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NHL Weekender: Bolts keep striking, Preds on the hunt
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Weekender: Bolts keep striking, Preds on the hunt

At the end of every work week, Yardbarker will take a look at what the NHL has in store for the weekend. We'll see whose stock is soaring, who needs to get their act together, and what tilts are promising to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Who's on fire

The Bolts continue to steamroll the rest of the Eastern Conference with a whopping six game winning streak. Outside of them, the competition is tight, albeit very interesting. The Washington Capitals — who we targeted last week as a team on the rise — continue their December push with back-to-back victories over the Bruins and the Avalanche as they battle for division bragging rights with the Columbus Blue Jackets. (More on Alex Ovechkin's reaction to the Caps success in just a second.)

Out in the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators have taken over the Central Division, capping off the week by shutting out the Edmonton Oilers 4-0. As Yardbarker discussed earlier this week, Nashville is starting to show the miraculous offensive depth they displayed during last year's playoff run. With the Winnipeg Jets running cold this past week, Nashville has snuck back into the conversation to challenge the St. Louis Blues for division-leading honors.

...and who's skidding out


Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Red Wings haven't made much noise this season, although they had the opportunity to do so in late November with the schedule in their favor. Unfortunately they were unable to capitalize, and their woes continued as they notched a 1-5-4 record over the last couple of weeks. The road doesn't get any smoother, with tough tilts against the Maple Leafs and Islanders coming up ahead of Christmas.

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes continue to struggle and have dropped four straight bouts. But it isn't just this stretch of games that have been difficult to watch — the Desert Dogs simply aren't good this season. As AZCentral noted back in November, the talking heads have tagged this Arizona team, which has plenty of potential, as being "just bad." Honestly, "disappointing" is probably a better adjective.

Oh Captain, My Captain


Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Ovechkin is nothing short of a colorful character. He's outspoken and good at doing the hockey — everything you could want from a captain. On top of that, Ovi also has a pretty darn good sense of humor. (Come on, he wore a bunny onesie in the Capitals' Christmas video two seasons ago.) But most of all, he is quite quotable. And after Washington pullled into a tie for first place in their division, the towering Russian reminded everyone of his "We aren't going to suck this year" quote by rocking a t-shirt with the quip emblazoned across the chest.

Goalie To Watch


Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Backups don't typically get as much attention, unless the starting netminder is hurt or there is a trade deadline on the horizon. Nevertheless, teams should be aware of San Jose Sharks' goalie Aaron Dell. In his second season backing up Martin Jones, Dell is registering a 1.75 goals-against average and .939 save percentage with two shutouts in 12 games. He and Jones have shaped up to be quite the tandem — which is complementary to the Sharks' recent winning ways. While he is still under contract with San Jose, you have to wonder if teams in need of help between the pipes are already taking notice.

What to watch this weekend

Saturday, Winnipeg at St. Louis, 7 p.m. EST, FSMW

Sunday, St. Louis at Winnipeg, 6 p.m. EST, FSMW


USA TODAY Sports

After climbing their way to the top of the Central Division, the Blues and the Jets finally face off for a Saturday night rumble in St. Louis. The Blues are holding onto their place in the standings despite dropping two straight home tilts. Will they rebound from the week, or will Winnipeg put a tally in the win column?

Saturday, NY Rangers at Boston, 5 p.m. EST, MSG+, NESN

If it's Eastern Conference action that you crave, the Rangers and Bruins will be duking it out on Saturday. Both teams are coming off losses to good teams -- New York fell to the lowly Ottawa Senators, while Boston got beat by the streaking Washington Capitals. These squads havve played each other tough for years, and Saturday should be no exception.

More must-reads:

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