NHL Today: Carolina Takes Over Top Spot in the East

This week, a tough month of February has cost Jim Hiller his coaching position for the Los Angeles Kings; oft-injured Golden Knight Mark Stone is hurt again; and Columbus fans were given an opportunity to celebrate Zach Werenski for the role he played in Team USA winning gold at the Olympics.

Shayne Gostisbehere Piling Up the Points

When we last checked in on the Carolina Hurricanes just under a year ago, they had been slowly regressing, although they turned it on come playoff time, reaching the Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons.

This season, they have stopped that downward trend, and with a 12-game point streak, including 10 wins (five straight), Carolina has solidified its hold as the top team in the Eastern Conference. As play resumed from the Olympic break, it’s clear that the Hurricanes are one of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the entire NHL.

The hero in Saturday’s win was veteran defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Despite enduring a couple of injuries this season (which he discusses in the video below), he’s been spectacular when active, averaging nearly a point-per-game.

Formerly a star in Philadelphia, Ghosty’s fall from grace was well documented, and the injuries didn’t help things in this regard. However, he enjoyed a strong comeback effort in Arizona, and then an even better one in Detroit, but this season he’s been next level great.

With a goal and two helpers on Saturday, Gostisbehere snapped a three-game drought, finishing February with five points in five games (and six points over the last eight) after potting five goals in just nine games in January. He already has more goals than he did all of last season, reaching double digits for the sixth time in his career.

Sure, Gostisbehere has been helped along by a much higher shooting percentage than usual, but he’s also been a staple as the quarterback on the power play, where he’s managed half his goals (though it’s worth pointing out he’s accumulating a higher percentage of his points at even strength than usual).

Oh, and that three point game? That was his fifth this season, which ties him with Werenski for fourth in that department among all defenseman in the NHL this season.

Consider the Ghost a top 20 option at defense for the rest of the season, and within the 94th percentile at his position for Fantasy purposes. He’s been around long enough now that we all know the drill: among the most gifted offensive defensemen in the game, but suspect defensively because of his size that prohibits him from consistently controlling bigger opposing forwards.

Jakob Chychrun’s Career Season

Just over a year ago, the Washington Capitals were one of the biggest surprises in the NHL, but were in a bit of a funk.

Well, as good as last season was, Washington has regressed to the point that it’s not currently in a playoff spot, although a recent 6-3-1 run has it within striking distance of Boston for the second Wild Card slot in the East. Still, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Capitals, so it’s not a surprise they have some long odds to win the Eastern Conference and reach the Stanley Cup Final (+1900 as per FanDuel).

Washington had won three straight until running into red hot Montreal on Saturday, resulting in a resounding 6-2 loss. It was a rather forgettable game for stud defenseman Jakob Chychrun, as he went -5 and had a shot blocked that led to a breakaway and the opening goal for the Habs.

The last time we checked in on him, he was hurt and on the trade block, but he would stick in Arizona until the following season before we was dealt to Ottawa.

In the summer of 2024, Chychrun was traded to Washington, where he’s taken his game to a whole new level. Before Saturday’s debacle, he had rhymed off three goals and two assists during the win streak, accounting for the entirety of his production in February.

Through 60 games, Chychrun has already set new career highs in goals, points, +/-, shooting percentage and average time on ice. A hot finish could see him reach the 30 goal mark, something that’s been done by just nine defensemen in NHL history.

Best of all for Fantasy owners, Chychrun has already accumulated a career-best 542.9 Yahoo Fantasy points, busting his high of 525.1 from last season. Consider him a top five defenseman for the remainder of the season as he’s currently ranked within the top 98th percentile for Fantasy purposes, driven to a large extent by posting over three shots on goal per game.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Nikita Tolopilo, G, Vancouver Canucks (ESPN: 0.4 per cent; CBS: 3 per cent): With Thatcher Demko (knee) done for the season, Tolopilo is technically the backup to Kevin Lankinen in Vancouver, but the fact is both leading up to the break (1.35 GAA and .960 save percentage in his final three games before the Olympics), and since, Tolopilo has been the better netminder. Tolopilo had an ugly little stretch in mid-January, but since then has not given up more than three goals in any of his four starts, surrendering two twice and recording a shutout in the other game. The young Belarusian has seen more action this season and could be in line for a fair bit more down the stretch given that it would behoove the Canucks to see what they’ve got here. Has Tolopilo been excellent? No. But fine is notable for this woeful club as he’s kept Vancouver in some games.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

For David Bowie, 1976 was a landmark year. Not only did he star in the cult movie The Man Who Fell to Earth, but he released his 10th album, Station to Station, which is perhaps our personal fave from his discography. The lead single was from this effort was “Golden Years,” which was already partially written before he began filming the movie discussed above.