Trending Up, Trending Down: Laine sizzles, Russell hot takes fizzle
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Patrik Laine
Laine 1, Matthews 0.
The first round of the manufactured "rivalry" between No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews and second selection Patrik Laine went to the latter, and while it was only one game, the Winnipeg Jets prospect made an emphatic statement Wednesday night.
Laine scored the tying goal with under a minute remaining, then the overtime winner to cap off a hat trick and stun the Toronto Maple Leafs, who coughed up a four-goal lead.
The 18-year-old showed he's just as deserving of the spotlight as his counterpart and served notice to both his team and the rest of the league that he's ready to lead by example.
▼ Kris Russell apologists
(Photo courtesy: Edmonton Journal)
When Kris Russell recorded three assists in his first four games with the Edmonton Oilers, you just knew he'd be praised despite going unsigned for nearly the entire summer.
The Edmonton Journal's Jason Gregor authored a column Tuesday arguing that Russell's solid start proves analytics don't tell the whole story, but no one who understands the relationship between numbers and sports believes analytics are the only way we should study the game.
What the numbers do is help confirm or disprove hunches made without quantitative evidence, like the hot take Sportsnet's Roger Millions was skewered for when he touted the defenseman's intangibles one day later.
Okay. Getting blasted. Here is the real meaning. Kris Russell's effort and desire is huge. Greater than most. Relax.
— Roger Millions (@RogMillions) October 19, 2016
It's a bad look to form any conclusion after four games, let alone one that can't be proven.
▲ Joe Thornton and Brent Burns
(Photo courtesy: @colin_dunlap)
Can these guys endear themselves any more to hockey fans?
The San Jose Sharks duo is trending again after being spotted roaming the streets of Pittsburgh on an off-day Wednesday before facing the Penguins.
Thornton appears to have no problem forgoing his shirt in the late October air, and as Burns notes, his teammate didn't avoid the gym in the offseason.
@colin_dunlap tiny creepy and shouldn't be on phone while driving BUT I respect the photo skills! 19looks like he just got off the bench! Ha
— Brent Burns (@Burnzie88) October 19, 2016
The two colorful characters fell short in their quest for the Stanley Cup in June, but they've once again won our hearts.
▼ The shootout
The NHL's de facto skills competition is an easy target, and it was thrust back into the conversation Tuesday night in Florida.
Vincent Trocheck's controversial shootout goal - which was initially called off - was reviewed and ultimately allowed to stand despite the on-ice officials' ruling that he lost control of the puck during the attempt.
It was a sequence that didn't end up mattering (the Tampa Bay Lightning eventually prevailed), but it led many to once again question the shootout as a reliable method for deciding games.
It's not likely the NHL will scrap it any time soon, but that won't stop people from pointing out its flaws every time their gripes are validated.