As the calendar flips from November to December, NHL teams have played roughly 25 games of their 82-game schedules. This is the point in the season when early-season statistical blips hover on the verge of becoming season-defining trends.
Throughout the league, some players—from all positions and all age groups—will eventually be revealed as having hit their career peaks and now starting their declines. But among the league's top stars, occasional performance dips are often followed up with more dazzling greatness. Hockey's such an intense, physical sport that even the game's greatest players go through occasional lulls.