Believe it or not, this NHL season is almost over despite having started just a few months ago (thank you lockout). Most teams are still trying to quickly organize themselves for a chance to play in the postseason and last week’s trade deadline signaled it was time for that push. The next two weeks are sure to be intense for players and fans alike!
*Rankings based on statistics through Tuesday night*
1. Chicago Blackhawks (+1)
Without a question, the Blackhawks are the best team in hockey right now, maybe in the last couple years. Not surprisingly, they reclaimed their first place ranking, earned the first spot in the postseason, and will most likely be winners of the Presidents’ Trophy. Patrick Sharp is also back on the ice now, so there really isn’t much bad to say right now.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (-1)
The Penguins 15-game win streak came to an abrupt halt last Tuesday in a 4-1 loss against the Sabres. It was followed up with a 6-1 whopping by the Rangers. At worst, the Penguins will go into the playoffs in one of the top two seeds but they definitely need to refocus if they want to win anything. Sidney Crosby is still out amongst a couple other guys, but newcomer Jussi Jokinen has already made a big impact on the team.
3. Anaheim Ducks (-)
The Ducks faced the Kings over the weekend and won in a shootout in front of a full stadium crowd. They’ve won four out of five games this month and will likely head to the postseason a number two seed. Just being picky, but the Ducks could definitely stand to tighten up a little bit before the postseason.
4. Montreal Canadiens (-)
Though the Habs have been playing hand-in-hand with rival Bruins recently, they were able to top them over the weekend edging themselves just ahead in points. The Canadiens going into the playoffs a division leader is looking very promising. The fact that the rest of their regular season games are against teams in the bottom half to third of the league doesn’t hurt either.
5. Boston Bruins (-)
Despite having a lot of points as well going into this playoff race, Boston continues to look shaky. They have a hard time competing against other elite teams which doesn’t bode well for their postseason hopes. The fact that they guys still aren’t scoring is equally as bad, with only one or two goals per game as of late. If they Bruins can pull of home ice for the postseason their chances will increase significantly.
6. Los Angeles Kings (-)
Los Angeles is one of the teams the lockout might have helped the most. They started this shortened season playing pretty rough but made a quick turnabout and are looking for another Stanley Cup. Although the Kings won’t be catching Anaheim before the season is over, they’ll still earn a playoff spot and have potential for the home advantage in the first round.
7. Vancouver Canucks (+8)
Starting goalie Cory Schneider continues to be on fire and the Canucks have won their last three games. They now lead the Northwest Division by four points and are hoping to continue increasing that spread over the next few weeks. Roberto Luongo continues sitting out his contract on the bench as a backup goalie, which is bad news for him, but the team did welcome back Ryan Kesler this week to practice.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (-)
Despite the loss of “King” Joffrey Lupul to a head injury, the Maple Leafs are still maintaining their playoff spot and intentions. However, the night he got injured they instantly started playing stiff and holding back, which is what caused them to miss the postseason for the last ten years. They’ll make it this year, but hopefully with Lupul back on the ice to amp them up. The Leafs also need to come together and start shooting again; they’ve been getting outshot almost every night for awhile now, which will catch up to them soon.
9. San Jose Sharks (+2)
The Sharks win streak came to an end over the weekend but the guys still won most of their last ten games. It looks like they’ve got their momentum back and are reasserting themselves in the West yet again. With so little season left, one has to hope they keep going strong though if they plan to do much with the post season. Antti Niemi risks wearing himself out before May though having started 34/38 games this season and basically going it alone in net.
10. Washington Capitals (+8)
Alexander Ovechkin has decided to prove me wrong once again this season by adding more goals to his total. He’s now tied for first in the league at 26 goals. The Capitals are sitting pretty atop the Southeast and are looking for their fifth division title over the last six years. As long as Ovechkin keeps playing like his young self, if not better, and the goaltending remains strong, they should be golden.
11. Minnesota Wild (-4)
April has been an awful month for the Wild. They’ve won just one out of five games, to the Blue Jackets, so far and all their losses were to fellow playoff teams. Makes their chances surviving the postseason seem pretty scarce. On top of that, they haven’t been scoring much. The Wild have let in almost double the amount of goals they’ve scored so far this month. AND to add insult to injury, Dany Heatley will be out for the foreseeable future (read:this season and playoffs at least) thanks to shoulder surgery. While Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the Sharks was fined for his misconduct in their game last week that caused Heatley’s injury, that’s little consolation for Minnesotans who lost a star player at a crucial time.
12. New York Islanders (-3)
Blowing leads is something the Islanders are pretty notorious for, but in the case of the playoffs everyone hopes they don’t. Right now they’re clinging to an eighth place spot and have been playing pretty decently, winning seven of their last nine games and earning a point for overtime on an eighth game. They have a couple tough games left this season yet, but the Islanders mostly have a non-playoff caliber schedule ahead of them so there should be no reason they can’t maintain their spot for the postseason.
13. Winnipeg Jets (-3)
The Jets went on a pretty steep slide recently dropping them out of the divisional lead. The managed to stop it with a crucial win Saturday against the Flyers and added another one Tuesday night over the Sabres. The Jets are just two points behind Washington right now but unless they come up with some consistency, and quick, they won’t be seeing the playoffs this year. They’ve given up more goals this season then everyone in the East conference, besides Florida, and are mediocre at best while playing at home where their next four games are.
14. St. Louis Blues (+8)
*knock on wood* The Blues have yet to lose a game this month. There are a few key players out right now but goalie Brian Elliott played like a champ over the weekend. He could be a deciding factor in the team’s success for the next month. The postseason shouldn’t be an issue for the Blues, but they could stand to up their scoring some; they’ve scraped by with 1-0 wins the last two games.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets (+1)
Although at one point Columbus looked like it would take a stand for the postseason, their hopes have pretty much disappeared. They’re split 50/50 for April as of right now but one of those wins was a solid 4-0 shutout over the Sharks Tuesday night which should boost spirits. The Blue Jackets are only a few points out of eighth place right now, however, six out of their last eight games will be played on the road where the Blue Jackets have a less than stellar record.
16. Ottawa Senators (+3)
The Senators have won just once this month; it appears all the injuries this season have finally caught up with them. While Craig Anderson is finally back on the ice, he wasn’t able to manage a save over the weekend and the teams scoring is still in the gutters. As of right now, they’ll still have a postseason but if they keep sliding downwards they can kiss that goodbye too.
17. Detroit Red Wings (-5)
The Red Wings are in a dangerous spot right now, barely clinging to life (in the form of postseason hockey). They’ve made the last 21 postseasons and aren’t looking to stop that streak anytime soon, in theory, but if they keep playing as up and down as they have the last couple weeks the eighth spot they’re barely keeping, will become someone else’s.
18. Nashville Predators (-4)
The Predators looked like they were going to come out with a big win Sunday against the Blackhawks but squandered their lead and allowed three Chicago goals in the third period. It was just another of many disappointing losses the last couple weeks for Nashville who are one and seven at the moment. The Predators do have a nice batch of home and away games both to close out the season which could work to their advantage but their chances of sneaking back into the playoff lineup when they’re five points out seems unlikely.
19. New York Rangers (+3)
The Rangers right now are holding the last playoff spot in the East; right behind their fellow New Yorkers and just ahead of New Jersey. To no one's surprise, they continue to play well without Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist continues to flash his muscle on the ice. Also not surprising is that Lundqvist is getting into position to win the Vezina Trophy for his second year in a row. News suggests the locker room is once again a cohesive and friendly group environment which could explain this late in the season oomph the Rangers are showing.
20. Phoenix Coyotes (-3)
Coyotes goalie, Mike Smith, played a magnificent game Sunday earning his fifth shutout this season. While he’s not playing as good as last season, if he keeps it up he could be a pivotal turning point in the Coyotes last minute attempt at a playoff spot. The team has gone a nice point streak recently but the disconcerting fact is that it came from a seven game losing streak. They Coyotes have three road games to contend with first, their weakness, before any real opinions can be formed about their chances of taking out Detroit for that last playoff spot.
21. Dallas Stars (+6)
After dealing some of their backbone last week things were looking bleak for the Stars, but the remaining players have shown they aren’t ready to quit yet. The Stars are just a couple points out of a postseason chance but these next two weeks will be a true character test for those left. Almost the entire rest of April they will be playing teams who are shoe-in playoff teams; they’ve got their work cut out for them.
22. Buffalo Sabres (+3)
Goalie Ryan Miller has shown up out of nowhere and started playing some of his best hockey yet. The Sabres have been winning and earning points but they’re still pretty heavily out of a playoff spot at this point. For a team who was a lifetime away though just a month ago they deserve mad props. Their chances of taking out the three teams in front of them are slim to none, but with a team this inconsistent this season you can’t truly say for certain. Unfortunately they’re in a precarious situation as the season comes to a close; they’re a little underskilled for the playoffs yet but a little overskilled for good draft picks to help with their rebuild.
23. New Jersey Devils (-4)
The Devils are only a couple points shy of a playoff position behind their neighboring New York teams. Time has not been kind to the Devils recently who have lost their last seven games in a row, despite getting back their starting goalie Martin Brodeur. In fact, their last two wins were his first two games back. At SOME point Ilya Kovalchuk has to return though which could be the game changer. If the Devils keep playing like this though, there’s not a chance in hockey heaven they will see the 2013 postseason.
24. Edmonton Oilers (-1)
This has been an interesting week for Oilers defender Justin Schultz at least. Despite having left the AHL three months ago, at the end of the lockout, he had played so well that he’s been named to their All-Rookie team. He’s also still a strong runner in the race for the Calder Trophy and on top of that likely to play for the NHL’s All-Rookie team too. While playing in Anaheim Monday, disgruntled Ducks fans took to booing Schultz for his decision to join the Oilers this season, however they spent half their time booing Nick Schultz by accident, giving all the Oilers players a good laugh.
Now, we can only hope the laugh boosted morale as the Oilers continue to get farther away, not closer, to the playoff positions. The Oilers are a streaky team but unfortunately they’re on a lose streak and have been outscored 10-2 in their last three games. They’ve got a lot of games left yet, with the home advantage, but if they don’t turn this streak back into a winning one soon, it doesn’t look good.
25. Tampa Bay Lightning (-1)
Steven Stamkos has really been the only big news for the Lightning lately as he pushed for his third Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals in the season), but now that Washington has picked up their game, Stamkos isn’t even guaranteed that anymore. The Lightning had a minute chance of earning enough points for the playoffs until their loss Sunday against the Capitals. They would have only been four points out of a spot but they blew two leads in their loss putting them a whopping eight points out. Really they should just go back to cheering on Stamkos and hope the season ends quickly and as painlessly as possible.
26. Philadelphia Flyers (-6)
The Flyers looked like they could maybe pull off one last hoorah for a playoff spot; then they got blown out of the waters 4-1 by the Jets Sunday and the Islanders Tuesday. That pretty thoroughly clinched it for them that they don’t stand a chance.
27. Carolina Hurricanes (-1)
Remember the Hurricanes team that was leading their division and looking like a definite shoe-in for the postseason? Me either, anymore. This team is like bag the whole bottom fell out of. They’ve won just once in their last FOURTEEN games, which has got to be up there among record setters go, they have one of the worst defenses in the league, they can’t stop goals, nor can they seem to score goals. On the bright side, the Hurricanes fell so far into oblivion, they should get some nice draft picks for next season...
28. Florida Panthers (-)
The Panthers have actually won four out of their last five games. They aren’t a playoff team, no one is questioning that, but they should definitely earn a spirit award or something. For a team with basically no players and absolutely no talent, they do not quit! They’re starting to build some strength with their rookies and should have good positioning for draft picks to continue building their team; unless of course the Hurricanes continue to spiral out of control and fall below the Panthers.
29. Colorado Avalanche (-)
I’m still shocked that the Avalanche are the team who dethroned the Blackhawks because they’re not only at the bottom in the West, the have the worst schedule in the whole league (yes, worse than Florida even!). Their embarrassing season continues to just drag on and I’ve got to believe even the avid Av’s fans are ready for it to be over. The guys have won a mere two of their last fifteen games. I honestly can’t even make up something good to say about the team except that it’s almost over guys, it’s almost over.
30. Calgary Flames (-)
Calgary and Colorado are both fighting for the cellar spot at this point just to get better draft picks; have to have something good come from sucking so bad right? While the Flames have won a few more games recently than the Avalanche, their 8-2 loss against Edmonton was just embarrassing. The Flames have allowed the most goals so far this season, a massive 138. They’re going to need all the help they can get from that draft though as Flames owner has already announced they will make the playoffs next season. Good luck coach!