NHL Barometer: Risers and Fallers for the Week

This week's article includes Suzuki leading Montreal, Ovi sets the record, Fowler singing a happy tune in St. Louis, Kuz hot in LA, Protas sidelined, and Igor and the Rangers limping to finish. 

This is the final column of the regular season. Thank you to all who read and/or commented. Please provide any feedback to support@rotowire.com or jan.levine@gmail.com

First Liners (Risers) 

Nick Suzuki, C, MTL: Suzuki has put Montreal on his back and is carrying the Canadiens to the playoffs. The 25-year-old center has 32 points in 21 outings since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Suzuki's run has the Habs up on both the Rangers and Red Wings for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In addition, he now has 27 goals and 57 assists with the helpers and total points new career-highs, same with his plus-17 rating. Suzuki has become a true No. 1 center this year while increasing his point total for the fourth straight campaign. 

Tage Thompson, C, BUF: Buffalo may be staying home again for the postseason, but Thompson is closing the season strong. He lit the lamp twice Sunday, giving the 27-year-old center eight markers and a pair of assists over his last seven games. For the season, Thompson is up to 43 tallies, putting him in striking distance of the career-high 47 he posted two seasons ago. His production is somewhat astonishing as he missed five games in November plus dealt with five- and four-game scoring droughts, which likely will cost him 50 goals. He has benefited from a 19.1 percent shooting percentage, so keep that in the back of your mind for next year's fantasy drafts.

Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS: Set the NHL All-Time Goal scoring record, land in the weekly column, seems like a fair exchange to me. Ovi blasted goal No. 895 from his office versus the Islanders on Sunday to gain sole possession of the record from Wayne Gretzky, whom he tied with a pair of tallies Friday. Ovechkin has compiled a stellar total of 42 goals, 69 points (20 on the power play) and 225 shots on net through 61 appearances in his history-making 2024-25 campaign. That goal total is made even more impressive by Ovi missing a month and 16 contests with a broken fibula. 

Ilya Mikheyev, RW, CHI: The Blackhawks have shown minimal improvement this season, but certain players have raised their games. Mikheyev is one of those who falls into the latter classification. His recent play has been impressive while earning the 30-year-old a spot on the top line – he has 10 goals and 15 points over his last 19 outings. For the season, he's set a career high with 34 points, and Sunday's effort got him to the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career, one shy of his high set in 2021-22. 

Cam Fowler, D, STL: Fowler struggled in Anaheim to start the year, benefiting greatly from the trade just before New Year that landed him in St. Louis. He has nine goals, 25 assists and a plus-19 rating in 47 games as a Blue after notching just four with a minus-seven rating in 17 games as a Duck. The 33-year-old Fowler is red-hot, getting on the scoresheet in five of the last six contests, racking up two goals and seven assists in that span, to help St. Louis sit in a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, CAR: Very quietly, Ghost has topped 40 points again, the fourth straight season he has exceeded that mark, despite playing for three different teams during that span. He has dished out nine assists in his last nine contests, upping his season mark to 37 to go with the seven goals he has tallied. Gostisbehere has posted 26 of his 44 points on the man advantage, which is where he has done most of his damage in his career. He has two more years to go on the three-year, $9.6 million deal he signed last July.

Sam Montembeault, G, MTL: Like Nick Suzuki, Montembeault has raised his game down the stretch. Saturday's win over Philadelphia was Montembeault's fourth straight victory, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in each of those contests. The 28-year-old netminder has started in all but one of Montreal's last 11 games, helping the team's playoff push with a 6-2-2 record and 2.71 goals-against average (GAA) despite a lackluster .896 save percentage. Look for Montembeault, who sits just victory shy of 30 for the season, to start almost every game the remainder of the way. 

Linus Ullmark, G, OTT: Ullmark has made a huge difference for the Senators in his first season in Ottawa. Traded by Boston this offseason, Ullmark signed a four-year, $33 million contract extension with the Senators last October. All he has proceeded to do is go 23-14-3 with a 2.68 GAA and .911 save percentage, numbers slightly down from his last season with the Bruins but more that good enough to help lead the Senators to the postseason. His playing time is similar to his time in the Hub, which is a bit surprising but also has helped keep him fresh.

Others include Nico Hischier, Morgan Geekie, Brayden Point, Wyatt Johnston, Robert Thomas, Pavel Dorofeyev, Clayton Keller, Jaden Schwartz, William Nylander, Rickard Rakell, Lane Hutson, John Carlson, Mario Ferraro, Shea Theodore, Gustav Forsling, Anthony Stolarz, James Reimer, Darcy Kuemper and Calvin Pickard.

Buy Low 

Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, LA: Kuzmenko has played on four teams the last two seasons. Calgary received an offensive boost when he arrived there last season, but he was unable to sustain that this season. He provided a smidge of offense in his way-station stay in Philly and has made a difference in LA. Kuzmenko, after going scoreless his first seven contests as a King, has five goals and six assists his last nine games for the team. He has become a key part of the power play, helping trigger the man-advantage attack and the Kings to an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games heading into Monday's contests.

Training Room (Injuries) 

Aliaksei Protas, LW, WSH: Protas, in the midst of a breakout campaign, could miss the remainder of the regular season after being cut by a skate on his left foot Friday against Chicago. He is listed as week-to-week, but there is no timetable for his return to action, meaning he could be sidelined for the playoffs. Protas has compiled 30 goals, 66 points and 142 shots on net in 76 appearances as a fixture on the Capitals' second line, playing a huge role in Washington's rise to first place in the Eastern Conference. 

Others include Aleksander Barkov (upper body, expected back for the playoffs), Evgeni Malkin (upper body, missed four games, returned to action with an assist Saturday), Filip Chytil (concussion, out the rest of the season), Andrei Svechnikov (undisclosed, who missed the last two games, participated fully in Monday's practice), Dylan Holloway (lower body, injured April 3, week-to-week), Jonathan Marchessault (lower body, missed his fourth consecutive game Saturday), Neal Pionk (lower body, out since March 11, close to returning) and Ilya Samsonov (upper body, remains sidelined). 

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers) 

Casey Mittelstadt, C, BOS: Mittelstadt, despite skating as the Bruins' second line center, has not benefited from the move from Colorado to Boston. Struggling with Avs, Mittelstadt posted 11 goals and 23 assists in 63 games in the Rockies, which looks like elite production compared to what he has done in the black-and-gold. Mittelstadt has notched just three goals and a pair of helpers in 14 contests in the Hub, making the three-year, $17.25 million contract he signed with the Avalanche last June look worse and worse.   

Anthony Duclair, LW, NYI: Duclair's return to the Metro New York area has not gone as hoped. Signed to a four-year, $14 million contract by the Islanders last July, Duclair has made just 44 appearances for the Islanders this season, recording seven goals, four assists, 26 hits and 21 blocked shots while averaging 15:03 of ice time. He was called out for his poor play by coach Patrick Roy, and shortly thereafter it was announced that Duclair would be sidelined for personal reasons. Hopefully the time off helps him get his personal affairs in order.

Brent Burns, D, CAR: Burns hit 900 points in his likely Hall of Fame career with an assist March 23. As evidence to his struggles this season, since that point, Burns has just one point – a goal – his last six contests. Overall, Burns has been limited to just six markers and 20 helpers in 76 contests, the second straight season his output has declined dramatically. Burns is in the final season of the eight-year, $64 million contract extension he signed with the Sharks in November of 2016, and it's possible he retires at the end of the season. 

Others include Dylan Cozens, Mikael Backlund, Jack McBain, Ross Colton, Kris Letang, Moritz Seider, Justus Annunen and Vitek Vanecek. 

Sell High

Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR: This one is for name recognition only. Igor, like or due to the rest of the Rangers, your preference, has been very up-and-down. After seemingly finding his form, Shesterkin is going through a rough patch, going 2-2-1 with a 3.42 GAA and .881 save percentage over his last five starts heading into Monday's start against Tampa. That outing did not go well, as he allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 5-1 loss. Unless he starts and wins all five of the team's last five games – and New York has not won three in a row since November – he will finish shy of 30 wins for the first full season of his NHL career.