With most National Hockey League teams having played 15 to 16 games, we thought we would get a jump on the spate of “quarter-pole” stories that will come out in the next few days.
At this writing, the Montreal Canadiens are clear of second place in the Atlantic Division by 10 points and have sown no clear weakness to be exploited but then again Carey Price is in net and all is well for the Habs for now.
Henrik Lundqvist – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
In the Metropolitan, the New York Rangers are in the top spot, clear by just four points. That position is a head-scratcher given the team has displayed an infuriating inability to score goals and Rick Nash only just scored a legitimate goal this week; he now has two goals on the year. Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta have given up 24 goals in 15 games and there-in lies the Rangers’ success so far.
In the Central, the Dallas Stars hold a slim one-point lead over the St Louis Blues. The addition of Patrick Sharp and others in the off season has made a difference for coach Lindy Ruff.
In the Pacific, the new leader is Vancouver. The Canucks are up on the Los Angeles Kings by a single point. Jacob Markstrom has been solid in relief of Ryan Miller when called upon.
The real storyline over the next weeks may be the coaching positions. The Columbus Blue Jackets pulled the trigger on Todd Richards just eight games into the season. His replacement, John Tortorella, has fared a little better but the Jackets remain in last place in the Metropolitan. It’s unlikely anything will change in Columbus for the rest of the year; well at least behind the bench. There are any number of players who may find different crests on their sweaters sooner rather than later.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have not proved pundits’ predictions this season. They are 7-8-2 on the season and were outplayed by the Buffalo Sabres this week. That’s a term not usually reserved for the Bolts. Jon Cooper may be safe for now but the Lightning need a streak before they are left in the also-rans by the Habs. They are 11 points back in the ladder now.
Anxiety in Tampa is amplified by the fact that the Buffalo Sabres have two games in hand and are just three points back. Jack Eichel is the real deal and gives the Sabres hope.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not shown much improvement even with Mike Babcock at the helm. The Leafs are 3-8-4 for 10 points and the cellar in the Atlantic. Even with Phil Kessel gone there is little to cheer Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer are left out to dry in the crease but a woeful defense. The Leafs are not unique in the defensive end of their game. Those clubs at the bottom of their respective divisions all fail to demonstrate a commitment to team defense. One look at the New York Rangers is a fine exemplar of what team defense does. A dreadful offense on Broadway is supported by bench-wide defense.
Claude Giroux needs to step up with the “C” on his chest – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
The problem child in the Metropolitan is in Philadelphia where the Flyers are under-performing and held another players-only post game meeting Tuesday night after losing 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche. The Flyers are 1-5-2 in their last games and not looking good doing it. Our own beat writer in Philly reported that the Flyers were never in their match with the Avs.
In the Central Division, the scramble is from first through sixth spot. We pushed it down to six because the Chicago Blackhawks reside there and we all know how they lurk and lurk and then qualify as time runs down. But with defenseman Duncan Keith out for weeks there should be concern in the Windy City.
The Minnesota Wild hold down the third spot behind the Stars and have two games in hand. Mike Yeo has been a favorite of some pundits for having a shaky hold on his coaching duties in St Paul. But he does have Devon Dubnyk in goal and a healthy Tomas Vanek who reportedly suffered from two hernias last season. The Nashville Predators (tied with the Wild) and Winnipeg Jets are in the fourth and fifth positions in the division and are still finding their games this season. The Preds and Jets need what every other club needs: a run of wins to put distance between themselves and the lurkers.
Claude Giroux pitched a shutout against the Flyers – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
At some point, it seems only reasonable to think Patrick Roy will feel heat in Denver. The Avs are 5-9-1 for 11 points and solidly in last place in the division table. The whitewash of the Flyers Tuesday will help but in the long run, there is far too much young talent on the bench not be challenging again in the division like they did just a couple of years back.
This brings us to the upside down Pacific Division where nothing resembles the 2014-15 season.
Except of course, the Edmonton Oilers hold down the last spot in the division and lead the Blue Jackets by two points for the cellar. Connor McDavid was injured two weeks back and the pall cast over the Oilers was palpable. The addition of Cam Talbot to the net for Edmonton has not gone as well as expected but then again Todd McClellan does not have a defensive scheme in place to assist any of his netminders. Last season Talbot was stellar in New York backing up Lundqvist but the Rangers had a defense to assist. The Oilers have, well not much.
Almost as bad and far more disappointing are the Calgary Flames who have one more point than the Oilers and have yielded an astonishing 62 goals through 16 games. The Flames are the clear winners in the open defensive effort in the NHL. Bob Hartley must be feeling the heat under his bench and general manager Brad Treliving will need to make a decision soon before last year’s darlings of the playoffs are ousted from the regular season hunt.
With the way the Pacific is going now, the Anaheim Ducks still have time to recover. They are six points back of the Canucks with a game in hand and their play of late has improved but is still erratic at best. Leads are never safe when it comes to the Ducks and like many teams so far, their stars are not scoring.
We don’t advocate the loss of anyone’s job in any business sector. But at some point, the inevitable takes place and chess pieces (players) are moved and coaches are relieved of duties.
The NHL paradigm that has been suggested is to establish your playoff position before the holiday season arrives. If that is the case then fans in many cities will be sorely disappointed as the snow falls along with their hopes in December.
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