Line Change: New Jersey Devils soar; New York Islander sink

Hockey season is never boring. This past week is proof of that.

The last seven days of hockey have been filled with unbelievable goaltenders, great goals, teams on the rise, and teams spiraling toward the bottom of the league. So without further ado, let’s take a look at who fell into each of those categories this week.

Up:

Calvin Pickard

In case you were unaware, hockey players are awesome. Colorado Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard proved that again this week when he made a young fan’s night.

So it’s not an amazing goal, an unbelievable save or a hat-trick, but it is something that makes you remember why you’re a hockey fan.

Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller might not have made a young fan’s night, but he certainly made the highlight reel. I mean, come on. Look at that save.

I don’t know what else to say about that. It’s beautiful. End of story.

The Bell Centre

After blanking the Detroit Red Wings 5-0 Saturday night, the NHL’s best team gave its home crowd something to cheer about by winning its 10th consecutive home game and breaking a 63-year-old record.

The Montreal Canadiens are definitely on the rise this season, and so is the Bell Centre. Montreal’s home ice advantage has been a big factor in the team’s success this season. The Canadiens have been less successful on the road, but it appears as long as they’re at home, they’re almost invincible.

Ryan Suter

Defensemen never seem to get the recognition they deserve. So let’s change that. This week, Minnesota’s Ryan Suter deserves some praise.

The franchise defenseman has had a great start to the season, scoring three goals in his past ten games, and tallying points in nine of the Wild’s past 15. Suter currently has the second-most goals on his team and leads the team in plus/minus with a plus-9.

As is the case with most defensemen, though, stats don’t really tell the whole story. Suter’s veteran presence on the ice has been invaluable to the Wild, as has his average of 27:21 minutes per game. Suter went through a rough patch a few seasons back, but it appears the superstar D-man is back in good shape.

New Jersey Devils

I never could’ve predicted the New Jersey Devils were going to be one of the best teams in hockey this season. I’m not sure anyone could’ve guessed that, actually.

I know, I know. The season is still young, and a lot can change by April. But this past week, the Devils proved that they have some serious potential. New Jersey won all three of its games over the past seven days, and while those wins came against teams like Carolina and Buffalo, the win streak is nonetheless impressive. Taylor Hall has proven to be a great offseason acquisition for the Devils, and this team looks like it’s finally starting to turn around.

Down:

Johnny Gaudreau

It’s safe to say Johnny Gaudreau is experiencing a bit of a sophomore slump.

Despite scoring 3 goals in his past two games, Gaudreau is nowhere near the superstar he was last season. Throughout 16 games, No. 13 has tallied four goals and six assists and is a minus-9 (the second-worst on the team). At this pace, the former Hobey Baker Award winner is set to end the season with a meager 12 goals and 47 points — half of what he scored last season.

Now we all know Johnny Hockey will find his groove eventually, but he’s running out of time to break out. His team is spiraling toward the bottom of the league, and Gaudreau has to do more if he’s going to help stop the shipwreck that is the Calgary Flames. Hopefully, the past few games are a sign of good things to come for Gaudreau.

Dallas Stars

It’s the middle of November, and the Dallas Stars have won only three games this month. One of those wins came against the Calgary Flames, (one of the worst teams in the league), so I’m not sure how much of an accomplishment that is.

Let’s just say November has not been kind to the Stars.

After an embarrassing 8-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets to start last week, Dallas was able to turn things around for a couple games, but it’s hard to say if the Stars’ winning ways are here to stay. Things are looking pretty bleak for Dallas as of now.

Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews is perhaps one of the best hockey players of this generation. He is not, however, immune to slumps.

Despite starting the season with a record-breaking performance, Matthews has slowed as of late. The Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 draft pick has gone ten games without a goal and has a mere two points in the month of November. Matthews will undoubtedly break out of this slump in the near future, but for now, the NHL’s wonder child is stuck in a bit of an offensive rut.

The New York Islanders

Matthews isn’t the only one stuck in an offensive rut. The entire New York Islanders team falls into that category, as well.

The Islanders have won only two of their last eight games, with those two Ws coming against the less-than-spectacular Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only have the Isles lost, but they’ve been outscored 34-22 and have given up four or more goals in five of those eight games.

But that’s not all. The Islanders’ big offseason acquisition and one of the team’s leading scorers, Dennis Seidenberg, likely has a broken jaw and won’t be any help to New York for quite some time. It’s hard to say things are going to look up for the Islanders anytime soon.

Jaroslav Halak

The New York Islanders have suffered, and so has Jaroslav Halak.

While the Isles plummet, Halak’s goals against average has skyrocketed. The 31-year-old goaltender currently owns a 3.00 GAA and .907 save percentage – both numbers substantially higher than Halak’s stats from previous seasons.

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Halak isn’t necessarily a bad goaltender, but it’s not easy to look good with a lousy team in front of him. Halak can’t turn this team around on his own, but he’s going to have to up his game if this team is going to stop the losses. Or if he’s going to look appealing to a prospective team.