In his first 16 NHL games, Clayton Keller made hockey at the highest level look incredibly easy with 11 goals and a highlight reel that had the whole league taking notice.
Then came the next 17 games, when Keller was hit with the harsh reality that comes with playing with a bullseye on your back while the bounces aren’t going your way: No goals. Six points. Lots of attention from the best defenders.
But the highs and lows of a long NHL season allow for cream to rise to the top. Now with points in seven straight games for the second time in his first 40 games, Arizona’s star forward has climbed another rung on that ladder of success – producing even when the opposition is primed to stop you.