Atop The Sugar Pile - 12/15

Yes, it's once again that time, and this one will hopefully be more pleasant than the last one I authored. Tis the season, right? Wait, bees are in the what now?

The Dizzying Highs

• Jonathan Toews - So what else is new, right? Another week, another three games, another couple of points. And though he was held off the scoresheet against the Isle and San Jose, the captain came through in a big way against the conference leading Wild, with a goal (and what a goal it was), an assist, and getting back to the bread and butter with a five-hole conversion in the shootout. Furthermore, with Claude Giroux out indefinitely due to Wayne Simmonds' Jordan "Jumpman" impersonation giving him goo-for-brains, at the pace Toews is on, he now could put himself on the inside track for some big boy hardware.
• Patrick Sharp - Three goals, two assists, and oh yeah, two of those goals were overtime game winners, just for good measure, all on top of the birth of his first child. Of course, by the time his daughter is 10, it'll be 5 goals and four helpers, and somehow 4 OT game winners in 3 games, but that can't change the fact that the Shooter had himself a handsome as hell week, even more so than usual.
• Marian Hossa - Because he's Marian Hossa of the 400 Goal Club, and you're not.

The Terrifying Lows

• Steve Montador - While I'm still not sure what everyone expected from a 31-year-old journeyman who's always had defensive decision making problems and expected only to play third pair minutes, the fact remains that getting benched in the 3rd period of a tight game while John Scott still trudges out to the ice means he's got to tighten things up by any standard. Including this one here.
• Brent Seabrook - Though he's been better than he initially was coming back from his knee injury, Seabs has been caught out of position and hurrying with the puck more than we've become accustomed to over the years. Additionally, he can't manage to crack any power play time despite being more than capable with the d-corps heaviest shot and most accurate passes, as Keith and Leddy have been atop those umbrellas. However, that more than likely has just as much if not more to do with Coach Q's baffling insistence on a forward at the point.

The Creamy Middles

• Marcus Kruger - The point totals aren't racking up by the fistful for The Plan All Along, but Kruger has been able to center Sharp and Hossa ably enough to allow them to freak off in the top portion of this column speaks to the growth in his game. It took a little while, but the 3-phase, 3-zone skill set that Stan tried to force feed us last year is starting to really shine through, even if the kid could stand to double down on whatever traditional Swedish feast he plans on having for the holidays.