Who's Hot And Cold In Men's Olympic Hockey: Slafkovsky And McDavid On Fire, Hertl Yet To Score

Connor McDavid already recorded the most points by a Canadian men's hockey player in a single Olympics, but he's already close to another record.

The Canadian superstar is only four points away from recording the most points by an NHL player in one Olympic tournament. And he's undoubtedly red-hot as he tries to lead Canada to a gold medal.

But McDavid is not the only one who's hot right now for Canada. And beyond Team Canada, we've seen some great tournaments from Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky, Germany's Tim Stutzle, Czechia's Martin Necas, Sweden's Lucas Raymond and more.

We've also seen some players who have not lived up to expectations so far. So here are three players who are hot and two who are not in Olympic men's hockey.

It isn't just that McDavid leads all Olympians in points, with a whopping nine points in only three games, that made him so special this week. It's also that the Edmonton Oilers superstar is plus-7 and has three more points than the next-most-productive Olympian. McDavid looks like a man possessed, and he's willingly being more physical than he's been for most of his NHL career.

Team Canada and Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has experimented with his lines, but putting McDavid on the same line as fellow phenoms Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche on select occasions has been a masterstroke by Cooper. And McDavid has thrived as a playmaker and play finisher. 

McDavid leads the Olympics in assists (7), yet on Sunday, in Canada's 10-2 romp over France, he also scored after a sizzling setup by Celebrini.

McDavid came into the Olympics as a popular pick for MVP honors, and through three games, he's lived up to the hype.

Hertl came into the Olympics with 22 goals and 49 points in 57 games with the Vegas Golden Knights, and he was expected to be one of Czechia's leading point-getters at the Games. However, through the round-robin portion of the Olympic tournament, Hertl failed to produce even a single point.

Hertl still has time to contribute in a positive manner, but the Czechs' round-robin struggles have put Hertl in the spotlight in a negative way. The team lost to Canada and Switzerland, and it briefly trailed France before beating them 6-3.

Hertl has been OK in representing his country, with nine assists and 14 points in 35 career games with Czechia's senior men's squad.

That said, if the Czechs want a medal, they'll need Hertl to step up. (David Pastnrak, who has one goal and three points in three games, should as well, considering how elite a goal-scorer he normally is.)

Celebrini, 19, is in only his second NHL season. But he's looked like a dominant veteran for Canada. He's tied with Germany's Stutzle for the most goals, with four, and is tied for second in points, with six.

Celebrini has done it all at these Olympics, including his excellent setup of McDavid Sunday, as well as scoring goals at even strength, on the power play and on a penalty shot. In fact, Celebrini made history as the first NHL player to score on an Olympic penalty shot. By virtually every metric, as well as the eye test, he makes you sit up and take notice of him.

Despite the enormous pressure all Canadian players face, Celebrini has stepped up on the Olympic stage to announce himself to the hockey world as one of the game's most dynamic young forces. He's been given the opportunity to play alongside some of the top players in the sport, and he's been energized by them while energizing them in turn. Sharks fans have to be giddy with glee that he's on their team.

Connor's ice time was limited in the two games he's played for the U.S., totaling just 11:20 against Latvia and 9:50 against Team Denmark. He had no points and no shots in that span despite being a goal-scorer with the Winnipeg Jets. So it was no wonder he was a healthy scratch for the Americans in their third game against Germany. 

Connor has 25 goals in 56 games for the Jets this season, so it's not like he's forgotten how to generate offense. But in a short-term tournament like the Olympics, you need to get hot starts from your players – and if they don't give you desired results, you have to turn to other options.

He's clearly not a favorite of Team USA coach Mike Sullivan, and when you can't muster one shot on net in two games as a sniper, you're ineffective. Even Filip Forsberg, whose average ice time for Sweden is 7:27, has six shots in three games.

So don't be shocked if Connor's opportunities continue to dry up.

Team Slovakia surprised the hockey world by winning Group B at the Olympics pver Finland and Sweden. One of the main reasons was the step-up performance of 21-year-old Slafkovsky. He finished the preliminary round with three goals and six points in three games. He's tied with Celebrini and Sidney Crosby for second place in tournament scoring.

Slafkovsky participated in the 2022 Olympics, impressing everyone with seven goals in seven games. He's essentially been a point-per-game player on the Olympic stage, and he's still only scratching the surface of what he's capable of.

Slafkovsky is easily the Slovaks' best and most important player. The Montreal Canadiens are fortunate to have him as a cornerstone, but on the global stage, he'll be a difference-maker for Slovakia the rest of these Olympics and beyond.

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