Seven NHLers who flipped their fortunes in second half

You would have by no means recognized from his first outing of the yr that the primary half of Dougie Hamilton’s season could be a whole nightmare.

Facing his former staff in Carolina, Hamilton scored the New Jersey Devils’ first objective of the 2025-26 marketing campaign when, about midway via the second body, he took a move from Jesper Bratt within the slot and backhanded a puck previous Canes goalie Frederik Andersen to tie the competition 1-1.

While the Devils went on to lose 6-3, that objective needed to be an excellent harbinger for a proficient defenceman who’d had some powerful harm luck, proper?

From Canadian Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, Hamilton appeared a shell of himself on the ice, to say nothing of coping with fixed commerce hypothesis off the sheet. In the previous three months, although, Hamilton has fully flipped the script, and his second-half surge is all of the extra spectacular when you think about how making an attempt the primary chunk of season should have been.

Hamilton won’t be the one NHLer who discovered his recreation in Part 2 of the marketing campaign, nevertheless it’s arduous to think about a starker distinction between a primary and second half.

Before the Devils performed their first recreation of 2026, Hamilton had a paltry eight factors in 36 outings. That’s an 18-point clip for a blue-liner who had 74 factors in 2022-23. Hamilton scored his fifth objective of the yr on Jan. 3 and in 32 contests starting with that 4-1 win in Utah via Sunday’s 5-3 victory over Chicago — through which Hamilton additionally discovered the web — the 32-year-old has seven objectives and 18 assists for 25 factors. That’s a 64-point tempo for a man who, let’s be trustworthy, in all probability felt like his staff would transfer him on the first actual alternative for a lot of the season main as much as the commerce deadline.

Examples of issues snapping into place within the second half may be discovered everywhere in the league. And, to be clear, the objective at the moment is to spotlight some gamers who discovered their recreation after actually scuffling out of the gate, versus figuring out guys like Hart Trophy favorite Nikita Kucherov (or Oilers D-man Evan Bouchard) who exploded within the second half, however had been already going robust within the first.

With that in thoughts — and acknowledging it received’t be an ideal first- and second-half divide for each man — right here’s an inventory of gamers whose seasons have been saved by a stellar exhibiting in 2026. 

If anybody was talked about in first-half commerce discuss as a lot as Hamilton, it was Stamkos (together with a few of his Nashville associates). After scoring 27 objectives in his first season with the Preds — principally his lowest whole in a full season since his rookie yr of 2008-09 — Stamkos opened 2025-26 with only one tuck in 14 outings. At the 29-game mark, Stamkos nonetheless had simply eight objectives, placing him on a 22-goal tempo.

Then got here a 7-2 win over St. Louis on Dec. 11.

That evening, Stamkos recorded the second four-goal recreation of his profession to start out a fireplace that’s nonetheless raging. He discovered the web in every of Nashville’s closing three video games earlier than Christmas and netted 5 tallies within the first 5 video games of 2026.

Since his four-goal exhibiting, Stamkos has 28 tallies in 45 video games, greater than everybody within the NHL throughout that span save Cole Caufield (30) and Zach Hyman (29). 

With two years left on his deal and Nashville — regardless of three straight losses — nonetheless well-positioned to make the playoffs, it is going to be fascinating to see if the commerce discuss picks again up within the low season.

Who needs a sizzling begin greater than a man who inked one of many largest low season UFA offers?

Well, that’s not what Nikolaj Ehlers received in Carolina after a decade of productive years with the Winnipeg Jets.

The “Danish Dash” (like it, Hockey Reference!) did not file a degree in his first 4 video games with the Canes and was sitting on zero objectives till Game No. 12. As of Dec. 30, Ehlers was nonetheless caught on simply eight objectives.

The winger discovered the web within the first three video games of 2026, although, and has not appeared again. Since Jan. 1, Ehlers is scoring at a 36-goal tempo with 15 strikes in 34 video games, greater than all people on the squad in that span besides Andrei Svechnikov and his 16. And whereas Svechnikov performs with two massive boys in Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho on the highest trio, Ehlers is presently slotted on the third line with Jordans Staal and Martinook. His means to kick in objectives from that spot — to say nothing of his team-leading seven power-play objectives in 2026 — has made Carolina a extra harmful staff offensively heading into the second season.

McAvoy’s 2025 was tough — skewing downright scary — as he had shoulder surgical procedure about 13 months in the past to cease the unfold of a staph an infection. He returned able to go within the fall, however a puck to the face in a mid-November recreation towards Montreal had him again on the extraordinarily painful facet of the Bruins harm report.

Thankfully, 2026 has introduced nothing however blue skies. (OK, he did take an elbow to the face from Florida’s Sandis Vilmanis proper earlier than the Olympic break, however apart from that issues have been good!).

Not solely did McAvoy win a gold medal with Team USA on the Olympics, however the Bruins additionally boast the second-best factors share within the league (.727) since Jan. 1. (Only Buffalo, at .743, is best).

Boston’s success is in no small half pushed by McAvoy, who has 37 factors in 33 outings in 2026. Only three defenceman within the NHL — Evan Bouchard (49), Quinn Hughes (42) and Rasmus Dahlin (39) — have extra throughout that span.

After beginning the yr with 19 factors in 28 contests, McAvoy has been scoring at a 92-point tempo within the again half.

Injuries typically play a job in uneven begins and Sabres stopper Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen battled illnesses throughout coaching camp, early within the season and proper earlier than the Olympic break. And whereas he was pressured to overlook representing Finland in Italy, there’s nonetheless no comparability between how UPL has carried out since late December versus earlier within the yr.

On Dec. 8, Luukkonen allowed 5 objectives in Calgary and left after 40 minutes throughout a 7-4 loss to the Flames. At that time, Luukkonen had an .884 save share in 10 appearances.

He didn’t begin once more for 13 days, however stopped 26 of 27 photographs in his return throughout a 3-1 victory in New Jersey. He allowed one objective in every of his subsequent two outings — each wins by a Sabres squad that was already remodeling into one of many league’s greatest — and since Dec. 21, his .922 save share is one of the best mark within the NHL amongst goalies with not less than 15 begins.

There’s not a lot oxygen left on Long Island to speak about anything after you get via with Ilya Sorokin’s incredible yr in internet and Matthew Schaefer’s rookie-of-the-year marketing campaign on the blue line.

That mentioned, Barzal — a Calder Trophy winner himself eight years in the past — has helped drive New York’s playoff push with a incredible second-half exhibiting.

The Isles winger, who was restricted to only 30 contests final yr, was caught within the mud for a pair months, scoring at a 60-point tempo via 26 contests.

However, since a giant 1-2-3 evening throughout a 6-3 victory over Colorado on Dec. 4, Barzal has notched 49 factors in 48 outings to supply on the point-per-game degree the Isles want from him.

He had a objective and an help in Monday’s deflating 8-3 loss to Pittsburgh and the Isles — nonetheless clinging to a playoff spot — will want every little thing they’ll get from their most inventive ahead over the ultimate seven video games to get the second-half story all of them desperately need.