(Montreal has given its fans lots to cheer about so far – via The Globe and Mail)
by Matt Steele (@MattSteeleNJ)
We are currently at the halfway point for most the teams in the NHL. Some teams are heating up while others are cooling off. Some teams are surprising fans while others are disappointing. This week I will share who I think is trending up, who is slowing down, and who is going to be fighting for survival this season. First I’ll start with the surprises.
Surprises:
The Montreal Canadiens (15-5-4) – As of right now Montreal is on top of the Eastern Conference. I can’t say I saw this happening before the season started. Montreal is just playing great hockey right now. The addition of Brandon Prust has helped in more ways than I personally thought it would. He is earning the money he was paid during the offseason. Not to mention the addition of Michael Ryder from Dallas has been beneficial for the Habs. Watch out of the Canadiens because I smell a deep playoff run coming.
The Chicago Blackhawks (21-0-3) – How is a team like this allowed in the NHL with a salary cap? It is insane. This team is beyond deep. I thought the Blackhawks would be one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season but they haven’t lost in regulation all season! However, with the loss of a key player like Patrick Sharp for a few weeks, I see them cooling down and the streak ending soon. All good things must come to an end and for Chicago. I see that happening soon.
The Ottawa Senators (12-8-4) – This team has overcome injuries like no other this season. First they lose forward Jason Spezza, and then they lose defenseman Erik Karlsson for the season. People (myself included) thought they would fall in the standings after losing two of their top point scorers. But Ottawa has done the opposite. They keep staying put in the East. It doesn’t look like the Senators are going to fall so easy. And with Jason Spezza coming back they can potentially climb the standings even more.
The Toronto Maple Leafs (15-10-0) – The Maple Leafs are finally seeing what good goaltending looks like. With the emergence of Ben Scrivens, the Leafs have been stacking up the wins. James Reimer has also been shutting the door on opponents only losing 3 games this season. Another reason behind Toronto’s recent success is young forward Nazem Kardi. Kadri is leading the team with 11 goals, 14 assists and is a +12. With young guys stepping up and the goaltending playing well, I think we can finally see Toronto in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Disappointments:
The Washington Capitals (10-11-1) – Man, at the beginning of the season, this team couldn’t buy a win. They have recently started to find their groove but I thought this team would be winning games right at the start of the season. On paper, I thought this team should be no lower than 5th place. But currently they are sitting in 12th. I don’t think the Caps will finish the season that low in the standings, but I see them on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason picture.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (10-13-1) – Goaltending has been killing this team. I thought the addition of Anders Lindback was huge for this team. And so far it hasn’t been. The offense has been producing. Steven Stamkos leads the league in goals right now with 18. The defense could be a lot better and the goaltending needs to get better if this team wants to see the post season.
The Minnesota Wild (11-9-2) – The team made the biggest moves this off season in the free agent market by adding Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. So why is this team in 10th place? They are only sitting in 10th currently tied with Dallas for the 8th seed. However I don’t think that this team should be competing for the 8th seed. This team should be in 5th place or above. When add two players like Parise and Suter, there isn’t a reason you should be lower than that.
Trending up:
The New York Rangers (12-8-2) – While they were struggling to find their game at the beginning of the season, they have recently found it and boy is it fun to watch. The team has been showing signs of last year’s team recently. They have been scoring important goals in the third period, great goaltending, and very solid defense. With the recent addition of defenseman Roman Hamrlik, whom they claimed off waivers from Washington, the defense should only get better. Rick Nash has been amazing for this team. A lot of people have been comparing the trade to when the team traded for Jaromir Jagr in 05/06. I think this trade is better. And things are only looking up for the Rangers right now.
The Boston Bruins (15-3-3) – Tukka Rask has Bruins fans all around Boston asking the question “Tim Thomas who?” After having to fill the skates of a Stanley Cup winning goalie, Tukka has made Thomas a thing of the past. He has been on fire and is the MVP of the team at this point. The offense is producing, the defense is playing great. This is another team I see making a deep playoff run this season. Forward Patrice Bergeron has been outstanding for this team this year. He is the first player to come to mind for me right now when I think of the Bruins. They are playing hard and that’s all you can really ask for when it comes to Boston Bruins hockey.
The Los Angeles Kings (12-7-2) – After a slow start to the season the team is now 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have an impressive home record going 7-1-1. This team is playing like the team that we all saw in the playoffs. Playing in Pacific division is no easy task. As of now every team from the Pacific is currently in the playoff picture. The team will make a move in before the deadline; my guess is moving forward Dustin Penner for some more offensive depth. That will only improve the team as Penner has been a disappointment since arriving to LA. What LA does at the trade deadline will determine how far they will go in the post season.
Trending Down:
The New Jersey Devils (11-8-5) – The Devils have gone 2-6-2 in their last 10 games after a hot start to the season including a brief stay at the top of the Eastern Conference. David Clarkson has been on a rampage this season. He is currently leading the team in goals with 10. The disappointing part about this is the fact that superstar Ilya Kovalchuk only has 7 on the season. You need your superstars to produce if you want to win. And last time I checked David Clarkson isn’t a super star. The team is clearly showing the effects of losing Zach Parise. If they want to stay in the playoff race and not continue to fall in the standings they are going to need guys like Adam Henrique, Dainus Zubrus, Travis Zajac, and Adam Larsson to step up and start putting more pucks in the net.
The Carolina Hurricanes (13-9-1) - The loss of Cam Ward for the rest of the regular season as projected will be huge. They have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games. The offense of this team has been great. The additions of Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin have certainly been paying off for the Canes. This team just needs to play solid defense and help out their goaltenders who will be taking place of Cam Ward for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Tampa Bay take the South East division by the end of the season.
