The NHL's Team of the Week for February 9

Last week in the NHL, the biggest stories included Evander Kane's locker room dust-up with the Winnipeg Jets, Henrik Lundqvist's scary neck injury and the merciful end to the Toronto Maple Leafs' franchise-record losing streak. 

Our Team of the Week is based on the best individual performances at each position between Feb. 2 and Feb. 8. Performances are judged by the volume and impact of each player's points, shots or saves—whichever the situation dictates.

Breakout performances get special attention, as do players who are finding ways to bring their "A" games week after week.

Check out the list, then let us know if you saw any other performances of note during the last week of hockey.

Here's the NHL Team of the Week for Feb. 9.

Left Wing: Rick Nash

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-1-5

Why He Impressed

While Rangers fans debate how successfully Cam Talbot can carry the load while King Henrik Lundqvist is sidelined for the next few weeks, Rick Nash is making sure his backup goaltender has some solid run support.

One of the bounce-back performers of 2014-15, Nash's four goals last week give him 33 on the season. He's tied with Alex Ovechkin for top spot in the goal-scoring race and is just eight goals off his career-best 41, scored in his sophomore season with the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2003-04.

The Rangers' whipping boy with just three goals and 10 points during last spring's run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nash has gone from zero to hero on Broadway this season. 

Honorable Mentions

• Scott Hartnell, Columbus Blue Jackets (3 GP, 2-3-5)
• Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens (3 GP, 1-4-5)

Center: David Desharnais

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 1-5-6

Why He Impressed

With his Montreal Canadiens struggling to score goals in recent weeks, coach Michel Therrien reunited center David Desharnais with wingers Max Pacioretty and Dale Weise last Thursday.

The move yielded instant results. The Habs snapped a two-game home losing streak with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, then followed that up with a 3-1 road victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

All three linemates surged offensively; Desharnais ended the week as one of the NHL's top scorers, with six points. "Davey’s been shooting more, he’s become more of a dual threat," Pacioretty told Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette of his time apart from Desharnais. "I’ve been trying to become more of a dual threat and we have a line where I’m not just a scorer and Davey’s not just a passer."

So far, so good. "Davey" picked up one goal in Montreal's losing effort against the Buffalo Sabres last Tuesday, while Pacioretty earned four assists.

Honorable Mentions

• Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks (4 GP, 2-3-5)
• Chris Tierney, San Jose Sharks (3 GP, 1-3-4)

Right Wing: Corey Perry

Scott Iskowitz/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-2-6

Why He Impressed

Just one year ago, Corey Perry finished fifth in the NHL scoring race. His 43 goals were second only to Alexander Ovechkin's 51.

This year, Perry has missed 15 of the Anaheim Ducks' 54 games. Finally healthy after the All-Star break, he has started to remind opponents what a consistent threat he can be.

Perry's four goals and six points both tied him for the best marks in the league last week. Even without a steady contribution from Perry, the Ducks have hovered near the top of the NHL standings all season.

Corey Perry looks to be dialing in his best game as the stakes get raised through the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions

• Dale Weise, Montreal Canadiens (3 GP, 3-2-5)
• Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers (4 GP, 1-4-5)

Defense: John Klingberg

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 1-3-4, 5 shots, plus-one

Why He Impressed

Week after week, rookie John Klingberg's name keeps cropping up as one of the NHL's best defensive performers.

Coming out of the All-Star break, the 22-year-old turned heads with a game-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators, then followed up with a four-point night against the Winnipeg Jets.

Last week, it took Klingberg four games to get four points, and the Stars' record of 1-2-1 still leaves them five points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

But Klingberg's 13 points in the month of January were enough to earn him Rookie of the Month honors from the NHL. Now with 28 points in just 39 NHL games, he's on the verge of cracking the league's top-25 defensive scorers.

Now that he has made the Show, Klingberg's making it clear that he will not be returning to the minor leagues.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: Travis Hamonic

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 0-4-4, 7 shots, even plus-minus

Why He Impressed

With the New York Islanders sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division and enjoying 99.2 percent odds of making it to the playoffs this year, according to SportsClubStats, 24-year-old Travis Hamonic posted his first multi-point game of the season on Sunday.

Wearing the "A" for the first time in the absence of injured forwards Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck, per Mark Herrmann of Newsday, Hamonic's two assists capped off a solid week and helped the Islanders bounce back from a 2-1 loss against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night with a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Coach Jack Capuano says that Hamonic's recent offensive contributions are part of the development of his game: "He's defense first, obviously, a defenseman who loves to play against the opposition's top line. But not just tonight, but overall, he has been picking it up offensively and it has been paying dividends for our hockey club."

Honorable Mentions

• Keith Yandle, Arizona Coyotes (3 GP, 0-4-4, 4 shots, plus-one)
• Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs (3 GP, 0-3-3, 6 shots, plus-one)

Goal: Marc-Andre Fleury

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

2-0-0, 0 goals against, 2 shutouts, 1.000 save percentage

Why He Impressed

The Pittsburgh Penguins were in a mini slump as they headed out on their annual Western Canada road trip, having won just two of their previous eight games.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury set his team up for a clean sweep, recording shutouts in Edmonton and Calgary before backup Thomas Greiss stepped in to take the 5-0 loss in Vancouver.

Fleury now leads the league with eight shutouts, establishing a personal career high and breaking Tom Barrasso's Pittsburgh Penguins record of seven shutouts in a season, all with 29 games remaining on the schedule.

Fleury has been rock solid through the Penguins' 2014-15 season and should be setting the stage for an impressive playoff performance.

It's not very often the NHL sees two perfect goaltending performances in one week, but Devan Dubnyk also posted two shutouts in two starts this week. Fleury gets the nod here because Dubnyk was selected as our Team of the Week goaltender for Feb. 2.

Honorable Mentions

• Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild (2-0-0, 0 goals against, 2 shutouts, 1.000 save percentage)
• Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings (2-0-0), 1 goal against, 1 shutout, .980 save percentage)

Coach: Mike Yeo

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats 

2-0-0, 4 goals for, 0 goals against

Why He Impressed

As the Minnesota Wild struggled through a six-game losing streak during the first half of January, coach Mike Yeo was deemed to be accountable by the likes of NBC Sports Network's Jeremy Roenick, who called for Yeo's ouster on Jan. 11, per ProHockeyTalk.

Yeo's savior arrived just three days later in the 6'6" form of goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round draft pick after a solid early-season performance in the desert.

Dubnyk has posted four shutouts in nine games since his arrival in Minnesota as the Wild have done a 180, going 7-1-1 in that time. Playoff odds remain steep at 36.3 percent, but Yeo done an impressive job of keeping his team believing it can finish strong and, perhaps, repeat its storybook postseason run of one year ago.

Honorable Mentions

• Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings (2-0-0)
• Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals (3-1-0)

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.