The Biggest Takeaways from Week 8 of the 2013-14 NHL Season

Nearly two months of the 2013-14 NHL schedule are now complete.

As the teams settle into their routines, we're starting to see trends emerge that will likely remain talking points as the year wears on.

Goaltending has been key, with plenty of young 'keepers making a difference for their teams. 

Nevertheless, a great sniper is sniffing around a milestone that's been out of reach in the NHL for nearly two decades.

From the highs to the lows, here are the biggest stories of the week from the National Hockey League.

Ovechkin's Going for 50 in 50

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With seven goals in his last six games, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals now leads the NHL's goal-scoring race with 20 in 22 games this season.

As Corey Masisak of NHL.com points out, if you add that to the 23 goals scored by the "Great 8" as he surged to a Rocket Richard Trophy win in the last 23 games of last season, the Russian sniper is now sitting at 43 goals in his last 45 games played—tantalizingly close to the magical mark of 50 goals in 50 games.

Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues was the last to accomplish the feat in its pure form, scoring 50 in his team's first 50 games in back-to-back seasons in the early '90s.

Ovechkin's run at the milestone is unorthodox as it stretches over two seasons, but it marks a return to form—and a show of tremendous consistency—for an elite talent who had seen his numbers drop off over the two previous seasons. It's also the first time a player has had a shot at 50-in-50—in any form—for nearly two decades.

All eyes will be on Ovechkin over the next two weeks to see if he can add seven more goals in Washington's next five games.

Ducks Still Dominant

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At the end of Week 8, the Anaheim Ducks maintain their perch atop the NHL standings. 

The Ducks went 0-3-2 during a mid-month stretch when they were hard hit by the flu, but they've won their last two games on the strength of great goaltending from Jonas Hiller. Anaheim remains one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks in the competitive Western Conference.

The Ducks' success this season has come without an effective power play: They sit 25th in the league with a 14.4 percent efficiency rate. Up front, they've counted on stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to generate offense and enjoyed great two-way play from a rejuvenated Dustin Penner.

In addition to Hiller's strong play in net, rookie Frederik Andersen shone while Viktor Fasth missed 13 games with a lower-body injury earlier this season. He has just been recalled as Fasth is expected to miss another three to four weeks with lower-body muscle inflammation, per AnaheimDucks.com.

Despite some real adversity, the Ducks keep rolling.

Bad to Worse for the Red Wings

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In November, the Detroit Red Wings have relied on "loser points" to keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Wings lost five games in a row in the extra frame and have since gone 2-2 as they've struggled to stay on track. The team has scored seven goals less than it's allowed and has gone a woeful 0-4 in the shootout—the Wings need to be better at all aspects of their game.

While prized free-agent signing Daniel Alfredsson got off to a good start, he's just returning to the lineup after missing five games with a groin injury. Free agent Stephen Weiss has also been injured, but he's been a bust in the lineup with just three points in 18 games. 

The Wings were able to salvage a 3-1 win over Buffalo on Sunday despite missing No. 1 center Pavel Datsyuk following an elbow to the jaw from Ottawa's Jared Cowen on Saturday night.

Last year, Detroit was able to turn its season around in the late stages and go on a respectable playoff run. With the Red Wings' history, it's likely these bumps are just growing pains before they gel into a formidable team once again when spring comes around.

The Oilers Are Digging out

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The dark times may finally be lightening up for the Edmonton Oilers.

After a come-from-behind win a week ago in Calgary, the Oilers followed up with two victories at Rexall Place: a 7-0 drubbing of the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers.

Devan Dubnyk has allowed just one goal in his last two games now that Ilya Bryzgalov is breathing down his neck as Edmonton's newly appointed backup. The Nail Yakupov furor has also died down as the young Russian has been taking a regular shift and contributing both at even-strength and on Edmonton's new five-forward power play.

Edmonton's still last in the West, but a three-game winning streak and some success on home ice after three straight shutouts have given the faithful in "Oil Country" reason to feel hopeful about their team once again.

Scrivens Seizes His Opportunity

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Great concern surrounded the Los Angeles Kings when their starting netminder Jonathan Quick went down with a groin injury against Buffalo on November 12.

General manager Dean Lombardi says Quick's not expected back until late December, according to NHL.com. So far, the Kings have had no reason to worry. Ben Scrivens has given up just seven goals in the six games he's played since Quick went down, backstopping Los Angeles to a 4-0-2 record.

Scrivens has taken over top spot among NHL goaltenders with a stunning 1.37 goals-against average and sits second with a .946 save percentage after Sunday's games. The Kings can give Quick the time he needs to rehabilitate his injury properly but could be dealing with a crowded crease on his return if Scrivens can keep up his spectacular play.

Smaller Pads Haven't Helped Scoring

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Ben Scrivens isn't the only goalie with extraordinary stats through the first eight weeks of the season.

Though the NHL tried to create additional goal-scoring this year by clamping down on the size of goalie pads, more netminders than ever before are above a .940 save percentage.

Last year, only Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators cracked the barrier among regular goalies, finishing the season at .941. In 2011-12, Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues led the pack at .940.

In the first eight weeks of the new season, four NHL goalies who have logged significant minutes are working at a rate of .940 or better. Here's the list through Sunday's games:

• James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs: .947
• Ben Scrivens, Los Angeles Kings: .946
• Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: .945
• Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks: .943

Another seven goalies have stats in the .930s.

Whether the league likes it or not, we're seeing some amazing goaltending performances in the early going this season. Is this the emergence of a new crop of goaltending stars?

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