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Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Leaning on Leon
Connor McDavid is getting most of the attention around the hockey world these days (and rightfully so), but another Edmonton Oilers forward has outperformed the phenom as of late.
In fact, over the past two weeks, Leon Draisaitl has recorded more points than any other player in the NHL.
| Player | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 7 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Sidney Crosby | Penguins | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Connor McDavid | Oilers | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | Capitals | 7 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
It's a small sample size to be sure, but Draisaitl - who was drafted third overall the year prior to McDavid's arrival - is proving to be a key piece of the puzzle for the suddenly successful Oilers.
▼ Bruins lacking bite
A three-game losing streak has bumped the Boston Bruins out of third place in the Atlantic Division and put them in danger of losing their playoff spot altogether.
Over the past week, the Bruins fell prey to Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa, losing all three games in regulation. Overtaken by the Maple Leafs in the division standings, Boston now sits only two points ahead of the New York Islanders in the race for the second wild-card spot, and with one less game to play than the Brooklynites.
Boston does have a 70.6 percent chance of making the playoffs as compared to 35.7 for the Islanders (per Sports Club Stats), and defenseman Torey Krug has said flat out the team won't fall out of the postseason picture after two years of doing so.
Still, late March is not a great time to pile up losses.
▲ Blues singing a different tune
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
Since the decision was made to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock and promote assistant and heir apparent Mike Yeo to the position of bench boss, the St. Louis Blues have posted one of the best records around the league.
In 22 games played since Feb. 1, the Blues have gone 15-7-0, amassing 30 points, tied for fifth among all teams in that span. More recently, the Blues have won eight of ten games in the month of March, and are riding a three-game winning streak.
Add it all up, and St. Louis has jumped out of a wild-card spot and into third place in the Central Division, setting up a possible first-round series with the Minnesota Wild, a team trending in the opposite direction.
▼ Burns losing grip on Norris
Once thought to be a lock for the Norris Trophy as well as a possible Hart Trophy candidate, San Jose's Brent Burns is struggling at both ends of the ice and rapidly losing ground to Ottawa's Erik Karlsson as a result.
Brent Burns is a worthy Norris candidate. But I hope the Super Bowl was a good example of why you shouldn't declare winner at halfway point.
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) March 22, 2017
Burns still leads all defensemen in scoring this season, ranking ninth overall in total points while leading the NHL in shots on goal with 287.
Recency bias is a real thing, however, and performance down the stretch may dictate how the voting goes in what should be a hotly-contested race.
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