The NHL's Team of the Week for January 26

For the first time in three years, the NHL presented its All-Star Game on Jan. 25 in Columbus, Ohio.

Regular league games were played only from Monday till Wednesday last week. After that, we saw the Fantasy Draft on Friday, the Skills Competition on Saturday and the All-Star Game itself on Sunday.

As a result, the Team of the Week will take on a slightly different flavor than usual this time around.

Since no team played more than two regular games before the break, only All-Star participants will be considered for inclusion for this edition. The players' performances during All-Star Weekend will factor in. So will their three days of regular league play before the break.

Got it? Great.

Here's the NHL's Team of the Week for January 26.

Left Wing: Nick Foligno

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 2 GP, 0-1-1

All-Star Game: 1-1-2, Team Captain

Why He Impressed

The All-Star Game was a coming-out party for the 27-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets left winger.

Enjoying the best season of his career with 18 goals and a new six-year, $33 million contract extension, per Rusty Miller of The Associated Press, via The Globe and Mail, Foligno showed off his personality to best effect over All-Star Weekend. He acted as a gracious host and fully embraced his duties as captain of the "home" team, to the delight of the partisan Columbus crowd.

Interestingly, the Jackets have been without a captain ever since Rick Nash was traded in 2012. After Foligno's impressive display of leadership on All-Star Weekend, it's not hard to image him receiving that "C" in the not-too-distant future.

Honorable Mentions

• Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals/Team Foligno
• Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames/Team Toews

Center: John Tavares

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 1 GP, 1-1-2, 1 game-winning goal

All-Star Game: 4-0-4

Why He Impressed

Even though John Tavares tied an NHL All-Star record by scoring four goals in Sunday's contest, the 24-year-old captain of the New York Islanders was passed over by the fans in the MVP balloting. Hometown favorite Ryan Johansen got the nod for the new car for his goal and assist during the game, as well as a whole lot of goodwill built up during the Skills Competition.

The All-Star Game has always been a goalfest, but just five other players scored four times in one game before Sunday, and none more recently than 12 years ago: Wayne Gretzky in 1983, Mario Lemieux in 1990, Vincent Damphousse in 1991, Mike Gartner in 1993 and Dany Heatley in 2003.

On top of his All-Star production, Tavares also scored the game-winning goal for his New York Islanders in their 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers before the break, helping his team cement top spot in the Metropolitan Division as the stretch run begins.

Honorable Mentions

• Ryan Johansen, Columbus Blue Jackets/Team Foligno
• Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks/Team Toews

Right Wing: Jakub Voracek

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 2 GP, 0-3-3

All-Star Game: 3-3-6

Why He Impressed

Who says the All-Star Game is nothing like real hockey? The NHL's leading scorer heading into the All-Star break, Jakub Voracek, also skated out of Sunday's contest with a game-high six points, tying a record set by Mario Lemieux back in 1988.

Originally drafted seventh overall by the Blue Jackets in 2007 and dealt to the Flyers as part of the Jeff Carter trade during the summer of 2011, Columbus fans continue to support Voracek, though they give the business to his fellow All-Star Rick Nash every time he returns to Ohio. 

Voracek gets credit this week for both his breakout season and his impressive All-Star performance. He's a star on the rise.

Honorable Mentions

• Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues/Team Toews
• Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks/Team Foligno

Defense: Aaron Ekblad

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 1 GP, 0-0-0

All-Star Game: 0-4-4

Why He Impressed

As if it wasn't enough of a feather in his cap to appear in the NHL All-Star Game as an 18-year-old, defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers was the highest-scoring blueliner of the game, tallying four assists for Team Toews while maintaining a reasonably respectable minus-two rating in 18 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time.

A boy in a man's 6'4", 216-pound body, Ekblad is proving to be a rare example of a young defenseman who can step capably into the NHL immediately after being drafted.

A high-level experience like the All-Star Game will only help Ekblad gain more confidence as he learns from and interacts with the best in the game.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: Mark Giordano

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 2 GP, 0-1-1

All-Star Game: 0-1-1, plus-6

Why He Impressed

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Ekblad, how does Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano manage to finish his day with a plus-six rating in 21:10 on duty with Team Toews? There's no room for that kind of defensive responsibility at an All-Star Game!

Undrafted at the beginning of his NHL career, Giordano's game has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years. Like Nick Foligno, he embraced his leadership opportunity when it arose—in his case, with the Calgary Flames.

Giordano is now a catalyst for the Flames' resurgence as well as the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL at the All-Star break.

With his 40 regular-season points, it's somewhat ironic that Giordano stood out in Columbus for his steady play without the puck. Perhaps he was waiting for a (nonexistent) power play for his chance to light the lamp?

Honorable Mentions

• Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild/Team Toews
• Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks/Team Foligno

Goal: Corey Crawford

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

NHL: 1-0-0, 2 goals against, .943 save percentage

All-Star Game: 4 goals against, .778 save percentage

Why He Impressed

It's not easy for goalies to look good in an All-Star format, where the defense is practically nonexistent and the league's top offensive talent comes at them in waves.

Credit goes to all three Team Toews goaltenders and Carey Price of Team Foligno, who limited the damage to four goals against during each of their respective periods on the ice on Sunday.

Corey Crawford gets the nod for facing the most rubber, stopping 14 of 18 shots. He also made several acrobatic stops in the second period while outdueling a beleaguered Marc-Andre Fleury at the other end of the ice.

Honorable Mentions

• Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens/Team Foligno
• Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers/Team Toews

Coach: Peter Laviolette

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

From the unemployment line in October 2013 to All-Star coach with the NHL's best winning percentage in January 2015, Peter Laviolette has written an extraordinary next chapter since joining the Nashville Predators for the 2014-15 season.

Not only has Laviolette transformed a non-playoff team from 2013-14 into one of the best in the league, he also earns All-Star bragging rights over two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Darryl Sutter after his Team Toews dropped the hammer for a convincing 17-12 win on Sunday.

Honorable Mention: There's only one other coach in this race, but Darryl Sutter deserves a mention for agreeing to give up his vacation time to be a part of the All-Star festivities. Sutter's motivation was the opportunity to include his coaching staff from the Los Angeles Kings and his family, especially his son Chris, in the proceedings.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.