The NHL's Team of the Week for February 23

The big story over the last week in the National Hockey League was the latest instalment of the Stadium Series.

On Saturday night, more than 70,000 fans jammed the stands at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, to watch their San Jose Sharks become the latest victim of the streaking Los Angeles Kings, losing 2-1.

The Kings have now won seven straight games and worked their way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. As a team, that's super impressive, but individual players around the league have also put on shows worth noting.

Our Team of the Week is based on the best individual performances at each position from Monday to Sunday—in this case, Feb. 16-22. Individual stats matter, but so does a player's impact on his team's success.

Here's the NHL Team of the Week for Feb. 23.

Left Wing: Jamie Benn

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-4-8

Why He Impressed

As a team, the Dallas Stars have struggled since losing Tyler Seguin to injury. The Stars have gone 1-3-1 since the star center was knocked out of action by Dmitry Kulikov of the Florida Panthers on Feb. 13.

During Seguin's absence, his usual linemate Jamie Benn has stepped up with nine points in those five games, including four goals and four assists in the last week. A 4-1 win over the division rival St. Louis Blues was a positive sign on Feb. 17, but the Stars wrapped up the weekend with a wild 7-6 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, followed by a 6-2 defeat by the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

With 22 games left in their regular season, captain Benn and his Stars now sit six points out of a playoff spot in the West—with two teams to pass. Benn's leadership will be key as Dallas tries to make a late push for the playoffs. 

Honorable Mentions

• Ondrej Palat Tampa Bay Lightning (6 GP, 3-3-6)
• Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (4 GP, 2-4-6)

Center: Henrik Sedin

Elsa/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-4-8

Why He Impressed

The Vancouver Canucks have been hammered by late-season injuries, with more than a third of their regular roster now on the sidelines. They've stayed in playoff contention by turning back the clock, relying on former Art Ross Trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin to provide much of their offense.

Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin posted four multipoint games in a row last week as the Canucks went 3-1-0. The twins have even ignited a spark under prodigal son Zack Kassian, who has three goals in two games since being recalled from the press box to step onto the right side of the team's top unit.

With 23 games left on the Canucks schedule, Henrik's 54 points have already surpassed the 50 points he accumulated during his disastrous 2013-14 campaign under ex-coach John Tortorella.

Last season, the Canucks crumpled when the injury bug bit; this year, the team is looking much more resilient.

Honorable Mentions

• John Tavares, New York Islanders (5 GP, 4-3-7)
• Derek Stepan, New York Rangers (4 GP, 2-5-7)

Right Wing: Reilly Smith

Bill Smith/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 2-3-5

Why He Impressed

In the Eastern Conference, no team is fighting harder than the Boston Bruins to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

The 2011 Stanley Cup champions currently sit in the second wild-card spot in the East. They padded their cushion over the Florida Panthers from one point to three with a determined 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

The Bruins' 1-1-2 week means they've steered their ship back in the direction of .500 hockey. Young winger Reilly Smith has been a meaningful part of that positive change in direction.

Smith snapped a four-game pointless streak to contribute points in all four games last week. Overall, his offensive contribution this season has dipped a bit from his breakout performance of 51 points in 2013-14, but Smith could be gearing up for a big finish during the NHL's most important months.

Honorable Mentions

• Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins (4 GP, 3-1-4)
• Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues (3 GP, 2-2-4)

Defense: Michael Del Zotto

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 2-2-4, 9 shots, 1 game-winning goal, minus-2

Why He Impressed

From highly touted first-round draft pick to free-agent castoff with a tendency to land in the gossip pages, Michael Del Zotto's star has fallen significantly during his six years in the National Hockey League.

Since joining the Philadelphia Flyers this season on a bargain $1.3 million contract, Del Zotto hasn't been the team's defensive savior, but he is starting to find his game.

Del Zotto left his healthy-scratch days behind him as the calendar flipped to 2015 and has been playing more than 20 minutes for the Flyers in recent games—an indicator of newfound trust from coach Craig Berube.

Five of Del Zotto's seven goals on the season have come since New Year's Day, and he capped off a solid performance by the Flyers against the surging Washington Capitals on Sunday with a late game-winning goal.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: Trevor Daley

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 2-2-4, 9 shots, minus-1

Why He Impressed

The Dallas Stars have struggled to keep pucks out of their net this season but have scored prolifically—both their forwards and defensemen.

Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn get much of the attention up front, and rookie John Klingberg has made waves since joining the blue line, but 11-season Stars veteran Trevor Daley has also hit a career high in points in 2014-15 and was particularly productive over the past week.

Now logging big minutes thanks to heavy deployment on both the power play and the penalty kill, Daley has already crushed his previous career high of nine goals this season with 16 in 57 games—tied with Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks for second place in the NHL among defensemen.

Though the Stars are ranked 27th in goals against, Daley is having a solid season while adding a dynamic new element to his game.

Honorable Mentions

• Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning (4 GP, 1-3-4, 6 shots, even plus/minus)
• Adam Larsson, New Jersey Devils (3 GP, 0-4-4, 3 shots, plus-4)

Goal: Jonathan Quick

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3-0-0, 4 goals against, .959 save percentage

Why He Impressed

All those post-mortems for the Los Angeles Kings' playoff chances that were written around the All-Star break look like they were written a bit prematurely.

Over the last 15 days, the Kings have salvaged their 2014-15 season with seven straight wins, capped off by a convincing 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Levi's Stadium on Saturday night.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick has guarded the Kings' net for all seven of those wins and over the last week, he has moved his standard from three goals or less down to two or less, including just one goal allowed in the spotlight game in Santa Clara.

Quick's a streaky goalie who seems to save his best work for his team's most important moments. With the Kings now back in playoff contention, expect to see him show his best stuff over the next few weeks and months.

Honorable Mentions

• Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (2-0-1, 3 goals against, .962 save percentage)
• Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils (2-0-0, 1 relief appearance, 4 goals against, .937 save percentage)

Coach: Adam Oates / Scott Stevens / Lou Lamoriello

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats 

3-0-0, 9 goals for, 4 goals against

 

Why They Impressed

Who would have thought the three-headed beast could succeed?

A rough season for the New Jersey Devils has taken a turn for the better since head coach Peter DeBoer was dismissed on Dec. 26. He was replaced by co-coaches Adam Oates and Scott Stevens, with general manager Lou Lamoriello guiding the ship through the transition.

The Devils still have virtually no hope of making the playoffs, but they played a perfect week of hockey last week, going 3-0-0 with wins over the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes.

The main issue in New Jersey this season has been a lack of offense, but the Devils managed to provide solid run support for their goaltenders in their wins, relying on a shootout only in the 2-1 victory over Buffalo last Tuesday.

The Devils are becoming a tough team to face when they're on home ice. The next challenge for the new brain trust will be to work at improving its team's 26th-ranked road record.

 

Honorable Mentions

• Darryl Sutter, Los Angeles Kings (3-0-0)
• Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers (3-0-1)

 

All stats courtesy of NHL.com. Salary information from NHLnumbers.com.