How Atlantic Division Teams Stack Up at the Mid-season Point
Sam Navarro-United states of america Nowadays Sports activities
As the NHL’s latter fifty percent of the 2021-22 standard period begins, it really is a fantastic time to examine what has unfolded to this point in the calendar year. We’ll start out with a appear at the Atlantic Division, and go on later on this 7 days to the Central, Metropolitan and Pacific Divisions.
Florida Panthers: No staff has extra points than the Panthers, who have a 32-10-5 report in a league-large 47 video games hence far this period. They’ve been led by star winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who is obtaining a Hart-Trophy-caliber yr, leading the league in factors (64) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (tied for 3rd in defenseman level-getters, with 41). The scary factor is, they’ve been a sub-par street team (9-7-5), but they’ve been dominant at dwelling (a league-most effective 23-3-), and they’ve got an great shot at earning dwelling ice gain for the playoffs. Regardless of altering head coaches early on, Florida is demonstrating why they were being a well-liked pick to gain, and acquire major this year. Be expecting more of the exact in Pt. 2 of the 12 months.
Tampa Bay Lightning: The again-to-again defending Stanley Cup champions as soon as all over again are thriving (with a 30-10-6 document), and though they have not experienced star winger Nikita Kucherov for most of the time, they are only three details at the rear of the Panthers, with a single game in hand on Florida. No blueliner has been superior than Bolts cornerstone Victor Hedman, and no goalie has received extra games than starter Andrei Vasilevskiy (25-7-4). If the Lightning didn’t have a 2-4 file in shootouts this 12 months, they’d be tied or foremost the Atlantic. That is a massive credit rating to the perform of GM Julien BriseBois and head mentor Jon Cooper, and to the depth the Lightning have through their lineup. Do you seriously want to bet against them? Because you shouldn’t.
Toronto Maple Leafs: With a 29-10-3 mark, the Leafs are on keep track of to defeat their franchise document in details (105), and head coach Sheldon Keefe does not get nearly adequate credit rating for steering them to victories far more typically than not. They’ve been fairly fortunate on the well being front, with only star winger Mitch Marner and backup goalie Petr Mrazek missing a major volume of game titles, and they are constantly as excellent at home (16-4-1) as they are on the road (13-6-2). Toronto has four video games in hand on the Lightning, and 5 online games in hand on the Panthers, and a division title is not at all out of the question. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas did effectively in obtaining forwards Michael Bunting, Ondrej Kase and David Kampf, all of who signed substantial-price quick-expression specials with the Buds. That said, the highway out of the very first spherical of the playoffs surely is not likely to be straightforward for the Leafs, no matter wherever they end in the prime 4 in the Atlantic. But this is the obstacle for this business at this point in their aggressive cycle. So long as they stay wholesome, they have the expertise to do authentic damage arrive to the publish-year.
Boston Bruins: The don-and-tear of so numerous sound seasons is starting to display on the Bruins, who continue to count on their best line of David Pastrnak-Patrice-Bergeron-and-Brad-Marchant for most of their offense. Secondary scoring is an problem for them, and the mid-time re-signing of star goalie Tuukka Rask is not likely to be ample, on its personal, to make up for the lack of targets from the 2nd-via-fourth-lines. The way points are headed, Boston is seeking like they’ll be in the fourth over-all place in the Atlantic by season’s finish, probably setting them up for a showdown with Florida or Tampa Bay in the very first spherical. And whilst you definitely just can’t count them out, the Bruins are likely to be tough-pressed to repeat their much more recent put up-period successes.
Detroit Pink Wings: The Pink Wings began the year with promise, but their position as a team even now not well prepared for key time was underscored as the season has unfolded. Detroit’s highway history of 6-12-3 is worse than Buffalo’s (7-12-4) and Ottawa’s (7-11-3), which demonstrates you how much they nevertheless have to go right before currently being a genuine playoff risk. GM Steve Yzerman appreciates he’s in a marathon, not a velocity race, to get this franchise back to the higher tier of NHL teams, and while youngsters Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are critical creating blocks all-around captain Dylan Larkin, there are still also a lot of holes in their lineup to be a top-four staff in the Atlantic. Wings lovers have been patient, but they’ll will need a little additional time in advance of their persistence is rewarded with playoff online games.
Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo is presently 11 points driving Detroit, and only 3 details forward of seventh-location Ottawa – and the Senators have played 5 fewer game titles than the Sabres, so there is nonetheless home for them to tumble. They’ve been a wasteland for NHL-degree goalies, with a whopping six netminders playing at minimum two video games for them this yr. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has a nucleus of a couple terrific young D-guys (Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Electricity) that will be augmented by their three initial-round draft picks this summer months, but no person thinks Buffalo will be a playoff crew this 12 months, or following calendar year for that subject. The hole the Sabres have dug for by themselves with mismanagement and bad progress is a massive a person, and no volume of sugar-coating can modify that stark truth.
Ottawa Senators: The Senators have performed only 40 games this season – only the New York Islanders (39 GP) have performed much less online games – but that sample measurement is huge plenty of to indict Ottawa administration for projecting their rebuild to be over. They’ve acquired some superior-top quality skill (Tim Stutzle, Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson) in the fold, but they have far too quite a few passengers on a match-to-match foundation to convince skeptics they’ve turned a aggressive corner. Overall depth is a key trouble for them, and, presented that they are a budget franchise that will not shell out in the vicinity of the wage cap ceiling, the help they require is not a solitary trade or absolutely free-agent-signing away. They might nicely be feistier future period, but they’ve obtained to be real looking. A playoff place is significantly from a offered for them next 12 months, even with improvement from in.
Montreal Canadiens: Contacting this period a disaster for the Canadiens is a large understatement. The injury bug has feasted on them, to a file-location degree. Their run to the Cup Ultimate very last year appears to be like a desire now. But this could have been what Montreal needed. Their dismal performance lays bare how lots of troubles the Habs have to deal with, and new GM Kent Hughes isn’t fooling himself with delusions of grandeur. Even with goalie Carey Value perhaps returning, the Canadiens are as well soft, too-challenged on the depth entrance, and way too bereft of elite expertise on offense to pull themselves out of the Atlantic’s basement. And upcoming period for them may be painfully very similar to this year.
