Here are five bold NHL predictions for the coming week:
Alex Ovechkin will remain stuck on 501 goals
Ovechkin reached - then surpassed - the fabled 500-goal plateau with a pair of tallies in Sunday's 7-1 triumph over the Ottawa Senators, capping a sensational run that has seen him score 12 goals in his last 12 games.
With the record now in his rearview - and the Capitals playing just three games this week - don't be surprised if Ovechkin suffers a bit of a letdown and remains stranded at 501 career goals for a little while.
Ovechkin has already had four stretches this season in which he has gone three or more games without a goal, and he could be headed for a fifth.
Sidney Crosby will record a hat trick
Forget about Crosby's season-long slump. Forget about the Penguins' 26th-ranked goals-per-game rate. Forget about the fact that Crosby has just eight goals in 31 career games against Carolina, whom he'll face twice this week.
Crosby has rediscovered his long-lost scoring touch, scoring six times in his past seven games. In addition to a pair of games against the Hurricanes, Crosby and the Penguins will face the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team he has victimized in his career (13 goals, 26 assists in 28 games).
Crosby is playing as well as he has all season, and with three decent matchups on the docket, the time is right for him to record that elusive first hat trick of the season.
Patrick Kane will increase his scoring lead to 13 points
Kane has been absolutely red-hot this entire season - and with the Chicago Blackhawks playing four times this week, he should easily be able to extend his lead in the Art Ross Trophy race.
Kane, who has six points in five January games, opens the week with a difficult home matchup against Nashville before wrapping things up against a pair of Canadian teams - a home-and-home set with Montreal sandwiched around a road showdown with Toronto.
Coupled with his two closest competitors - Dallas Stars teammates Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin - playing just twice in the next seven days, Kane is in great position to build upon his nine-point advantage coming into the week.
Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will combine for 12 points
Getzlaf and Perry continue to slog through what has been a dreadful season for both players, but things may be looking up this week.
The Ducks open their three-game schedule with a home date against an Ottawa Senators team that comes into the week having allowed the second-most goals in the league. The defensively porous Stars then come to town before the Ducks wind up the week against visiting Los Angeles.
While the Kings should make things difficult, Ottawa and Dallas almost certainly won't - and that should mean great things for Getzlaf and Perry, who should be able to do enough damage in the first two games of the week to return significant daily fantasy value.
No Maple Leafs player will score more than one goal
With Toronto losing W James van Riemsdyk (foot) for the next 6-8 weeks, the team comes into the week with only two double-digit scorers on the season - C Leo Komarov and W P.A. Parenteau.
The Maple Leafs play three times this week; they'll open at home against the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets before wrapping things up against visiting Chicago and host Boston. The Blackhawks and Bruins boast impressive defenses, while Columbus ... doesn't.
That said, Toronto ranks in the middle of the pack in goals per game and spreads the scoring around - so don't expect any one player to stand out, even with a cupcake matchup to open the week.
