Given the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs improved to 11-3-1 over their last 15 games with Saturday's win in Pittsburgh, any complaints about the current outfit could very well be considered nitpicking.
Despite the recent surge, one of the more confusing aspects throughout the club's recent run has been the deployment of winger William Nylander.
The 21-year-old has been used in a fourth line role of late, which isn't uncommon under head coach Mike Babcock, who frequently shifts his lines to provide a spark - either for increased effort out of the individual involved or the makeup of the team as a whole.
Yet, Nylander can't seem to find his way back to his old spot, and versus the Penguins on Saturday, he logged a career-low 8:39, including just one shift in the third period.
So, what gives?
It's hard to chalk it up to a lack of production, as Nylander has 20 points in 30 games this season - even with a 6.8% shooting percentage, which suggests he's had poor puck luck so far. Even though he hasn't recorded a point in his last three games, Nylander's never had a drought of four contests in his NHL career, so it can't be labeled as inconsistency either.
(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)
Lately, Nylander's linemates have been Matt Martin and Dominic Moore, who are two players nowhere near his skill level. Of course, Nylander flanking that duo means he's separated from Auston Matthews, eliminating a wildly dynamic one-two punch from both a season ago and in limited instances this year.
There's a case to be made about the impact Nylander's deployment is having on Matthews, as well. Toronto's best player has just one goal in his last nine games and was held without a shot on goal for the second time in five tries on Saturday - the only two such instances of his career.
Putting Matthews with Connor Brown rather than Nylander provides opponents a better opportunity to zone in on No. 34, eliminating his time and space without having to worry about another high-end offensive threat.
In the grand scheme of things, the Leafs' current line combinations probably don't have much of an effect on what the team is trying to accomplish this season, but for the time being, keeping one of the team's greatest talents with inferior linemates - or stapled to the bench - doesn't seem to make much sense.
After picking up just one win in their first eight games, the New York Rangers have turned their season around, compiling a record of 13-4-0 in their last 17 contests, putting them on the cusp of a playoff spot.
The turnaround can largely be credited to their offense, as they've averaged 3.76 goals per game during that 17-game stretch. This comes in spite of the fact that their most decorated offensive player, Rick Nash, is having the worst offensive season of his career with just seven goals and eight assists in 29 games.
This would lead many to assume that the 33-year-old is washed up and that a game now built more around speed than power has simply passed him by. The underlying numbers would suggest differently, however.
Excluding Saturday's game, Nash is smashing his previous career high in individual high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (iHDCF/60) at five-on-five. His 6.34 iHDCF/60 this season is 1.31 better than his previous best since Natural Stat Trick began recording the statistic in 2007-08.
From a league-wide perspective, Nash's iHDCF/60 is the fifth-best in the NHL among players who have played at least 20 games.
Rank
Player
iHDCF/60 (5v5)
1.
Patric Hornqvist (PIT)
6.88
2.
Zach Hyman (TOR)
6.73
3.
Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
6.56
4.
Joonas Donskoi (SJ)
6.38
5.
Rick Nash (NYR)
6.34
If the speed of the game has truly become too much for the 6-foot-4 Nash to handle, how would he be generating the most high-danger scoring chances of his career?
Throughout Nash's whole career, he's been a pure goal-scorer. He's made a living off his ability to finish around the net. It seems hard to believe that his shot or offensive instincts have undergone some sort of decline, so there's only one logical reason as to why he's not capitalizing on his chances: poor puck luck.
Nash has simply been snakebitten. His 7.7 shooting percentage would be the worst single-season mark of his career, and 4.4 percent worse than his career average.
If Nash can start getting some long overdue bounces to fall his way, it would make the Rangers' offense that much more prolific and would go a long way in propelling them to an eighth straight playoff appearance.
Oilers star Leon Draisaitl picked up his first power-play point of the season - an assist - against the Canadiens Saturday night.
Draisaitl had 27 points with the man advantage last season - an average of one every 3.037 games. This season, it took him until his 25th game to notch his first.
Despite the struggles with the man advantage, Edmonton's $68-million man sat tied for 22nd in the league in even-strength points with 19 heading into Saturday's game.
The Montreal Canadiens netminder was pulled Saturday night in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers after allowing four goals on 14 shots in just over 20 minutes of ice time.
In his 10th career start vs the #Oilers, Carey Price gets pulled for the 1st time but allows 4+ goals for the 5th time. He's now got a ghastly 3.73 GAA & .860 save % all-time vs EDM
Backup goalie extraordinaire Antti Niemi replaced Price 2:24 into the second stanza.
After returning from injury on Nov. 22, Price racked up five consecutive wins while registering a .962 save percentage. In the three games since, Price has looked shaky while allowing 11 goals and earning two losses.
Atkinson had a breakout year in 2016-17, tallying a career-high 35 goals and 62 points. This season has been a different story, as he's mustered just six goals and nine points in 25 games.
Tortorella insists the decision is in his best interest.
"For me, it's not a tough call," Tortorella said, according to Brian Hedger of BlueJackets.com. "Cam's a very important guy. If we're going to have any sniff at all of having a chance to play and keep playing, he has to be a huge part of it.
"I know people get all jittery about it. I look at this as part of the process to getting him back. Do you want to go down this road? No. As I've said many times. It's easy to sit a guy out, but you've got to go through the other processes to try to help him. I think I'm helping him. You may think I'm crazy, but I do feel I'm helping Cam, and I'm going to continue to try and help him. I'll put it to you that way."
The benching comes less than a month after the 28-year-old signed a seven-year contract extension with a $5.875-million annual cap hit.
Sonny Milano is expected to take Atkinson's spot in the lineup.
Atkinson had a breakout year in 2016-17, tallying a career-high 35 goals and 62 points. This season has been a different story, as he's mustered just six goals and nine points in 25 games.
Tortorella insists the decision is in his best interest.
"For me, it's not a tough call," Tortorella said, according to Brian Hedger of BlueJackets.com. "Cam's a very important guy. If we're going to have any sniff at all of having a chance to play and keep playing, he has to be a huge part of it.
"I know people get all jittery about it. I look at this as part of the process to getting him back. Do you want to go down this road? No. As I've said many times. It's easy to sit a guy out, but you've got to go through the other processes to try to help him. I think I'm helping him. You may think I'm crazy, but I do feel I'm helping Cam, and I'm going to continue to try and help him. I'll put it to you that way."
The benching comes less than a month after the 28-year-old signed a seven-year contract extension with a $5.875-million annual cap hit.
Sonny Milano is expected to take Atkinson's spot in the lineup.
#Habs Drouin says he feels ready to play tomorrow vs #Oilers. His flu was similar to McDavid’s — Drouin says he lost around 6 pounds and was vomiting quite a bit.
