Right in the thick of things, as usual.
In a week which saw the Nashville Predators get offensive contributions from a number of different players, it was Patric Hornqvist who stood out from the pack. With two goals against Los Angeles on Tuesday, he hit the 20-goal mark for the third season in a row, only the second Pred to achieve that feat after Jason Arnott.
With the addition of Andrei Kostitsyn to the lineup, there's added pressure on the goal-scoring wingers to both produce and play the game the way Barry Trotz desires, or else you can find yourself a healthy scratch (witness Colin Wilson & Craig Smith). Hornqvist appears to be doing just that, as his ice time over the last three games has been higher than it was for a month.
As we begin to look ahead to the playoffs, Hornqvist has much to prove there, since he has just two goals and two assists through 14 career post-season games. At least for now, however, he's driving to the net and creating havoc for opposing goalies. Perhaps my favorite goal of the week was his first score against the Kings, when he jumped on a loose puck between the circles and wasted no time firing it past Jonathan Quick:
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