Heres our weekly look at the fortunes of some of the games brightest young stars. Alex Wood Jersey . Behold, the latest under-24 player rankings.HotRyan Johansen, C, Nashville PredatorsThe Predators -- who have gone 8-3-0 in their past 11 games and moved into a tie for third in the Central Division -- are becoming the team many thought theyd be before the season. Goalie?Pekka Rinne is a key part of that: The veteran has been stellar for the past month or so. But also impressive has been the play of Johansen, a franchise center who is approaching his one-year anniversary in Nashville. The 23-year-old had just one goal in his first 18 games, but has scored four, along with three assists, in his past four games. And three of those goals were game winners.?Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton OilersEveryone knows that captain and NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid is driving the Oilers bus. He has 15 points in his past seven games, which has kept Edmonton in first place in the Pacific Division. But this teams ability to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006 will depend as much on its depth, and that is starting to shine through, most notably in the form of Draisaitl. The big 21-year-old was the third overall pick in 2014. He has five goals -- including four on the power play -- and five assists in the past seven games. The Oilers went 4-2-1 during that stretch.Dougie Hamilton, D, Calgary FlamesI rarely tire of Flames president Brian Burke when he gets a bee in his bonnet, and this week the bees buzzing around Burke and the Flames were trade rumors involving Hamilton, a 23-year-old who has struggled to find his way since coming to Calgary from the?Boston Bruins?in a much-heralded 2015 draft-weekend trade. Burke said that unless some team is coming to the table with 20 first-round picks, the Flames are not interested in moving Hamilton. Credit Hamilton, however, with pushing all this to the side as he collected six assists in his past eight games, including a three-assist performance against the?Detroit Red Wings.?The ninth-overall pick in 2011 has averaged north of 20 minutes a night of ice time in six of his past seven games as he and the Flames tried to claw back into the playoff discussion in the Pacific Division after a miserable start.NotAustin Czarnik, RW, Boston BruinsI love Czarnik. Hes undersized but has significant heart. The undrafted 23-year-old Washington, Michigan, native has forced the Bruins to open up a roster spot for him with his diligence and skills. But if hes going to stick around long-term, Czarnik will have to find ways to contribute for Boston, which has found scoring a difficult proposition on a nightly basis. (The Bruins are tied for 24th in goals per game and are tied for 21st on the power play.) Czarnik continues to get man-advantage time but has scored just one goal in his past 11 games and one assist in his past 10 games for a team that would be in the playoffs if the regular season ended today, but is by no means considered a lock.Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg JetsThe Jets are floundering again and until they get their goaltending situation sorted out, its hard to imagine them as a legitimate playoff contender in spite of its impressive offensive arsenal. Its clear head coach Paul Maurice has little confidence in backup Michael Hutchinson, given that Hutchinson has started just eight games and has just two wins. But starter Hellebuyck, 23, has also struggled, losing five of seven and allowing 20 goals in those five losses -- including giving up a six-spot Thursday night in a 6-3 home loss against the Oilers. Overall, Hellebuyck -- a member of Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey -- has a mediocre 2.76 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.Joonas Donskoi, RW, San Jose SharksLast spring, Donskoi, 24, emerged as a key contributor for the Sharks, who advanced to their first Stanley Cup finals. He chipped in six goals and six assists, including an overtime winner during the finals. San Jose is poised for a return to the playoffs -- and perhaps another deep run -- but Donskoi, the 99th pick in the 2010 draft, has struggled so far. He has just two goals in 24 games and has not scored since Oct. 29.?Young guns showdownRickard Rakell, RW, Anaheim Ducks versus?Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton OilersThis is a nice, juicy contest between two Pacific Division foes. The Ducks are starting to get their act together -- thanks, in part, to the arrival of young restricted free agents?Hampus Lindholm and Rakell, who didnt sign until Oct. 14. Rakell has been aces, scoring nine goals in his first 15 games and adding four assists. McDavid, of course, is on a tear and has opened up a six-point lead in the NHL scoring race over the?Tampa Bay Lightnings?Nikita Kucherov?through Thursday. Can the Ducks slow down the NHLs most dynamic player? Stay tuned. Sandy Koufax Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Custom Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Here are his mid-season NBA awards.  MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. http:///...ripling-Kids-Jersey/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. SAN FRANCISCO -- Miami manager Mike Redmond got immediate results from his decision to put Justin Ruggiano in the leadoff spot. Ruggiano started the game with a home run in his third career start in the leadoff spot and added a two-run shot in the ninth that broke it open for the Marlins, who beat the Giants 7-2 Sunday for their 10th win in their last 11 games in San Francisco. "This guys got a lot of power," Redmond said. "We talked about our offence and trying to get guys in situations. We just led him off in hopes hed put together some good at-bats and it happened, he hit a couple of big home runs. It was great. He had a great day and was a huge part of the win today." Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) held the Giants in check into the seventh inning and Marcell Ozuna hit an RBI double and solo homer as the Marlins bested Matt Cain (5-4) and a struggling San Francisco bullpen to wrap up their first winning road trip of the season. The Marlins went 4-3 in Arizona and San Francisco after taking two of three at home against St. Louis as they try to put a rough 16-44 start to the season in the past. "Awesome road trip," Ruggiano said. "We played some tough teams. To come out with a winning record, first time this year, you can see things turn around a little bit. Its exciting to come to the ballpark. Were having fun." The defending World Series champion Giants dropped three of four at home to the team with the worst record in the National League, scoring just eight runs in the four games. The Giants went 3-4 on the homestand that started with three games against San Diego, marking their first losing homestand since going 3-7 from July 23-Aug. 2 last summer. San Fracisco had won or split the last 10 homestands. "You can try to make excuses but really we didnt get the job done," Cain said. "We didnt get some guys in when we needed to and we didnt throw the ball like we needed to. We had some games where we had the lead and we didnt finish it off. You have to kind of just say its over with and move on now." The Giants did end a 90-inning home run drought when Hunter Pence led off the seventh against Eovaldi with a drive over the left field fence for his 12th of the season to cut Miamis led to 3-2. It was San Franciscos first homer since a leadoff shot by Gregor Blanco on June 14 in Atlanta. The eight homerless games coincided with an injury to third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who has been out since June 8 with a left foot strain. Sandoval homered the past two ddays on a rehab assignment with Class A San Jose and will be activated Monday for the series opener in Los Angeles. Chris Taylor Jersey. "We need a lift right now," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Hes a big bat, presence in the lineup. Hopefully hell take a little pressure off the other guys trying to do too much. Any time youre missing a guy thats hitting in the heart of the order it does make it a little tougher. Hopefully he will spark this lineup." But Sandoval could only watch against Eovaldi and the Marlins. Eovaldi allowed just two hits in the first five innings -- a line drive that went in and out of the glove of sliding right fielder Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and an infield hit between the pitchers mound and first base by Blanco in the fourth. Eovaldi was finally touched for a run in the sixth when pinch-hitter Tony Abreu tripled and scored on a groundout by Marco Scutaro. Eovaldis day ended when he walked Brandon Belt following Pences homer in the seventh. He allowed two runs and four hits in six-plus innings. Ryan Webb preserved the lead when he got pinch-hitter Joaquin Arias to hit into a 1-6-3 double play with runners on first and third to end the seventh. "Its really just a reaction play," Webb said. "As soon as I caught it, I just made sure I had the grip on it. Thankfully we were able to turn it." Chad Qualls pitched a scoreless eighth with help. Scutaro made the second out at second base when he tried to advance after Stanton threw to third following a single. The Marlins broke the game open with a four-run ninth against Jean Machi that featured homers by Ozuna and Ruggiano. It was Ruggianos second career multihomer game. Cain pitched fairly well after the leadoff homer by Ruggiano on the second pitch of the game. Cain struck out eight batters and walked none in six innings. The Marlins scored single runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Ozuna and sixth when first baseman Belt couldnt handle a hot shot by Logan Morrison for a run-scoring error that made it 3-0. NOTES: San Francisco optioned INF Nick Noonan to Triple-A Fresno after the game to make room for Sandoval. ... The Giants are uncertain whether RHP Chad Gaudin will be able to start Tuesday in Los Angeles after he took a line drive off his pitching elbow in his last start. ... Madison Bumgarner (7-4) will start the series opener against the Dodgers versus Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3). ... The Marlins are off Monday before beginning a two-game home series Tuesday against Minnesota. ' ' '