8. Anaheim Ducks (10-23-4)
Last week: 8
After a 3-2 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Ducks closed out 2022 by getting spanked at home by the Nashville Predators, 6-1.
Adam Henrique scored a pair of goals against Vegas, giving him 11 on the year. Is there any chance he could turn into a trade chip for Anaheim?
This week: VS PHI, VS DAL, VS SJ, VS BOS
7. San Jose Sharks (12-20-7)
Last week: 7
The Sharks rang in the new year with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, snapping a three-game winless streak in the process.
Acquired in a minor trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021, Alexander Barabanov has turned into a sneaky nice pickup for San Jose with 23 points (6G-17A) in 34 games so far this season.
This week: @ ANA, VS BOS
6. Vancouver Canucks (16-17-3)
Last week: 6
They crushed the Sharks, 6-2, for a third straight win last Tuesday but then lost consecutive games to the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames.
Quinn Hughes has 30 points in 32 games this season but didn’t score his first goal until last week.
This week: VS NYI, VS COL, @ WPG
5. Calgary Flames (18-13-7)
Last week: 5
The Flames bounced back from a 2-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers with 3-2 wins over the Seattle Kraken and the Canucks.
He still only has an .895 save percentage, but Jacob Markstrom might be starting to right the ship after a tough start to the season. He’s allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts.
This week: @ WPG, VS NYI, @ CHI
4. Seattle Kraken (19-12-4)
Last week: 2
The Kraken came out of the holiday break with a 3-2 loss to the Flames before getting smacked 7-2 by the Oilers. They bounced back with a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday.
Claimed by Seattle after being somewhat surprisingly put on waivers by the Nashville Predators, Eeli Tolvanen scored in his Kraken debut against the Islanders.
This week: @ EDM, @ TOR, @ OTT
3. LA Kings (21-13-6)
Last week: 4
Despite a disappointing New Year’s Eve result against the Philadelphia Flyers, the LA Kings are still 6-1-1 over their last eight games and move up a spot this week. They’ve got a tough schedule coming up this week, though, so we’ll find out soon if they deserve to stay up here.
Despite a recent 10-game goal drought, Gabe Vilardi still leads the Kings with 16 on the season. He may be starting to warm up again, too, having scored three in his last five games now.
This week: VS DAL, VS BOS, @ VGK
2. Edmonton Oilers (20-16-2)
Last week: 3
The Oilers picked up big divisional wins over the Flames and Kraken before dropping a 2-1 decision to the Jets on Saturday.
In his first season with Edmonton last year, Zach Hyman set career highs with 27 goals and 54 points. he’s on pace to shatter both of those marks this year, with 17 goals and 40 points already through just 37 games.
This week: VS SEA, VS NYI, VS COL
1. Vegas Golden Knights (25-12-2)
Last week: 1
After collecting just one point in a trip through Los Angeles and Anaheim, Vegas got back in the win column with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Predators on Saturday.
After going 15 straight games without a point, former LA King Michael Amadio has suddenly gotten red hot. He’s riding a six-game point streak in which he’s put up four goals and four assists.
This week: @ COL, VS PIT, VS LA
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