The NHL Redux: Best in Tarasenk-Show
Vladimir Tarasenko brought a few extra pounds with him on a trimmed down, reconstructed frame when he returned this summer. At training camp, he slid extra plates on the bench press and lifted 300 pounds off his chest with relative ease - just like any other St. Louis Blue.
Of course, the electric start to his sophomore campaign isn't ascribed to advancements in upper-body strength, but it is representative of his response to a challenge set forth by the organization following consecutive first-round postseason disappointments.
The message to him and his teammates was quite simple: come back a better version of yourself. Five months later, Tarasenko is the most intoxicating goal scorer in the National Hockey League.
His slicing of defenders and mastery of the Forsberg-ian deke has seen the 22-year-old burst into our consciousness, but it's his dedication to both his craft and the crest that earned him the respect of his veteran locker room long before his coming-out party.
"Everything single day in practice he has had a real enthusiasm and an eagerness to be great," FOX Sports Midwest analyst Darren Pang told theScore. "He doesn't take a day off, and that’s really what has endeared himself to his teammates in a really big way.
"I mean, they just absolutely love the kid."
What's not to love? Over the past six weeks, Tarasenko has emerged as a dominant force, dazzling toward acclaim and now rubbing shoulders with the upper-echelon of NHL talent.
He has twice been named the NHL's weekly three star selection and following a two-point performance in a win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, Tarasenko ranks fifth in league scoring - three points off Sidney Crosby's lead.
His effort in becoming a complete pro, however, isn't confined to the arena. He's committed to learning the language and understanding North American culture - dedication endearing him to everyone he comes across.
"He’s not just a guy that wants to come in and out of the rink and stay to himself," Pang said. "He has worked hard at doing interviews and speaking to his teammates and going out and ordering dinner for himself without relying on them all the time - that takes an effort.
"How many times have we seen (Europeans) - especially with the difficulty of the language - not even give it an effort?"
It would be easy to feel small in the Blues' locker room.
The six-foot something, 200-plus pound men representative of their brand could easily make a developing 22-year-old kid thousands of miles from his home in Yaroslavl feel a little displaced, and maybe a touch insignificant.
But success breeds kinship - goal-scoring is universally understood and with wrists Pang likens to Bobby Hull's producing wrist shots described as nearly unstoppable, Tarasenko figures to be a prominent member of the Blues' family for a long, long time.
"I said before the season this kid could score 40 goals with his eyes shut. He has the complete eagerness to score goals, and has the work ethic to score them. Is he a 35-goal guy this year, and 45 the next or a 40-goal guy this year and 50 the next?
"Those are the numbers I see when I see this guy shoot the puck."
The Next 48
Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
After competing in arguably the best game of this young season Wednesday, we don't have to wait long for the Hollywood sequel. The two California powerhouses will meet Saturday in LA, just four days after Ryan Kesler led Anaheim to a thrilling third-period comeback to maintain the team's lead in the Western Conference.
The Ducks appear vulnerable to nothing but childhood illness, while the defending Cup champions are struggling to stay above water. After their top line seemed to awaken from their early-season hibernation against the Ducks, Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams were silenced again Thursday as they dropped points for the ninth time in 17 games this season.
Most people assume the Kings' misfortune is bound to even out, but interestingly, Los Angeles in fifth in the entire league in PDO, suggesting the bounces are already going their way.
That said, if we have learned anything in the last three seasons, it's that the Kings rise to the occasion. And with the embarrassment of the first installment of the Freeway Face-Off fresh in their minds, we should see the best Kings' team.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET
It's been a season of runs for the Canadiens, who are suddenly the hottest team in the NHL once again. Montreal extended its impressive winning streak to four games Thursday, a stretch in which they have allowed just three goals.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, continue their up and down play. We have seen world-beating stuff from Mike Babcock's crew, including a dominant win over the Kings on Halloween followed by the embarrassment of dropped points in Buffalo.
While it's been difficult to predict what the Red Wings will offer, what we do know for sure is that after an idle week in Motown, Pavel Datsyuk will return to the lineup against the Habs. He has featured in just eight games this season, but has been supremely productive when in the lineup. He ranks ninth in the league with 1.25 points per game.
The Pylon
Seriously, WADA you doing?
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced this week they are appealing the decision to award Nicklas Backstrom the 2014 Olympic silver medal he waited six months to receive. The Capitals star, of course, was forced to sit the deciding match after testing positive for a banned substance that was in the allergy medication he was taking.
We get it, WADA - this is your thing. But it was a mistake, and for Backstrom to sit out the biggest game of his hockey life was surely punishment enough.
Even NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly believes it's a travesty. But this must be the hill WADA is willing to die on.
Parting Shots
1) The Flames' defense leads all units with with 14 goals and 52 points. The Sabres have no goals and nine points from theirs.
2) If you don't think Connor McDavid will be at the World Juniors, you don't know Connor McDavid. Wait, none of us know Connor McDavid and we should probably stop criticizing Connor McDavid.
3) The Blues have allowed 18 goals in the third period this season, yet lead the NHL in having conceded just 1.9 goals per game through 16 starts.
4) Dale Weise is actually Superman against the Bruins. He had a goal, two points, a plus-2 rating, three shots, two hits and seven penalty minutes in less than nine minutes of ice in Thursday's win.
5) Dallas Eakins is worried about his goaltending, and he should. The Oilers are one of just three teams stopping pucks at less than a 90 percent clip this season at 5-on-5.
6) Johnny Gaudreau has been told to find permanent lodging in Calgary. I hereby coin the phrase Johnny Real Estate. Tee-shirts and mugs are in pre-production.
7) The Sabres have a minus-42 goal (!!) goal differential this season. That's 25 goals worse than the next, well, worse team.
8) Sergei Gonchar was given more power play in one game with Montreal than he had with the Dallas Stars all season.
9) We were quick to jump all over the Penguins' old medical team for their handling of Sidney Crosby. Where's the praise for the staff that detected, and swiftly removed a cancerous tumor from a 21-year-old's thyroid?
10) Be well, Nathan Horton.