NHL Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in MVP race
By Sion Fawkes
4. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
David Pastrnak continues to fuel a Boston Bruins team that remains atop the Atlantic Division, even if they have been suffering narrow overtime losses lately. Yet in the last five contests, where four out of five went into either overtime or a shootout, Pastrnak has scored five goals and logged two assists, bringing his overall points total to 43 on the season in just 30 games.
Pastrnak has also been incredibly productive on special teams, with five goals and 13 assists on the man advantage. If Pastrnak keeps up his current pace, he will set a new career-high points-wise for the second time in as many years.
3. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are just one point from tying for second place in the Atlantic Division, and Nikita Kucherov is one big reason behind that. His 57 points and 23 goals in just 33 contests paces the league and given his most recent outings, the 30-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.
In his previous five games, Kucherov has scored 10 points, four goals, and six assists, helping the Lightning score 18 total goals in their last three wins. If the Lightning had a better overall points total, Kucherov would be in first place in the MVP race, but there are two other players who have helped their respective teams continually churn out a consistent number of wins.