by Sean Murphy
Thursday, Nov 23, 2023With the NHL taking a brief pause for Thanksgiving, it's a good time to take stock of what's been happening around the league. Here's a look at four teams to keep an eye on heading into December.
Oil spill
The Oilers might just be the league's biggest disappointment through the first two months of the season. Edmonton sits third-last in the Western Conference standings, better than only the lowly Sharks and rebuilding Blackhawks. While it's certainly not too late for the Oilers to turn things around, it's going to take a monumental group effort and you have to wonder whether they have the right personnel in place beyond the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The good news is, Edmonton will play eight of its next 10 games on home ice. The bad news is, the Oilers are just 3-4-1 as hosts this season.
Hurricane warning
Carolina got off to a slow start this season but that had a lot to do with a number of key injuries. The Hurricanes have gotten healthier and head into Thanksgiving having recorded wins in five of their last seven games. That run has put them back into the top-eight in the Eastern Conference and they'll have a favorable schedule to continue their ascent with four of their next five contests coming at home. It's probably not a bad time to buy in to the Canes in terms of long-term futures as their stock had dropped a little more than it probably should have. Perennial contenders in the East, Carolina has the right pieces in place to hang with the likes of the Bruins and Rangers come playoff time.
Devil of a time
One of last year's breakout teams, the Devils have fallen on hard times so far this season. New Jersey enters the break having lost four of its last five games including an ugly 4-0 shutout defeat in Detroit on Wednesday. You have to wonder if head coach Lindy Ruff could be on the chopping block if the Devils can't turn it around in the next couple of weeks. Fortunately, aside from the Rangers, no other teams are really running away and hiding in the Metropolitan Division. Despite sitting in seventh place in the division, the Devils are just four points out of a Wild Card spot. New Jersey will play four of its next five games at home beginning with a winnable matchup with the lowly Blue Jackets on Friday.
Crowning glory
While few are paying much attention, the Kings are thriving, off to a red hot 11-3-3 start to the season and riding a three-game winning streak into Thanksgiving. Few teams have been as stingy as Los Angeles as it has held an incredible eight of its last nine opponents to two goals or less. It's not as if the schedule is going to get a lot tougher in the coming weeks either with the likes of Anaheim, Montreal (twice), Columbus and New York (Islanders) on the ledger between now and December 9th. While the Kings currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, they're just three points back of the first-place Golden Knights and have three games in hand.
Oil spill
The Oilers might just be the league's biggest disappointment through the first two months of the season. Edmonton sits third-last in the Western Conference standings, better than only the lowly Sharks and rebuilding Blackhawks. While it's certainly not too late for the Oilers to turn things around, it's going to take a monumental group effort and you have to wonder whether they have the right personnel in place beyond the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The good news is, Edmonton will play eight of its next 10 games on home ice. The bad news is, the Oilers are just 3-4-1 as hosts this season.
Hurricane warning
Carolina got off to a slow start this season but that had a lot to do with a number of key injuries. The Hurricanes have gotten healthier and head into Thanksgiving having recorded wins in five of their last seven games. That run has put them back into the top-eight in the Eastern Conference and they'll have a favorable schedule to continue their ascent with four of their next five contests coming at home. It's probably not a bad time to buy in to the Canes in terms of long-term futures as their stock had dropped a little more than it probably should have. Perennial contenders in the East, Carolina has the right pieces in place to hang with the likes of the Bruins and Rangers come playoff time.
Devil of a time
One of last year's breakout teams, the Devils have fallen on hard times so far this season. New Jersey enters the break having lost four of its last five games including an ugly 4-0 shutout defeat in Detroit on Wednesday. You have to wonder if head coach Lindy Ruff could be on the chopping block if the Devils can't turn it around in the next couple of weeks. Fortunately, aside from the Rangers, no other teams are really running away and hiding in the Metropolitan Division. Despite sitting in seventh place in the division, the Devils are just four points out of a Wild Card spot. New Jersey will play four of its next five games at home beginning with a winnable matchup with the lowly Blue Jackets on Friday.
Crowning glory
While few are paying much attention, the Kings are thriving, off to a red hot 11-3-3 start to the season and riding a three-game winning streak into Thanksgiving. Few teams have been as stingy as Los Angeles as it has held an incredible eight of its last nine opponents to two goals or less. It's not as if the schedule is going to get a lot tougher in the coming weeks either with the likes of Anaheim, Montreal (twice), Columbus and New York (Islanders) on the ledger between now and December 9th. While the Kings currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, they're just three points back of the first-place Golden Knights and have three games in hand.
