A budding Sharks star, the Golden Knights' captain and the Red Wings' starter had stellar weeks, while veterans on the Canucks and Senators were cold.
Every hot and cold streak in the NHL will matter more as the second half of the season is underway.
The Vegas Golden Knights are on a hot streak, reaching the top of the Pacific Division and winning four straight. Tomas Hertl was named the NHL's first star of the week after recording a five-point game on Sunday, a 7-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. He had nine points in the past week.
The Vancouver Canucks, meanwhile, didn't win once last week, and they fell to last in the NHL. One of their veterans appears in our latest look at who's hot and cold in the NHL.
So, here are some of the NHL's standout hot and cold players for the week beginning Jan. 4:
Hot: Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
In his second NHL season, the 19-year-old Celebrini has raised his game to superstar levels.
After he was named to Canada's Olympic roster on New Year's Eve, Celebrini has not let the pressure get to him. In four games last week, Celebrini posted five assists and seven points to give him 46 assists and 70 points in only 44 games.
Celebrini's strong week boosted his point streak to an impressive 13 games, which ended Sunday in the loss to Vegas. In that span, he generated an astonishing 27 points. And he's being relied on heavily to give the Sharks a chance to win, averaging 25:36 of ice time. Some of that is a result of San Jose games that went past regulation time, but still, you have to be impressed by Celebrini's ascent to the very top of the NHL's food chain.
Celebrini is a legitimate Grade-A player, and he's still a teenager. He's dominating at a level many observers expected of him, but not this soon in his NHL days. Celebrini is going to be in the spotlight at the Olympics, but he's earned his spot on Team Canada, and he's going to be a fixture for the Canadians for many best-on-best tournaments to come. But in the meantime, he's putting the Sharks on his back and carrying them back to relevancy.
Cold: Thomas Chabot, D, Ottawa Senators
The Senators have been slumping badly of late, losing all four of their games this past week. And Chabot has had an especially subpar week, being held off the scoresheet completely – despite generating 10 shots on net – and posting a minus-7 plus/minus mark.
The 28-year-old Chabot has amassed four goals and 15 points in 29 games this season. That puts him on pace for just nine goals and 34 points, which would be an 11-point drop from the 45 he posted last season, although he played 80 games last year, while he can only play a maximum of 67 this year due to injury.
Chabot has been a cornerstone component of Ottawa's defense, and that's not going to change anytime soon. But at a point where the Senators are battling to push back up the Eastern Conference standings, they need Chabot to do more at both ends of the ice.
Hot: Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
Another Canadian who got the nod for Team Canada at the Olympics, Stone has been on a goal-scoring tear. And in five games since last Sunday, Stone had four goals and nine points, including one game-winning goal.
Stone finished a seven-game scoring streak, and in 28 games this season, he has 15 goals and 41 points for the Golden Knights.
Although his physical game has sidelined him for long stretches of time over the course of his career, when Stone is healthy, he's the prototypical power forward. And this past week, he's showing why he was a lock to make Team Canada at the Olympics. So long as he's healthy, Stone is a handful for any opponent – and if Vegas is going to go far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they'll need Stone to be a major contributor.
Cold: Evander Kane, LW, Vancouver Canucks
It's been a brutal season for Vancouver, and the same can be said for first-year Canucks right winger Kane. In three games this week, Kane had no points despite having six shots on net. More tellingly, Kane was a minus-six.
Kane was acquired by the Canucks for his rugged play and his ability to score, as he had 24 goals last season for the Edmonton Oilers. But this year, in 43 games, Kane has only six goals. And after his subpar week this past week, Kane is now a minus-17 on the year – his worst total in that regard since he went minus-17 for the Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17.
Kane is in the final season of a contract paying him $5.125 million per year. But at age 34, all the miles on his competitive odometer are starting to show. And despite the emotional boost that comes with playing for his hometown Canucks, Kane has struggled to have a positive impact.
Hot: John Gibson, G, Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings won all three of their games last week, and Gibson was patrolling the pipes in each of them. He put up a .955 save percentage, a 1.33 goals-against average and one shutout. The 32-year-old has struggled with consistency this season, but in his past five games, Gibson has posted an SP of .919 or better.
Gibson's strong week has improved his season totals to include a .902 SP and a 2.75 GAA – and though that save percentage isn't quite as strong as the .912 SP he had with the Anaheim Ducks last season, he has three shutouts this year – his highest total since the 2020-21 campaign.
Gibson's tandem mate, Cam Talbot, has not had a great season with an .888 SP. And that's probably why the Red Wings have leaned on Gibson exclusively this week. In the competitive Atlantic Division, Detroit needs to keep putting up standings points on the regular, and Gibson has shown he can deliver clutch performances no matter the opponent.
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