Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
This is THN.com’s Three Stars of the Week, an ongoing feature in which we pick out the NHL’s three best performers of the past seven days. On to it we go:
3. William Nylander, Toronto
The Maple Leafs winger got hotter and hotter as the past week unfolded: Thursday, Nylander generated one goal and two points in Toronto’s 5-0 win over Los Angeles, and Saturday night against Calgary, the 26-year-old led the Leafs’ offense. with a pair of goals and five points, to give him three goals and seven points in three games this week.
It was the first time Nylander amassed five points in a single game, and given the way he’s skating – and the confidence Buds head coach Sheldon Keefe has in him – it won’t be the last time.
Playing on Toronto’s first line with fellow star Auston Matthews, Nylander now has 17 goals and 33 points in 29 games this season, putting him on pace to post 42 goals and 93 points this year – which would be new career-bests for him. His $6.9-million salary makes him a relative bargain, but he’s putting himself in line for a massive raise when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024. He’s delivering exactly what the Leafs need, and he’s never looked better at the NHL. level.
2. Charlie Lindgren, Washington
Lindgren sparkled in the Capitals’ net this week, posting a 3-0-0 record, a 1.34 goals-against average, and a .953 save percentage. The 28-year-old, who is in his first season with Washington after splitting the 2021-22 campaign between the St. Louis Blues and the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds, filled in admirably for injured Capitals starter Darcy Kuemper.
Lindgren now has improved his record this season to 5-3-0, his GAA is 2.87 and his SP is .907. Not superstar numbers, but the Caps will take it.
Lindgren is signed through the 2024-25 season at a very reasonable salary cap hit of $1.1 million per season. The Capitals are desperate for wins this year, and while it’s almost assured that Kuemper will get every opportunity to reestablish himself as the Caps’ starter, for now, Lindgren has the hot hand. The Capitals would be foolish if they didn’t ride him for as long as it lasts. Washington has a difficult week ahead, with three of their four games coming against Winnipeg, Dallas and Toronto, and they’ll need Lindgren to put in solid showings if they’re to push themselves out of the lower end of the Metropolitan Division.
1. Tage Thompson, Buffalo
Thompson had himself a memorable week this week, with a league-leading six goals and nine points in four games. That included a five-goal night against the Columbus Blue Jackets Wednesday. In that game, Thompson tied an NHL record with four goals in a single period, and tied a Sabers team record with five goals in one game. The 25-year-old Phoenix native now has 21 goals and 41 points in just 28 games, putting him on pace to demolish his career-highs of 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games with Buffalo last season.
Thompson is far and away the Sabres’ most productive player on offense this year, with 13 more points than Buffalo’s second-best player on offense. He has blossomed into one of the best American players in the sport, and one of the best in hockey’s top league, for that matter.
He’s basically criminally underpaid this season with a $1.4 million salary, and even when his contract extension kicks in next year, his salary of $7.14 million is starting to look like a significant bargain. He’s under contract with the Sabers until 2030, and that should make Buffalo fans extremely pleased.
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