An Edmonton Oilers superstar, Buffalo Sabres D-man and Montreal Canadiens goaltender had hot weeks, while a Winnipeg Jets center and Colorado Avalanche star right winger had the opposite.
Any NHL player having a great season is prone to the occasional off-week.
Colorado Avalanche right winger Martin Necas, for instance, has been hot virtually all season long. But he had a rough couple of games before missing Saturday's game due to injury, and he ended up on this week's edition of who's hot and cold in the NHL.
That said, some weeks are more telling than others. And despite Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews going on a four-game point streak in mid-January, his production from this past week seemed more similar to how he's performed for most of this season.
Here are five NHL players who were either red-hot or ice-cold for the week of Jan. 26.
Hot: Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have been a wobbly team at times this season, but Draisaitl has not, posting 51 assists and 78 points in 53 games.
And in only three games last week, Draisaitl went off for six assists and eight points – including seven even-strength points. Draisaitl now has points in each of his last four games for a total of 11 points.
The 30-year-old averaged 20:57 of ice time in the past week, and his point production has put him on pace for 116 points. That would be less than his career-high 128 points, but it would be more than the 106 he generated in each of his last two seasons.
Draisaitl isn't getting any time off at the Olympic break, as he'll be representing Germany. But Draisaitl is in his prime, and this week, he showed yet again that he's one of the very best of the very best.
Cold: Jonathan Toews, C, Winnipeg Jets
Toews' comeback this season was a fairytale, as the longtime star was making his comeback with his hometown Jets. Unfortunately, Winnipeg is having a nightmare season, and Toews is not thriving, as he was held completely off the scoresheet in three games this week. Toews also posted only two shots in that span, and he was a minus-two while averaging only 14:21 of ice time.
Toews is an all-time great who deserves respect, and no one should blame him for trying to recapture some of the magic from his potential Hockey Hall of Fame career and doing it with the Jets. But with only 12 assists and 19 points in 54 games, his on-ice impact hasn't been as significant as expected.
The 37-year-old is on a one-year contract. The team could use him lower in the lineup if he wants to play next season, but the Jets really need a second-line center.
Hot: Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
In three games last week, Dahlin exploded for three goals and seven points – six of them at even strength – with a plus-three rating and a whopping 26:07 of average ice time.
With 33 assists and 44 points in 50 games this year, Dahlin is on pace for 51 assists and 68 points, which would be exact matches of last season's totals. He's a model of consistency, and to do it during a challenging year off the ice, in which his fiancee suffered a pregnancy loss during her heart failure and transplant, he deserves an incredible amount of respect.
If the Sabres do end their playoff drought at 14 years, it will be because captain Dahlin helped carry them there.
Cold: Martin Necas, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Necas didn't play in the Avs' Saturday afternoon tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. But in Colorado's previous two games, Necas was especially ineffective, posting a minus-three rating in each of the two games and failing to register a point.
The right winger also had only three shots combined in his two games this week – a stark contrast to the nine shots and two points he had against the Philadelphia Flyers the week before.
Necas signed a lucrative contract extension in October, and he's proven to be a great fit in Denver. But even the best of them go through unproductive stretches.
Necas' salary rises to $11.5 million next year and for the next eight seasons, so expectations are going to rise accordingly for him. But with his 40 assists and 62 points thus far this season, he's already delivered above-average results. And we wouldn't expect to see him having a cold week again this season.
Hot: Jakub Dobes G, Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens' goaltending effectiveness has fluctuated this season, with veteran Samuel Montembeault failing to make the starter's job his own.
But this week, Dobes stepped up, posting a 3-0-0 record, a .931 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average. Those are tremendous individual numbers, and they're all the more impressive because they came against good teams in the Sabres, Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
Dobes' hot streak has been going on for nearly two full months now, as the last time he lost in regulation was on Dec. 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Since then, he's won eight of nine games – with his sole loss coming in a shootout – and he's riding a six-game win streak.
The 24-year-old's hot streak is great news for the Habs. His season numbers – including a .894 SP and a 2.92 GAA – needed improvement. But he's stepped up his game, and if the playoffs started today, he would likely be the starter.
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