The NHL's Team of the Week for April 6

As the NHL's regular season enters its final week, the stakes keep rising.

The biggest stories involve the teams fighting for their playoff lives. We're also keeping an eye on the squads that are trying to move up in the standings to secure favorable postseason matchups.

The common thread among this week's top performers has less to do with the playoffs than it does with finishing the year on a high note.

All of this week's Team of the Week honorees are in the midst of wrapping up career-best seasons. Over the past seven days, they've put emphatic exclamation marks on what were already very good years.

Whether their contributions have fuelled their teams' playoff success or if they're finishing out the year by playing for pride, here are the best individual performances from around the NHL for games played between March 30 and April 5.

Left Wing: Jaden Schwartz

LM Otero/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 4-2-6

Why He Impressed

After a breakout 25-goal season in 2013-14, it took until September 27 before the St. Louis Blues inked 22-year-old Jaden Schwartz to a new two-year contract, which was reported to be worth $4.7 million, according to Doug Harrison of CBC Sports.

Schwartz has proved to be well worth the investment. His six points in the Blues' last four games helped propel the team into first place in the Central Division. The Wilcox, Saskatchewan native has now set career highs with 28 goals and 62 points.

With St. Louis' other top scorers Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen both currently sidelined, Schwartz has stepped up to fill the offensive void at an important point in the season.

Honorable Mentions

• Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (4 GP, 3-2-5)
• Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets (3 GP, 2-3-5)

Center: Brayden Schenn

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 3-3-6, two game-winning goals

Why He Impressed

If there's one man who seems hellbent on knocking the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, it's Brayden Schenn of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers played the Penguins twice last week. Both times, Schenn was the game-winner. He scored two goals in Philadelphia's 4-1 win at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday, then followed up that performance with a goal and two assists when the Flyers triumphed at home on Sunday, also by a score of 4-1.

Schenn was named first star of Wednesday's game and third star on Sunday.

Philadelphia fell out of the Eastern Conference playoff race a long time ago, but the Flyers are revelling in playing spoiler for the Penguins, who have lost three straight games and have now dropped into a wild-card spot.

Schenn's hot week gives him 45 points on the season—a new career high for the 23-year-old.

Honorable Mentions

• Kyle Turris, Ottawa Senators (4 GP, 1-4-5, one game-winning goal)
• Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars (3 GP, 3-2-5)

Right Wing: Mark Stone

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 3-3-6, 1 shootout winner

Why He Impressed

A late-arriving candidate for the Calder Trophy, 22-year-old Mark Stone has evolved into the Ottawa Senators' most reliable forward as his team tries to make one final surge for a playoff spot.

After playing 19 NHL games during two minor-league call-ups last season, Stone has blossomed into a full-time big-leaguer and found good chemistry with the Sens' top center, Kyle Turris.

A former sixth-round draft pick, Stone is currently riding a six-game point streak that has pushed him up to third in team scoring with 22 goals and 59 points. He's also now just two points behind co-leaders Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau in the rookie scoring race.

Keep an eye on Stone this week as Ottawa looks to finish what they started by stealing a postseason berth.

Honorable Mentions

• Nick Foligno, Columbus Blue Jackets (3 GP, 4-1-5, one hat trick)
• Alex Burrows, Vancouver Canucks (4 GP, 4-1-5)

Defense: Dennis Wideman

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats

3 GP, 2-3-5, plus-4, 6 shots

Why He Impressed

The Calgary Flames' defense has stepped up across the board since the team lost captain Mark Giordano to a torn bicep muscle on Feb. 25. No one has done more to keep the Flames on a positive track than 32-year-old Dennis Wideman.

Wideman's three points against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday give him 52 points on the season, a new career high and a marvellous bounce back after he missed 36 games with two different injuries last season. Wideman's ice time has also spiked since Giordano went down, breaking the 30-minute plateau four times in 18 games.

With 20 power-play points, Wideman is tied for 10th among NHL defensemen in that category along with noted quarterbacks P.K. Subban, Justin Faulk, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Marek Zidlicky. His contributions have been crucial in keeping Calgary alive in their unlikely fight for a Western Conference playoff berth.

Honorable mentions for defense appear on the next slide.

Defense: John Carlson

Francois Lacasse/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

4 GP, 0-5-5, even plus-minus, 6 shots

Why He Impressed

In yet another manifestation of NHL parity, the top-scoring defensemen have put nearly as many points on the board as the best forwards over the last seven days.

In the case of Washington's John Carlson, those points were all assists—three in the Washington Capitals' 5-4 shootout win over Montreal on Thursday, then two more in the Caps' 4-3 overtime loss to Ottawa on Saturday.

Like the other surging stars featured this week, 25-year-old Carlson is enjoying a breakout season. His 53 points are a career high and rank him sixth among all NHL blueliners—one point ahead of Dennis Wideman.

Honorable Mentions

• Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers (3 GP, 0-5-5, plus-3, 4 shots)
• P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens (4 GP, 2-3-5, even plus-minus, 14 shots)

Goal: Steve Mason

Len Redkoles/Getty Images

Last Week's Stats

2 GP, 2-0-0, 2 goals against, .970 save percentage

Why He Impressed

After an up-and-down year that has included back and knee injuries and losing his goalie coach, Jeff Reese, over Reese's dissatisfaction with how the Flyers were handling his injuries, per Frank Seravalli of Philly.com, Steve Mason is wrapping up his season on a high note.

Mason has gone 3-0-1 in his last four starts, giving up just five goals along the way. His two wins last week were the Flyers' pair of games against their archrivals from Pittsburgh. His piece de resistance was a 46-save masterpiece against the Penguins on Sunday.

As a team, the Flyers have had a tough season, but Mason has been even better than last year when he has been healthy. He has played 49 games in 2014-15, compared to 61 last season, and he has improved his save percentage from .917 to .929 and his goals-against average from 2.50 to 2.19.

Honorable Mentions

• Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues (2 GP, 2-0-0, 2 goals against, .959 save percentage)
• Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (3 GP, 3-0-0, 5 goals against, .942 save percentage)

Coach: Claude Julien

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Last Week's Stats 

3-0-0, 7 goals for, 5 goals against

Why He Impressed

A topsy-turvy season filled with injuries to key players has kept the Boston Bruins' playoff chances in doubt for much of the year.

In late February, eight-year Boston head coach Claude Julien was fending off rumours of his imminent firing, per Stephen Harris at the Boston Herald. He has since battled back and earns Coach of the Week honors this week.

Not only did Julien's Bruins go 3-0 to stay ahead of the determined Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference standings, they're on a five-game winning streak.

Boston and Ottawa have both been winning so much they've now caught the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in the standings—two teams struggling badly with late-season slumps.

Holding the edge in the tiebreaker over Detroit, Boston finishes the week tucked comfortably into third place in the Atlantic Division standings, and Claude Julien's group now controls its own destiny. If the Bruins win their last three games of the year, their playoff spot is guaranteed.

Honorable Mentions

• Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers (3-0-0)
• Todd Richards, Columbus Blue Jackets (3-0-0)

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.