NHL Barometer: Risers and Fallers for the Week

This week's article includes Brayden pointing the way for Tampa, McMann the man in Toronto, Markstrom stoning opponents, Ovechkin close to returning and Kreider a healthy scratch.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

First Liners (Risers)

Brayden Point, C, TB: Point just continues to roll for the Lightning. His goal Saturday extended his point-streak to six (six goals, 12 assists), which ended Monday. Point doesn't always get a ton of recognition, lost in the sea of talent in Tampa, but that hasn't diminished just how good he is. Point has notched at least 90 points each of the past two seasons. His current hot streak has the Lightning's top pivot up to 22 markers and 17 apples in 28 games, putting him on early 100-point pace, which would be the first time in his career that he topped the century mark. One caveat is that he is shooting 33.8 percent, which will drop substantially.

Jonathan Marchessault, LW, NAS: Marchessault is red-hot, though his play has not enabled Nashville to find its way. After a somewhat slow start, Marchessault has scored in four consecutive games (five goals) and has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak. His hot stretch has bumped his season totals to 12 goals and as many assists in 35 games after notching 42 markers, 27 apples and 69 points, career-highs in the first and latter categories, in 82 games last year, his final season with Vegas 

Bobby McMann, LW, TOR: McMann continued his recent stretch of fine play, lighting the lamp Saturday in the Maple Leafs' 6-3 loss to the Islanders. That marker extended his season-long point streak to four games during which he has three goals and as many assists in that stretch. For the year, the second-year winger is up to nine tallies and four apples in 27 games after notching 15 and nine in 71 contests last season. He and Max Domi have palpable chemistry on the third line for Toronto, providing solid secondary scoring for the Buds. 

Lucas Raymond, RW, DET: Lighting the lamp 11 times while notching 16 points in 13 games certainly will get you top billing even if you go scoreless in three straight. The fourth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft exploded on the scene in 2021-22 as a rookie, and after a slight decline the following season, he had a massive breakout with 31 tallies and 41 helpers last season. That fine campaign earned Raymond an eight-year, $64.6 million contract with the Red Wings in September. On the season, the 22-year-old winger has popped for 13 goals and 33 points in 34 contests as he heads toward a career-best campaign.

Jackson LaCombe, D, ANA: LaCombe has five points over his last six outings, giving the young blueliner six goals and five helpers in 26 games this season. This production comes a year after he posted two markers and 15 apples in 71 games as a rookie. LaCombe, a second-round pick, 39th overall in 2019, was not viewed as a primary scoring option to start the season. But he figures to maintain top-four usage and power-play time with some of the highest scoring upside on the Ducks' blue line. 

Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA: Ekblad saw his production drop the last two seasons, falling from 57 points in 2021-22 to 38 in 2022-23 and 18 in 51 games last season. Now fully healthy, Ekblad has turned back the clock so far in 2024-25.  Ekblad has racked up six points, including a trio of power-play assists, over his last four contests, giving the first overall pick in 2014 19 points – two markers, 18 apples – in 36 contests this season. Ekblad is skating 23:30 a contest, including two minutes on the man-advantage.

Charlie Lindgren, G, WAS: The Capitals, despite missing Alex Ovechkin, just continue to win. A big part of their success has been the play of Lindgren and Logan Thompson between the pipes. Lindgren collected his seventh win in his last nine appearances Friday and has been spectacular in December, posting a 3-2-0 record, .927 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average (GAA) through five appearances. Overall, Lindgren is up to a 10-6-0 record, 2.61 GAA and .900 save percentage through 17 games played after notching a career-high 25 wins last season for Washington. 

Jacob Markstrom, G, NJ: Markstrom entered Saturday's game 6-0-1 with a 1.70 GAA and a .922 save percentage in his last seven starts. He improved those numbers, posting a 12-save shutout against the Penguins followed by a second similar shutout vs. the Rangers on Monday. The 34-year-old has turned it around in New Jersey after two mediocre seasons with the Flames, as he is 18-6-2 with a 2.12 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 26 appearances this campaign. His fine start has Markstrom's numbers in line with the fine 2021-22 campaign when he was in Calgary and should put him in prime Vezina Trophy contention.       

Others include Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, Roope Hintz, Max Domi, Patrik Laine, Zach Hyman, Frank Vatrano, Teuvo Teravainen, Filip Forsberg, Alex Laferriere, Erik Karlsson, Mattias Ekholm, Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Arvid Soderblom, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Darcy Kuemper and Justus Annunen. 

Buy Low

Quinton Byfield, C, LA: Your window to buy low on Byfield may have ended. Byfield has had a rough season after posting 20 goals and 35 assists in 80 games last season but may be turning it around. He has three goals in his last five games and four points in that span, giving the fine pivot five markers and nine apples in 34 contests. If Byfield can build off the hot streak he is on, he could post numbers similar to last season. Byfield is entrenched as LA's second-line center behind Anze Kopitar.

Training Room (Injuries)

Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS: Ovechkin, out since November 18 with a broken fibula, has been cleared for contact but won't be available until after the NHL's Christmas break. After managing just 31 goals last season – with the majority coming in the second half after an extremely slow start – the elite winger was rolling to open the 2024-25 campaign with 15 goals in 18 contests. Ovechkin has 868 goals and is closing in on the all-time goal-scoring record held by Wayne Gretzky (894). He looked prime to hit that total this season, but his absence could result in Ovi setting the mark during the 2025-26 campaign. 

Others include Andrei Kuzmenko (lower body, missed fourth straight game Saturday), Roman Josi (lower body, activated off IR on Saturday), J.J. Moser (lower body, will miss the next eight to 10 weeks) and Filip Gustavsson (lower body, missed Friday's and Saturday's games, played and won Monday).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers) 

Sean Monahan, C, CLM: Monahan is having a solid first season in Columbus but had hit a smidge of a rough patch lately. Prior to his goal Thursday, Monahan had just one tally and two assists in his prior nine games and was held off the scoresheet again Saturday. Despite this so-so stretch – which may have just ended , as he has six points in three games – through 35 contests Monahan has collected 11 goals and 31 points, putting him on pace for his best campaign since 2018-19 (34 goals and 82 points in 78 games for the Flames). (I had written originally: Look for him to reel off another hot streak before too long, which proved to be prescient).   

Alex Pietrangelo, D, LV: The Vegas blueline has a ridiculously good top-four where almost any of them would be the top dog on any team. Pietrangelo is one of those four, though he has a somewhat poor stretch offensively. He ended an eight-game point drought with a goal Thursday, which was his first tally in 15 contests since November 8. For the season, Pietrangelo has produced three goals, 13 helpers, 60 shots on net, 49 blocked shots, 26 hits and a plus-13 rating over 31 appearances.           

Juuse Saros, G, NAS: Saros has had an unlucky run with just two wins over his last 11 contests, going 2-5-4. But a look behind the record reveals a netminder who has allowed three or fewer goals in eight of those 11 games, meaning Saros is being let down by those in front of him. GM Barry Trotz claims he is not planning to blow things up after the Preds were aggressive this offseason, but further poor play could result in significant changes. If that happens, Saros' record could continue to suffer. 

Others include J.T. Compher (ended 21-game goal drought Wednesday), Jack McBain, Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitchell Chaffee, Emil Andrae, Jordan Binnington and Jesper Wallstedt. 

Sell High

Chris Kreider, LW, NYR: Kreider snapped a six-game goalless streak with an empty-netter Saturday. After tallying a career-best 52 markers in 2021-22, CK20 posted 36 and 39 goals the last two seasons but has struggled this year, sitting with 11 in 31 contests. Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, linemates the past several campaigns, have been unable to recreate their usual chemistry, resulting in the duo being split up and Kreider bouncing up and down the lineup, including a few games on the fourth line. His slide hit a new low Monday, as he was a healthy scratch.