Two key pieces to the Calgary Flames' seven-game winning streak have been recognized for their recent outstanding play, as Johnny Gaudreau and goaltender Mike Smith were named the NHL's first and second stars of the week, respectively.
Gaudreau notched two goals and six assists in four games, pushing his season total to 54 points, which is tied for second in the league.
Smith, meanwhile, won all three of his starts, posting a .963 save percentage in the process.
The third star went to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel after he registered five points in two games, including the game-winning goal in each contest. The 30-year-old also recorded his 700th point in Sunday's win over the New York Rangers.
theScore's NHL Power Rankings are published every other Monday. Our eighth installment was put together by editors Josh Gold-Smith, Cory Wilkins, and Flip Livingstone.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (29-10-3)
Previously 1st
The expansion darlings have won three of their last four games since the calendar flipped to 2018, and that eight-game run that started in December proved they're for real. - Gold-Smith
2. Washington Capitals (28-14-3)
Previously 2nd
The Capitals split a home-and-home with the Hurricanes last week. They've taken two of three from Carolina since our last edition and slid past the Blues and Canucks to punctuate a five-game win streak. - Gold-Smith
3. Boston Bruins (24-10-7) ▲
Previously 8th
The Bruins are once again a force to be reckoned with. They blew out the Islanders and Hurricanes, lost an overtime thriller to the Penguins, then beat the Canadiens in a shootout Saturday. Boston is 8-0-2 in its last 10, and still has three games in hand on the first-place Lightning. - Gold-Smith
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (25-17-3)
Previously 4th
The Leafs haven't won in regulation since last year - OK, Dec. 28, 2017 against the Coyotes, to be exact - but they did pick up a couple of shootout victories and nabbed a point in an overtime loss to the Blue Jackets. - Gold-Smith
5. Winnipeg Jets (26-13-7)
Previously 5th
Back-to-back losses to Central Division foes in Chicago and Minnesota sting, but Winnipeg basically did what it was supposed to do before that, knocking off the Sabres twice and earning a convincing win over the Sharks. The Jets have largely remained on course. - Gold-Smith
6. Nashville Predators (25-11-6) ▲
Previously 9th
The Predators' rise here is more a reflection of other teams slipping than their own success, but Nashville has won two straight games over the Kings and Oilers, respectively. - Gold-Smith
7. Los Angeles Kings (24-14-5) ▼
Previously 3rd
The bye week didn't seem to help the Kings - at least not immediately - as they dropped one to the Ducks on Saturday after losing to the Flames and Predators before their break. - Gold-Smith
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (31-10-3) ▼
Previously 6th
Victor Hedman's absence is really going to test the Lightning, who've lost three of six since our last rankings update, including the crushing 5-1 defeat to the Flames in which their anchor on the back end was injured. - Gold-Smith
9. New York Islanders (22-18-4) ▲
Previously 16th
The Islanders bounced back impressively against a couple of regional rivals after dropping three straight to begin the calendar year, eking out a shootout victory over the Devils, then destroying the Rangers behind Mathew Barzal's second five-point game of the season. - Gold-Smith
10. Edmonton Oilers (20-23-3) ▲
Previously 14th
Edmonton looked like its old self Saturday night in a big road win against the Golden Knights in overtime, and any team with the reigning Hart Trophy winner is always a threat, regardless of the rest of the roster's flaws. - Gold-Smith
11. San Jose Sharks (22-13-6) ▼
Previously 7th
The Sharks inability to score is a cause for concern as the team enters the stretch drive. Only Montreal, Arizona, and Buffalo have scored fewer goals than San Jose. - Wilkins
12. Dallas Stars (24-17-3)
Previously 12th
Alexander Radulov has caught fire, tallying seven points in his last four games, making his signing look like a shrewd move by general manager Jim Nill. - Wilkins
13. Minnesota Wild (24-17-5) ▲
Previously 18th
The top line of Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu, and Mikael Granlund is running hot, doing its part to pull Minnesota into a wildcard position in the West. - Wilkins
14. New York Rangers (22-17-5) ▼
Previously 11th
The Broadway Blueshirts are having trouble finding the back of the net in recent weeks, and that's bad news in the super-competitive Metropolitan Division. - Wilkins
15. Colorado Avalanche (23-16-3) ▲
Previously 23rd
The Avalanche are the comeback kids after a disastrous season a year ago. Nathan MacKinnon could join the conversation for MVP consideration. - Wilkins
16. St. Louis Blues (26-17-3) ▼
Previously 13th
With starter Jake Allen struggling - he owns a 6.42 goals-against average in his last two outings - backup goaltender Carter Hutton is providing an intriguing option for the Blues. - Wilkins
17. Philadelphia Flyers (20-15-8) ▲
Previously 24th
After a slow start to the season, the Flyers are making noise. The playoffs are once again a possibility in Philadelphia. - Wilkins
18. Anaheim Ducks (20-15-9) ▼
Previously 17th
Netminder John Gibson has been a wall in the new year, owning a .933 save percentage through three January appearances. - Wilkins
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (24-19-3) ▲
Previously 21st
The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are finally showing signs of life, holding down a wildcard position and striking fear into the teams at the top. - Wilkins
20. Chicago Blackhawks (22-17-6)
Previously 20th
Already a top scoring team, the Blackhawks could have another weapon in their arsenal if they can unlock the offensive potential from newly acquired forward Anthony Duclair. - Wilkins
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (25-18-3) ▼
Previously 15th
Sergei Bobrovsky can't do it all. Just six Blue Jackets have scored in the team's past six games. - Wilkins
22. Calgary Flames (25-16-4) ▲
Previously 30th
An offseason favorite to compete for a Cup, Calgary is finally starting to look like a team that should be in the mix come June. Seven straight wins see the Flames heating up once again. - Livingstone
23. New Jersey Devils (22-12-8) ▼
Previously 10th
New Jersey is still clinging to third in the Metropolitan Division, but just by a thread. Losses in six of their last 10 contests have the Devils slipping out of contention. - Livingstone
24. Carolina Hurricanes (20-17-8) ▼
Previously 19th
The see-saw season continues for Carolina. And until the Hurricanes can find some consistency between the pipes, the up-and-down campaign should continue for Bill Peters and Co. - Livingstone
25. Montreal Canadiens (18-20-5) ▲
Previously 26th
Despite sitting firmly outside of a playoff spot, the Canadiens still have a pulse, as points in three straight games have breathed a bit of life into a club struggling to find its identity. - Livingstone
26. Florida Panthers (18-19-6) ▼
Previously 22nd
Just when it looked like the Panthers were rounding into form by winning five in a row to end December, they reeled off four losses in their last five to start January. - Livingstone
27. Detroit Red Wings (18-18-7) ▲
Previously 28th
A tidy shutout victory over the Blackhawks Sunday has the Wings trending in the right direction once again. And, with five home games out of its next six, Detroit has an excellent chance to continue that trend, as the Wings have points in 16 of 23 games at Little Caesars Arena. - Livingstone
28. Ottawa Senators (15-18-9) ▲
Previously 31st
Massive victories over the Lightning and Maple Leafs have Senators fans feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks. However, Ottawa allowed an eight-spot to the Blackhawks in between those wins. The Sens still have a lot of work to do if they want to be seriously considered as a playoff threat. - Livingstone
29. Vancouver Canucks (18-21-6) ▼
Previously 25th
Bo Horvat's injury has hindered Vancouver's ability to put in the puck in the net, as the Canucks have scored more than two goals in a game only twice in the past six contests. Expect Vancouver to continue its fall back to earth until Horvat returns. - Livingstone
30. Buffalo Sabres (11-24-9) ▼
Previously 27th
Buffalo has already allowed a staggering 25 goals this month and they've only played six games. Quite simply, nothing has gone right this season for the lackluster Sabres, as the team has easily been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2017-18 campaign. - Livingstone
31. Arizona Coyotes (10-28-7) ▼
Previously 29th
The Desert Dogs have points in five of their last 10 contests, but until they can string wins together with any kind of consistency, the club will remain firmly entrenched in the bottom few spots on our list. - Livingstone
With Aho driving toward the Flames' net, Giordano bumped the Hurricanes winger, then caught him when he stuck out his back leg.
Aho was injured on the play, favoring his leg as he left. Hurricanes coach Bill Peters had no update on Aho's status following the game but noted he absorbed the hit to both his head and knee.
Giordano was assessed a match penalty on the play, meaning an automatic ejection from the game, plus a further review by the league:
"In addition to the match penalty, the player shall be automatically suspended from further competition until the Commissioner has ruled on the issue" - NHL Rule Book
Which begs the question, should Giordano be assessed supplemental discipline for Sunday's incident?
Giordano isn't the only player to be given a match penalty this season. In recent weeks, Edmonton Oilers forward Patrick Maroon and Arizona Coyotes forward Zac Rinaldo received match penalties and were later suspended for two and six games, respectively.
The Calgary Flames may have won their seventh game in a row with a tidy 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon, but the contest didn't finish without its fair share of theatrics, as Mark Giordano's hit on Sebastian Aho turned the third period into a chippy affair.
Giordano caught Aho cutting in front of Calgary's net with what looked to be a clean hit, as there was originally no penalty called.
However, Aho was clearly injured, and Hurricanes forward Justin Williams came to the defense of his teammate, throwing down with Giordano in a spirited one-sided scrap in favor of the Flames captain.
Referees subsequently assessed Giordano a match penalty for the hit, meaning he will automatically be handed further discipline from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
Aho left the game and did not return, and the Hurricanes didn't update his status at the time.
A 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday gave the Flames their seventh consecutive victory, moving them to 54 points and into second place in the Pacific Division.
While there is no single reason for the team's uptick, Calgary has pieced together five straight wins since coach Glen Gulutzan's stick-throwing tantrum in practice earlier this month.
The Flames now enter their bye week and will return to the ice Saturday vs. the Winnipeg Jets.
The veteran defenseman reportedly seeks a move elsewhere, and Sharks general manager Doug Wilson is doing his part to accommodate him, reports Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.
While there is no timetable for the potential deal, Martin's agent, Ben Hankinson, suggests "the sooner the better."
Hankinson indicates there has been some interest in Martin's services, but what sort of return he would draw is unclear. An ankle injury has limited the veteran defenseman to just three games this season, in which he's been held off the scoresheet.
Martin finished last season with 26 points in 81 games.
The 36-year-old has one year remaining on his contract, carry a $4.85-million cap hit.
Wilson did not rule out the possibility of placing Martin on waivers if the Sharks are unable to find a deal.
Martin will not go with the Sharks on their upcoming three-game road trip, and the possibility exists he could be sent to the minors as Wilson works on a trade. Earlier this season, Martin fulfilled a four-game conditioning stint with the Sharks' AHL club, registering one assist.
Cogliano caught Kempe with a hit to the head in the first period Saturday night and was assessed a two-minute minor for interference, as the puck had clearly left Kempe's possession when Cogliano laid the high hit.
The suspension will end Cogliano's consecutive games played streak at 830, the fourth-longest iron man streak in NHL history.
