Three NHL goaltenders dominated the spotlight for the right reasons this week, while a Predators winger and Kings center were ice-cold as the Stanley Cup playoffs loom large. Who was hot this past week – and who's not?
Goalies took the spotlight this past week in the NHL.
The pressure to perform at this point in the hockey calendar is astronomical, and every scoring play a goaltender faces could be the difference between their team staying active and being sent home for the summer.
Although not every goalie who had a hot streak this past week is a household name, if you ask the fans of their team, you'll find they're highly aware of (and thankful for) their performances of late.
As for cold streaks, a couple of players had a rough week on the ice, and it came during a very bad time as their team chases a playoff spot.
Here's who has been hot and cold since Monday, April 6:
Hot: Anton Forsberg, G, Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have won four straight games to grab the second Western Conference wild-card spot.
A huge reason for that streak is the stellar play of goaltender Anton Forsberg.
This past week, he went 3-0-0 with a .964 save percentage and 0.97 GAA. And the 33-year-old added his third shutout of the season with a blanking of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
The Kings may turn to veteran Darcy Kuemper at some point, either in L.A.'s final three regular-season games or the playoffs, but who's kidding who – Kings interim coach D.J. Smith should ride the hot hand in net.
The hot hand is clearly Forsberg, who has won four straight starts and allowed only four goals in that span. So long as that continues, Forsberg should be the guy in net for them.
Forsberg is in his first year with Los Angeles, and he's put up solid numbers this season, including a .910 SP and a 2.57 GAA in 34 appearances.
Those who saw Forsberg as an Ottawa Senator are no doubt skeptical he can be the Kings' starter, but this week, the Kings' playoff chances wouldn't be where they're at right now without him.
Cold: Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Nashville Predators
The Predators lost two of four games this past week, and ideally, they needed at least another two points to have more of a say over their playoff chances.
The Preds only scored three goals in those two losses.
It would be great for them to get some more offensive contributions from Jonathan Marchessault, but he had no points and six shots on net over four games.
Marchessault's 12 goals and 31 points in 61 games are a huge drop from his 21 goals and 56 points in 78 games last season.
Given that his $5.5-million cap hit is not a drop in the bucket, Marchessault must produce more offense, or we could be looking at a buyout situation for the three years he still has left on his contract following this season.
Hot: Linus Ullmark, G, Ottawa Senators
Like the Kings, the Senators have been playing for their playoff lives for weeks, if not months now.
Unlike the Kings, however, the Senators finally clinched a playoff spot over the weekend.
Ottawa now has a firm hold on a playoff spot in no small part due to the efforts of netminder Linus Ullmark.
Last week, he had a 3-0-0 record, a .961 SP, a 1.00 GAA and one shutout. He's now won all of his last four games while allowing only six goals in that span.
Ullmark's .891 SP and a 2.73 GAA on the season aren't ideal, but his 28-12-8 record is decent, and most importantly, he has the full confidence of his Sens teammates.
In the playoffs last year, Ullmark had an .880 SP and 2.84 GAA in six games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he's going to have the chance to redeem himself this time around.
If Ullmark gives his teammates a chance for Ottawa's offense to win games, that's all that will matter. And just in time for the beginning of the playoffs, Ullmark is looking in peak condition.
Cold: Quinton Byfield, C, Los Angeles Kings
It's been a very tough season for Byfield, who has only 20 goals and 44 points in 76 games.
This past week, Byfield produced goose eggs across the board with zero goals, zero assists and zero points in three games.
Byfield also had only four shots on net in that span, and to be frank, the Kings need more out of him than what he's delivered.
Byfield is down from the 54 points he had for L.A. last season, and that's down from the 55 points he had in 2023-24.
We're not saying the 23-year-old's NHL career is curdling, but one of the reasons the Kings' 2.67 goals-for per game rank fourth-fewest in the NHL is that Byfield hasn't developed into a more consistent scoring threat.
If the Kings are to do any damage in the post-season, that will have to change.
Hot: Justus Annunen, G, Nashville Predators
Annunen had the smaller sample size this week, with just two games played.
But when he was called upon, Annunen was masterful, posting a 2-0-0 record, a .985 SP, a 0.50 GAA and one shutout against the Anaheim Ducks.
It is not an exaggeration to say Nashville's playoff hopes would be all but extinguished without Annunen's contributions.
In the big picture, the Preds are still Juuse Saros' team. But in Saros' last two games, he had an 0-1-1 record, .891 SP and 2.89 GAA.
The 26-year-old Finnish native has a 10-11-2 record this year, but he's peaking at an ideal time of year.
Considering Predators coach Andrew Brunette is currently coaching for his job, nobody should be surprised if Brunette runs with Annunen until he gives him reason not to.
Correction: Annunen's shutout came against the Ducks. He only allowed one goal against the Wild, however.
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