One day after his wife gave birth to her third child, Daniel Sedin flew across the continent to join the Vancouver Canucks, then scored both goals in a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings last week.
If there were any doubt whether the Sedins would complete the bookend Hart Trophies for the game’s most famous twins, it just might have been erased with his performance that night. Daniel Sedin continues to make an emphatic case for the MVP award. Now the question is, will his brother and last year’s winner Henrik make his way into the top three finalists as well?
It’s possible, although he’ll have to fend off some impressive late-season charges, led by scoring machine and probable Rocket Richard winner Corey Perry. But the stoppers are coming on, too. In fact, our top 10 candidates for the Hart are heavier with goalies than they have been at any point this season.
GAME OF THE MONTH: Daniel Sedin scored two goals, including the winner, and added an assist as the Canucks overcame a 2-0 deficit to come back and beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 March 12.
RISING: Perry’s torrid pace late in the season is a huge reason why the Anaheim Ducks will likely make the playoffs.
FALLING: With just three goals in the past month - one of them into an empty net - Stamkos is struggling mightily in his bid to win back-to-back Rocket Richards.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Alex Ovechkin was making a late-season charge, but essentially took himself out of the running when he stopped scoring and missed some games down the stretch.
DROPPED OUT: Steven Stamkos, Martin St-Louis, Ilya Kovalchuk, Roberto Luongo, Keith Yandle.
THN.com's Hart Trophy Watch will appear monthly throughout the season and don't miss out as we'll also track the Vezina, Norris and Jack Adams.
Ken Campbell, author of the book Habs Heroes, is a senior writer for The Hockey News and a regular contributor to THN.com. His blog will appear every Monday throughout the season.
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