Welcome to the ninth edition of "Looking North," our weekly Friday dive into the all-Canadian division. This installment dates back to March 12.
The rundown
The Vancouver Canucks put together a flawless week, winning all three of their games. Yes, only one of those victories came in regulation - by a single goal - while the other two were against the lowly Ottawa Senators. And yes, the Canucks still have the second-worst points percentage in the division. But Vancouver is showing signs of improvement, going 7-2-0 so far in March after closing out February on a four-game losing skid.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, suddenly have some company at the top. Toronto was off for four days this week, but it's lost both of its games since last Friday and dropped five of the last six overall.
The Edmonton Oilers equaled Toronto's 40 points with a win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, but the Oilers have played three more games than both Toronto and Winnipeg. The Maple Leafs and Jets still rank first and second in the division in points percentage.
| Team | Points over last week |
|---|---|
| Vancouver Canucks | 6 (3-0-0) |
| Edmonton Oilers | 6 (3-2-0) |
| Calgary Flames | 4 (2-1-0) |
| Winnipeg Jets | 4 (2-2-0) |
| Ottawa Senators | 4 (1-0-2) |
| Montreal Canadiens | 3 (1-1-1) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 (0-2-0) |
The stars
Forward: Connor McDavid has been the Hart Trophy front-runner for most of the season, and the Oilers superstar continued to dominate this week. McDavid produced a whopping four goals and six assists in five games.
Defenseman: Thomas Chabot hasn't posted gaudy offensive numbers in the last seven days, but he gets the nod here because of his incredible workload. The Senators blue-liner has averaged a remarkable 29:59 of ice time across the last four games, by far the highest such figure in the NHL over the past week. He ranks third in the league in average ice time this season.
Goaltender: Thatcher Demko backstopped all three of the Canucks' victories this past week, turning aside all but five of the 113 shots he faced for a .956 save percentage. He's put his early-season struggles behind him and is now thriving as Vancouver's No. 1 goalie.
Canadian of the week
This has to be McDavid, who continues to leave no doubt that he's the NHL's most valuable player. The Oilers captain is putting up video-game numbers (more on that below) and excelling at both ends while playing over 22 minutes per game. The league's brightest star is clearly Canada's best.
The moments
McDavid gets halfway to 💯
McDavid notched his 50th point of the season in last Friday's 6-2 win over the Senators, hitting the benchmark and adding another point for good measure in his 29th game of the season - just one contest past the campaign's halfway mark. He hit the 50-point plateau in typical McDavid fashion, delivering a beautiful backhand dish to Tyson Barrie.
Crisis averted thanks to J.T. Miller 😅
The Canucks blew a two-goal lead to the Senators on Monday, but J.T. Miller dashed Ottawa's hopes of a comeback victory. The Vancouver forward left a Senators defender in the dust and made no mistake in overtime.
Ehlers sinks Canadiens all by himself 💪
Nikolaj Ehlers is having a terrific season, and his confidence was on full display Wednesday. The Jets winger stole the puck in his own zone, raced end-to-end to create an odd-man rush, and deposited the overtime winner to defeat the Montreal Canadiens.
The question
Should the Maple Leafs be concerned about their recent slide and goaltending issues?
Frederik Andersen admitted Thursday the injury that forced him to miss time earlier in the season is still bothering him. That explains why he's struggled since returning. He's gone 2-4-0 with an .887 save percentage and minus-2.51 goals saved above average since March 3 after missing the previous four games.
To make matters worse, the Maple Leafs' schedule doesn't exactly favor them down the stretch.
just a took a gander at the #leafs schedule for april/may
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) March 17, 2021
there's 20 games in 38 days
12 games on the road
5 sets of back-to-backs
that's ~a lot~ of hockey, man
While Jack Campbell could return from his injury as soon as this weekend, the team's upcoming grind makes Andersen's lingering ailment all the more worrisome. It isn't yet time for the Maple Leafs to panic, but another disappointing week would certainly be cause for alarm.
Quote of the week
Senators head coach D.J. Smith delighted the team's fan base Monday night, showing a sense of both humor and internet culture in the process. Asked about the "Sickos" meme his club has fully embraced, the bench boss wrapped up his interview by delivering the accompanying phrase, exclaiming, "YES ... HA HA HA ... YES!" before breaking out a smile.
Hey #Sens fans, we spoke to @KartoonistKelly, the creator of the original art that inspired #senssickos and he’s loving what you’re doing with it and the fact that it’s helping a great cause @CanadasLifeline #teamwork #rallycry
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 13, 2021
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT: https://t.co/V1SlSofP26 pic.twitter.com/8J6xjoaqQo
Games to watch
After meeting five times over an 11-day span from Feb. 25 through March 7, the Senators and the Calgary Flames will renew acquaintances for two more tilts Monday and Wednesday in Ottawa. That means we'll likely get seven matchups between the Tkachuk brothers over a 28-day period, with two more on tap for April.
The Senators will also host the Maple Leafs on Thursday after defeating Toronto 4-3 in their previous clash last Sunday. The teams have split their six meetings this season.
(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)
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