The most productive player
Buffalo Sabres' key forward Tage Thompson shined, scoring eight points (4+4) in three games and he only needed nine shots to score four more goals. He scored his seventh career hat-trick against Boston and added a total of nine positive points to the +/- chart, which is the most in the league. The negative point of the week was that he did not finish Sunday's game against New Jersey after a nasty hit to the head by Stefan Noesen, and none of his teammates stood up for him...
Goaltender of the week
The NY Islanders held a great streak of seven wins in a row going into Sunday, and Ilya Sorokin has signed off on six of them, three coming in the last week. The Russian stopped Colorado, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, the latter with a clean sheet - his third of the season and the 21st of his career overall.
In total, he stopped 81 shots, conceded just four goals and held a 1.33 goals-per-game average.
Highlight of the week
For eight seasons, Dominik Shine wore the colours of the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL and never once made the first team, the Detroit Red Wings.
Last week, he was on his way to buy skates for his 21-month-old son when he received his call-up order. The purchase was temporarily postponed.
The man who was born near Detroit saw his dream come true at 31 years old and made his debut Monday against Los Angeles. "This is a game we wanted to win and we're thrilled he could be there," coach Todd McLellan told the Detroit Free Press after the win.
Unfortunately, his parents, who flew to Maui for a vacation the day before, didn't see the game.
They watched the game from the beach. But they probably weren't disappointed.
"I grew up in Detroit, it's everybody's dream to wear a Red Wings jersey one day. But not many people get to do that. I'll cherish it forever," Shine explained.
Shine has played 462 games in the AHL, scoring 170 points. He's a hard worker, a locker room guy. A year ago, after the birth of his first son, he considered ending his career as travel in the American Hockey League is filled with buses and long trips. But, Shine hasn't given up and on Saturday, during a 3-1 win over Calgary, he registered his first point of the season with an assist.
Shine became Detroit's oldest debuting player since Vaclav Nedomansky, who was 33 when he made his debut on November 18th, 1977.
Stat of the Week
It took a while to get the last step right, but he's there. Jonathan Quick became the first American goalie to tally 400 NHL wins with the NY Rangers ' 4-2 win over Vegas on Sunday just the 15th person to do it in franchise history.
From social media
Canadian defenceman Donovan Sebrango fought for years for his chance in the NHL and when he got it in Ottawa's colours, he rewarded his mother with an interesting gift. A car? No way. They were little donkeys.
Photo of the week
He never fished for Montreal, but he grew up nearby. After the season, legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was going to retire from hockey, and when his Minnesota team visited the Canadiens' ice for the first and last time this season, it was clear it would be the last time for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.
The home team bounced back with a 4-0 victory, but fans and players alike paid tribute to him. And his teammate Filip Gustavsson even joined the local fans with a banner. He wished that he could have one more season as a teammate...
Ladislav Smid's view
"After a week, there's big talk again, and it's been a continuing saga around J.T Miller and Elias Pettersson. Everyone is probably relieved that it's over. My opinion is that it hasn't worked between those two in a long time, not just this year.
"From what I've heard, Miller is demanding of himself and others around him, but that doesn't sit well with everyone. And this was probably the case. A case like this also disrupts the chemistry of the team.
"Vancouver had a very good season last year and I expected them to follow it up this year, but it's not easy... They are both great players, my favourite player is Miller, who was the engine of the team for me - a player who would eat that puck on the ice in the play-offs.
"His first game for the Rangers was good, he scored two goals and I think he will help them a lot. Plus, even when he's not scoring, he's a valuable asset and can play against all lines. He is comfortable in the game and can be felt on the ice in every shift.
"The trade is also a great chance for Filip Chytil, he should get more space and hopefully it will work out."
