The Eastern Conference is almost set for the post season. Only final positioning remains a bit murky. In the West, the picture is less clear as teams in the seven through ten positions are jockeying for the last two spots.
PHN NHL Power Ranking Poll
Adam Says: Last time I said the Eastern Conference was all set with the eight teams who will be in. Well the last two weeks have seen Boston get cold while Philadelphia has shown some life. I am still sticking to my eight in theory. Not buying the Flyers recent surge as legitimate long term hope.
- Montreal (+2)-This team continues to show it is Carey Price or bust. As long as the goalie stays healthy the Habs can be taken to the promise land. No team’s fate is more tied to this position than Montreal, which is why Price is a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate.
- Tampa Bay (-1)-The team scores goals and keeps finding ways to win. Their Achilles heel is in net. Ben Bishop played a career high in minute last season and is once again being leaned on to play nearly every game. Recently he has looked tired and he needs to reenergize for the stretch run.
- New York Islanders (+1)-Most still expect the sky to fall for the Islanders. They have played consistent hockey all season and are giving Nassau quite the sendoff. Home ice advantage will mean more to this group than many others in the conference. Getting points will not be easy with a tough schedule ahead.
- Detroit (-2)-Health has been an issue for this club the past two season. As we enter the latter part of February, the group on the ice is looking as healthy as they have been in a long time. Mike Babcock is doing what he always does, gets the most out of any lineup that is on the ice. Joe Louis Arena is becoming the toughest play to play in the conference again.
- Pittsburgh (+2)-Marc-Andre Fleury is having another great regular season. Hockey fans know that has never been a problem in his career. The biggest issue the Penguins are facing is secondary scoring. Their depth is not coming through up front and for a team that relies on offense, they need role players to step up.
- New York Rangers (0)-Rick Nash is flirting with a 50 goal season. He has shown a new leadership side to his game and the rest of the team is feeding off their new leader. The Blue Shirts are the second best defensive team in the East and will be a team nobody wants to see in the early rounds.
- Washington (+1)-Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals after his league leading 10th multi-goal game this season. The Caps beating Anaheim has shown they are primed for a real run through the Eastern Conference.
- Boston (-3)-The Bruins have struggled a bit recently, but still seem ready to fend off Florida and Philadelphia in the playoff race. Of those three team, they are the only club with a positive goal differential.
- Philadelphia (+1)-Just when you want to stick a fork in the Flyers they rip off a streak of points in nine of their past 10 games. Philly still has a lot of issues throughout their lineup and I don’t see them with the ability to catch the Bruins for the final playoff spot.
- Florida (-1)-Nobody will be more interesting to watch at the trade deadline than the Florida Panthers. GM Dale Tallon has a team relying too much on their goaltender. The Panthers need to find a legitimate goal scorer if they want a chance to jump into the playoff race. Will Tallon be a buyer or seller over the next few weeks?
- Ottawa (0)-The Senators answered a trade dealing question. Clearly, Marc Methot isn’t available as they signed him to a four year cap friendly extension. The cub may sell off other parts but they don’t feel they are that far off from competing next season.
- Columbus (+2)-It is really hard watching this team because of what they could have been. No team has been hit harder by injuries all season than the Blue Jackets. They get a player back and another gets hurt. The team starts to play well for a few games and then another piece hits the injured reserve. They will clearly be sellers at the trade deadline, but just how much will they part with if injuries are the root of their bad season remains in question.
- New Jersey (-1)-The Devils haven’t found a way to win on the road all season. They play fine hockey inside their own building but are giving away points on the road, thus find themselves entrenched in the draft lottery race instead of the playoff race.
- Carolina (-1)-Their players are professing their love or the organization and how happy they are to be a part of playing in Raleigh. In two weeks many of those kind words will probably change when their addresses are altered and traded to potential playoff contenders. The Hurricanes need to move their older players and push a rebuild now.
- Buffalo (+1)-What is there to say about a team that went zero for January? Hey they scored a few goals and won a few games in February, congratulations on that. The Sabres continue to lead the bottom of the barrel in the standings, but still won’t be guaranteed the top pick.
- Toronto (-1)-Word can’t describe how bad the Maple Leafs have become. There is nobody in the entire NHL that looks worse than this Original Six team. They sent parts off to Nashville already in exchange for draft picks and Olli Jokinen. Chances are Jokinen will be shipped off in another deal as well much maligned Phil Kessel. Disaster is what this season has become for Toronto.
Adam.Minnick@prohockeynews.com
Lou says: The west is a complete reversal of the 2013-14 season. Last campaign the west was solid and predictable, this year not so much. One club has shown itself to have any level of consistency, the Nashville Predators. With Pekka Rinne in nets, the Preds are as solid a club as the NHL has seen in a few years. Head coach Pater Laviolette has been a master of managing the roster through extended absences of Rinne. At the other end of the conference are teams we wished were better including the Arizona Coyotes who appear to have given up on the season with their latest efforts at home against the New York Rangers and on the road in Denver to face the Avs. But enough of the opining, here is the Western Conference power ranking.
- The Nashville Predators hold down the top spot in the west again. Hard to argue with Pekka Rinne as all-word right now. There are very holes in his game and pucks as big as beach balls are coming his way. They are six points clear of St Louis and a +45 goal differential.
- The St Louis Blues have played their way to our number two spot in the West with a 7-3-0 record over their last ten games. Brian Elliot has settled into the number one goalie spot and has played well. The jury remains unconvinced with head coach Ken Hitchcock penchant for over coaching in the post season.
- The Anaheim Ducks hold down the three spot only because of their resilience and the fact they are 11 points clear of the eight spot in the conference standings. They are resting on laurels in our poll but by the slimmest of margins.
- The Calgary Flames have gone from dead in the west in December to holding the seventh spot in the conference and are 7-3-0 in their last ten. Jonas Hiller may not be the long term answer in the province but he is good enough now. Bob Hartley coached this roster through a difficult stretch and held the team together.
- The Minnesota Wild were also declared dead a few backs on our own pages. And much to our delight, the Wild have responded with an 8-1-1 record in their ten games. The acquisition of Devan Dubnyk has settled issues in net and the forwards can now concentrate on pushing the offense.
- The Vancouver Canucks have been up and down and are 6-4-0 in their last ten. They hold down the sixth spot in the conference but are tied with Calgary and one point up on the Sharks.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have been just meh! since Winter Classic. With 74 points they are 10 points clear of the Los Angeles Kings so are in glide mode at this point heading for the post season. The question will be, once again, can they flip the switch?
- The Dallas Stars are without Tyler Seguin and we are not as concerned about his absence as many others. This is Jamie Benn’s team and he responded this week with a hat trick in a Dallas 4-1 win over the Blues. Seems Seguin as not the center of offense for the Stars.
- The Los Angeles Kings are still searching in the dark for their own switch to flip but the they are only 6-4-0 in the last ten and while that is better than their previous 15 or so games it is not enough to catch the clubs in front of them.
- The Winnipeg Jets have jettisoned Evander Kane to Buffalo and that may make things easier for Paul Maurice behind the bench. Kane has a bum shoulder and will be gone for most of the rest of the season but the Sabres were banking on a change of scenery for the talented but disgruntled forward.
- The San Jose Sharks continue to befuddle because that is really the only word available. They are two points up on the Kings but LA has three games in hand. Look for major upheaval in Northern California if the Sharks fail to impress late.
- The Colorado Avalanche head up the also-rans in the west. Patrick Roy has not been the brilliant tactician that he was in his first year as head coach in Denver. The Avs are two games over .500 and seven points off the last wild card spot.
- The Edmonton Oilers remain out of our basement because they are not the worst team n the west, as of now. Difficult see how this team can be so dreadful given their draft positioning for what seems like the last decade.
- The Arizona Coyotes have given up on the season, their coach and their fans. A recent home game against the Rangers was evidence of the fact. After a two-period performance that was entertaining, early in the third, New York’s Rick Nash beat Mike Smith with a stoppable shot that rang off iron for the eventual game-winner. It was a dagger to the heart and a wound that was fatal for the night. Head coach Dave Tippett can be seen behind the bench on any given night scratching his head in bewilderment.
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