Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk is on a roll. He has nine points in the past eight games, leads the Hurricanes in scoring for the second straight season, and leads the NHL with 12 power-play goals.
The 23-year-old may soon supplant captain Eric Staal as Carolina's most valuable player, if he hasn't done so already.
Beyond his scoring (27 points in 34 games this season), Faulk has always been Carolina's top choice on defense, even as a 19-year-old rookie in 2011-12, when he led the Hurricanes in ice time per game.