Another week of NHL hockey is in the rearview mirror, and what a week it was. There were almost too many notable headlines to keep up with, but CBS Sports has you covered with the weekly NHL Rewind.
The biggest story last week was the return of Patrick Kane, who made his debut with the Detroit Red Wings. Kane did manage to get his first goal while donning the winged wheel sweater, but the rest of the weekend didn’t go so well for the Red Wings as they suffered two disappointing losses.
On the other end of the spectrum, the vibes have improved significantly in Edmonton. The Oilers have won seven in a row to get back into the playoff picture, and Connor McDavid is back to being a freak of nature. The Western Conference has gotten a lot more interesting over the last two weeks.
Let’s take a look at the biggest stories and best highlights from the week that was in the NHL.
Goal of the week: Connor McDavid puts Minnesota in a blender
It’s neary 2024, and Connor McDavid is making his first appearance here. It’s about time. McDavid has finally gotten healthy, and he has been carving up opposing teams over the last couple weeks.
The Minnesota Wild were one of McDavid’s latest victims, and he put them on the wrong end of a highlight reel. During Edmonton’s win over Minnesota on Friday night, McDavid put multiple defenders and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in a blender.
It started with McDavid receiving an outlet pass as he picked up speed through the neutral zone, and that might be the most terrifying sight for an opposing player. McDavid entered the zone, threw on the brakes, attacked the net, and danced around Fleury for the goal.
These are the types of plays we’ve become so accustomed to seeing with McDavid, but he was unable to make them earlier this season due to injury. Now, it looks like McDavid and the Oilers are picking up steam, and everyone in the Western Conference is checking their rearview mirrors.
Robbery of the week: Devon Levi does the sliding splits for a stop
Despite some of his early struggles, Buffalo Sabres netminder Devon Levi has shown an ability to make some huge saves. On Saturday, Levi made one of those show-stoppers against the Montreal Canadiens, and he risked his groin health in the process.
In the third period, with the game tied 2-2, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield broke in on a 2-on-1. Suzuki slid a pass across to Caufield, who quickly redirected the puck toward the net, and Levi showed off his flexibility.
The 21-year-old goaltender did the splits and came sliding across the crease to keep Caufield off the board.
The Sabres went on to lose the game in a shootout, but that save had to be an encouraging sign for them. Levi has already been sent down for a brief stint in the AHL after a brutal start, but this performance against Montreal could provide a confidence boost.
Patrick Kane makes Red Wings debut
The Detroit Red Wings and Patrick Kane were the talk of the town last week. After undergoing offseason hip surgery in hopes of revitalizing his career, Kane made his Detroit debut, and it didn’t quite go as planned.
Kane’s first game in the winged wheel sweater was on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. As you might expect, the crowd was rocking, and it looked like the Wings were going to run away with a blowout win. They scored four consecutive goals in the second period to take a 4-0 lead, and then things took a turn for the worst.
As quickly as Detroit took a 4-0 lead, it gave it right back, surrendering four consecutive goals right back to San Jose in less than six minutes of game time.
Still, the Wings managed to take a 5-4 lead in the third period, but they blew that when Tomas Hertl scored with roughly 90 seconds left to tie the game again. In overtime, Mikael Granlund scored to win the tilt for the Sharks and spoil the Patrick Kane party.
Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators did get off to a more encouraging start, at least as far as Kane is concerned. With roughly five minutes left in the first period, Kane walked into the zone and rifled a shot over the shoulder of Joonas Korpisalo for his first goal and point as a Red Wing.
It was an electrifying moment in Little Caesars Arena, but that’s all the celebrating the Detroit faithful would get to do that day. The Senators scored the next four goals in a 5-1 win.
Kane is still waiting on his first win as a Red Wing, but Detroit is still very much in the thick of the Atlantic Division race, and the veteran playmaker is still getting his hockey legs under him.
Oilers extend winning streak to seven
Just a few weeks ago, the Edmonton Oilers looked dead in the water, but things have turned on a dime since new head coach Kris Knoblauch took over. Edmonton is rolling, and the team has worked its way back into the playoff race with seven straight wins.
The Oilers haven’t lost a game since Nov. 22, and they have been absolutely demolishing teams of late. Over the span of their seven-game winning streak, the Oilers have outscored their opponents 34-12. This is the team everyone expected to see from the start of the 2023-24 season.
One big reason why the Oilers have gotten back on track is the play of Connor McDavid, who finally looks to be at full health. In his last seven games, McDavid has been a cheat code on ice. He has accumulated four goals and 16 assists for 20 points in that span. Many of those points have come in spectacular fashion.
Of course, McDavid has gotten plenty of help, and defenseman Evan Bouchard has been one of the leading contributors. Bouchard took a lot of heat when the Oilers were struggling, but he is still an exceptional offensive weapon. That has shown through with three goals and six points in his last three games.
Now that the Oilers are back in their groove, the race for the playoffs in the Western Conference has ratcheted up in intensity by several notches. Edmonton is back at .500, and it is closing quickly on many teams in front of it. Now we’ll have to see just how much longer the Oilers can roll.
Rangers hand Kings second straight road loss
The Los Angeles Kings won 11 consecutive road games to start the 2023-24 season, but now find themselves on a bit of a slide. On Sunday, the New York Rangers defeated the Kings 4-1 within the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden.
On the other hand, the Rangers have been one of the league’s hottest teams this season, but were riding a three-game losing streak entering Sunday’s contest. Luckily for the Rangers, they were able to get back to their winning ways thanks to second-period goals from forwards Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey to open the scoring.
At the 8:27 mark of the second period, Zibanejad benefitted from some terrific passing as he scored on a beautiful one-timer from teammate Artemi Panarin on the power play.
Early in the third period, Kings forward Phillip Danault responded with a power-play goal of his own to cut the deficit to 2-1. Danault was able to tap the puck past former Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick off a picture-perfect feed from teammate Adrian Kempe.
Despite the Kings nipping at the Rangers’ heels, they were able to score a pair of third-period goals courtesy of forward Jonny Brodzinski and winger Will Cuylle to take a commanding a 4-2 advantage.
Quick also kept the Kings off of the board down the stretch as he recorded 14 of his 25 saves over the final 20 minutes.
The Rangers have been off to a scalding hot start this season and currently lead the Philadelphia Flyers by seven points for the Metropolitan Division lead. New York also is tied for the most points (39) in the Eastern Conference along with the Boston Bruins.
Appointment viewing this week
Maple Leafs at Rangers: Tuesday, Dec. 12: The Rangers have been juggernaut this season as they are tied for the most points in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have also had a strong campaign, but still find themselves trailing the Bruins in the Atlantic Division. This has all the makings of a playoff preview.
Bruins at Devils: Wednesday, Dec. 13: Speaking of the Bruins, we’re past the point where their hot start is a surprise. They’re flexing their muscles as one of the league’s top teams, and they’re slated to face a team that has been a tad underwhelming in the Devils. With three wins in their last four games, it’ll be worth watching to see if the Devils are really turning the corner.
Hurricanes at Red Wings: Thursday, Dec. 14: Patrick Kane is officially in the fold and has made the Red Wings even more appealing as a potential playoff team. On the other side of the coin, the Hurricanes are fresh off of a disastrous 0-4 road trip, so they’ll be desperately looking to turns things around.
Avalanche at Jets: Saturday, Dec. 16: There’s quite the logjam at the top of the Central Division, so it’s likely the Avalanche and Jets will be looking to one up each other throughout the season. With the Jets riding a four-game winning streak at the moment, this will be a chance to show if they’re for real.
Canucks at Blackhawks: Sunday, Dec. 17: The Blackhawks may not be one of the league’s top teams, but this contest features some of the best young talent in the game in Connor Bedard, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. This is a game where it’ll be intriguing to see the future of the NHL sharing the same ice.
