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          Cross Checks Blog

          Jets, Ducks flying high in Western Conference; Blackhawks, Kings scuffling

          • Katie Strang, ESPN.comJan 19, 2015, 11:04 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

          • Winnipeg Jets: Following a 4-3 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, the Jets pulled even with the Chicago Blackhawks in points (58) for a third-place tie in the Central Division standings. The Jets’ victory over the Yotes also marks a season-high four-game winning streak; Winnipeg has gone 5-1-1 in its past seven games.

          • Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames: The Flames are also making a nice push out West and Monaghan is playing a part in that. Though the youngster recently endured a 13-game goal slump, he has scored in the past two games, including his overtime game winner that gave the Flames a 4-3 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Monaghan is the youngest player in NHL history to score four career overtime goals.

          • Anaheim Ducks: I mean, what more is there to say about the Ducks at this point? Yet another one-goal victory for the best team in the league, who edged the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in the shootout 3-2 on Saturday night. The Ducks have won four straight and seven of their past 10. They also boast one of the best shootout threats in the NHL in Jakob Silfverberg, who leads the league with seven goals in the skills competition this season.

          • Cody Eakin, Dallas Stars -- Sure, Tyler Seguin usually gets all the love when it comes to the Stars’ dynamic offense, but it was Eakins’ heroics Sunday night that propelled the team to its first sweep of a back-to-back set this season. The 23-year-old center tallied twice and added an assist in Dallas’ 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

          Trending down:

          • Chicago Blackhawks: The Hawks better watch out, because the Jets are making gains and a middling stretch is starting to prove costly for the former titans of the Central. With the Predators perched atop the division standings, the Hawks are locked in a third-place tie with the Jets following their second consecutive loss. The Hawks have to feel good about the All-Star break coming up, because it provides them a breather from a daunting seven-game road stretch ahead.

          • Kings in the shootout: Not quite on par with the New Jersey Devils of last season, but the shootout has not been kind to the Kings this year. Edged in the skills competition by the rival Ducks over the weekend, the Kings are now scoreless in their past 22 shootout attempts. Their shootout record is a woeful 1-7 this season. Ouch.

          Injury report:

          • Rinne to miss three to five weeks: The news that Vezina Trophy front-runner Pekka Rinne will be sidelined for three to five weeks with a sprained knee must have been a bitter pill for the Nashville Predators to swallow, but it will provide an interesting glimpse into where the Finnish netminder stands in terms of the Hart Trophy debate. How his Predators team fares in his absence will offer a pretty good idea into his value to the club and his hand in the team’s dramatic about-face this season.

          • Boedker injury “day-to-day”: Not much has gone right for the Coyotes this season, but at least the injury to Mikkel Boedker does not appear to be serious. The 25-year-old winger, who had a nice four-game point streak last week, was forced from Sunday’s game, but coach Dave Tippett told reporters after the loss that Boedker was “day-to-day.”

          What to watch for:

          • Brodeur’s future: Last week, veteran netminder Martin Brodeur took a team-approved break from the St. Louis Blues, opting to take a week off to contemplate his current situation. With Brian Elliot now healthy and Jake Allen considered to be the goaltender of the future for the Blues, that leaves a pretty crowded crease for Brodeur. And maybe the fact the Minnesota Wild, in dire need of goaltending, traded for Devan Dubnyk was a wake-up call for Brodeur, who must be weighing what his next move will be. Remember this: he stands to collect a $125,000 roster bonus if he remains on an NHL roster on Feb. 1. That could certainly come into play soon.

          • California love: Before the All-Star break commences, the Calgary Flames must finish up their California swing by making stops in both Los Angeles and Anaheim. Trailing the third-place Vancouver Canucks by a mere two points in the Pacific Division standings only makes their Cali jaunt that much more important.