Last week in the NHL, a Rangers youngster and a Stars goalie were on a hot streak, while a Kings center and a Mammoth left winger were ice-cold. How could that affect their futures?
The New York Rangers are in a nice spot during their retool.
They won four games in a row, had some younger players having hot streaks, and still remained in the NHL's Eastern Conference basement, which improves their odds of winning the draft lottery and picking first overall.
This is clearly not the situation the Rangers wanted to be in before the season, after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24 and falling out of a playoff spot in 2024-25. But if Rangers fans need something to root for right now, this past week was perfect.
Here's who was hot or cold in the NHL since March 8.
Hot: Alexis Lafreniere, LW, New York Rangers
No NHLer had more goals than Alexis Lafreniere did last week, with five in four games, including a hat trick against the Calgary Flames on March 10.
Lafreniere's line thrived overall. Rookie Gabe Perreault had five assists and seven points, while center Mika Zibanejad had six points.
While the Blueshirts remain the worst team in the East, there's still time for Lafreniere to increase his stock as an asset before this summer, when Rangers GM Chris Drury will likely make major changes via trades.
Lafreniere still has six years left on a contract paying him $7.45 million per season, but he now has 19 goals and 44 goals in 66 games this year. That will bring him closer to matching his career-high 28-goal, 57-point season in 2023-24.
Lafreniere is still only 24, so you have to believe other teams will be inquiring about him in the off-season. The way he finishes the season this year could dictate which teams pursue him on the trade market and whether the Rangers still see a long-term future with him.
Cold: Quinton Byfield, C, Los Angeles Kings
Some Los Angeles Kings players put up great individual numbers in four games last week.
Star left winger Artemi Panarin had six points, while right winger Adrian Kempe had five points. Captain Anze Kopitar even became the highest-scoring player in Kings history as part of his four-point week.
Byfield's numbers are significantly disappointing in contrast.
He had zero points on 10 shots. Even worse, Byfield was a minus-six, tied for worst in the league.
It would be one thing if Byfield had that plus-minus number while chipping in a few points, but not having a single point during a crucial stretch of games is not a positive sign of where his game is at the moment.
Byfield has only 13 goals and 33 points in 63 games this season. After recording 54 points last season and 55 points before that, likely not coming close to it this season, despite averaging more ice time, is discouraging.
He's still just 23 years old, but Byfield has to show more flashes of greatness to justify L.A.'s long-term investment in him. They're just three points out of a playoff spot, so Byfield has to pick it up right now.
Hot: Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins remain in a playoff spot right now, and Karlsson has been doing his part to keep them in the mix by contributing more than his share of offense.
In four games last week, Karlsson put up a league-best six assists while averaging 26:24 of ice time.
Karlsson now has 40 assists and 46 points in 61 games this season. Pens coach Dan Muse has been leaning more heavily on Karlsson of late, and with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missing time on offense, the two-time Norris Trophy winner's contributions from the back end are much needed right now.
At 35, Karlsson is closer to the end of his line than to his prime, but he's showing this year there's still plenty left in his competitive tank.
Cold: Clayton Keller, LW, Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth are holding tightly to the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But they've gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and would benefit from heating up before the playoffs begin.
Their captain, Clayton Keller, took a whopping 17 shots on net this week, but he produced no goals and only a single assist in four games.
Only Boston Bruins star right winger David Pastrnak took more shots in four games last week, but he had two goals on 18 shots and five points. So Keller's almost complete absence of execution on his offense really sticks out in a bad way.
Keller has 19 goals and 45 assists for 64 points in 67 games, so he's clearly not a lost cause. But if the Mammoth want to make the playoffs for the first time and try to win a round, they're going to need more from their captain.
Hot: Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars
Last season, Oettinger and the Stars followed up a solid regular season with a disappointing playoffs, losing in the Western Conference final for the third year in a row.
While we're not getting into Peter DeBoer territory of criticizing Oettinger's play, his .900 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average this season won't win him a Vezina.
That said, Oettinger had a particularly fantastic week, posting a 3-0-0 record, a .940 SP and a 1.65 GAA.
Oettinger beat three above-average teams – the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, allowing just five goals in total.
In the highly competitive Central Division, Oettinger and his teammates will be challenged right out of the gate in the first round, as they're almost certainly headed for a showdown against the Minnesota Wild.
Oettinger won Olympic gold as a third-string goalie for Team USA this year, and a successful playoff run with the Stars would cap off a tremendous 2026 for him.
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