We're still less than halfway through the 2021 NHL season and dozens of games have been rescheduled due to COVID-19. However, while the sample size remains relatively small, it's large enough to have a better idea of who's in the Hart Trophy running.

Two otherworldly players have put some distance between themselves and the field. While they each have a compelling case as the front-runner, one of them has been more valuable than the other so far.

Here are our top five MVP candidates at this juncture:

5. Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon hasn't lit the world on fire in terms of goal-scoring this season, but he remains elite at playmaking and driving possession. The perennial Hart Trophy candidate has produced exceptional analytic figures, recording a 61.52 Corsi For percentage and a high-danger Corsi For percentage of 55.

The Colorado Avalanche have played fewer games than many other teams due to COVID-19 postponements; perhaps those interruptions have made it tough for MacKinnon to establish his typical clockwork scoring. Nevertheless, he's still one of the league's best players, and he's been exceedingly valuable to a very strong Avalanche club.

MacKinnon has figured in on 39% of Colorado's goals this season, so even though he isn't lighting the lamp at his usual rate, he's still helped create more than one-third of his team's offensive output. He leads the Avalanche in points and has racked up four more than his next-closest teammate. These trends show how much even a deep team like Colorado heavily relies on MacKinnon's contributions.

4. Leon Draisaitl

Draisaitl isn't a top three Hart contender this time around, but the 2019-20 recipient has been excellent this season.

The German center has again proven he can excel without Connor McDavid at five-on-five, though he still benefits from playing alongside the 2017 MVP on the Edmonton Oilers' effective power play.

However, Draisaitl's underlying numbers at five-on-five are illuminating - his expected goals for percentage in those situations is under 50, and significantly lower than his goals for percentage of 75.

Still, he's piling up points at an impressive clip. While the 25-year-old has scored half of his goals with the man advantage, he deserves recognition for picking up where he left off offensively in 2019-20.

3. Patrick Kane

Kane has been a dark horse candidate for most of the season. The Chicago Blackhawks superstar is the biggest reason his team has exceeded expectations despite numerous injuries and long-term absences.

The 32-year-old has only one more goal than Alex DeBrincat, but Kane is creating more offense than his linemate. Kane's assist total is more than double the number of DeBrincat and Dominik Kubalik's helpers (10 apiece), and Kane has 13 more points than DeBrincat, his next-closest teammate.

Kane has been on an unreal tear lately, notching five goals and 15 assists in his last 10 games, including a four-point effort Tuesday night - his second such performance this season. He already has nine multi-point nights in 2021. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Chicago, but the game-breaking winger's exploits have the Blackhawks in a playoff spot.

2. Auston Matthews

Matthews has cemented his spot as a serious Hart Trophy contender with a remarkable scoring run. The Toronto Maple Leafs dynamo, who leads the NHL in goals by a wide margin, scored 10 tallies during an eight-game streak before notching seven goals over a four-game run.

Toronto's franchise cornerstone has amassed twice as many goals as his next-closest teammate, Mitch Marner. Marner is one point behind Matthews thanks to his team-leading 21 assists, but 11 of those helpers came on Matthews' markers. The American center has scored a whopping 24.3% of Toronto's goals in 2021.

Matthews has also improved defensively, ranking at or near the top of the NHL among forwards in puck battle wins, stick checks, blocked passes, and blocked shots, according to Sportlogiq's Mike Kelly.

His performance is even more impressive considering his wrist has bothered him for most of the campaign. Matthews would be a shoo-in for this honor if not for one man.

1. Connor McDavid

McDavid is the NHL's most talented player, and he's been the league's most valuable one in 2021.

The Oilers megastar has authored stellar underlying numbers across the board, in addition to his typically excellent conventional figures. His expected goals percentage is higher than his goals for percentage. It's the opposite for Matthews.

McDavid has played at a Hart Trophy level for most of the season. He's figured in on an astounding 51% of the Oilers' goals, though Draisaitl has helped create 43% of them. McDavid isn't scoring at Matthews' blistering pace, but that isn't the lone consideration when it comes to the MVP race.

In addition to the eye-popping analytics and McDavid's hefty share of Edmonton's offensive production, he's also leading the NHL in points and ranks second among forwards in average ice time behind Marner.

Honorable mentions: Marc-Andre Fleury, Anze Kopitar, Mark Scheifele, Marner.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is as perplexed as anyone at his poor form to start the 2021 campaign.

Price entered Thursday's tilt against the Winnipeg Jets with a 5-3-3 record and .893 save percentage before allowing five goals in the loss - his fifth in his last six games. Afterward, he addressed his recent struggles.

"Maybe I'm overthinking things. That's all I've got for you," Price said, per The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

Montreal entered this campaign with high expectations after a busy offseason that brought in several new faces. Despite the roster overhaul, Price remained the Habs' biggest X-factor for success, and he looked poised for a big year after posting a .936 save percentage through 10 games in the bubble playoffs over the summer.

Price, 33, started the season undefeated in regulation through six starts but has earned just one victory since. Jake Allen, Montreal's backup goalie, is 4-2-1 this season with a .932 save percentage.

The Canadiens began their 2021 schedule with a 7-1-2 record but have since cooled off and now sit fourth in the North Division at 9-6-2. Thursday's game marked the club's first under head coach Dominique Ducharme, who took over the role on an interim basis after Claude Julien was fired Wednesday.

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Matthew Tkachuk squashed any speculation he would drop the gloves with brother Brady as the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators gear up to clash in five of their next six games.

"Anybody that thinks we're going to fight is an idiot," the Flames winger said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Both Tkachuk brothers are known to mix it up physically, but going toe to toe with each other evidently crosses the line. Their father, Keith, who scored 538 NHL goals, hopes he doesn't have to discipline his sons for any extracurricular affairs.

"The brothers should never fight, that's the bottom line," Keith told "The Athletic Hockey Show" on Monday. "There's plenty of guys to fight out there on the opposing teams, so they don't need to fight each other. They're brothers, they're best friends. (My wife) Chantal wouldn't like it and I wouldn't like it."

Both Tkachuk brothers are off to strong starts this season. Matthew's notched 14 points in 20 games for the Flames, while Brady leads the Sens with 15 points and ranks first in the NHL in shots (89) and second in hits (90).

Calgary sits fifth in the North Division, seven points clear of last-place Ottawa.

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The Ottawa Senators have placed forward Filip Chlapik on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, according to CapFriendly.

Chlapik signed a one-year, $735,000 qualifying offer with Ottawa in October. The 23-year-old has recorded five goals and six assists in 57 career NHL games across four seasons, but he's played in just one contest this year.

Though he didn't produce much offensively in his limited action, he did post strong defensive metrics.

The Senators selected Chlapik 48th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.

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Slumping Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner will be a healthy scratch for a third straight game Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said, according to WKBW's Matthew Bove.

Skinner, who has no goals and just one assist in 14 games this season, skated with the team's taxi squad Thursday morning. He's in the second season of an eight-year, $72-million contract.

Asked what it would take to get Skinner out of his doghouse, Krueger replied that he doesn't have a doghouse and doesn't "know really what that is." But the head coach did make it clear he wants to see more from Skinner when he returns to the lineup.

"My job, combined with the attitude and the work ethic of a player, is to work together to find the potential of a player," he said. "When Jeff is called upon again, may we drive him closer to his potential working together on that solution."

Krueger also said he wasn't making Skinner a healthy scratch due to the forward's own play, but rather because he wants to reward other deserving individuals.

"Right now, the decisions are more for the players that are in the lineup than against anybody else," Krueger said.

Skinner's 1.06 individual expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season is the second-highest such mark of his career, according to Natural Stat Trick, suggesting the four-time 30-goal scorer was on the verge of breaking out before being pulled from the lineup.

The 28-year-old potted a career-high 40 goals during his first season with Buffalo in 2018-19, but he only managed a disappointing 14 tallies in 59 games last year.

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jason Zucker will be out "longer term" after suffering a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Thursday.

Zucker needed to be helped off the ice by trainers after catching his skate on Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen's foot in the third period.

The Penguins acquired Zucker from the Minnesota Wild ahead of the trade deadline last season. The 29-year-old winger has contributed four goals and seven points while logging 16:30 of average ice time through 17 games in 2020-21.

Pittsburgh is set to take on the Capitals for the sixth time this season on Thursday.

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Welcome to the second edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings.

These rankings focus more on analytics and defensive acumen rather than just points.

• xGF% calculates the share of expected goals a team produces while a player is on the ice at five-on-five
• OZS% calculates the percentage of offensive-zone starts a player receives at five-on-five (excluding neutral-zone and on-the-fly starts)

5. Darnell Nurse, Oilers

With Oscar Klefbom out for the season, the Oilers desperately needed someone on their blue line to step up, and Nurse has not disappointed. Edmonton has long waited for its 2013 seventh overall pick to break out.

Nurse has been elite at driving offense from the back end, but his game hasn't been perfect. Opposing offenses still generate too many chances against the Oilers when Nurse is on the ice at five-on-five. He also leads the league with 30 giveaways. He'll move up this list if he can minimize sloppy mistakes.

4. Shea Weber, Canadiens

Weber's appearance on this list may come as a surprise considering his counting stats don't jump off the page and the Habs have been skidding lately. However, Montreal's captain has been a rock defensively.

Among defensemen with 200 minutes at five-on-five, Weber ranks seventh in expected goals against per hour (xGA/60) and 12th in high-danger chances against per hour (HDCA/60).

For those who don't like fancy stats, consider this: Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, the two likely Hart Trophy front-runners, have combined for zero goals and five assists at even strength in seven games against Montreal this season. That's a testament to Weber's shutdown ability, as he generally draws those difficult assignments.

3. Aaron Ekblad, Panthers

The Panthers' hot start is one of the season's biggest surprises so far. Much of it is due to their improved defensive play as a team, but Ekblad's emergence as one of the league's best shutdown blue-liners cannot be ignored.

Ekblad ranks 16th among defensemen in xGA/60, 15th in HDCA/60, and 20th in GA/60. He doesn't drive play offensively like other blue-liners on this list, but he sits tied for first among rearguards in goals thanks to his rocket of a shot.

2. Charlie McAvoy, Bruins

It's been incredible to watch McAvoy step up following the offseason departures of Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara. The Bruins didn't make any additions on the back end, so behind McAvoy, frankly, is a group of unknowns. Yet, Boston still leads its division and is the league's best shot-suppressing team.

There's a strong case to be made that McAvoy is his team's most valuable player. The Bruins survived the loss of David Pastrnak to begin the season, going 5-1-1. It's hard to imagine they'd be able to stay above water without their No. 1 defenseman, though. Boston's xGF% drops nearly 10% without McAvoy on the ice at five-on-five.

1. Cale Makar, Avalanche

Makar is still the no-brainer choice for top spot on this list. He ranks first among D-men in xGF%, 15th in HDCF%, and 19th in GF%. These numbers aren't merely the result of his jaw-dropping offensive ability, as he grades especially strong defensively, ranking second in xGA/60 and seventh in HDCA/60.

What's perhaps most impressive about Makar's season is that he's been incredibly responsible despite being heavily relied upon to make the first pass out of the defensive zone or carry the puck up the ice. The reigning Calder Trophy winner has recorded the eighth-fewest giveaways per hour among rearguards while accruing the second-most takeaways per hour.

Honorable mentions: Jakob Chychrun, Justin Faulk, Shea Theodore, Victor Hedman, Dougie Hamilton

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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