NHL This Week
Since the last issue, two weeks ago, many significant things have happened in the hockey world. Some teams are on the rise, others are falling in the standings, and some have been dominating from the start.
In the East, one team has surpassed all the other Eastern teams so far this season in the point column. That team is the Original Six club, the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has been under the radar as of the past few seasons and has also missed the playoffs a few times as well. Surprisingly, the Habs, or the “habitants,” as hockey fans refer to them as, have done quite well as of late. They lead the East with 26 points, tying Pittsburgh, and a record of 12-4-2. The Habs have created their offensive success with skilled forwards like the club’s leading goal scorer Tomas Plekanec, forwards Rene Bourque and Brendan Gallagher, and even defenseman Andrei Markov. Forward Max Pacioretty has also made an impact on the ice for Montreal with his timely scoring and his total of 9 assists so far this season. The Candiens have also received solid goaltending by veteran Carey Price with his GAA of 1.97 and his SV% of .923. If the Habs keep up their pace they will have one of the eight playoff spots in the East for sure and will be a solid contender for the Cup.
Although Montreal has been successful, teams like Buffalo, Washington, and Florida are all still struggling to find points this season. Washington is second to last in the East only ahead of Buffalo, who shares the same point total of 13 points; Florida resides above them in the standings with only 14. These teams need to pick it up, bottom line, especially Buffalo. The Sabres have so much talent with decent goaltending, great goal scorers like Vanek and Pominville, and a good defensive core. There is no reason for their point-drought as of late, especially when it has forced them to drop several spots in the Eastern standings.
In the West, the same eight teams lead the conference as for the past two weeks. Chicago is blowing everyone away with their gaudy 33 points, however they are closely followed by, Pacific Division leaders, the Anaheim Ducks with 27 points. The West has had numerous memorable tilts between Western Conference rivals such as Chicago and San Jose, Colorado and St.Louis, and much more. The teams that control the top eight spots in the rankings have all found, for the most part, offensive improvement and tighter defense. This is why they remain in the top eight. I personally do not expect for much of a change in the Western rankings, as these current top eight seem to have a grip on their season. If anything the bottom two spots in the top eight may have competition, but other than that I expect hardly any change.
For once this season the LA Kings seem to be doing better. They no longer sit at the bottom of the West and are currently, as of 2/24/2013, ranked 10th in the West behind Phoenix. The Kings have a total of 18 points and a record of 8-6-2. Do I smell a comeback? Possibly, but it might be too soon to tell. Anything can happen in this shortened season but regardless; if the Kings continue their success and keep a constant aggressiveness they will contend for that 8th place in the West very soon.
To no surprise Columbus once again found the bottom of the NHL recently. With a record of 5-12-2 and a point total of 12, the Blue Jackets are once again finding themselves in last place of not only the West, but in the NHL as a whole. The Jackets need an all around adjustment in all aspects and they also need to learn how to win consistently and lose less frequently, not the other way around. I do not expect much from them this season, but I am hopeful that maybe they can start turning things around for the organization.
Blackhawks Update
The Hawks have not stopped their record setting success so far this season. As of 2/24/2013, the Hawks are still undefeated in regulation and have not only tied the old Anaheim record of best start to a season, but broke it and continue to extend their record setting start to this 2012-2013 NHL regular season. They sit on top of the NHL with an amazing 33 points and a glorious record of 15-0-3. The Hawks have been red hot and still show promise of prolonging their incredible persistence of winning games this season.
With out any surprise, the Hawks’ record setting record has stemmed directly from the offensive output of several Hawks. First to thank is star forward Patrick Kane with his 23 points consisting of 9 goals and 14 assists, which have all been apart of Kane’s inhumane offensive skills such as his “silky mits,” or tremendous puck handling, and his witty sways to find the back of the net. Other Hawks like Captain Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Dave Bolland, Viktor Stalberg, Andrew Shaw, and Brandon Saad have all generously contributed to the Hawks’ Goals For column. However, offensive as we know is not all there is to the game of hockey. The Hawks’ defense has been spectacular. They have been blocking shots, delivering physicality all over the ice, directly saving goals, and are still adding to the offensive side of things. Niklas Hjalmarsson has added his first goal so far this season and Brent Seabrook, when not taking wrist shots to the lower abdomen, has even contributed to the powerplay when he put the puck to the back of the net off a one-timer against the LA Kings last week. Finally, the Hawks have had great goaltending from both Emery and Crawford so far this season. The Hawks have two solid goaltenders that can both win games and keep pucks out of the net with Emery and Crawford. Lets hope the Hawks can keep up the good work!
Current Division Leaders
Eastern: Montreal Canadiens (NORTHEAST); Pittsburgh Penguins (ATLANTIC); and Carolina Hurricanes (SOUTHEAST).
Western: Chicago Blackhawks (CENTRAL); Anaheim Ducks (PACIFIC); and Vancouver Canucks (NORTHWEST).
Frank Markasovic
Sports Editor