An Oilers superstar, a Stars cornerstone and a Golden Knights veteran blueliner all had hot streaks in the NHL this past week. But defensemen on the Bruins and Penguins had weeks to forget.
The NHL's holiday break is now over, but it's clear who's hot and cold.
The Buffalo Sabres have won eight straight games, and the Colorado Avalanche have won seven in a row. The Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, are 2-5-3 in their past 10 games, as are the Winnipeg Jets.
That said, there are also players on hot and cold streaks, which are the focus of our weekly series at TheHockeyNews.com. While we could've put Edmonton Oilers star center Leon Draisaitl on this list for the second straight week, his teammate and fellow superstar was that much better than him, so a different Oiler makes the cut this week as the hottest player in the game.
With that said, here's who's hot and cold in the NHL for the week beginning Dec. 22.
Hot: Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
In the past two weeks, McDavid has generated a whopping 11 assists and 17 points in seven games. But in the past seven days, McDavid has been especially excellent, posting five assists and six points in only two games – which are the most in the NHL this past week. Nikita Kucherov and Eeli Tolvanen – the NHL's first and second stars of the week – also had six points.
McDavid's totals of 44 assists and 68 points in 39 games this season are the best in the league. He's on pace for a 92-assist, 142-point season – numbers that would be the second-best totals of his 11-season NHL career. And his projected 50 goals this season would also be the second-highest of his career, as he posted 64 goals in the 2022-23 campaign.
But as we all know, the Oilers' main metric this year won't be about whether McDavid wins his sixth Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer. Instead, it's all about getting to the Stanley Cup final for the third straight season and winning a championship for the first time in the McDavid and Draisaitl Era.
Cold: Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins
After a strong start, the Bruins have come crashing down to earth in recent days, posting a 1-5-1 record in their past seven games. Their offense has dried up, with 14 goals-for in their past six games, and 24 goals against in that span.
And as they suffered two of three straight ugly losses during the past week, McAvoy was a minus-three with zero points.
Certainly, McAvoy wasn't the only Bruins player who struggled, as forward Casey Mittlestadt was a minus-three, as was star right winger David Pastrnak. But McAvoy is Boston's No. 1 blueliner and the Bruins' second-highest paid player at $9.5 million, so more is expected from him.
McAvoy averages 23:57 of ice time this year, so if Boston is going to pull out of their current tailspin, they'll need better efforts out of him.
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Hot: Mikko Rantanen, RW, Dallas Stars
Since he was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes last season, Rantanen has proven to be an excellent fit with the Stars, posting 52 assists and 72 points in only 58 games in a Dallas uniform.
In two games this past week, Rantanen posted four assists and five points to give him 39 helpers and 54 points in 38 games.
Those numbers have Rantanen on pace to put up 83 assists and 115 points this year. Those totals would demolish Rantanen's current career highs of 62 assists and 105 points, which he set as a member of the Avalanche.
Rantanen's current salary of $12 million makes him Dallas' highest-paid player by more than $3.5 million, but nobody is complaining that the Finn is overpaid. He's a key needle-mover for the Stars, and at 29, Rantanen is in his prime.
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Cold: Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Karlsson was a minus-4 in two games since last Monday. Although he had six shots on net, he was held off the scoresheet.
Karlsson has 23 assists and 26 points in 37 games this season, so he's been more instrumental in Pittsburgh's offense than he was this past week. But as the Penguins have fallen out of a playoff spot, he'll need to help them at both ends of the ice if they want to surprise everyone and make the playoffs.
The Swedish D-man will represent his country at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, but the Pens need him to be better in NHL games. And if he is interested in being traded to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, Karlsson will need to make himself more attractive as a trade asset by contributing more points.
Hot: Noah Hanifin, D, Vegas Golden Knights
Hanifin missed 10 games due to an injury he suffered in Vegas' season opener, but he's been a steady, stellar presence since then.
In two games since last Monday, Hanifin posted three assists while averaging 23:42 of ice time and being a plus-four. That came after recording three assists on Dec. 21.
Hanifin is averaging 23:25 this season, which is the second-highest time-on-ice average of his NHL career – second only to the 23:46 he averaged with the Calgary Flames in 2023-24 before being dealt to the Golden Knights.
Hanifin's season totals of 11 assists and 13 points in 26 games aren't going to push him into contention for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best blueliner. But he's a crucial piece of the puzzle for Vegas.
If he's giving the Golden Knights quality minutes in his own zone, Vegas management will remain happy they traded for him. And this week was great in that regard.
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