NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes Wild Bill, the eldest Tkachuk brother, Ovechkin, a Nurse healing fantasy rosters and a struggling big-name winger in Calgary.

First Liners (Risers)

William Karlsson, C, LV – Karlsson came out of nowhere to score 43 goals and 35 assists last season in Las Vegas' inaugural campaign. After signing a one-year, $5.25 million dead this offseason, Karlsson was set up for a big payday with another strong season. The Golden Knights' top center got off to a slow start but has more than picked it up with four goals in the last four games and eight in the last 11 to give him 13 goals and 26 points through 35 games.

Anthony Cirelli, C, TB – Another week, another Tampa Bay center on this side of the list. I could have gone with Stamkos, who notched a hat trick Monday, but I opted to go with Cirelli. A Calder candidate coming into the season, Cirelli got off to a bit of a slow start. But he recently rang up a four-game, six-point scoring streak that included five goals, giving Cirelli nine goals and four assists on the season. His numbers will be hurt by his third-line placement, but the future is bright for Cirelli.

Matthew Tkachuk, RW, CGY – Tkachuk's 48 and 49 points his first two seasons as an 18- and 19-year-old look like preliminaries to the main event. His game-winning tally Saturday and two points Sunday gave the Calgary winger with the family pedigree 14 goals and 25 assists through 33 games. Keith's son and Brady's brother has realized he is more valuable on the ice than in the penalty box, as well, as his reduction in PIM suggests.

Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS – The 33-year-old extended his goal streak to six Saturday, during which he posted back-to-back hat tricks. Since Thanksgiving, he has 14 goals and 18 points with a plus-13 rating in 11 games and has scored at least one point in 14 straight contests. Overall, he leads the league with 29 goals and 43 points in 32 games, and with 636 goals, there are whispers that he has an outside shot to exceed the 894 tallies notched by Wayne Gretzky.

Colton Sissons, RW, NAS – Sissons, a third-line grinder, is having another fine season for the Predators. After enjoying a spike from 10 to 27 points last season, aided partially by an almost five minute jump in ice time (including 1:52 with the man advantage), Sissons is on a roll lately. Sissons has six points in his last six games, giving the winger 16 points in 34 contests.

Ryan Suter, D, MIN – Suter failed to score Saturday but had five assists over his prior two games. Those apples gave Suter 22 in 32 games, offset slightly by just two goals. After scoring eight and nine in 2015-16 and 2016-17, Suter dropped to six markers last year and is on pace to fall short of that mark this season. Oddly, despite his fine shot, Suter has never hit double digits in goals, but he is still good for a decent year points-wise to go with 100-plus hits.

Adin Hill/Darcy Kuemper, G, AZ – Antti Raanta may miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, creating a huge void in net for the Coyotes. Hill looks to be first in line to get a chance to fill in for Raanta. After his overtime win Friday, Hill is now 5-3-0 in nine games with a 1.97 GAA and .926 save percentage. Kuemper, who just returned from injury, was brilliant as a backup in L.A. but struggled after coming to Arizona last season. He should see a handful of starts, but Hill looks like the one worth owning.

Others include Connor McDavid, Aleksander Barkov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Bo Horvat, Joe Pavelski, Kevin Hayes, Mark Scheifele, Leon Draisaitl, Phil Kessel, Jeff Skinner, Alex Chiasson, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Strome, Nino Niederreiter, Alex Tuch, Cam Atkinson, Mathieu Perreault, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Reinhart, Timo Meier, Brock Boeser, Clayton Keller, Blake Wheeler, Johnny Gaudreau, Tomas Hertl, Mattias Ekholm, Colin Miller, John Carlson, Rasmus Dahlin, Miro Heiskanen, Duncan Keith, Troy Stecher, Colton Parayko, Jake Muzzin, Josh Morrissey, Keith Yandle, Carter Hutton, John Gibson, Pheonix Copley and David Rittich.

Buy Low

Darnell Nurse, EDM, D – With Oscar Klefbom lost for 6-8 weeks following finger surgery, Edmonton needs someone to run its power play and be its top offensive D-man. Nurse, who has not scored more than 26 points in his career, has three goals and six assists over nine December contests, with all nine points coming in his last six games. Nurse will see all the power-play time he can handle and should continue to benefit from skating on a unit with Edmonton's elite forwards.

Training Room (Injuries)

Mike Green, DET, D – Green will miss 3-5 weeks with a lower-body injury sustained Monday against the Kings. Somewhat surprisingly signed to a two-year, $10.75 million contract extension by the Red Wings in July of 2018, Green had 16 points in 23 games before the injury. He is unlikely to be dealt by Detroit, as the team views him as a good mentor for Dennis Cholowski and some of the Winged Wheel's other young blueliners.

Others include Paul Stastny (lower body, out since Oct. 8, returned to the lineup Friday), Mikko Koivu (knee injury, missed four straight contests, could play Tuesday), Nick Bjugstad (upper body, missed last five games, could return Tuesday), Taylor Hall (lower body, sat Saturday's game against the Predators), Mats Zuccarello (groin, returned to action Friday after missing 13 of 15 games), Pavel Buchnevich (broken thumb, out since Nov. 8, scored PPG in return Friday), Filip Forsberg (hand, on track to return in early January), Viktor Arvidsson (thumb, out until early January), Corey Crawford (suffered concussion Sunday versus the Sharks) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (broken foot, returned to action with a win Thursday).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

James Neal, RW, CGY – Neal notched an assist on Matthew Tkachuk's game-winning tally Saturday for one of the few highlights of his season. He did hit the 500-point mark earlier in the year, but for the most part, it's been a nightmarish campaign for the winger. Neal signed a five-year, $28.75 million contract with the Flames in July of 2018, hoping to provide second-line scoring for Calgary. But to date, he has just three goals and four assists in 34 games and has been relegated to the bottom six.

Nick Leddy, D, NYI – Leddy has struggled to find his offensive game so far this season, as he only has one goal and seven assists in 31 games. Under new coach Barry Trotz, Leddy has focused on improving his play in his own end, trying to rebound from an unsightly minus-42 a year ago. Leddy posted 40, 46 and 42 points his last three seasons. With just eight points overall and two in his last 13 games, the days of Leddy being an offensive force, at least for this year, may be long gone.

Cory Schneider, G, NJD - After solid campaigns in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Schneider's game started to go south the following season and has only gotten worse. Pulled Friday after stopping only four of seven shots, the veteran remains winless on the season at 0-5-1 with a brutal .852 save percentage. Signed to a seven-year, $42 million extension in July 2014, Schneider, who landed on injured reserve with an abdominal strain Monday, is a buyout candidate after the season with two years left on his deal.

Others include Filip Chytil, Patrik Berglund, Brock Nelson, Tanner Pearson, James van Riemsdyk, Anthony Duclair, Eeli Tolvanen, Jamie Oleksiak, Brady Skjei, Frederik Andersen and Jonathan Quick

Sell High

Devin Shore, C, DAL – Overall, Shore is having a nice season with five goals and 11 assists in 29 games, but much of that production came earlier in the season. Since missing four games with an injury, Shore has just five assists in the last 11 contests. Shore notched 33 and 32 points his first two seasons, but he is now seeing time as the left wing on the second line, which should boost his production.