by Vegas Writer
Monday, Feb 19, 2024The All-Star break is in the rearview mirror and the home stretch is upon us in the NHL season. There’s still so much left to be decided.
This might be the first time in a long time that we’re entering the final third of the year without a clear indication of who is a contender for the Stanley Cup. We know who will likely end up in the field of 16, but we have no clue as to who actually stands out from the pack.
Especially when you look at the Western Conference, a case can be made for all six teams that would guarantee a playoff spot. The two wild cards would just be happy to be there. The Eastern Conference, per usual, is a giant mess with a bunch of really good teams.
The trade deadline is in about three weeks and we’ll have an idea then who wants to take the next leap. For now, we focus on the here and now. Your Top 10 for the week:
5-minute major
1) Vancouver Canucks (37-13-6)
Are we in the territory of being the most underappreciated Presidents’ Trophy winner of the modern era? Because it’s still a shock that the Canucks are where they are in the standings. They have a chance to not only get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 bubble season — and would play a home playoff game for the first time since 2015 — but can win the league’s top honor while doing so in the process. Vancouver did lose 4-2 on Saturday to Winnipeg to end a three-game winning streak, but Thatcher Demko was bound to run into a wall at some point. Demko is running away with the Vezina Trophy with a 30-10-1 mark and a 2.45 GAA. Whether he holds up in the playoffs is the other question.
2) Florida Panthers (36-15-4)
Don’t look now, but the Cats are red hot. Florida has won nine of its last 10 including a dominant 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. I’m not sure if this game was more an indication of the changing of the guard in the state of Florida, but the defending conference champions are looking like the best team in the East by a country mile. The four-headed monster of Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Sasha Barkov are willing this group to absurd heights. It’s hard to stop a wagon operating on diesel fuel. That’s what the Panthers are right now.
3) Dallas Stars (34-14-7)
Another case of I can’t believe them until they get to the playoffs, but there’s no denying that the Stars might be the best, most-proven team in the league. The fact we are here in February talking Matt Duchene being a leading scorer on this Dallas team is absurd. The fact they are winning games without Jason Robertson turning into a supernova is quite insane. And the fact they are still winning despite subpar goaltending from Jake Oettinger is ridiculous. If Dallas can figure out a consistent formula before the playoffs, who can beat them?
4) New York Rangers (36-16-3)
Watch out. New York is streaking again. Winners of seven straight after a stretch of four losses in five games have the Rangers back to playing solid hockey. The Rangers were heavy favorites in their last three games while taking care of business over the likes of Montreal and Chicago. The Rangers still have more to prove and they continue to win while still hoping to get Igor Shesterkin in a groove. Fortunately, Jonathan Quick has been great when called upon to give the Rangers a decent tandem.
5) Winnipeg Jets (33-14-5)
Speaking of streaky, the Jets are a weird bunch. After five straight losses, the Jets pulled off one of their best wins of the season with a 4-2 win in Vancouver behind a strong effort from Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg offense has been hit or miss, so it’s up to Hellebuyck to steal some games. With three straight wins, maybe this is what is needed to get him going. But they need some production from the likes of Kyle Connor as he continues progress back from a lower-body injury. Winnipeg has a back-to-back this week in Calgary and home against Minnesota. In hindsight, two winnable games.
2-minute minor
6) Vegas Golden Knights (31-17-6)
If the Golden Knights didn’t choke in the last two third periods, they’d be in the top five this week. Coming out of the break with a win over Edmonton was massive. They have hardly looked strong since. Vegas is also in dire need of a power play exorcism, now 4 of 33 in its last 13 games.
7) Colorado Avalanche (34-18-4)
Five losses in six games with 15 goals in that span. Colorado has a lot of issues that aren’t being talked about, like who can actually play goalie for this team? They are an all-gas, no-brakes team that can win a championship, but they need to be better defensively and in net.
8) Carolina Hurricanes (32-17-5)
Dare I say the Hurricanes are this year’s Golden Knights? They’re down to a goalie named Spencer Martin and he’s winning games against Vegas in T-Mobile Arena. I’m not sure if Martin is a playable character in NHL 24 but he has helped stabilize a shaky start in Carolina.
9) Edmonton Oilers (32-18-1)
It took well after the 16-game winning streak ended for the Oilers to beat a good team, but that win over Dallas on Saturday was very impressive. Not a bad way to rebound after a horrendous effort against St. Louis. I still don’t believe in the Oilers come playoff time, and you shouldn’t, either.
Power play
10) Los Angeles Kings (27-16-10)
I don’t know if it’s a prisoner of the moment situation that has me thinking this, but the Kings are suddenly playing like they should have this whole time. All it took was firing Todd McLellan. Jim Hiller takes over behind the bench and the Kings have wins over Edmonton, New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh. Sandwiched is a 7-0 loss to Buffalo but every playoff team has an outlier at some point. The Kings are still talented to get back to the playoffs, but one has to wonder how far they can go if they are a wild card team. If they can somehow rally and get past Edmonton in the Pacific standings, no one would want to face them. It’s been a bad stretch for the Kings, but they have looked competent the last week. That’s a start.
This might be the first time in a long time that we’re entering the final third of the year without a clear indication of who is a contender for the Stanley Cup. We know who will likely end up in the field of 16, but we have no clue as to who actually stands out from the pack.
Especially when you look at the Western Conference, a case can be made for all six teams that would guarantee a playoff spot. The two wild cards would just be happy to be there. The Eastern Conference, per usual, is a giant mess with a bunch of really good teams.
The trade deadline is in about three weeks and we’ll have an idea then who wants to take the next leap. For now, we focus on the here and now. Your Top 10 for the week:
5-minute major
1) Vancouver Canucks (37-13-6)
Are we in the territory of being the most underappreciated Presidents’ Trophy winner of the modern era? Because it’s still a shock that the Canucks are where they are in the standings. They have a chance to not only get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 bubble season — and would play a home playoff game for the first time since 2015 — but can win the league’s top honor while doing so in the process. Vancouver did lose 4-2 on Saturday to Winnipeg to end a three-game winning streak, but Thatcher Demko was bound to run into a wall at some point. Demko is running away with the Vezina Trophy with a 30-10-1 mark and a 2.45 GAA. Whether he holds up in the playoffs is the other question.
2) Florida Panthers (36-15-4)
Don’t look now, but the Cats are red hot. Florida has won nine of its last 10 including a dominant 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. I’m not sure if this game was more an indication of the changing of the guard in the state of Florida, but the defending conference champions are looking like the best team in the East by a country mile. The four-headed monster of Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Sasha Barkov are willing this group to absurd heights. It’s hard to stop a wagon operating on diesel fuel. That’s what the Panthers are right now.
3) Dallas Stars (34-14-7)
Another case of I can’t believe them until they get to the playoffs, but there’s no denying that the Stars might be the best, most-proven team in the league. The fact we are here in February talking Matt Duchene being a leading scorer on this Dallas team is absurd. The fact they are winning games without Jason Robertson turning into a supernova is quite insane. And the fact they are still winning despite subpar goaltending from Jake Oettinger is ridiculous. If Dallas can figure out a consistent formula before the playoffs, who can beat them?
4) New York Rangers (36-16-3)
Watch out. New York is streaking again. Winners of seven straight after a stretch of four losses in five games have the Rangers back to playing solid hockey. The Rangers were heavy favorites in their last three games while taking care of business over the likes of Montreal and Chicago. The Rangers still have more to prove and they continue to win while still hoping to get Igor Shesterkin in a groove. Fortunately, Jonathan Quick has been great when called upon to give the Rangers a decent tandem.
5) Winnipeg Jets (33-14-5)
Speaking of streaky, the Jets are a weird bunch. After five straight losses, the Jets pulled off one of their best wins of the season with a 4-2 win in Vancouver behind a strong effort from Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg offense has been hit or miss, so it’s up to Hellebuyck to steal some games. With three straight wins, maybe this is what is needed to get him going. But they need some production from the likes of Kyle Connor as he continues progress back from a lower-body injury. Winnipeg has a back-to-back this week in Calgary and home against Minnesota. In hindsight, two winnable games.
2-minute minor
6) Vegas Golden Knights (31-17-6)
If the Golden Knights didn’t choke in the last two third periods, they’d be in the top five this week. Coming out of the break with a win over Edmonton was massive. They have hardly looked strong since. Vegas is also in dire need of a power play exorcism, now 4 of 33 in its last 13 games.
7) Colorado Avalanche (34-18-4)
Five losses in six games with 15 goals in that span. Colorado has a lot of issues that aren’t being talked about, like who can actually play goalie for this team? They are an all-gas, no-brakes team that can win a championship, but they need to be better defensively and in net.
8) Carolina Hurricanes (32-17-5)
Dare I say the Hurricanes are this year’s Golden Knights? They’re down to a goalie named Spencer Martin and he’s winning games against Vegas in T-Mobile Arena. I’m not sure if Martin is a playable character in NHL 24 but he has helped stabilize a shaky start in Carolina.
9) Edmonton Oilers (32-18-1)
It took well after the 16-game winning streak ended for the Oilers to beat a good team, but that win over Dallas on Saturday was very impressive. Not a bad way to rebound after a horrendous effort against St. Louis. I still don’t believe in the Oilers come playoff time, and you shouldn’t, either.
Power play
10) Los Angeles Kings (27-16-10)
I don’t know if it’s a prisoner of the moment situation that has me thinking this, but the Kings are suddenly playing like they should have this whole time. All it took was firing Todd McLellan. Jim Hiller takes over behind the bench and the Kings have wins over Edmonton, New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh. Sandwiched is a 7-0 loss to Buffalo but every playoff team has an outlier at some point. The Kings are still talented to get back to the playoffs, but one has to wonder how far they can go if they are a wild card team. If they can somehow rally and get past Edmonton in the Pacific standings, no one would want to face them. It’s been a bad stretch for the Kings, but they have looked competent the last week. That’s a start.
