Friday Four: Penguins playing like Cup contenders again

Each Friday throughout the season, Kevin Weekes will bring you his Friday Four. He will be blogging about four players, teams, plays, or trends that have caught his eye.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Look out for the Penguins. As center Sidney Crosby told our NHL Network's Mike Rupp during the break, he, center Evgeni Malkin, forward Phil Kessel and defensemen Kris Letang each has turned up his game. Crosby and Letang played in the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game. Malkin was named the League's First Star for January, and Kessel easily could have been selected as well. The Penguins have won three straight games and have a big one with the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVA Sports, ATTSN-PT, NBCSWA, NHL.TV).
I think they kind of sleepwalked, by their standards, through their first 45 games after having played a lot of hockey, winning the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons. Goaltender Matt Murray returned and played well in his first game back since his father's death. It looks like Pittsburgh is finally clicking, which is bad news for the rest of the League.

All-Star weekend

Great job by the city of Tampa hosting the All-Star Game. I thought the Tampa Bay Lightning did a great job with the surrounding events. The city was electric and even more since it was also hosting the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. The atmosphere was incredible. Having played in Tampa Bay, I know why it's a destination many players choose. There was a lot of great entertainment, but we can't forget the players on the ice. Whether it was the skills competitions or the actual games, we saw some great things.
One thing is for sure: Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser is making a name for himself. He was named MVP of the All-Star Game, helping the Pacific Division win the $1 million prize, and also won the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting contest in 11.136 seconds. He has been great all season and has had quiet confidence. With 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 48 games, he is second in the League in rookie scoring, seven points behind New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal, and in the running for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top first-year player. Boeser has the opportunity to be a star, and I'm interested to see how he plays moving forward.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights set the record for most wins by an NHL team in its inaugural season with their 34th victory, a 3-2 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. I've been saying it all year -- they have been the most consistent team. They find ways to win. I call them the bamboo team because they bend but don't break.
On Tuesday, they trailed the Calgary Flames by one goal with less than two minutes remaining and scored three times in 53 seconds for a 4-2 win. Coach Gerard Gallant has to be the favorite for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. Besides goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been outstanding, Vegas doesn't really have a star player. They are getting production from a host of players, including centers Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson and forwards James Neal, David Perron and Erik Haula.

Toronto Maple Leafs

They've been on fire since the All-Star break, defeating the New York Islanders 5-0 on Wednesday and the New York Rangers 4-0 on Thursday. They dominated from the drop of the puck in each game. Even with defenseman Morgan Rielly, Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak out of the lineup,
Justin Holl
and Travis Dermott have stepped up. Holl, an emergency callup from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League hours before the game Wednesday, became the first Maple Leafs rookie defenseman to score a goal in his first two NHL games.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been so consistent all season, and even when backup Curtis McElhinney has played, he has done well, too, including his shutout against the Rangers on Thursday. The Maple Leafs have won four straight, outscoring their opponents 16-3. They, along with the Boston Bruins, are gaining ground on the first-place Lightning in the Atlantic Division.

HONORABLE MENTION

Center Mike Fisher coming out of retirement to return to the Nashville Predators is huge. Fisher, 37, is in great shape and was a huge part of the Predators when they reached the Stanley Cup Final last season. They wouldn't have been able to find a player like him in the trade market that would be a fit. Goaltender Pekka Rinne has two straight shutouts. The defense has been great. Forward Filip Forsberg came back from injury Thursday and scored in a 5-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings. With the addition of Fisher, when he signs a contract, arguably the deepest team in the League just got deeper.