The first week after the all-star break was an eventful one. The New Jersey Devils’ perfect week helped them gain on the Capitals in the Atlantic Division; meanwhile, the Flyers, Rangers and Blue Jackets all missed out on points that could come back to help them.
In the Western Conference, Vegas continued their fantastic season and still sit on top of the Pacific Division. The Central Division all had a terrific week with each team trending positively in points.
Easter Conference Team Of The Week:
New Jersey Devils: 3-0-0
The Devils perfect week came at just the right time for them. They now sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with just over 30 games left to play. New Jersey had two clutch wins versus Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who are each right on their tail.
Taylor Hall led the charge for New Jersey this week with a point in all three games. Hall now has his point streak up to ten games and is starting to hit his stride officially.
Blake Coleman was the surprise for the Devils this week. Against Philadelphia, Coleman notched an assist, and then a two nights later against Pittsburgh he had two points with a goal and an assist.
The Devils’ perfect week sets them up well for a run down the stretch here, but they won’t be able to take any nights off. The Metropolitan is the tightest division in hockey, and any team could make a run at any time.
Western Conference Team Of The Week
Vegas Golden Knights: 3-1-0
The Golden Knights continued their golden season with another solid week of hockey. They collected six points and expanded their division lead to ten points. The Knights had wins on the road versus good teams in Calgary, Winnipeg and Washington.
The Knights have two games left on their road trip, but they should be able to handle it like they have all season long.
Reilly Smith had an excellent week, with points in three of the four games; including multi-point games versus Washington and Calgary. Smith is fourth on the Knights in points with 41 this season, and they will take the production he gave this week anytime.
Vegas has already exceeded expectations this season, and they show no signs of slowing down. This is a team that doesn’t just want to be good, but they want to win the Stanley Cup. If they keep up this level of play, they have a chance.
Loser Of The Week
Philadelphia Flyers: 0-2-1
The Flyers had a rough go at it this week only getting one point in three games against two division rivals and an awful Ottawa team. The Flyers have played very well lately, but a slow start to the season made it so weeks like this can’t happen.
Claude Giroux was non-existent for the Flyers this week; something uncharacteristic of him. In three games Giroux had just one point. His linemates were playing well, but Giroux was just not part of the play.
If the Flyers are going to rebound from this week, they are going to need more production from Giroux. Philly still holds the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but the conference is very tight. Another week like this and they will be on the outside looking in.
West vs. East
This week the Western Conference had the Eastern Conferences number. The Western Conference finished 9-5-2 against their foes in the East who finished 7-8-1 against the West.
The Golden Knights had the biggest win of the week in a cross-conference battle. The first place Knights took down the Washington Capitals who are in first place in the Metropolitan Division.
The West was the superior Conference this week, but not by a lot. There will be some good matchups to watch this week, and it should be another entertaining week of hockey across the NHL.
Top Play Of The Week:
Although the Flyers didn’t have a good week, young star Nolan Patrick was able to save them a point with his last-second goal against the Senators.
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