Top scorer of the week
Two players tallied eight points in three games, each scoring two goals and adding six assists: Nikita Kucherov from Tampa Bay and Leon Draisaitl from Edmonton. The Russian forward was undoubtedly the happier of the two, as the Lightning won all three of their games, and he contributed 1+3 in an epic outdoor matchup against Boston, helping secure a 6-5 shootout victory.
The German star shone brightest against Anaheim, where Draisaitl notched four assists for his third four-point night of the season, leading his team to a 7-4 win. However, during a 3-7 loss to Minnesota, where he scored once, he had to leave the game early due to a hand injury.
Goalie of the Week
Two goaltenders managed to win three games: Jakub Dobeš from Montreal and Andrei Vasilevskiy from Tampa Bay. The Lightning’s star not only posted similarly strong numbers but also added some extra drama with a fight against Jeremy Swayman from Boston during the aforementioned outdoor game. Vasilevskiy also shut down Winnipeg and Utah, recording his second shutout of the season against the latter. His goals-against average for the week was 1.95.
Another performance worth mentioning came from Brandon Bussi of Carolina, who became the fastest goalie in history to reach twenty wins.
Highlight of the Week
January 2026 was a dream for hat-trick fans - no other month in league history has seen as many, with 31. The previous record was 29, set in December 1985. One Czech player helped set the new mark: Pavel Zacha notched his first career hat trick in the eleventh three-goal game of the month, helping Boston to a 10-2 win over the Rangers.
Some of the hat tricks came from unexpected names. For example, Slovak forward Pavol Regenda of San Jose had only three NHL goals to his name before his hat trick. Power forward Marcus Foligno from Minnesota waited until his 915th game for his first career hat trick. Up to that point in the season, he had scored just three goals, so his performance against Toronto doubled his tally.
Several defensemen also contributed to the record: Darren Raddysh from Tampa Bay, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm from Edmonton, and Rasmus Dahlin from Buffalo. The Oilers’ two defensemen managed hat tricks in back-to-back games for their team—something that had never happened before in NHL history.
Another notable hat trick came from Charlie Coyle of Columbus on Saturday night. That night featured just one game, a Blue Jackets vs. Chicago clash that ended 4-2. Yet, a hat trick was still scored...
Stat of the Week
For nearly fifteen years, Mike Modano held the record as the highest-scoring American in NHL history with 1,374 points, but that mark has now been surpassed. During a 3-4 shootout loss to Washington, Patrick Kane of Detroit picked up an assist and moved past the former Dallas superstar. "I never thought about any records set by American hockey players. I never imagined I could become the highest-scoring American of all time. I just wanted to play hockey," Kane said. You can read more about his milestone in our article.
Social Media highlight
The tough season for the New York Rangers continued in their derby against the New York Islanders. The Long Island team won 5-2, helped by a bizarre moment when the visitors took three penalties in a single shift. Sam Carrick was called for tripping and cross-checking, and Matt Rempe for boarding. The Islanders only capitalised on the extended power play once, but it was enough for a comfortable win.
Photo of the Week
Goaltender Scott Wedgewood mishandled a play behind the Colorado net and had no chance to stop Montreal’s Jake Evans from scoring. At that point, the Canadiens were up 4-1 and went on to win 7-3, deepening the crisis for the league’s dominant team, which has managed just four regulation wins in its last ten games.
