Minnesota Wild right winger Matt Boldy is terrific in his post-Olympics play, while Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is faltering. Which other NHL players are heating up or cooling down?
The NHL exited the Olympic break with five days of action last week, leaving less time for players to get to a hot or cold start out of the pause.
But that doesn't mean nobody left an impression, even if we're being a little more lenient on those who had a mini cold streak.
Minnesota Wild budding star Matt Boldy, for example, continued a pretty remarkable season by his standards, while Toronto Maple Leafs D-man Oliver Ekman-Larsson wasn't too hot coming out of the break.
Here's who was hot and cold in the NHL in the past week.
Hot: Matt Boldy, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild
Boldy had a great Olympics for Team USA, posting two goals and four points in six games en route to gold.
He carried that over into his return to the Wild, putting up three goals and a league-high seven points in only three games.
Boldy, 24, now has 35 goals and 69 points in 57 games this year, ranking tied for ninth in league scoring. He's already passed his previous career high of 31 goals, and he's projected to demolish his current career-high 73 points. He's projected to get to 47 goals and 93 points, according to ESPN.
The Wild are a dynamic group this season, and Boldy plays the part. He's on par with Kirill Kaprizov at this point, with both logging 1.21 points per game.
Getting close to the 50-goal plateau would be a great sign of what's to come for Boldy in his prime, but this year, he's showing he can put up points with the best of them.
Cold: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs were brutal in all three games after the post-Olympic break.
Ekman-Larsson – one of Toronto's best blueliners on the whole this season – was not the best last week. The 34-year-old had one point, but his minus-6 rating was the worst of anyone in the NHL.
Ekman-Larsson may be feeling the heat of trade rumors. But he isn't helping the Leafs as he's supposed to – by defending first and foremost. Plus/minus is an inexact science, but nobody can ignore the stat when it gets to a minus-6 in just three games. If the Leafs do wind up trading him, they could have less leverage after teams see Ekman-Larsson's performance this past week.
Hot: Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers
Bouchard wasn't an Olympian this year, but the rest has done him well.
He posted four assists and six points in three games this past week, bringing him to 52 assists and 69 points on the season. It's only a matter of time until Bouchard beats his current career highs of 64 assists and 82 points, both of which he set in 2023-24.
Bouchard is only 26, so he could still play in the next two Olympics, but his bigger concern is getting the Oilers back from the brink of falling out of the Stanley Cup picture. The best way he can do that is to do what he does best: setting up other players to score.
Bouchard isn't ever going to be a shutdown blueliner, but so long as he puts up enough points, people will look past his imperfections.
Cold: Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
Eichel returned to the Vegas Golden Knights on an emotional high after winning gold with Team USA.
That didn't turn into a tangible improvement for Vegas in two games after the post-Olympic break. What he did wasn't particularly exciting.
Eichel was a minus-4 with no points and only one shot on net as the Golden Knights lost both games.
The 29-year-old had a good deal of ice time, with an average of 19:40 last week. And this season, his 68 points in 52 games have played a crucial role in the team leading the Pacific Division, even if the Knights have lost more games than they've won.
But whether it's post-Olympics fatigue or just the natural ebb and flow of his game, Eichel has to get back on track, lest the other Pacific Division teams leapfrog the Golden Knights in the standings.
Hot: Arturs Silovs, G, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have been one of the NHL's biggest positive surprises this year, and Silovs has played a part in that.
Silovs went 2-0-0 this week with one shutout and only one goal allowed to help Pittsburgh push into second place in the Metropolitan Division. His .981 save percentage led all netminders who played at least two games last week.
Silovs' .902 save percentage and 2.75 goals-allowed average this season aren't going to get him a vote for the Vezina Trophy. But he's emerged as a key component for the Penguins, and at 23, he's likely to be in Pittsburgh for a very long time. Perhaps his strong play will make the Penguins more comfortable to shop pending UFA Stuart Skinner.
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