POWERHOUSE TEAMS
Henrik and Daniel Sedin are the backbone of the league-leading Canucks
Vancouver (31-10-9; 71 pts) -Things are finally coming together for the Canucks. They've got the Sedin Twins, a rested Luongo for the playoffs, depth, and two top 10 special teams units. Nothing short of an injury or themselves (the past two playoffs were the latter) can stop them from making a deep run this postseason.
Philadelphia (33-13-5; 71 pts) - The Flyers are proving that their Stanley Cup run last year was not a fluke. The only differences are: Claude Giroux for Simon Gagne and Sergei Borbosky for Michael Leighton. Both spots are an upgrade. They've been getting nice production from Andreas Nodl and Ville Leino, tooGetting Chris Pronger back is like acquiring a great defenseman before the trade deadline.
Detroit (30-13-6; 66 pts) - The Red Wings continue to impress despite the team getting older and everyone expecting their age to catch up with them each season. Their power play is clicking at 21.8% (good for 5th in the league) and G Jimmy Howard quietly has posted 23 wins and a 2.86 GAA. I'm curious to see what GM Ken Holland does before February 28th to help keep this team clicking.
Pittsburgh (32-15-4; 68 pts) - The winning streak that spanned late November to late December is coming in handy for the Penguins now. Evgeni Malkin has been in and out of the line-up, Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with a concussion, and Marc-Andre Fleury was horrible between the pipes early in the season (although with great play over the past month). Kris Letang is having a great season on the blueline. If the Pens can get healthy, Pittsburgh is built for another deep run.
Boston (29-15-7; 65 pts) - Boston has had a great season in a bad division. A team that plays good defense and has a great Penalty Kill (3rd in the league) will always be in the thick of the playoff hunt. Tim Thomas has been nothing short of being the top Vezina candidate He's #1 in GAA and save percentage and is 5th in wins. The Bruins are beatable in a 7 game series, but they can play against any team's style in the league
ON THE MARK TEAMS
A healthy Craig Anderson is crucial for the Avalanche to make any sort of post-season run
Colorado (25-19-6; 56 pts) - Colorado is in the same spot they were last season. The only reason why that isn't bad is because G Craig Anderson missed a good stretch of the season. A 6th ranked power play gets offset by a 28th ranked penalty kill. They are a young team that has a taste of the playoffs now. Now they just need to survive the West. I'm one of the few people that think adding Peter Forsberg to this club might be a perfect fit since he only has to play half a season.
Washington (27-15-10; 64 pts) - It's been an up and down season in Washington. The Caps got off to a great start but hit a cold spell before the holidays. While the Capitals are so deep at the forward position, their blueline is still a little wet behind the ears. Their goalie committe of Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, and Braden Holtby are holding the fort, but the one of these guys to stay healthy and establish himself as the #1. It wouldn't hurt for Ovechkin to get back to his usual scoring pace either.
Washington (27-15-10; 64 pts) - It's been an up and down season in Washington. The Caps got off to a great start but hit a cold spell before the holidays. While the Capitals are so deep at the forward position, their blueline is still a little wet behind the ears. Their goalie committe of Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, and Braden Holtby are holding the fort, but the one of these guys to stay healthy and establish himself as the #1. It wouldn't hurt for Ovechkin to get back to his usual scoring pace either.
Montreal (28-18-5; 61 pts) - The Habs lost two key guys in Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges, but the entire team has stepped up in their absence. Montreal plays fast, tough, and consistent hockey . Carey Price would be the toast of the league if it wasn't for Tim Thomas of the rival Bruins. They could make another spectacular playoff run again.
Chicago (27-20-4; 58 pts) - The Blackhawks still have all of their top players from their championship season. The problem is they lost a lot of their depth players and the replacements aren't producing at the same pace. The Marty Turco signing isn't working out, but Corey Crawford is doing a nice job of growing in to a #1 goalie. It's a tight race in the West and Chicago has hung tough.
Phoenix (25-18-9; 59 pts) - The Coyotes can put the puck in the net (2.8 goals per game -good for 10th in the league), they have the goaltending in Ilya Bryzgalov (19 wins, 2.74 GAA, .914 save percentage), and Dave Tippett is one of the better coaches in the NHL. D Keith Yandle has grown in to one of the better, young defenseman in the NHl and has a solid core of blueliners around him. The problem is, just like every other team in the West, it's a tight race this season. A minor losing streak could drop you down to 13th place in the blink of an eye. The Coyotes have been consistent, but not in the way they'd probably like. They've had alternating bad and good months so far this season (October: 3-4-3, November: 8-3-2, December: 6-6-2, January: 8-4-2). If they want to see the post-season again, Phoenix needs to be at least a couple of games above .500 in both February and March.
Phoenix (25-18-9; 59 pts) - The Coyotes can put the puck in the net (2.8 goals per game -good for 10th in the league), they have the goaltending in Ilya Bryzgalov (19 wins, 2.74 GAA, .914 save percentage), and Dave Tippett is one of the better coaches in the NHL. D Keith Yandle has grown in to one of the better, young defenseman in the NHl and has a solid core of blueliners around him. The problem is, just like every other team in the West, it's a tight race this season. A minor losing streak could drop you down to 13th place in the blink of an eye. The Coyotes have been consistent, but not in the way they'd probably like. They've had alternating bad and good months so far this season (October: 3-4-3, November: 8-3-2, December: 6-6-2, January: 8-4-2). If they want to see the post-season again, Phoenix needs to be at least a couple of games above .500 in both February and March.
Carolina (25-20-6; 56 pts) - The Hurricanes are a very young team but still have key players from their 2006 Championship on their roster (Cam Ward, Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Tuomo Ruutu to name a few). Jeff Skinner is the youngest player in the league but his play is making it tough to give anyone else the Calder Trophy. When Cam Ward he gets hot, he's almost unbeatable. I think Carolina will move past Atlanta in the standings permanently.
OVERACHIEVERS
Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are keeping Tampa Bay on pace for their third division title in franchise history
Tampa Bay (32-15-5; 69 pts) - A lot of people expected the Lightning to be back in the playoffs this season. I don't think anyone expected them to lead the Caps in the Southeast by four points going in to the All-Star break. Steven Stamkos is proving himself to be one of the league's best and Martin St. Louis is still playing at a high level. As bad as Tampa's goalie situation was, they survived it and now have a legit post presence with Dwayne Roloson. The Lightning are a dangerous team and will be come playoff-time.
Dallas (30-16-5; 65 pts) - You could make the argument that the Pacific Division standings are upside down (Stars, Ducks, Coyotes, Sharks, Kings in descending order). This was a team whose biggest question coming in to the season was "how much can they get for C Brad Richards?" Now they can't deal Richards (which is fine except that his contract ends this season) unless they get players back that can help now. That will be tough to find at the deadline. G Kari Lehtonen is living up to his potential now that he's out of Atlanta. Dallas is getting offensive contributions from across the roster. Getting Jamie Langenbrunner from the Devils will be a big help down the stretch.
NY Rangers (29-20-4; 62 pts) - Considering the players that have missed a significant amount of time this year (Gaborik, Drury, Callahan, Dubinsky, Fedotenko, Prospal), the Blueshirts performance has been great. Coach Tortorella has a knack for tinkering with line combinations to get them just right and his plan of getting younger while remaining productive is working. Marty Biron has taken some of the load off of Henrik Lundqvist as well. The Rangers will be the dangerous team in the playoffs that no one wants to see this season.
Nashville (27-17-7; 61 pts) - The Central Division is arguably the toughest division in the NHL, and Nashville sits in 2nd place. They're fourth in a very tight and strong Western Conference and are consistent. Barry Trotz is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the league in what he gets out of his roster every night. They have the goaltending in Pekka Rinne and have one of the best bluelines, but they need to improve a 28th ranked power play. It'll be tough for GM David Poile to add one more scoring forward for a playoff run, but he's pulled off solid deadline deals in the past.
Anaheim (28-20-4; 60 pts) - Going 17-7-1 in your home building goes a long way in a tight race. G Jonas Hiller has had the best year out of any goalie in the West. They have the 2nd best power play in the league, the defensemen have exceeded expectations, and the Ducks top two lines can hang with any other top set of lines in the league. Getting C Ryan Getzlaf back will be like adding a big player at the deadline.
Atlanta (24-20-9; 57 pts) - While the Thrashers have been slipping lately (3-4-3 in their last 10); the fact that they hung around from the middle to the top of the East for most of the first half of the season is impressive. It's great that Dustin Bfuglien moving to defense paid off, but it's a problem when your top two scorers are defensemen (both he and Tobias Enstrom have 41 pts). G Ondrej Pavelec has had a great season after an early health scare. I do think this team is starting to come down to earth and Carolina will move past them in the standings.
UNDERACHIEVERS
This infamous shootout blunder by Ilya Kovalchuk was a microcosm of their season...have they finally turned the corner?
New Jersey (17-30-3; 37 pts) - This team is a perfect example of an underachieving team. Adding one of the game's prolific scorers (Ilya Kovalchuk leads the team with 14 goals) plummeted this team to the depths of the NHL for the entire season. Marty Brodeur's age seems to finally be gaining on him, as well. LWs Patrik Elias and rookie Mattias Tedenby have been the lone bright spots for this team. Zach Parise's future in Newark should be the Devils main focus, and probably is at this point.
San Jose (26-19-6; 58 pts) - When you see this team's point total, you wonder how this could be underachieving? The Sharks have too much talent throughout their skaters to be jumping in and out of 8th in the West. I know the goalie tandem of Niittymaki and Niemi has fallen short on expectations, but this team is predicated around offense. While they have a power play ranked 4th in the league, they are 15th in goals per game. If the Sharks sticks don't start warming up soon, this team could be sold off at the deadline with the emergence of guys like Devin Setoguchi, Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Logan Coture.
Los Angeles (27-22-2; 56 pts) - Minus the goaltending situation (Jonathan Quick responded to the pressure of the hype of Jonathan Bernier), you could use the Sharks capsule here. While they are in no risk of being dismantled, everyone on this team needs to get back to their early season form. Their play of late (they won three in a row heading in to the All-Star break) could be an indication of good things to come.
Calgary (25-21-6; 56 pts) - This team has had the polar opposite season of the Thrashers. They played miserable out of the gates for a very long time, but have woken up lately, going 6-1-3 in their last 10. Calgary sits two points out of 8th and won four in a row heading in to the break. Flames fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Calgary is playing too good to even think about dealing Jarome Iginla now.
Toronto (20-25-5; 45 pts) - I was one of the only idiots that though the Leafs would be a much improved team this season (I even went as far to say they would win the division). Toronto lost three in a row heading in to the break and dropped six of their past seven. GM Brian Burke is in a place he's never been before: he has a bad team and doesn't know how to fix it. Anytime you're thinking about trading a 24 year old guy you just signed this off-season (Kris Versteeg), that's a problem. The Leafs need to see what they have in James Reimer before they commit to improving their goalie situation. It desperately needs to be addressed.
THE AVERAGE BUNCH
Getting TJ Oshie back will help the Blues for the last 10 weeks of the regular season
St. Louis (22-20-7; 51 pts) - It's tough to get an accurate gauge on this team because of all of the injuries they have dealt with (C Andy MacDonald, D Carlo Colaiacovo, LW David Perron, C TJ Oshie, D Barret Jackman, D Roman Polak - all are missing or have missed a significant amount of time). G Jaroslav Halak came out of the gates standing on his head but came back down to earth and is 17-6-5 on the season. The All-Star break came at a good time for the Blues since they lost four in a row heading in to it. Despite their struggles, they are only 5 points out of 8th in the West.
Buffalo (23-21-5; 51 pts) - This year has been more about the sale of the team than anything else. The season-ending injury to C Derek Roy hurt this team bad because he was one of their few forwards with some offensive punch. LW Thomas Vanek is doing his part (41 pts), RW Jason Pominville is chipping in with 28 points, and rookie LW Tyler Ennis has 12 goals and 16 assists. Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly need to produce more (D Jordan Leopold has been a nice find, but he's producing more than both of those guys). Ryan Miller is still a great goalie, but he's certainly not in the same form he was last season (playing almost 30 consecutive games will have that effect on you). Buffalo should hang around the 9th or 10th spot for the rest of the year in the East. They could make a run at the post-season if the chips fall right (they were 7-3-0 in their last 10 heading in to the break), but I wouldn't count on it.
Florida (22-22-6; 50 pts) - The Panthers lost five of six heading in to the break, but earned 5 points in that six game stretch and four of those losses were one goal games. They aren't a playoff team, but Peter DeBoer has this young team playing tough hockey every night (7th in PL, 10th in Goals Against). Having G Tomas Vokoun gives you a chance to win every night. That being said, lets see if Vokoun gets dealt before the deadline. He has a lot of trade value and, for a rebuilding club, Scott Clemmensen can be a reliable starter for the rest of the season. The Panthers have some good talent that could have them in the top 8 next season.
Minnesota (26-19-5; 57 pts) - Believe it or not, the Wild are only one point out of 7th or 8th in the West. They aren't a sexy team to watch (their Goals For and Goals Against are both 2.7), but their power play is ranked 6th in the league and they have one of the most underrated goalies in the league in Nicklas Backstrom (15-11-3, 2.52 GAA, .922 Save percentage). Losing winger Guillaume Latendresse early in the year hurt, but Marty Havlat (leads the team in goals, assists and points), Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns (14 G and 17 A out of a defenseman in 47 games is top notch) are all taking care of business in the offensive end. I don't think they have the horses to get in to the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. They followed up a 6-5-3 December with an 8-4-0 January.
Columbus (23-22-5; 51 pts) - You have to feel for Rick Nash. He's one of the best players in the league and a franchise cornerstone, but he's not the cornerstone of a franchise you'd want to be built around. The Blue Jackets play hard, but they are in a very tough division and can't seem to take that next step. They finally made the playoffs two season ago, but were simply outmatched by the Red Wings. Since then it's been nothing good. G Steve Mason needs to find his form from two season ago. If they can bolster their special teams (PP is ranked 27th, PK is ranked 24th) and start scoring a little more, they could be competing for 8th place down the stretch. Another 3-6-2 month (what they did in January) will surely eliminate them from playoff contention.
WAITING FOR 2011-12
Will Jason Spezza be looking back on his Senators days before the trade deadline?
Ottawa (17-26-8; 42 pts) - This organization needs an overhaul from the GM on down. It looks like they'll get what they need as GM Bryan Murray takes apart this team like an auto chop shop. The only big question marks are if Daniel Alfredsson will finish his career in Ottawa and if Jason Spezza will finally be dealt. Coach Corey Clouston will make it to the end of the season, but that's it.
Edmonton (15-26-8; 38 pts) - While things haven't been great this season, this was to be expected. Coach Tom Renney is in his first year coaching a very young bunch (only seven guys on the roster were born before 1983). While some of the younger vets have struggled a bit, if they get one really productive line out of this bunch, the rest can fall in to place quickly. Addressing the goaltending is a must in the off-season.
NY Islanders (16-27-7; 39 pts) - While the Isles aren't as nearly as bad as their record shows, they were too banged up for too long this season. The Islanders barely scrape by as it is and don't have the depth to overcome the season-long injury to D Mark Streit and 1/2 of a season to winger Kyle Okposo. Oh, and Rick DiPietro still can't stay consistently healthy. GM Garth Snow says he's making progress in the free agent front, this off-season is the time to show it.
