Anaheim Ducks (12-2-1, 25 pts)
2nd in Western Conference, 1st in Pacific Division
The Ducks have been the second hottest team in the league so far this season (behind Chicago). Anaheim won all four of their games played last week, including a shootout victory over the aforementioned Blackhawks. They’ve played 10 games so far in February and have lost only one game (to Dallas).
The Ducks have been riding rookie goalie Viktor Fasth during this streak and the 30-year-old is still undefeated this season (8-0-0). Jonas Hiller just returned from an injury and posted a win in his first game back.
On the injury front, the Ducks only have to worry about Cam Fowler. Fowler has missed the past eight games due to a concussion but all signs point to him being back within a week or two.
Phoenix Coyotes (8-6-2, 18 points)
6th in Western Conference, 2nd in Pacific Division
Phoenix has been up and down lately, though it’s been more up than down. They won two of three games last week and then shutout the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Mike Smith has started nine straight games since returning from injury and has been stellar (two or fewer goals in five of the nine games).
Phoenix is dealing with injuries to Matthew Lombardi, Radim Vrbata, Derek Morris and David Schlemko. All but Schlemko are expected back for the Coyotes next game on Saturday.
San Jose Sharks (7-4-3, 17 pts)
7th in Western Conference, 3rd in Pacific Division
The Sharks have been in a freefall since the calendar turned its pages to February. They won all seven of their games in January and looked like one of the best teams in the league as their entire team was clicking.
As soon as February came around though, the Sharks have been horrific. They’ve now lost seven straight games and plummeted down the standings.
Their offense has totally dried up (three or more goals in only one game during the losing streak) and even the defense has fallen apart. The Sharks were embarrassed 6-2 by the Columbus Blue Jackets last week.
Remember Patrick Marleau and his amazing goal scoring streak? He scored nine goals in the first five games of the year. Since then, he has only one goal in nine games (two total points).
The weirdest thing about this losing streak is that the Sharks have fallen off the wagon despite being ridiculously healthy. They only have two injuries to depth players Andrew Desjardins and James Sheppard.
Los Angeles Kings (5-6-2, 12 pts)
14th in Western Conference, 5th in Pacific Division
The Stanley Cup champs have been sputtering out of control since their first game against the Blackhawks. Jonathan Quick hasn’t quite looked right this season (3-5-2, 2.74 GAA, .895 SV percentage) and might still be dealing with some shoulder issues.
LA actually won two games last week, but both came when Jonathan Bernier was in net. They’ve yet to string three straight wins together so far this season.
The Kings have been hammered by injuries to the blue line. Willie Mitchell has a knee injury and no one knows when he’ll be back while Alec Martinez and Matt Greene are both on the IR.
