Five NHL questions: Tomas Hertl’s encore, Joe Thornton and indecent exposure
A daily feature which asks the five biggest questions about today’s NHL action. Will they be answered? (That doesn’t count as one of the five questions.)
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Thornton has a a unique celebration in mind in the event that he scores four goals in a game. Just going to leave this right here.
2. Can the Capitals improve their already impressive power play?
Washington is operating at a sustainable conversion rate of 50 percent on the power play this season. They are facing the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, who are ranked 22nd in the league in penalty kill conversion rate (75 percent). Can the Capitals exploit this to keep up their pace?
3. Will Tomas Hertl build upon his performance on Tuesday?
You've already seen this, because everyone's seen this, but Hertl has taken the sporting world by storm. Having sparked a bit of controversy, the rookie will look to build upon his stunning display against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
Both are struggling entering Thursday night’s contest. Phoenix is presently ranked 25th in the league in penalty kill conversion rate, while Detroit is ranked 30th in the man-advantage (tied with two other teams) and is still looking to score their first power play goal of the year.
5. Will the New York Rangers rebound?
New York was on the losing end of a 9-2 finish on Tuesday and allowed Hertl to score four goals against. The team had a closed door meeting in hopes of turning their fortunes around. Will it help?
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