The usual (unwatched for the most part) All-Star Game festivities. The ice is getting prepared. Skates are being laced up. And the NHL season is about to heat up. Division titles are still plenty up for grabs. A President's Trophy is still to be won. And award races are still about as tight as ever. So we might be in for a thrilling end to a season that has been pretty shocking and unusual given some of the circumstances.
We've seen the continued drama surrounding Sidney Crosby with the questions looming around whether or not he will ever step onto the ice again (after we debated this a few months back). There've been surprise teams aplenty (unless you thought the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, and the usual cellar-dwelling Florida Panthers would actually look as good as they have been. C'mon. You know you didn't.) and one incredible fall from grace (looking at you, Minnesota Wild).
Even with all of that said, the top teams still remain near...well, the top. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins still remain a juggernaut and a threat to repeat. The Flyers have stayed near the top of the Eastern Conference. And in the Western Conference, the usual suspects have been spectacular. Detroit is nearly unbeatable at home (but I still question whether or not they can win on the road. Home ice for them is absolutely crucial if they want to make a run at the Cup), Vancouver and San Jose lead their respective divisions, and the Chicago Blackhawks can beat just about anybody with their plentiful amount of scoring threats.
Let's delve into the Eastern Conference first, and we'll have the West and my awards over the next three days. Yes, I know I'm late, but I have things to do like get educated.
Anyways, here's how it stands here today, 1/31:
1. New York Rangers (31-12-4; 66 Points)
2. Boston Bruins (31-14-2; 64 Points)
3. Washington Capitals (26-19-3; 55 Points)
4. Philadelphia Flyers (29-14-5; 63 Points)
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (28-17-4; 60 Points)
6. Ottawa Senators (27-19-6; 60 Points)
7. Florida Panthers (22-15-11; 55 Points)
8. New Jersey Devils (26-19-3; 55 Points)
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9. Toronto Maple Leafs (25-19-5; 55 Points)
10. Winnipeg Jets (22-22-6; 50 Points)
11. Montreal Canadiens (19-21-9; 47 Points)
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (21-23-4; 46 Points)
We'll ignore the bottom 15 (Islanders, Sabres, Hurricanes) because frankly, they don't stand a chance in hell of making the playoffs or any sort of noise.
If the playoffs started today, there would be some great matchups. A good ol' NY/NJ rivalry in the 1v8, the defending champs squaring off against the upstarts in the 2v7, a solid 3v6 contest, and the battle of Pennsylvania in the 4v5. Looking at the teams in the race for the 7-8 spots, it's not too bad either. The Leafs started out hot for the second year in a row but fell hard and look to be playing at the level most expected (not to discount Lupul and Kessel, who are having extraordinary years). The Canadiens have won 2 in a row going into the ASB and have 12 points in their last 10 games played. And the Lightning have won 4 in a row and have leading goal-scorer Steven Stamkos, who appears to be coming into his own as a superstar in the league.
With all that said, here's how I see the Eastern Conference in about 10 weeks when the season concludes.
1. Boston Bruins - The race for the 1 seed will probably go on until the last weekend of the season. I expect it to be decided between less than 3 points, and the Bruins to just edge out the New York Rangers. This team shouldn't have a problem making noise in the tournament, and I'd be stunned if they weren't one of the two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals.
2. New York Rangers - Say what you want about how the other team is run inside the Garden, but the Rangers are, in my opinion, for real. For years they have had an elite goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, and you could possibly make a case that he's the best goaltender in the National Hockey League. The Blueshirts loaded up in the offseason grabbing the highly coveted free-agent winger Brad Richards, and finally it seems like Marian Gaborik is playing at his EA Sports NHL 10 level. This team is dangerous come April, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance is far from unlikely. Heck, they may be my pick.
3. Washington Capitals - I mean, somebody has to win the Southeast, right? Probably the worst division in hockey for the last several years aside from the less-than-stellar Northwest Division, the Capitals have been the class of it throughout. I don't expect that to change. While the Florida Panthers have been nothing short of an excellent story, they'll probably miss out on the division by 2-3 games. But hey, I've been wrong before, and I don't particularly expect anything out of the top two teams in this cruddy division to do anything in April, whatsoever.
4. Philadelphia Flyers - When the Flyers traded away Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards in the offseason, and signed goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to an absurd contract, many including myself questioned what their General Manager Paul Holmgren was smoking. The former Hartford Whaler apparently knew what he was doing however, as the Flyers still remain at near top of the Eastern Conference and are getting it done with up-and-coming star and Hart Trophy candidate Claude Giroux at the forefront. The Flyers have the pieces, but whether or not they will get it done in the postseason is still up for debate. Jury out.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins - Even without the best hockey player in the entire world at full strength for a majority of the year, the Pittsburgh Penguins are still finding ways to win. Might help that they have one of the best coaches in the league, in Dan Bylsma, and one of the OTHER best players in the world in Evgeni Malkin, but it's still a testament to how tough-minded this team is. They've gone through a ridiculous amount of adversity over the last calendar year, with just about everybody on the injury list and sticking to a M*A*S*H* unit at some points of the season and the playoffs last year, but the Pens are still damn good. They'll hold onto this spot for the rest of the season, interchanging between 5-8, and maybe creeping up to the top of the East if they get hot.
6. New Jersey Devils - The Devils' fall from grace last year was...extremely confusing, absurd, and made their fans (what fans? har har har) question the Ilya Kovalchuk signing and whether or not face of the franchise Zach Parise would remain a Devil. Well, for now, Parise is still rocking the red and black and the Devils still remain in the Top 8. Whether or not those two things are the same by the end of the season (or the Trade Deadline) are still to be decided, but in my opinion, they will be. The Devils are getting it done and veteran Patrik Elias is really standing out amongst everyone on the team. He stands 16th in points, and his veteran presence is probably one of the reasons this team has stuck around. And even with how shaky and old he has looked, don't count a renaissance run out of Martin Brodeur either if the Devils happen to slip into the playoffs.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs - Maybe it's because I don't think the Senators are as good as they look. Maybe it's because I don't trust them. Or maybe it's because the rest of the teams around them aren't as good. But I like the Leafs. While they've struggled mightily since their tough start, I have some confidence that Kessel and Lupul will help carry them to a playoff spot. The thought of T.dot being back in the playoffs sounds incredible, and, as projected here, a matchup against the Rangers, another Original 6 team, is enough for hockey fans to froth over. Don't let me down, Leafs. Don't let me down.
8. Florida Panthers - Who could have seen this coming? Well... if you're a Chicago Blackhawks fan, you might have had a good idea that SOMETHING was going to be made of what happened during the offseason. Dale Tallon, the former GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, hauled in players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane during his time in Chicago, and was the driving force behind the consistent cup contender that you see on the ice at the Madhouse in Madison today. Now, he's taken over the Florida Panthers and has done a marvelous job. He attained Kris versteeg and Brian Campbell in the offseason, two former Blackhawks themselves (that played on the 09-10 team that won it all), and both of those players are having great seasons. Tallon's work of art down in the Sunshine State should no doubt make him the Executive of the Year, and it won't go unnoticed when you see the Panthers make the playoffs this year for the first time since the 1999-00 season, as high as 3rd if they happen to win the Southeast Division.Don't worry, unlike The Worldwide Leader in Sports, I won't pretend like we've covered a lot of hockey, but hockey will be an essential part of this blog from now on.
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