The NHL's Team of the Week for February 2

After a five-day hiatus for All-Star Weekend, the National Hockey League got back to business last Tuesday, with the quest for playoff spots beginning in earnest.

Last week, the top performances came from an intriguing mix of NHL stars, up-and-comers and comeback kids.

Our Team of the Week is based on the best performances around the league at each position from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, with an extra nod toward the men who offered a leg up to their team's fortunes while also enhancing their personal stat lines.

Check out the list, then let us know if there's anyone else whose performance last week was worthy of our attention. 

Left Wing: Patrick Sharp

Bill Smith/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

2 GP, 1-5-6

Why He Impressed

Not only did Patrick Sharp have his best week of the 2014-15 NHL season last week, his six points came on the road in California—a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, then four assists in the Chicago Blackhawks' 4-1 win over the league-leading Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

After a rough start to his season that included a month out of the lineup with a leg injury in November, Sharp is rounding into form as an effective part of a line with Patrick Kane and Brad Richards.

The Blackhawks continue to lurk in third place in the Central Division standings. Odds are, they'll be honing their game over the next two months, getting ready for another intense playoff run.

Honorable Mentions

• Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (4 GP, 4-1-5)
• Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars (3 GP, 3-2-5)

Center: Cedric Paquette

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 5-0-0, 2 game-winning goals

Why He Impressed

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to turn heads in the NHL with the franchise's outstanding development of young talent.

The latest player to make an impression is 21-year-old Cedric Paquette, who scored his first-ever NHL hat trick last Thursday in the Lightning's 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Add in single goals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, and Paquette doubled his career NHL goal total in just one week. 

Drafted 101st overall in 2012, the 21-year-old rookie was told before the All-Star break that he had earned himself a permanent spot on the Lightning roster and should find himself an apartment, per Bryan Burns of the Lightning's website.

Clearly, Paquette likes his new digs. He rewarded the team's faith in him with an outstanding week of hockey.

Honorable Mentions

• Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals (4 GP, 0-5-5)
• Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks (2 GP, 1-3-4)

Right Wing: T.J. Oshie

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 1-4-5

Why He Impressed

The spotlight shone brightly off the ice for the St. Louis Blues last week, as goaltending legend Martin Brodeur announced his retirement and joined the front office as adviser to general manager Doug Armstrong, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

Meanwhile, St. Louis won five straight in game action, dating back to before the All-Star break. T.J. Oshie has been one of the team's steadiest performers over the past month—held off the scoresheet in just two of the Blues' 15 games since Christmas.

After missing seven games in early November due to a concussion, Oshie's one of several key talents who now has the Blues sitting just two points out of top spot in the NHL.

Honorable Mentions

• Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (3 GP, 3-2-5)
• Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers (3 GP, 2-2-4)

Defense: Kris Letang

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 0-7-7, 8 shots, plus-two

Why He Impressed

After missing one game with a head injury before the All-Star Break thanks to a hit from behind that earned Zac Rinaldo of the Philadelphia Flyers an eight-game suspension, Kris Letang returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup last week looking better than ever.

In a week where the Penguins went 2-2-0 and were shut out twice, Letang—amazingly—had a hand in all seven goals scored by his team.

His five assists in the Pens' 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets last Tuesday were a career high and the first time all season that an NHL defenseman has logged five points in a game. Letang followed up with two more assists when the Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday night.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: Roman Josi

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 2-3-5, 12 shots, plus-five, 1 game-winning goal

Why He Impressed

Stepping into a top-pairing role beside All-Star Shea Weber this season, 24-year-old Swiss defenseman Roman Josi is becoming a breakout success story on a Nashville Predators roster that looks more and more like its success is for real.

Second in ice time on the Nashville Predators (averaging just three seconds a game less than Weber), Josi is tracking for career bests in goals and points, and has inverted a negative plus-minus to a plus-16, good for 17th place in the entire league.

Last week, Josi was a force on both sides of the puck as the Predators went 2-1-1 on their way to taking over top spot in the NHL standings.

Honorable Mentions

• John Klingberg, Dallas Stars (3 GP, 3-3-6, 8 shots, plus-one, 1 game-winning goal)
• Keith Yandle, Arizona Coyotes (3 GP, 0-4-4, 10 shots, minus-two)

Goal: Devan Dubnyk

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3-0-0, 3 goals against, 1 shutout, .977 save percentage

Why He Impressed

After mercurial goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov took the Minnesota Wild on a playoff ride in 2013-14, history may repeat itself this season thanks to another new acquisition, Devan Dubnyk.

Essentially out of the NHL at the end of 2013-14 after being dealt from the Edmonton Oilers to the Nashville Predators to the Montreal Canadiens, Dubnyk signed a summer free-agent deal as a backup for the Arizona Coyotes, then impressed when starter Mike Smith faltered.

Struggling once again with their existing goaltending situation, the Wild gave up a third-round draft pick to acquire Dubnyk on Jan. 14, per The Associated Press (via CBC Sports). Since his arrival, Dubnyk has appeared in all seven Wild games and built a 5-1 record, most recently chalking up three straight road wins in Western Canada.

Down and out for much of the season, the Wild remain 12th in the Western Conference but have made up some ground in the standings since Dubnyk's arrival. With 33 games to go, they're just five points out of the last wild-Card playoff spot and are quickly becoming a team to watch down the stretch.

Honorable Mentions

• Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (3-0-0, 2 goals against, 2 shutouts, .980 save percentage)
• Steve Mason, Philadelphia Flyers (3-0-0, 3 goals against, 1 shutout, .967 save percentage)

Coach: Craig Berube

Bill Wippert/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats 

3-0-0, 9 goals for, 5 goals against

Why He Impressed

For the first time this season, the Philadelphia Flyers are playing some decent hockey.

After an emotional 3-2 overtime win against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins over the All-Star break, the Flyers followed up with three more victories last week, building their longest winning streak of the season on the back of steady scoring and great goaltending from Steve Mason, who was back in action after missing six games with a knee injury.

In other good news, veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen looks poised to return to the Flyers' lineup in the not-too-distant future, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com.

The Flyers' playoff chances remain dim as they sit nine points out of a wild0card spot, but a strong finish to the season could establish the building blocks that the team will need to improve as it goes forward.

Honorable Mentions

• Mike Yeo, Minnesota Wild (3-0-0)
• Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis Blues (3-0-0)

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.