from Katie Strang of ESPN,

Trending Up
New York Rangers -- Without question, the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now is the Rangers, who have won eight straight after a rather middling start to the season. In Saturday’s 3-1 win over the new-look New Jersey Devils, center Derek Stepan scored all three goals to record his third career hat trick. The Blueshirts, winners in 10 of their last 12 games, currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 42 points.

Florida Panthers -- At this point, let’s just call them the Comeback Cats, as the team pulled off a come-from-behind victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, scoring four unanswered goals in the final frame. Things are definitely looking up in south Florida, with the Panthers in the thick of the playoff hunt. With Sunday’s win, the trail the Leafs by just three points in the Atlantic Division standings.

Henrik Zetterberg -- Young gun Gustav Nyquist provided the overtime heroics in Detroit’s 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, but Red Wings veteran Zetterberg has been an offensive catalyst for the team for critical stretches this season. Zetterberg, who chipped in with a goal and an assist in the Wings’ most recent win, has six points over the last four games for Detroit.

more trends in the East...

also from Strang,

Trending down
Calvin Pickard -- Still a ton to like about the way the Colorado Avalanche's rookie goaltender handled himself during Semyon Varlamov’s absence, but Pickard was sent back to the American Hockey League on Sunday. Colorado head coach Patrick Roy said the demotion to the minors had nothing to do with Saturday’s performance -- Pickard surrendered four goals in the Avs’ 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blakchawks -- but was instead based on the need to get him more action down in the AHL now that Varlamov is fully healthy. I have a feeling this will not be the last time we see Pickard this season.

St. Louis Blues -- The Blues are battling a difficult stretch at the moment, having dropped four straight following a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Blues host the struggling Avalanche at home on Monday, perhaps an opportunity to gain some traction before embarking on a four-game road trip starting on Tuesday.

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