The All Star game festivities have now been completed and the second half of the season continues. All but six teams are back on the ice this evening to begin and/or continue their playoff pushes.
The division leaders may not remain the same when the playoffs begin, but the success achieved in the first half, has put them in excellent position. The Capitals have a fifteen point lead in the Metropolitan division, whereas the Blackhawks are in for a tight race in the Central with a mere three point lead over the Stars.
For me there are three key recipes for a team to be successful and the four division leaders possess them all. First, you need a top end goaltender and the group of Crawford, Holtby, Luongo, and Quick are all performing at Vezina calibre levels this season. Second, a defence that can keep the puck out of their zone and as a group maintain a positive +/- rating. Third, scoring threats on multiple lines, and all of these teams possess forward groups that can put the puck in the net well beyond just their top lines.
Momentum is also a big component in the leagues’ top teams. Winning streaks help build confidence and establish a franchise as a threat to be reckoned with. The Blackhawks had a fantastic January, going 11-3. If you add on their play in December they have gone 20-9 over the past two months. The Panthers and Capitals both surged to 11-3 records in December and when you include their January play have tallied 19-7 and 18-6 records respectively.
The Kings have recorded the worst record of all division leaders, going 16-10 over December and January. They also have the luxury of playing in the leagues’ weakest division though, at least in my opinion.
Washington Capitals 35-8-4 (Metropolitan)
Not to put the cart before the horse, but this team seems to be headed towards a crash course meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals with whoever emerges from the West. There are three of the top twenty point players on this franchise and after a slow start Ovechkin is back to his old self and third in the league in scoring. T.J. Oshie has also adapted well to his new team recording 15/14 along with a +15 rating.
All but three forwards have ratings at +11 or better. Kuznetsov is the teams’ point leader with forty nine (15/34 +24) and Backstrom continues to find the open man as well (16/29 +11).
Williams (16/17 +16), Johanssen (13/17 +12), Chimera (13/14 +2) and Burakovsky (7/12 +5) are also quietly putting together great seasons and give this team scoring pop on the third and fourth lines.
The defence is also playing at a high level with five players on pace for twenty assist seasons. Even though Carlson has missed time this season he is still going to have a forty point campaign with 6/21 +6 already this year in thirty five games. Averaging the production of their top six blue liners gives this team a group that has produced 3/13 +12 so far this season.
The man between the pipes, Holtby, is a major reason why this team could reach 100 points before their March 9th matchup versus the Pacific leading Kings. He has registered a 2.07GAA and .929 save percentage. Add on thirty wins and he is my early Vezina favourite.
Florida Panthers 29-15-5 (Atlantic)
The young guns have showed up and stepped up, while the ageless wonder continues to play at a level that you expect to see from a twenty four year old player, not someone in their mid-forties. Although the success of this team is a great reason to tune in, Jagr alone is a pleasure to watch. Even if this team was playing poorly I’d still strongly encourage readers to check out Panthers games when you have the chance.
The combination of veteran talent and young upstarts has worked for this franchise this year. Jagr and Luongo may be the oldest forward and goaltender in the league respectively, but their play would show otherwise. Jagr is on pace for another fifty point campaign with thirty goals. He has registered 15/18 +10 so far this season and looks like he could play until he turns fifty if he desired.
The one downfall for this team going forward may be the lack of a true forty plus goal scorer. Luongo does however give them a fighting chance every night. He has a 2.08GAA and .930 save percentage so it is not integral for the team to score three goals a night, but it would be nice.
Huberdeau (8/26 +11) Barkov (13/18 +12) and Trocheck (14/13 E) are showing that they can be the building blocks to have a winning franchise in Florida for years. This group has already combined for 35/57 +23 this year and with more experience this trio could combine for 80/100 over the course of a full season.
Jokinen is another veteran that has been lost in the shuffle on this team but is putting up solid numbers this year 9/21 +9. The above mentioned youngsters have fantastic mentors in Jagr and Jokinen and should hang on to every word they say.
Lastly, the blue line. Ekblad has become the defenseman this team hoped he would when they drafted him first overall back in 2014. He has registered 10/11 +19 this season and combined with veteran Campbell 4/15 +16 gives this team a formidable one-two punch on defence.
Chicago Blackhawks 33-16-4 (Central)
Although their lead in the division is only a small three points they do have which may be a MVP and ROY combination in Kane and Panarin. This is a talented group that can compete night in and night out. The Central is the toughest division among the four, in my opinion, and it will go down until the end of March before the Central division title is handed out. It could easily go to either the Blackhawks, Stars, or Blues and will be an exciting race to watch.
Patrick Kane is on a tear this season leading the league is multiple categories and could reach the hundred point plateau before March, daunting, but I say dream big. He has already registered thirty goals, which many players hope to achieve over a full eighty two games, and combined that with forty three assists. He also has a +22 rating and is well on his way to a Hart trophy.
Not to be outdone, the Calder favourite also dawns a Blackhawks jersey. Panarin is twelfth in the league in points and tenth in assists. His 17/29 are remarkable numbers and playing on a line with Kane is certainly helping him learn the NHL game quickly while also contributing at an elite level.
These two have overshadowed the solid seasons many others are having with Chicago and shows just how deep their talent pool goes.
Toews 19/16 +13 Anisimov 17/10 +5 Hossa 8/17 +10 Shaw 9/15 +9 Teravainen 9/13 +5
A team that possesses four forwards with thirty goal potential and seven forwards that may reach forty points is one to be reckoned with.
Veteran defenseman Keith (7/23 +11) and Seabrook (7/24 +7) are also contributing on the score sheet and give Crawford a great duo in front of him. With a diverse scoring threat throughout the whole line-up, Crawford doesn’t need to play at an elite level for this team to succeed, he just needs to play consistent and good. Never the less, he still plays elite with a 2.14GAA and .931 save percentage. Although Holtby may be my mid- season Vezina favourite, Crawford may see the Blackhawks sweep the board on award night with this honour himself.
Although the Hart, Calder, and Vezina are all remarkable individual achievements, the Stanley Cup is truly what Kane, Panarin, and Crawford, along with the rest of the team, truly want and they are well on track to doing so.
Los Angeles Kings 30-16-3 (Pacific)
The trade for Lecavalier and Schenn has turned out great and this franchise has turned the corner from a disappointing 2014/15 season quickly. Another great one-two punch on the blue line with Doughty and Muzzin with a top net minder behind them in Quick makes them a formidable force. Toffoli has also been a great talent this year as he currently sits tenth in the league with twenty two goals and leads the league in +/- at +24
Although Toffoli is the only twenty goal scorer on this team, the immense veteran talent will have them ready for post season play when it arrives. Kopitar (13/29 +16) Carter (13/22 +11) and Lucic (12/17 +8) are all having good years and in his brief ten game stint with the team Lecavalier has already scored four goals. A third round pick and third line forward in Weal may turn out to be a trade steal for the duo of Lecavalier and Schenn.
Looking at the defence, Doughty and Muzzin have been contributing on offense this year well. Together they have 15/40 +19 and provide a great foundation to build a blue line with. Ehrhoff was the weak link on defence, being the only player with a +/- in the minus at -10. Bringing in Schenn may eliminate that weakness and in his ten games has an even rating.
Quick continues to perform at an elite level between the pipes with a 2.19GAA and .919 save percentage and will be the key if the Kings hope to make a deep playoff run this year.
Thank you again to all my readers. Enjoy the second half of the NHL season and don’t forget to follow me on twitter @GHam614 along with @SuperTwo_Sports
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