It’s a little early to start make playoff predictions. After all, we just reached the mid point of the NHL season. There is certainly time for teams, well, some teams, to correct their navigation towards the postseason, but the clock is now ticking.
There are other teams that need not rest on their laurels. In professional sports there is no time before the championship trophy is awarded to pat yourself on the back. Those that take time to appreciate their hard work during the regular season are seldom rewarded with postseason success. The grind of the regular season might be overrated to some degree, but it can set the tone for success in the postseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs, 21-19-5, 47 points, Currently 4th in the Metropolitan Division
The bad news for Ottawa and Toronto is that the Metropolitan Division is starting to wake up. They still aren’t setting the world on fire, but the gap between the Atlantic and the Metro is closing fast. Teams like Philadelphia and the New York Rangers are starting to figure out how to win again. The Leafs have underachieved all year long and aren’t talented enough to just hit a light switch and start winning with consistency. Are they talented enough? Absolutely. They just don’t seem to work hard enough to win the games that they should. Exhibit A: A 6-1 Thursday night rout at the hands of Carolina.
Ottawa Senators, 19-18-8, 46 points, Currently 6th in the Atlantic Division
The Senators look like they are ready to make a sincere push to the playoffs, but haven’t shown enough to make anyone outside (and possibly inside) Ottawa a believer. There is no shortage of talent on the roster that snuck in as the 7th seed last year, but inconsistent play in goal has been the Senator’s undoing so far. Is there time for Ottawa to make a push to the second season? Of course there is, but we’ll believe it when we see it.
Washington Capitals, 21-16-6, 48 points, Currently 3rd in the Metropolitan Division
What a shocker! Alexander Ovechkin cools off and the Capitals start losing. Shaky goaltending from Braden Holtby has put Philip Grubauer into the starting role as the Washington net minder. A significant lack of depth on the Capitals will hurt them down the stretch as they failed to put any significant space between themselves and the rest of the division while the Flyers, Rangers and Hurricanes were floundering. Now that this trio of teams has found some decent form, the Caps will be fighting for their playoff lives.
Minnesota Wild, 24-17-5, 53 points, Currently 4th in the Central Division
It seemed like only a matter of time before the clock struck midnight on the fairy tale start for the Wild. Josh Harding has been the best goaltender in the NHL over the first half of the season, but lingering injuries and his battle with
M.S. seem to have taken their toll and put him on the injured list for now. A lack of scoring has killed the Wild over the course of the entire season so far. They sit 27th out of 30 NHL teams which means that their top ten defense is counted on to win games essentially every night. Harding’s health concerns are a giant red flag for a team that he has carried for most of the year.
Phoenix Coyotes, 21-13-9, 51 points, Currently 5th in the Pacific Division
Admittedly the Coyotes did look a bit out of place early in the season when they sat amongst the Pacific Division powers of San Jose and Anaheim. Their steady descent down the standings has occurred at the same time as the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks started to play their best hockey of the year. Coach Dave Tippett is renowned for getting the most out of his teams and the final four months of the season will be a huge test for him and the Coyotes.