NHL Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Skinner, Oilers defy Odds

With the NHL All-Star break right around the corner, the Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of going through January without losing a game. Goalie Stuart Skinner, who makes an appearance on the Who’s Hot list, is a major reason why Edmonton has won 15 games in a row.

Tampa Bay’s Nikika Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, both among the top contenders in the NHL MVP odds, are also on the “Who’s Hot” list as they fight it out for the NHL scoring leader.

No other team in the league has an active winning streak of more than three games while Calgary and Philadelphia have dropped four straight games.

When looking at the NHL news, Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, the New Jersey duo of Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, Calgary’s Dillon Dube, and former NHL forward Alex Formenton have been granted leave of absence from their current teams amid speculation that they could face sexual assault charges.

When looking at the NHL odds and predictions, the Colorado Avalanche (+800), Edmonton Oilers (+800), Boston Bruins (+900), New York Rangers (+1000) and the Carolina Hurricanes (+1000) lead the way in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Keep reading for information on the hottest forwards, defensemen, and goalies, as well as players recently struggling, to help with your NHL spread picks.

Who’s Hot

Forwards

1. Charlie Coyle, Boston Bruins: On a team with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, it is easy to forget about Coyle. However, he has two goals, seven assists, and a +8 defensive rating in his last five games.
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning: Kucherov has at least two points in five of his last seven games. In back-to-back wins over Philadelphia and Arizona, Kucherov had four goals and three assists. Keep an eye on Kucherov when it comes to the NHL betting lines breakdown of the Hart Memorial Trophy contenders.
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: MacKinnon has points in each of his last 12 games. In the last two matchups, he had six goals, three assists and had the game-winning score in wins over Philadelphia and Washington.

Defensemen

1. Noah Dobson, New York Islanders: Dobson has eight assists in the last four games and helped to set up all but three goals during that stretch as he took over the team scoring lead for the Islanders.
2. Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild: It has been a tough season to date for the Wild but it is hard to blame the 21-year-old defenseman. He has points in six straight games. In the last five games, he has two goals and six assists.
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning: Wondering why Tampa Bay has the best record in the Eastern Conference over the last 10 games? In his last six games, Hedman has three goals, five assists, and a plus/minus rating of +9.

Goaltenders

1. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks: Demko has won his last seven starts. He has shutouts in two of the last four games as the Canucks are tied with the Boston Bruins for the most points in the NHL.
2. Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: Speaking of the Bruins, Swayman has not lost in regulation in his last eight starts. He is 5-0-3 with a 1.95 goals-against average while allowing 14 goals on 206 shots.
3. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers: The Edmonton native has won his last 11 starts. In January, he is 8-0 with a 1.37 goals-against average and a save percentage of .951 for the hottest team in the NHL.

Who’s Not

Forwards

1. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets: After scoring a goal in his first game back after missing more than a month, Connor has been held without a goal or an assist over the last three games. He hasn’t scored despite firing 13 shots on goal in those three games.
2. Kirill Marchenko, Columbus Blue Jackets: Marchenko has been stuck on 14 goals as he has no goals and no assists over his last four games. It is not a result of a lack of opportunity as he has 13 shots on goal in those four games.
3. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs: Tavares has gone nine consecutive games without a point and is also -6 during that stretch. Toronto is 4-4-1 in that span.

Defensemen

1. Kaiden Guhle, Montreal Canadiens: Guhle has no points and a -5 plus/minus rating over the last five games.
2. Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres: The former No. 1 overall draft pick has no goals and one assist in his last 11 games. He has had a -2 defensive rating in three of his last eight games.
3. Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes: After posting his second-best plus/minus number of +23 a season ago, he is currently at -7 and has been a minus player in three of the last five games.

Goaltenders

1. Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks: In his last four games, Dostal has just one win and a save percentage of .895.
2. Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild: Gustavsson began January by allowing 12 goals in his first two games. He has a 4.68 goals-against average in January.
3. Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings: After strong showings in November and December, the veteran netminder has struggled recently with a 0-5-2 record, a 4.04 goals-against average, and a save percentage of .879 in his last seven games to make this list for the second week in a row.

Questions Of The Day

Who is the leading scorer in the NHL right now?

Which teams have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup?