Another week closer to the Stanley Cup and teams are starting to become a little more consistent with each day. Everyone has had a chance to adjust to their new players since the trade deadline and the teams should be pretty set as the season comes to a close. At this point in time, playoff standings are likely to remain more or less the same. I don’t expect any big changes coming up.
*Rankings based on statistics through Tuesday afternoon
1. Chicago Blackhawks (-)
What’s impressive about the Blackhawks this season? Oh, only everything. The guys are streaking, again, with eight points currently this month: seven wins and an overtime loss. They’ve scored 23 goals so far this month and are playing hard. Efficient, but quietly so, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson scored his second goal this season to help the Blackhawks rally against the Stars Monday night for a win. The team is so far in the lead, everyone is getting some solid ice time and practice for the postseason.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (-)
The Penguins are bound to play with a full, uninjured roster, one of these days, but even so they manage to keep up their winning ways. They’ve won the last four games straight and have a nice seven point lead in the East conference. Sidney Crosby is still out, for now, but has recently laced up and hit the ice for practices. The Penguins still aren’t at Blackhawks level this season, but should put up a nice run in the postseason even so.
3. Anaheim Ducks (-)
Right now the epitome of slacking off, the Ducks have lost their last two and four out of the last eight since their statement win against the Blackhawks. The team clinched their playoff spot awhile back, no one is close enough to even make a ripple in their chances, so they’ve really started to cut back their effort. The Ducks’ defense has been having quite a few issues recently as well. For their sakes, I hope the team starts playing some real hockey again before the season is up or the postseason is sure to be a shocker.
4. Montreal Canadiens (-)
Their hockey meltdown Saturday against Toronto aside, the Canadiens continue to play strong and consistent. The team definitely has their new (old) head coach, Michel Therrien to thank for that. When he first coached for Montreal 2000-03, he struggled and was ultimately fired but this time around he’s made big changes. The Canadiens finished last year in last place in the conference but this year they’ve won their division and put in some solid effort to take first place from the Penguins. As long as they don’t have any more on-ice meltdowns, or have to play a full series against Toronto, the guys will definitely go for a nice run through May.
5. Boston Bruins (-)
The Bruins were in a neck-in-neck race against the Canadiens for the division lead and a second seed in the postseason. Losing to the Islanders and the Hurricanes (2-4!) in one weekend however, wiped that chance out. The Bruins will still be making a postseason appearance just at a lower seed now.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (+2)
Toronto almost took out the Canadiens over the weekend, but the Habs pulled away not about to give up their division lead. Either way, the Leafs showed they’ve got what it takes and are continuing to prove themselves on ice. They don’t really have the staff to show for how well they’re playing but somehow they’re pulling it off. Maple Leafs fans can officially be excited though because they’ll be watching their team in the postseason for the first time in nine years!
7. Vancouver Canucks (-)
Cory Schneider is mostly to thank for the stellar second half the Canucks have been posting. He’s silently moved his way into this years top ten goalies and has a big heart to boot; as a Boston College alum Schneider wanted people to be aware of the Boston bombing and wrote ‘Pray for Boston’ on his stick. The Canucks as a whole are playing great too, losing just twice this month, once in overtime. Although their loss was to the Avalanche of all teams, it shouldn’t be held against them.
8. Los Angeles Kings (-2)
The defending Stanley Cup champs started out the season slow but have since made a big comeback. The Kings are getting themselves into playoff shape just in time and should definitely be considered a threat in the postseason. They lead the league right now in possession time which is dangerous come playoffs.
9. San Jose Sharks (-)
The Sharks finally looked like they were getting their game back and then dropped three last week, two to the Stars and once to the Blue Jackets. The team was able to pull of a win Monday but still have games Tuesday and Thursday to worry about before they can mope about the losses. I’m still having a hard time grasping this up and down consistency from the Sharks. Offense continues to be a problem for San Jose, they’re in 27th for scoring right now, but the team has a solid defense and excellent penalty kill which has been carrying them.
10. Minnesota Wild (+1)
The Wild have gone through a rough patch this past week, but the injury and loss of Dany Heatley is surely somewhat to blame. The offense has barely scored any goals this month, just 12, and the team has only won twice. It’s coming down to crunch time though, so hopefully Minnesota doesn’t spiral too far out of control.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets (+4)
Columbus has definitely improved as the season has progressed especially with Sergei Bobrovsky as of late. He stole the show this weekend in their win against the Wild and looks to be a key player as this season comes to a close. They’ve still got a long road ahead of them though, if the Blue Jackets are hoping for an extended season.
12. Washington Capitals (-2)
No one is playing hotter than the Capitals right now as they’ve gone all month without a loss, eight-straight. Most of the games were won by at least points too. They’ve got a few more games to play yet this season and although some are against top teams they shouldn’t be too difficult.
13. New York Islanders (-1)
The Islanders have been playing great lately. They’ve only lost twice this month, both in overtime, and have kept their opponents to two goals or less per game. The loss to the Rangers this weekend was a tough one for fans though as they’re major rivals. The Islanders last five games for the season are on the road but all against pretty weak teams at least.
14. Detroit Red Wings (+3)
The Red Wings are in a very dangerous spot right now, just a few points out of 5th place but also just a few points out of missing the postseason altogether. Last week was a doozy for the team as they lost to the Blues and ended the week with back-to-back overtime losses to the Sharks and Blackhawks. Winning Sunday was a huge sigh of relief for the Red Wings and hopefully will boost them enough to get their heads back in the game.
15. St. Louis Blues (-1)
The Blues have cooled down a little bit, losing their last two after a nice six game win streak. Brian Elliott has really stepped up in goal recently playing much more like people expected out of him. The team itself is playing a lot better overall as well and is shaping up nicely for an extended season.
16. Ottawa Senators (-)
Craig Anderson and Milan Michalek are back! Just in time too because this road trip for the Senators looked like it was about to get brutal until they managed to pull out wins this weekend against Philadelphia and New Jersey snapping their streak. The Senators looked like they were trying to skate right out of a seeded spot, however they managed to pull it together and have an ok lead for now.
17. Dallas Stars (+4)
Following in Washington’s footsteps, the Stars have to be the second hottest team in the league right now. If any team benefited the most from the trades it has to be Dallas. They decided to tried all their unrestricted free agents but I don’t think anyone expected them to then turn around and win five straight games. While they still aren’t at a caliber to beat the Blackhawks just yet, their impressive turnaround has given them a serious chance for a playoff spot; they’re only two points out right now. The Stars are not as lucky as some other teams though and will have to fight hard the rest of the month for their wins.
18. Winnipeg Jets (-5)
Thanks to a scheduling mishap, the Jets had the full weekend to rest between games. They’ve won their last four, all at home, and have three more home games yet this month. The Jets are just two points shy of a playoff spot right now and could definitely make it, but they’ve got some stiff competition coming up. Most important will be the game next Tuesday against their current division leader, Washington.
19. Phoenix Coyotes (+1)
The Coyotes don’t have any big scorers on their team, which hurts, but they do have a large amount of consistent, mediocre scorers which at least provides balance. Losing in overtime Friday to the Flames followed by a 4-0 loss against the Sharks Monday night has definitely hurt the team. Their next two Saturdays are big games too as they play Chicago this week and Anaheim next week for their season finale.
20. Buffalo Sabres (+2)
In case defenseman Tyler Myers wasn’t having a bad enough season, he broke his leg last week and is out. However, the team has actually been successful since his departure only allowing one goal. Obviously Myers wasn’t the only problem on the team but it appears now that he was a strong detriment and maybe the Sabres can still see an eighth seed place. They’re notorious for their late season pushes, which have been unsuccessful to date, but you never know...
21. New Yorks Rangers (-2)
While the Rangers still aren’t blowing anyone away with their game right now, they most likely secured themselves a playoff spot. Although they’re only two points ahead of 9th right now, their last six games of the season are all to low level teams nowhere within reach of a playoff spot. If the Rangers choke now, they’ve got no one to blame but themselves.
22. Nashville Predators (-4)
The Predators have been shutout three times in April alone. They’ve only won once, to the Avalanche, and most losses have been by more than two goals. Luckily their schedule worked out that they’ve only got four games left. Keep pushing guys, you’re almost done!
23. New Jersey Devils (-)
Although the Devils might have had something going for them at one point this season, streaking the last ten games with losses more than sealed their fate this season. Their last win was March 20th against Florida, the night Ilya Kovalchuk got hurt. Currently there are whispers he might return to the ice Thursday night but even still, they Devils are in over their heads. On an upbeat note however, GM Lou Lamoriello was ranked as one of the NHL’s best. Maybe next year.
24. Philadelphia Flyers (+2)
The Flyers pretty much kissed the postseason goodbye after losing four straight games last week. The team had a gigantic win 7-3 over Montreal on Monday but it’s not enough to save them. The fact that the Flyers sit in 28th for both goals for and against doesn’t help matters. The best they can do is finish out the season without too much disappointment and pray the off-season isn’t too grueling.
25. Tampa Bay Lightning (-)
It’s amazing that a team such as the Lightning with both a positive goal differential and an excellent shooting percentage is this bad. If they could keep the puck better I think they’d been in a significantly different spot right now, but hindsight is 20-20. It’s a shame Martin St. Louis won’t get to play in the playoffs this year though. St. Louis is one of the smallest players in the NHL but even at age 37 he’s great. He currently sits tied for second in league points with fellow teammate Steven Stamkos.
26. Colorado Avalanche (+3)
After losing their first five games this month, Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere ripped into his teammates. His words seemed to do the trick though as they played some tough games the end of last week into this week and came out 2-2 beating both the Ducks and the Canucks. Ha! They rhyme....not much else can be said for Colorado anymore except they probably lost their number 1 draft pick opportunity.
27. Calgary Flames (+3)
The Flames are another team stuck between a rock and a hard place. Losing would benefit them at this point, for their future, but the guys just aren’t done yet. They managed to win three games last week, albeit out of their nine games so far, but the rest of the season doesn’t look very easy so it’s tough to say how they’ll fare. One thing’s for certain, the Flames aren’t giving up.
28. Edmonton Oilers (-4)
For a team I was certain would make a miraculous come back and make the postseason, the Oilers sure proved me wrong. The team has had an ugly month to say the least, winning their first two games and losing the last six straight. Looks like they’ll be watching the playoffs from home again, like they have for the last.six.years.
29. Carolina Hurricanes (-2)
Another team with an injury problem, the Hurricanes have gone 5-14-1 since goalie Cam Ward last played at the beginning of March. I was expecting the entirety of April to have big “L”s for the Hurricanes but somehow they pulled off a win against the Bruins over the weekend. I’m not sure if that’s great news for the Hurricanes or just awful news for the Bruins, but it happened.
30. Florida Panthers (-2)
The Panthers finally moved somewhere in my rankings! Unfortunately for Florida fans, it was down. They were the first team officially eliminated for the season from the playoffs over the weekend, not surprising considering their season, but that means their divisional champion title was fairly short lived. The team did have a few miraculous, or fluke, wins this month though beating both Tampa Bay and the Senators. However, the Panthers started the season with a weak (at best) roster and then piled on a crazy amount of injuries, so there was never much hope.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Eastern Conference
1. Pittsburgh (Clinched division)
2. Montreal (Clinched playoff spot)
3. Washington (Current division leader)
4. Boston
5. Toronto
6. Ottawa
7. NY Islanders
8. NY Rangers
9. Winnipeg
10. Buffalo
Western Conference
1. Chicago (Clinched division)
2. Anaheim (Clinched playoff spot)
3. Vancouver (Current division leader)
4. Los Angeles
5. San Jose
6. Minnesota
7. St. Louis
8. Detroit
9. Columbus
10. Dallas