The NHL's Team of the Week for March 9

With the trade deadline behind us, the clock is now ticking toward the 2014-15 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The pressure is on, whether teams are trying to secure a postseason berth or improve their position in the standings. We saw some clutch performances from players on those teams this week, but others came from teams playing for pride, essentially out of playoff contention. Colorado Avalanche, where have you been all year?

Of the players who moved to new teams at the trade deadline, Curtis Glencross looks like a nice fit with the Washington Capitals, but no one did quite enough at their new address to reach the Team of the Week plateau.

Here's your look at the best individual performances around the National Hockey League for March 2-8. As always, your thoughts and alternate nominations are most welcome in the comments.

Left Wing: Gabriel Landeskog

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 3-3-6, 1 game-winning goal

Why He Impressed

Though their chance to make the playoffs for the second straight season has almost certainly passed them by, the Colorado Avalanche have been playing their best hockey of the year in recent weeks.

The Avs have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games and put up a perfect record last week, which included impressive wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild.

Playing primarily on Colorado's top line with Ryan O'Reilly and bruiser Cody McLeod of late, captain Gabriel Landeskog has taken the reins offensively. He scored the game-winner as Colorado hung on to beat its archrival from Minnesota 3-2 on Sunday and also had a three-point night against the powerful Penguins.

Landeskog is now tied with Jarome Iginla for the Avs' scoring lead with 46 points.

Honorable Mentions

• Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning (3 GP, 0-5-5)
• Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins (3 GP, 4-0-4, 1 game-winning goal)

Center: John Tavares

Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 2-3-5

Why He Impressed

In a wide-open Eastern Conference, the surprising New York Islanders have been one of the most consistent teams this season.

Better play on the back end and in net has helped the Isles get more wins than they managed in the past, but the engine up front remains captain John Tavares.

With five points last week in wins over the Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers, Tavares has taken over the top spot in the NHL scoring race with 70 points. He has already hit a career high with 32 goals and is tracking for a new personal best of 85 points on the year.

Carrying his team on his back as he nears the conclusion of his sixth NHL season, it's easy to forget that Tavares is still just 24 years old.

Tavares' recent offensive surge has come without his regular right winger, Kyle Okposo, who has been sidelined with an eye injury since the All-Star break. If Okposo returns later this month as Arthur Staple of Newsday suggests, the pair could form a serious scoring threat come playoff time.

Honorable Mentions

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers (3 GP, 3-2-5)
• Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames (4 GP, 3-2-5)

Right Wing: Jiri Hudler

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-4-8, 2 game-winning goals

Why He Impressed

Is it time to admit that the 2014-15 Calgary Flames are a playoff team?

Built on dogged determination, the Flames responded to the announcement of a season-ending injury to captain Mark Giordano by virtually acing their long eastern road trip.

Jiri Hudler led the way last week with four straight two-point games. He also scored the winning goals on Tuesday in Philadelphia and Friday in Detroit as the Flames went 3-0-1 on the week and mounted late comebacks to earn points in both Boston and Ottawa.

Hudler has thrived as a Flame. His next point will give him 57 on the year—tying his career high from 2008-09 with the Detroit Red Wings. The 31-year-old's veteran presence has also proved to be a positive influence on his young linemates, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.

With 16 games to go in the regular season, the Flames are the team that could force the 2014 Stanley Cup champions to miss the playoffs this year. They're currently holding a two-point edge on the Los Angeles Kings for the last postseason position in the Pacific Division.

Honorable Mentions

• Elias Lindholm, Carolina Hurricanes (3 GP, 3-2-5)
• Radim Vrbata, Vancouver Canucks (3 GP, 3-1-4, 1 game-winning goal)

Defense: Kris Russell

Andre Ringuette/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 2-3-5, even plus-minus, 11 shots

Why He Impressed

Kris Russell has stepped up admirably to fill the hole in the Calgary lineup caused by Mark Giordano's injury. The next man down the depth chart on left-side defense, Russell is now playing top-pairing minutes with Dennis Wideman—and the duo is getting the job done.

After going pointless in nine games, Russell has put up five points in his last three games, including two goals on Sunday to help the Flames rebound from a 4-0 deficit and salvage a point against the Ottawa Senators. 

Plenty of contributors are going the extra mile to help keep Calgary's playoff chances alive during its stretch run. Kris Russell is simply the latest player to see his efforts show up in the box score.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: Victor Hedman

Scott Audette/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 2-2-4, 6 shots, even plus-minus

Why He Impressed

With seven points in the first three games of the 2014-15 NHL season, hulking defenseman Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning turned heads as an early front-runner for the Norris Trophy before missing 18 games in October and November with a fractured finger.

Heading into the home stretch of the season, Hedman's offensive mojo is returning. He has points in seven of his last nine games while the Lightning continue to press for the top seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs.

Despite missing nearly a quarter of the season, Hedman still ranks among the NHL's top 30 defensemen in scoring. He continues to be a threat on the power play. With the playoffs now just over a month away, he looks to be rounding back into peak form at just the right time.

Honorable Mentions

• Andy Greene, New Jersey Devils (3 GP, 0-4-4, plus-5, 0 shots)
• Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche (3 GP, 0-4-4, plus-2, 5 shots)

Goal: Semyon Varlamov

Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3-0-0, 2 goals against, 1 shutout, .981 save percentage

Why He Impressed

There's never a dull moment with goaltender Semyon Varlamov. After being in and out of the lineup with injuries earlier in the season, the No. 1 has started the Colorado Avalanche's last 22 consecutive games.

Last week, he also amassed a shutout streak of 124 minutes and 19 seconds between giving up one goal midway through the third period of Colorado's 3-1 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday and one goal with 5:56 remaining in the Avs' 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

According to Elias Sports Bureau (via NHL Public Relations), the shutout streak was the second longest of Varlamov's career.

The starter's night ended shortly after surrendering that goal on Sunday. Just 12 seconds after the Wild made the score 3-1, Varlamov was pulled from the game with what has been described as a lower-body injury, possibly cramping, by Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.

If Varlamov's sidelined for any period of time, at least he went out on a high note.

Honorable Mentions

• Cam Talbot, New York Rangers (3 GP, 2-0-1, 3 GA, .965 save percentage)
• Andrew Hammond, Ottawa Sentaors (3 GP, 2-0-1, 5 GA, .950 save percentage)

Coach: Bob Hartley, Calgary Flames

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats 

3-1-0, 13 goals for, 11 goals against

Why They Impressed

With just over a month until the NHL playoffs begin, the most compelling stories this week revolve around the teams that are trying to make the playoffs.

The strong Tampa Bay Lighting had a tidy 3-0 week, but it was against weak competition—the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Colorado posted a similar record against tougher teams, but it's now well outside playoff contention.

The battle royal of the of the week came down to Sunday's game between the Calgary Flames and the Ottawa Senators.

Coach Dave Cameron of Ottawa got the nod in this category last week for guiding his team through a successful western road trip and keeping his group pushing for an unlikely postseason berth. This week, our honor goes to Bob Hartley of Calgary for keeping hope alive—and for conjuring up a come-from-behind shootout win against Boston and rebounding from a 4-0 deficit to grab a point against the Senators.

The Flames are clinging to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division, while, despite their best efforts, the Senators remain five points back of Boston, which holds the second wild card in the East.

Two teams that weren't supposed to be in the mix this late in the season, Calgary and Ottawa are keeping things interesting in hockey-crazy Canada.

Honorable Mentions

• Dave Cameron, Ottawa Senators (3-0-1)
• Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche (3-0-0)

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.