While teams like Canada and the United States are perceived as the co-favorites to win gold at the Olympic Games, other teams could pull off an upset. One of those teams is Germany. In this week's edition of who's hot or cold in the NHL, we're focusing on a pair of Germans – Edmonton [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers] star center Leon Draisaitl and Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] blueliner Moritz Seider – who've had an excellent week. But we easily could've included another German – Utah Mammoth [http://thn.com/utah] left winger JJ Peterka, who was tied for the NHL lead in points this past week, with six in four games. As for NHL players who had a week to forget, one impressive depth addition to the Islanders has cooled down, as has a rookie netminder. Here are our choices for the week beginning Dec. 1: Michael Traikos, Andrew McInnis and Devan Dubnyk share their picks for who's hot in the NHL this past week. HOT: LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS The Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton]are still trying to figure out how to win consistently, but you can't blame their struggles on Draisaitl. The superstar center posted two goals and six points in only three games this past week to give him 20 assists and 37 points in 29 games this season. He's on pace for 104 points, which would be far from his career-high 128 points in 2022-23 – and would be his lowest total since he generated 85 points in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. So while Draisaitl has clearly had a "hot" week, his slick skills mean there's room for him to get even hotter. Draisaitl is one of the best players on the planet, and having weeks like this past week will make life easier for everyone on the Oilers. COLD: EMIL HEINEMAN, LW, NEW YORK ISLANDERS Heineman has been something of a revelation in his first season with the Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders] after coming over in the Noah Dobson trade with the Montreal Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal]. Heineman came out of the gate strongly this year, putting up 10 goals and 16 points in 30 games. But this week, the 24-year-old was ice-cold, with zero points in four games. This week's lack of production isn't a fluke for Heineman. He's gone five games without a point, and in his past nine games, Heineman has only one point. He's on pace for a 27-goal, 43-point season – numbers the Isles would be thrilled with – but he needs to pull out of this tailspin and make the requisite adjustments so that he's on another scoring tear. He's averaging more ice time than he did when he had five goals and six points in his first seven games. HOT: ZACH WERENSKI, D, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS The Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] are fighting tooth-and-nail to rise up the Metropolitan Division, and star Blue Jackets defenseman Werenski leads the charge. In four games this past week, Werenski posted a league-high six assists to give him 21 helpers and 30 points in 29 games. That pace puts Werenski on track to produce 59 assists and 84 points in 82 games. Those numbers are on par with his career-high 59 helpers and 82 points set last season. The 28-year-old is in his prime, and he's a virtual lock to be on Team USA at the upcoming Winter Olympics. This is what a full blossom looks like for hockey players, and Werenski may yet have additional levels he rises to. San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov comes out of the dressing room for the warmups before their Dec. 7 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. (James Guillory-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ac7b3e43-4c29-4d58-947d-ac3928ee7b05.jpeg] San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov comes out of the dressing room for the warmups before their Dec. 7 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. (James Guillory-Imagn Images) COLD: YAROSLAV ASKAROV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS Mama said there'd be weeks like this. This past week, Askarov had a colder stretch for the Sharks [http://thn.com/sanjose], going 1-2-0 in three appearances and posting an .855 save percentage and 4.39 goals-against average. Askarov's subpar week means he now has a 3.14 GAA, .903 SP and 10-8-1 record in 19 games. In fairness to the 23-year-old, Askarov is playing in front of a suspect Sharks defense corps, so allowing three goals each against the Mammoth and Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars] isn't terrible. He even had a .912 SP against Utah on Dec. 1, stopping 31 of 34 shots. But not getting out of the first period against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals] on Dec. 3 was disappointing. He allowed four goals on 12 shots, which gave the opponents all the momentum to finish the job. Askarov will have inflated numbers due to being on a rebuilding team. But the way he stretches out winning streaks will be the main metric in judging his effectiveness. As San Jose's young lineup improves, Askarov should do the same. HOT: MORITZ SEIDER, D, DETROIT RED WINGS Seider had a banner week for the Red Wings [http://thn.com/detroit], posting five assists and six points in only three games to give him 18 assists and 22 points in 29 games this season. He's on pace for a 50-assist, 62-point season – numbers that would crush his current career highs of 43 assists and 50 points, which he posted in his rookie season of 2021-22. Seider's elite all-around game sets him apart from other blueliners of his generation. But as he starts to get closer to his prime years, Detroit fans are hoping Seider, 24, reaches his potential on offense on top of his defensive play. And Seider is trending up this season in part because he's had a terrific week. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/09e5783c-b383-4b7c-a422-db351c0210a1.webp] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*1ols0i0*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NjQ0MjY3MjUkbzM1OSRnMSR0MTc2NDQyNjcyNSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
