Who's Hot And Cold In The NHL Playoffs: Sabres Need More From Tuch
Mitch Marner 's staying hot during the NHL playoffs.
The Vegas Golden Knights ' star right winger had three goals and six points in three games from April 29 to May 6 . Since then, he jumped up to the top of the playoff scoring leaderboard and recorded his first career hat trick in the post-season, with seven points in his last two games.
He's living up to expectations, and if that continues, we'll be mentioning Marner's name many more times in TheHockeyNews.com's weekly check-in of who's hot and cold over the past week.
But other NHLers out there have also had a great week. There were 10 players – including Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon , Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov and Vegas center Jack Eichel – who had four points or more.
Here are three players who had a hot week and two who were cold since Monday, May 4:
Hot: Jackson Blake , RW, Carolina Hurricanes
Other than Marner, Blake had the most points of anyone in the league this past week, with two goals and five points in three games.
The 22-year-old has been one of the Hurricanes ' most potent offensive weapons. Blake's output this week gives him seven assists and 11 points in eight games, putting him second on the Canes behind left winger Taylor Hall (nine assists, 12 points).
Blake had at least two points in three of his last four games. Without his offense, Carolina would've had a tougher go of it against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the playoffs. He's quickly becoming one of the league's top up-and-coming young players.
Cold: Alex Tuch , RW, Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres won their first game against the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, but Montreal has since won the next two games to steal home-ice advantage. The Sabres aren't getting the production they need out of Tuch.
In three games this past week, Tuch was held off the scoresheet and was a minus-six despite firing 11 shots on Montreal's net.
Tuch averaged 19:54 of ice time – the most for any Sabres forward – but he wasn't good at either end of the ice. We're not here to say Tuch is losing money for himself when he becomes a UFA this summer, but we are saying Buffalo is unlikely to win this series without scoring from Tuch.
Hot: Frederik Andersen , G, Carolina Hurricanes
Entering this season, there were reasonable concerns about Andersen and his playoff history.
But the 36-year-old has answered critics with a spectacular post-season, including a .931 save percentage and a 1.47 goals-against average in three wins this past week. He had to make terrific saves in Carolina's Game 4 overtime win over Philadelphia.
Andersen's overall .950 SP, 1.12 GAA and two shutouts in the playoffs assure him of a raise from the Canes or another team this summer. The pressure on Andersen only increases from here, but thus far this post-season, he has shown he can handle it.
Cold: Travis Konecny , RW, Philadelphia Flyers
In six games of the Flyers' first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins , Konecny posted four assists.
However, in three of four games against the Hurricanes, Konecny failed to register any points – and he managed only one assist in Game 4.
He might not have been able to score his team back into being legitimately competitive against Carolina, but if Konecny had been more productive in the offensive zone, you could make the argument that Philadelphia might've avoided being swept.
The Hurricanes are imposing, but the Flyers could've pushed back harder had Konecny made an impact offensively. More will be expected from the 29-year-old next year.
Hot: Beckett Sennecke , RW, Anaheim Ducks
Sennecke's Anaheim Ducks are tied 2-2 in their second-round series against the Golden Knights, and the rookie has stepped up, with four points in four games this past week.
Sennecke is also on a three-game goal-scoring streak that has brought him up to four goals and five points in 10 playoff games.
The 20-year-old is coming off a great season in which he put up 23 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He's already becoming an invaluable core member of the Ducks, and he's thriving in his very first taste of NHL playoff action.
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