Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.

▲ Brad Marchand

While we would prefer to avoid repeating subjects in consecutive weeks, Brad Marchand's skyward trajectory has forced our hand.

The sudden Hart Trophy candidate strengthened his case Wednesday night in Calgary, seizing the NHL's outright lead in goals with his 36th, and matching Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane for top spot in the overall scoring race with his 76th point.

Marchand's two points helped Boston knock off one of the league's hottest teams, marking Bruins' fourth win in a row. They are now 12-3 under Bruce Cassidy, moving five points clear of the pool of the Atlantic Division contenders chasing the final spot in the postseason.

Only Patrick Kane has scored at a higher rate than Marchand's 4.27 points per 60 minutes in all situations since Cassidy took over.

▼ The Devils

There's no easy segue from a Hart Trophy candidate to the New Jersey Devils.

Not usually, anyway.

It's obviously been a horrific last couple weeks for the Devils, who are winless in 10 consecutive outings. But in the process they have slid three positions in the Eastern Conference standings, which, in the backward world of sports, provides far greater organizational advancement than trading wins.

Winners of three in a row, the Arizona Coyotes - who have been second from the bottom all season - are now just two points back of the Devils in the overall standings. Should the Devils fall back, it could mean as much as two draft slots with the Vegas Golden Knights penciled in at No. 3.

▲ Erik Karlsson

Though fewer contenders are in the running, the Norris Trophy picture, similar to the Hart, isn't so certain anymore either.

Erik Karlsson has been lauded for his "buy in" all season. Now, that defensive responsibility is beginning to facilitate the video-game totals that have made him the blue-liner to beat in the Norris vote for the last several seasons.

Increasing his shot totals, Karlsson's scored at greater than a point-per-game pace over the last two months, continuing to slowly hack away at Brent Burns' scoring lead among defensemen.

▼ The Wild

Minnesota slipped from its perch atop the Central, simultaneously losing for the fourth time in five tries while the charging Chicago Blackhawks picked up their 14th win over the space of 17 games Tuesday night.

The consequence of finishing second isn't as severe as a similar tumble in the Metropolitan Division, where the No. 3 seed could finish with 110-plus points. But, if the Wild - the Western Conference's top performing team all season - fail to nail down the No. 1 seed, it changes the club's postseason outlook drastically.

A runner-up finish ensures that the Wild would have to go through the entire Central Division in a potential path to the Stanley Cup Final. This would include a matchup with the Nashville Predators, who represent a far greater threat than the No. 8 seed in an enfeebled conference, and an assumed matchup with the Blackhawks without home ice.

(Images courtesy Action Images)

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