The most productive player
One of only two Austrian hockey players in the NHL, Minnesota forward Marco Rossi reigned supreme this time. The Wild peppered opponents from Nashville, Washington and Carolina with 13 goals in those three wins, and the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft was in on eight of them (3+5). He shined the most during the 4-0 win over the Hurricanes, assisting all of his team's goals. He averaged almost twenty minutes of play.
Goaltender of the Week
It was not an easy week for 2022 Stanley Cup winner Darcy Kuemper, who was facing the elite teams from the Eastern Conference, namely New Jersey and Tampa Bay, in Los Angeles. But he stopped all 33 shots against the Devils for his second clean sheet of the season, and the Lightning only beat him once in 34 attempts. David Rittich's rival has a perfect 11-2-5 record on the season.
Highlight of the week
The Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues faced off on the final day of the 2024 calendar year at Wrigley Field. More than 40,000 spectators were not bored at all during the traditional Winter Classic duel.
The first goal was scored at 1:40 by defenseman Cam Fowler on the power play, the man who became the first in NHL history to play his 1,000th career game in an outdoor game. He also scored once more and contributed significantly to the 6-2 win. Two goals in this celebratory game? No defender had ever done that before.
"I couldn't have asked for more. It was an amazing night and we enjoyed it even more because we won, that's the key," he told NHL.com after the game.
But there is speculation overseas about whether moving the traditional game from January 1st was the right thing to do, as initial reports indicated that the ratings were among the worst on television. And Chicago would probably prefer to avoid the game next time, as they have a 0-5 record in outdoor battles.
Stat of the Week
When Slovakian back Martin Fehervary scored his first goal of the season on Thursday against Minnesota, it was the 20th goal by a Washington defenseman this season. The Capitals' did it in their 38th game of the season, while last season they needed 82 games to do it. They are also the reason the team is doing so well this year.
Social media highlight
Toronto's Chris Tanev, who has long been among the league's elite in shot blocking, lost a tooth on Tuesday during a 3-1 win over the NY Islanders. Of course, nothing stopped him from playing nearly 18 minutes and contributing an assist in the win.
Photo of the week
Vancouver beat Seattle 4-3 on Friday in a shootout thanks in part to this successful save by Kevin Lankinen on Danish forward Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Ladislav Smid's view
"I'll come back to the Winter Classic game between Chicago and St. Louis. It's definitely a huge show that generates huge profits and I love watching these games. Especially when it's played at a venue like Wrigley Field. Although the Blackhawks fans didn't enjoy it much, the Blues dominated and won 6-2, no big deal...
"For the players themselves, it has some specifics too, it's definitely a huge experience, you can usually bring your families along the day before, hang out and enjoy the beautiful scenery. On the other hand, it's still an NHL game where points are at stake. You have to concentrate on the game. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get a chance to play outdoors. I wanted to give it a try, but not everyone is lucky enough.
"And Chicago? The rebuild is in full swing, a year ago the club could still often talk about it, but it will happen less and less. There are already some expectations, but it's probably all going to take a while. I too experienced a similar situation in Edmonton back in the day, especially mentally these times are pretty tough. But Chicago, that's a big brand. Hopefully it won't take that long and they'll get back to where they belong."