This NHL season has been action packed. Second year Edmonton Oilers forward, Connor McDavid, looks like an absolute stud, seemingly creating a breakaway opportunity out of thin air. Rookies like Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews have seemingly transitioned to the big leagues without a problem. The NHL is as star studded as it has been in a long time. With that being said, we are entering the second third of the NHL season, which means we are getting a solid reading of what is going on with every team. Ergo, it is a perfect time to take a look at the standings, how the teams are performing and what the rest of the season looks like for them.
Central Division
After a slow start for most of these teams in the Central Division jumped out of the gate slow, but they have started to get it rolling. However, no surprise who are the top teams in the division.
The Chicago Blackhawks (17-8-3, 37 pts) may not have the dynamic talent they possessed 2 or 3 years ago, this team is still the cream of the crop in the western conference. The dynamite line of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane have a combined 73 points in 27 games of action together. While they are not getting the secondary scoring they are used to from their third and fourth lines, their top two lines have been picking up the slack. However, there are some issues for the mighty Blackhawks. Star goaltender, Corey Crawford, is expected to miss 2-3 weeks after having emergency appendectomy on Saturday. Also, captain Jonathan Toews is expected to miss more time with a back injury, as he has already missed 6 games. The Blackhawks will need a group effort to keep the ship afloat, especially with their penalty kill still dead last in the league, killing penalties at an ugly 71.4% rate.
The St. Louis Blues (15-8-4, 32 pts)- After a mediocre start to the year, the Blues have caught fire, posting a 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games. The offense has found its stride, with young star Vladimir Tarasenko leading the charge with his 28 points in 27 games. Their defense and goaltending is still an issue, however, as they rank 20th in goals allowed. Goaltender Jake Allen has been shaky, posting a 2.47 GAA and a .908 save percentage, as a first year full-time starter, even though the defense has allowed the third least shots allowed per game. He is a talented young goaltender, however, so look for him and the Blues to continue this hot stretch they have been on.
The Minnesota Wild (12-8-4, 26 pts) are playing very solid hockey, combining efficient scoring with excellent defense and goaltending. Once-castoff goaltender Devan Dubnyk is enjoying a career year, leading the league in GAA, save percentage and shutouts, posting a slash line of 1.65/.946 and 4 shutouts. In case you did not know, that is really, really good. Not only are they surrendering the fewest goals in the league, but they are also ranked 9th in goals scored. Another great fact? None of their skaters are producing at a point per game pace. While that may not sound good, it means there is consistent scoring from more than the first and second lines. In fact, they have 9 skaters with more than ten points. That is winning hockey. Because eventually, your top scoring line is going to slump for a bit, and the second and third line forwards will need to step up. The Wild will not need to worry, since their all around team scoring, stingy defense and a Vezina worthy goaltender is what constitutes winning hockey.
The Winnipeg Jets (13-14-3, 29 pts) are a team that will beat you by a final score of 4-3 or 5-4. They have scored 3 or more goals in half of their games, although they have allowed 3 or more goals in 21 of their 30 games played. There are positives, however, rookie sensation Patrik Laine is second in the league in goals, with 17 in 30 games (on pace for 47 goals, which would be 5th all time in goals scored in a rookie season). The Jets have a lot of work to do however, if they plan on staying in the playoff picture. Secondary scoring is an issue, as only four forwards have more than 8 points. Defense and goaltending is another issue, as they have both been well below par. Although they rank 18th in shots allowed, it is the quality of shots allowed that are the problem, and that is partly due to the aggressive style of nature the Jets play. Team North America goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is struggling mightily, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Jets high flying offense may be able to mask some of the defensive problems, but not enough.
The Nashville Predators (12-9-4, 28 pts) are feeling the absence of Shea Weber, both in leadership and lockdown defense. While they are tied for 5th in goals per game, their defense has been suspect, ranking 19th in goals allowed per game. Like the Minnesota Wild, the Predators have a balanced offensive output, with no skater producing at a point per game clip, but with 10 skaters posting at least 10 points. Star goaltender Pekka Rinne has been solid, since his rough start to the season, with a 2.23 GAA and a .926 save percentage. An area that Nashville is exceeding in, and must continue to if they want to mask their defensive problems, is their 6th ranked power play, converting at a 22% rate. This team has a lot of offensive talent, and not enough defensive talent but when you have Rinne in the blue paint, you can rely on him to steal games for you.
The Dallas Stars (10-11-6, 26 pts) have taken quite the step backwards from last year, when they posted the most points in the western conference, 2nd overall in the NHL. It’s tough to win games when the skater with the best plus/minus is a +3, and that spells the issue. Dallas has allowed a whopping 3.22 goals per game, dead last in the league. Their offense has not been able to produce like last year, as they rank 19th in goals per game, a meager 2.48 goals per game. Superstar Tyler Seguin has been somewhat of a bright spot, as his 27 points are tied for fourth in the league. The goaltending, however, has been a disaster, with both of the goaltenders struggling mightily. Kari Lehtonen‘s slash line of 2.97/.892 will obviously not get the job done, and Antti Niemi‘s 3.20 GAA and .902 save percentage are also, to put it simply, not good. Is rebuilding the path the Stars should take? The defense and goaltending is a hot mess, and there is not much secondary scoring. A rebuild may be the best route to go.
The Colorado Avalanche (10-14-1, 19 pts) have not made the playoffs in two years, going on three, since their 112 point output that landed them the third most points in the league. Back then, Colorado looked like an up-and-coming team, led by the Calder Trophy winning forward Nathan MacKinnon and young goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Since then, they have not been the same team and this year, so far, has been very disappointing. The aforementioned Varlamov has not been the same since that 2013 season, as he has posted a 3.08 GAA and a .905 save percentage, which has opened the door for rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard to steal some of his starts. The Avs are ranked 3rd worst in goals per game and 6th worst in goals against per game, while only one of their skaters has a plus/minus above 0. Be patient Avalanche fans, they have young talent, but they have a long way to go.
Pacific Division
Some surprises here, as Edmonton has finally escaped the bottom rankings of the division, which is great for the NHL. Most NHL fans like to see this historic franchise do well, but we have some perennial top of the division teams slipping, as well.
The Edmonton Oilers (14-11-4, 32 pts) are no longer in the basement of the league. It looks like the many years of high draft picks are finally paying off, mostly due to superstar Connor McDavid, 38 points are tops in the league, 7 points ahead of the second place man. The offense is 6th in the league in goals per game, while the defense is much improved in contrast with previous years, there is still room for improvement, as they rank 18th in goals allowed per game. Their special teams is solid as well, ranking 8th in power play percentage and 12th in the penalty kill. Offseason acquisition Milan Lucic has also brought a physical element that the Oilers have not had in a long time. Goaltender Cam Talbot could improve his goaltending play though, as he has posted a 2.61 GAA and a .914 save percentage, although he has made more than a handful of critical saves in key spots. Look for this young Oilers team to keep on improving.
The San Jose Sharks (15-10-1, 31 pts) are rolling after a sluggish start, grabbing points in 7 of their last 10 games, and a large reason is because of the play of goaltender Martin Jones, who has posted a superb 2.04 GAA and a .920 save percentage. He has helped the offense that has taken a step back from last year, ranking 23rd in goals per game, thus far. Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns have led the charge and have posted 24 and 23 points, respectively. Secondary scoring has been an issue for the Sharks this year, as only four skaters have more than 9 points, which simply will not do if they plan on improving the offense. Their defense and goaltending have been stellar, ranking 2nd in goals allowed per game, but look for the talented forwards to start making more plays, like they did last year.
The Anaheim Ducks (13-9-5, 31 pts) have been average, thus far in the season, ranking 13th in goals per game and 15th in goals against per game. At times, it looks like they have it figured out, and then the next game they lose to Calgary 8-3. Forwards Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf have been their usual selves though, as they have a combined 67 points and have been leading the offensive charge. Goaltender John Gibson has struggled this year, after excelling last year, and thus made last year’s starting goaltender Frederik Andersen expendable, and was traded to Toronto. If Gibson can get back on track, look for Anaheim to climb up the rankings.
The Calgary Flames (14-13-2, 30 pts) were not so long ago, stuck in the basement of the pacific division. In 8 games, they’ve climbed up to one point away to being third in the division, thanks to a 6-1-1 record in those 8 games. Their offense is a large part of it, as they have 13 skaters with 10 or more points. Another large part of the solution is the play of goaltender Chad Johnson, who has taken the starting job from newcomer Brian Elliot, and has posted a stellar 2.04 GAA and a .931 save percentage, helping to lift this team back into the playoff race. The Flames have an abundance of young talent, with Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett, this team is trending upwards.
The Los Angeles Kings (13-10-2, 28 pts) desperately are missing Jonathan Quick. They have never been an offensive juggernaut, usually relying on Quick to often play stellar goaltending. While backup Peter Budaj has been serviceable, the offense has not been able to mask all the issues. Jeff Carter is playing his usual style of hockey, being very creative in finding space to score from as well as setting up his teammates, but the skater with the second most points is defenseman Alec Martinez with 14. While they have been able to play slightly above average hockey without Quick, they must do their best to stay along this course until he returns. When Quick does come back, look for this LA team to start getting hot at the right time.
The Vancouver Canucks (12-13-2, 24 pts) are in desperate need of a rebuild. They rank 25th in goals per game and 24th in goals against per game, and do not have an identifiable young core to build around. The good news is a lot of their overpaid contracts will be over in 2 years and the front office can start rebuilding. In the meantime, the Sedin twins started off slow, but are starting to get into a rhythm, while offseason acquisition Loui Eriksson has also got himself acquainted on the first line. The Canucks front office must be patient with the rebuild, as they are nearing the end of their major contracts, and can finally start anew.
The Arizona Coyotes (8-13-4, 20 pts) remain in the basement of the western conference, although they are in the midst of a rebuild. They have tons of young talent, including forwards Max Domi, Tobias Rieder and Anthony Duclair, although Duclair has struggled mightily this year. Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is under contract for 2 more years after this season, so the Coyotes might want to keep that in mind, since he is one of the few young talents that has produced at a high level. The Coyotes rank 29th in goals per game and goals against per game, though they have the young talent to possibly make some strides in the future.
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