NHL FanHouse Best of the Week: Joe Thornton Has a Breakout Game

Every Monday morning Adam Gretz and Chris Botta recap the best performances and plays of the week.

The Top Individual Performances of the Week

1. Joe Thornton, San Jose vs. New Jersey, Wednesday: "Seemed like every time I stepped on the ice, we were scoring," said Thornton, who was only exaggerating a little. Thornton scored three goals and had two assists, playing a role in every goal the Sharks scored in their 5-2 victory over the Devils. This is the beauty of having Thornton on your roster; some nights, he can carry a club like few others in the league. Linemates Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley had a goal and three assists each.

2. Jay McClement, St. Louis vs. Atlanta, Saturday: With six hat tricks scored around the league just last weekend, the special-ness of the achievement started to wear off. However, McClement's hat trick had plenty of shine to it. He scored goals less than two minutes apart in the third period and the Blues came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the Thrashers. St. Louis won the game in a shootout. McClement called the comeback a "morale-booster." For the Blues, so was the first career hat trick for their popular teammate.

3. Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers at Toronto, Saturday: While Toronto fans have become annoyed over their team's offensive ineptitude, the Maple Leafs were in reality stoned by Lundqvist at his hottest. The Rangers goalie earned the 25th shutout of his career by stopping 36 shots in New York's 2-0 win in Toronto. "When I reach 50, I'll be happy," said Lundqvist, wisely not stopping to take a bow after the milestone. He's only 28 years old.

4. Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis at Nashville, Thursday: Picking up from his fabled run with the Canadiens last Spring, Halak has been the same inpenetrable goaltender with the Blues. On Thursday, he stopped all 24 shots as St. Louis gave the Predators their first loss of the season. "He is so effortless in his motion," defenseman Erik Johnson said about Halak. "He looks like he is not even trying."

5. Tim Thomas, Boston at Ottawa, Saturday: Yes, another NHL shutout. Yes, another one for Thomas, ending an extraordinary October. He made 29 saves in the Bruins' 5-0 blowout of the Senators in Ottawa. It was his second straight shutout. Thomas ends the extraordinary month with a record of 6-0, with just three goals allowed in those six games and a save percentage of .984.

Also: Alex Ovechkin had two goals and one assist and linemate Nicklas Backstrom a goal and three assists as the Capitals won in Calgary on Saturday, 7-2. Ovechkin's two goals came in a 12-second span in the second period ... Brent Johnson recorded his 14th career shutout, his first in six years, in a 3-0 victory for Pittsburgh in Carolina on Saturday ... 18-year-old rookie Jeff Skinner scored two goals and added an assist in his Madison Square Garden debut, a 4-3 win for the Hurricanes over the Rangers on Friday. (CB)

Top Plays of the Week

1. Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes: Carolina's Jeff Skinner is the youngest player in the NHL right now and is showing off the the talent and potential that made him a top pick in this past summer's NHL draft. He's currently tied for the team lead in goals and points, and as Chris pointed out above had a huge game this past Friday recording two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers. One of them was a beautiful move on a breakaway that broke a 2-2 tie.



2. Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild: Coming off his worst season as a pro a year ago, Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom is off to a much better start this year, and he made this highlight reel save against the Chicago Blackhawks this week, stoning Chicago's Jonathan Toews.



3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: None of these plays resulted in a goal, but they're still worth watching. Honestly, I could watch Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk dangle the puck all day. It never gets old. The best in the league with the puck on his stick. (AG)



Bizarre Play Of The Week

Cory Sarich, Calgary Flames

Oh man. You have to feel bad for Flames defenseman Cory Sarich here for accidentally putting the puck into his own net in a loss against the Washington Capitals. The Capitals score enough goals without getting help from the other team. (AG)