With the
trade deadline has passed us and the playoffs just around the corner I thought it
would be a good idea to revisit my predictions of which teams I thought would
be the most improved, or not. I picked
four teams originally, two from each conference, along with two honorable
mentions. If you’d like a refresher on
those picks you can check it out right here.
Otherwise let’s dive into it, in the same order we went last time.
Toronto
Maple Leafs:
This was
basically a no brainer pick as their only real move was bringing in John
Tavares, and he has led the way. Tavares
leads the team in goals and is 2nd in points. Combining his play with the play of Auston
Matthews (2nd in goals) early on, the team started the season
completely on fire. And as a result,
they currently sit in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. And after a very long contract dispute, they
finally signed William Nylander to a contract extension and immediately
inserted him into the lineup, though it has taken him some time to get up to
speed with the rest of the team.
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| John Tavares Celebrates Scoring a goal |
The Leafs will likely finish this season in 3rd place, just as they did last year, but they’ll be in the playoffs. Their 1st round matchup will likely be the Boston Bruins once again who seem to be their kryptonite when push comes to shove. Many people think, and I am included in this line of thinking, that the Leafs are not strong enough mentally and physically to battle deep into the playoffs. But with their high-flying offense, the have a punchers chance to say the least.
Buffalo
Sabres:
Buffalo is
another team from the Atlantic Division, but unlike Toronto, they shocked a lot
of people early in the season. By the
end of October, they had a 6-4-2 record.
In November they went 11-3-1, with 10 wins in a row as well, improving
their overall record to 17-7-3. That was
good enough to put them right in line for a spot in the playoffs. But in December the wheels feel off as they
only won 4 out of 13 games. And with that
their dreams of the playoffs were shattered.
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| Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart Celebrate a goal against the Red Wings |
But that is not to say it has not been a successful season for them. Captain Jack Eichel has finally stepped up to the plate and is emerging as the team’s true leader on and off the ice. And they integrated a lot of new faces into the line up successfully and have built a great foundation going into next season. 1st overall pick Rasmus Dahlin has proved to be a true NHL talent and is currently 5th in team scoring. Other key additions like Sheary and Skinner have pulled their own weight. I personally had high hopes for Tage Thompson coming into this season, but it is important to remember that he is still a young and developing player who is in his 1st full season. Once he finds he game he will be a dominant force up front for Buffalo.
Though
Buffalo will miss the playoffs once again this season, I consider them a win in
my predictions. The surprised early on and gave the real contenders a major
scare, and even after they fell out of the playoffs, they still have been
battling and been a hard team to play against.
As if the Eastern Conference wasn’t tight enough, look for the Sabres to
build on the successes of this season sooner rather than later.
Arizona Coyotes:
Talk about
teams who have had a hard year! Arizona,
a team people expect players to go to and just disappear, has been an upset
special pick all season long! Though it
hasn’t come easy at all. A key factor I
talked about that was crucial for Arizona success this season was their
goaltender, Antti Raanta (as if a goalie isn’t crucial for every team). Their true starter in net, has been out of
action since American Thanksgiving basically.
Not only that but they have lost over 400 man-games to injured players
this season as well, 2nd to the Ducks. But some how this team has fought through it
and is currently sitting just 3 points back of a wild card spot in the Western
Conference. And they have two games in
hand compared to two of the teams sitting above them in the standings.
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| Clayton Keller and Alex Galchenyuk Celebrate a goal |
So how have they managed to overcome all these obstacles and be pushing for a playoff spot? By buying in and playing as a team for starters. They don’t have much in the way of fire power when it comes to offense, their leading scorer (Clayton Keller, formerly of the USA NTDP) only has 42 total points. So, when I say they bought in, I’m talking in the manner of playing a defense first style of play. They have one of the lowest GA/G in the league at 2.8 and they have the 2nd best PK in the league, a killer 85%. Combine that with some timely goaltending and you have a team that is working for the upset every night. I don’t know about you, but I sure am rooting for the Yotes to make it into the playoffs this season.
St. Louis
Blues:
The Blues
are a team that have been considered contenders in recent years and haven’t
missed the playoffs in some time. But
they made enough changes to their roster this past year that I had to include
them as an improved team. On paper they
looked very different yet still good.
But that is not how the season started for them.
They started
the season with just 3 wins in their 1st 10 games, far from a
promising start. Which they promptly
followed up with four wins in their next 10 games. Then over the next 20 games, they hung in there
by having a .500 winning %. Luckily for
them the Western Conference is filled with teams that don’t want to play in the
playoffs. That has helped them stay in the chase for the playoffs.
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| Jordan Binnington with a save on Nick Bonino |
Then in the
next set of 20 games, a switch was flipped, and a new gear was found. They went on to win 15 games, 11 of those all
in a row! That winning streak propelled
them to where they sit at this moment, 3rd in the Central Division
Standings. The emergence of goaltender Jordan
Binnington directly correlates with the Blues going on their impressive winning
streak as well. And since he has taken
over as the team’s starter, he has gone 16-3-1 with a .933 SV% and a 1.7 GAA.
Very
impressive numbers and far superior to Jake Allen’s. With a goaltender playing at this level the
whole team can relax and play their game to its highest level. And with Ryan O’Reilly stepping in and
becoming the team’s number one center, we could be looking at a major 1st
round upset. If nothing changes in the
next month, the Blues will be in the playoffs against the division rival
Predators. Battling how they have had to
and will continue to do until the regular season ends gives the Blues all the
ingredients necessary for a 1st round upset.
Honorable
Mentions – Calgary Flames:
I originally
included two honorable mentions in my original post that I didn’t talk about
much. Looking at Calgary, they are a
team who missed the playoffs last season after making it two years ago. That was a memorable year as well as they
were swept in the 1st round by the Anaheim Ducks. But that doesn’t look like it will be the
outcome this year.
They’re a
very completely team who an incredible defense core and highly talented
forwards. They have been sitting at the
table with all the big dogs in the West all season long and have been leading
the Pacific Division for most of the year. They’ve been led by their youth up
front and their captain on defense.
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| David Rittich hoists Matthew Tkachuk in celebration |
Though their
goaltending has been questionable throughout the year, they have been getting
it done and making it work. And they
have been on a bit of a slump lately as they have lost four straight
games. But that could be a good thing,
making them go through a bit of a reality check before the playoffs begin.
Honorable
Mentions – Carolina Hurricanes:
They Canes
are a team that has been in the middle of the Metropolitan Division battle all
season long! A division that is normally
ruled by the Capitals and Penguins has seen a bit of a shake up this year. Though
the Capitals sit in 1st place at this time, the New York Islanders
were at the top for what seemed to be about two months. And currently the Hurricanes are sitting
pretty in the 3rd spot in the division, with 81 points.
Sitting
pretty is probably an overstatement though as they point totals range from 85
(the 1st place Capitals) to 79, which gives you a two-way tie for
the final wild card spot in the east.
Both Wild Card spots are held by Metro Division rivals as well. These point gaps mean there is little room
for error these last 14 games.
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| The Hurricanes celebrate after a big win |
But good
things are happening in Carolina. They
have a nice goaltending tandem in Petr Mrazek (YEAH BOY!) and Curtis McElhinney. Though their numbers aren’t the best, they’re
completely respectable and as a team they have a +14 Goal Differential. Sebastian Aho has been playing like a man possessed
and leads the team with 77 points. They’re
getting plenty of offense from the defense as well and will likely finish the
season with three defensemen having over 30 points.
They have a
rough schedule coming up to close out the year and a few very important head to
head matchups. They control their own
destiny. But I’m pulling for them. They’re having fun and it shows. Attendance is even up! I’d hope that they can lock up a playoff spot
in their final home game against the Devils, because I want to see what that
post game Storm Surge celly will be like!
Honorable
Mentions – San Jose Sharks:
I suppose I
should mention them, though not much needs to be said. I included them because they had a major
offseason acquisition in Erik Karlsson.
But it was not a smooth transition at all. It took him about two months to find his game,
but once he did, he has been as dynamic as ever. He is currently on the IR though, but the
team is so good they’re just rolling without him.
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| Captain Joe Pavelski acknowledges the fans after a goal |
They made a
trade deadline move as well by adding Gustav Nyquist to the lineup, though it doesn’t
seem to be paying dividends just yet, but it’s only been five games. He has one goal and is a minus two. But like I said, this team is just steam
rolling almost everything in their way and they have only lost one game since
he joined the roster. They currently are
sitting in 1st place in the Pacific Division and will be battling
with Calgary to the end to hold on to that top spot.
And that
wraps it up, seven teams predicted to be improved compared to the previous
season, seven teams that are clearly better than they were before. I don’t think it can be debated that I got these
ones right, though some were easier to see than others, Toronto being one. But it has been a fun and fascinating season
with plenty of highs and lows. These
last few weeks are going to be make or break as well for some of these teams as
they make their final push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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