick Roy & Co. are making a push in the new year, with three straight wins heading into this week’s action. The Avs recently rallied from a two-goal deficit to dispatch the Dallas Stars by a 4-3 score on Saturday, their fifth win in six games, which was highlighted by a 37-save performance by goaltender Semyon Varlamov and a slump-busting two-point effort from Matt Duchene.

          • The St. Louis offense: The Avs are not the only team on a roll. The St. Louis Blues have looked like an offensive juggernaut of late, scoring a glut of goals during their current four-game winning streak. The Blues have outscored opponents by a 25-8 margin during that span. Gives you a real sense of just how competitive the Central Division is right now, considering St. Louis is still back in third place with 55 points.

          • Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks earn their rightful place in this section almost every week for something or other. And while we could give a stick tap to their wonderful ceremony honoring Teemu Selanne or yet another one-goal victory, we are instead tipping our cap to young center Rickard Rakell, who scored two goals and added two assists in the Ducks’ 5-4 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

          Trending down

          • Dallas Stars: Just when you think Dallas is getting it together, the Stars hit the skids again. A 4-3 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday marked their fourth straight defeat as the Stars continue to give up way too much in the defensive end. Dallas is 28th in the league in goals against, surrendering 3.27 goals per game. The only teams worse in that category? Edmonton and Buffalo. Not the company you want to be keeping.

          • Mike Yeo’s job security: Can’t say I blame Wild head coach Mike Yeo one bit for his profanity-laced tirade during practice last week. It really feels like the wheels are falling off for the Wild, and Yeo seems to be doing his best to get his team’s attention. The Wild, losers in eight of their last 10 games, have underachieved greatly this season. Granted, GM Chuck Fletcher told our own Pierre LeBrun last week that he is not considering a coaching change, but we’ve seen that sort of endorsement amount to a kiss of death elsewhere this season and wouldn’t be surprised to see it again. Yeo has been dealt a hard hand with several setbacks this season, and it hardly seems fair if he gets the axe, but don’t be shocked if it does happen with the Wild in a nosedive.

          Injury report

          • Kings’ young guns: Two of the Los Angeles Kings' most promising and productive forwards are out right now. Rookie Tanner Pearson has been sidelined indefinitely with a broken leg, according to LAKingsInsider.com. Meanwhile, his linemate Tyler Toffoli is out with mononucleosis. It is not immediately clear how much time he is expected to miss.

          • Thornton returns: Good news for the San Jose Sharks that they were able to return veteran center Joe Thornton to the lineup this weekend. Thornton had previously missed four games with a shoulder injury, but logged 17:40 of ice time in the team’s 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

          What to watch for

          • Corey Crawford’s play: Though the Blackhawks netminder suffered an embarrassing off-ice injury and has battled some inconsistent stretches this season, he’s showing signs of improvement of late. Crawford has turned away 78 of the last 81 shots he’s faced and recorded two straight wins for Chicago. Might be able to get on a bit of a roll heading into All-Star break, which would definitely help the Blackhawks as they jockey for the top spot in the Central Division.

          • Road stretch: With the Vancouver Canucks’ precarious grip on second place in the Pacific Division, this next week will be a critical stretch. With just a slim lead on the three teams behind them in the standings, the Canucks embark on a five-game road trip that begins with Tuesday’s trip to Nashville to take on the Central Division-leading Predators.

          • Making a push? The same might be said about the Calgary Flames, currently just one point out of a playoff spot in the West but with a tough road swing to continue. The Flames are off until Thursday, when they face the Arizona Coyotes before a daunting California swing during which they will face the Sharks, Kings and Ducks.