NHL Top three players of the week

This week the NHL has seen a lot of teams and individual players stepping it up. With playoffs a month and a half out, coaches are making final tweaks to their lines, and the guys are proving why they should be included.

The NHL has proved to be extremely unpredictable during this past week of games. No one saw that 6-2 win for the Boston Bruins against the Chicago Blackhawks coming. But hey, anything can happen.

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This past week three players really stood out among other guys in the league. Not saying that they haven’t played huge roles on their respective teams so far this season, but with post-season quickly creeping up they’re paying special attention to what they bring to the rink.

1. Jonathan Quick (G) – Los Angeles Kings

Quick has gone 5-0-0 in previous games the Kings have won, and he’s really proving himself as a Stanley Cup winning goaltender. This .959 saving percentage is a huge part of why the Kings are just one point behind stepping up from a wild card position in the Western Conference, to a top three team.

This winning streak also includes the Stadium Series game that took place this past Saturday against a huge rival in the San Jose Sharks. The Kings won the game 2-1, with Quick saving 32 other shots.

In the week leading up to the Stadium Series game, Quick wasn’t lacking any sort of enthusiasm. The Kings took on big wins against the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightening, and Washington Capitals. Securing these wins for his team and earning them more points in the conference is playing a huge contribution to their current standings.

2. Henrik Sedin (C) – Vancouver Canucks

As of late, Sedin is currently on a two game dry spell. However, in the week leading up to these games, Sedin put up three goals for the Canucks. Vancouver is currently in second place in the Pacific Division, and hasn’t come close to even being a wild card team for the playoffs.

Fortunately, there are players like Henrik Sedin on the team who are still giving it their all even though post-season seems a little out of reach at this point. In the game that took place on February 19th against the New York Rangers, Sedin was able to get the puck past the Rangers backup goalie Cam Talbot twice. (Henrik Lundqvist is currently still out due to a cardiovascular injury.)

Sedin recently took on the title as the first Canucks player to put up four straight multi-point performances. Registering this number of points is essential come this time in the season, considering the Canucks have quite the leap of faith regarding the possibility of a playoff position.

3. Max Pacioretty (LW) – Montreal Canadiens

Patriocetty plays a major role within his team. He has scored four goals in the last five games, despite his absence against the Florida Panthers. The ‘Habs are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with 81 points, meaning the playoffs are definitely a reality.

More recently, Patriocetty found the back of the net twice against Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Curtis McElhinney. Although it doesn’t seem like the Blue Jackets will be joining us for the playoffs, these points set the Canadiens even further ahead of their opponents.

The ‘Habs are set to take on the St. Louis Blues, who are currently ranked second in the West. This game could pose a threat to players such as Pacioretty, who are looking to continue their nearly perfect point streaks. However, with the current point standings, it’s highly unlikely that the Canadiens’ season will end in April.

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