With the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning in early April, fans are beginning to see the teams who have both impressed and disappointed
The sport of hockey tends to shock the public. Yes, sometimes due to it’s violence and often seen vulgarity on the ice. But for true hockey fans, it can be surprising from a different lens.
Expectations are usually thrown out the window, and it seems year after year it becomes harder to predict what the outcome will be. Generally, there are certain teams who we all expect to thrive, while there are others who seem irrelevant to begin the season. Yet, a majority of the time, fans who commit to this ideology will eventually fail.
The season is near the midway point with All-Star Weekend set to begin on Jan. 25. Anything can happen, and any team can still mathematically shift their fortunes and make the playoffs.
Here are three contenders and three duds:
Contender: Arizona Coyotes
For this Arizona franchise, they have been put through years of torment. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2012 when they won the Pacific division. The Coyotes have never won the Stanley Cup or even a conference championship, and they only have one divisional championship. However, it’s the start of a new decade, and for the Coyotes, it has been the perfect start.
As of Jan. 16, the Coyotes are currently ranked first in the highly competitive Pacific division with 57 points. It all started in the summer when they traded for veteran winger Phil Kessel. He hasn’t meshed perfectly with the team so far, holding a -17 when on the ice, but he brings much needed veteran experience to one of the younger rosters in the league.
What is fascinating about this team is that they don’t have a single skater who has more than 35 points. To put that into perspective, the Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl collectively own 147 points. However, Arizona’s first-round pick Clayton Keller has been phenomenal on the second line, and trading for Taylor Hall added a much-needed scoring threat to their first line.
Dud: San Jose Sharks
Staying in the Pacific division, the Sharks have one of the most talented rosters in hockey. Despite losing Joe Pavelski during the offseason, a team with Evander Kane, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier on offense along with Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on defense should have an easy path to the playoffs.
However, it just hasn’t clicked during this campaign.
With more losses than wins, a sixth ranking in their division and only 46 points so far, this season has been disappointing for the Sharks. The component that has always held this team back has been inconsistent goaltending, and this trend has continued in 2019-20. Martin Jones holds a record of 13-15-2 so far this campaign, along with a 3.19 goals-against average (GAA). In total, the team has given up 159 goals which is the third-highest in the league behind the New Jersey Devils (163) and the Detroit Red Wings (183).
Contender: Pittsburgh Penguins
It seems odd to have the Penguins on this list. Pittsburgh was certainly one of the most dominant franchises of the 2010s, but when looking at this team before the season it appeared their triumphant ways might be done. Kessel was traded to the Coyotes for a developmental piece in Alex Galchenyuk, which seemed to be a sign that they were entering a rebuild. In addition, Sidney Crosby has only played 18 games up to this point. One might assume that this team would be fighting for a possible wild card spot.
Yet, here they are. A 29-12-5 record, which is the second-highest win total behind the Washington Capitals. The Penguins’ 63 points rank second in the heavy Metropolitan division. They’re also in a dominant stretch where they have won 15 of their last 19 contests.
Jake Guentzel has been on a scoring tear, leading his team with 20 goals and is on pace to shatter his personal record of 40 goals scored in an 82-game season. Their second line has been one of the best in hockey with Bryan Rust playing brilliantly and Evgeni Malkin anchoring the offense. With Crosby now back in their lineup, the likelihood of them slowing down is low.
Dud: Nashville Predators
The Predators have been one of the more inconsistent teams in hockey. There have been moments of brilliance, with captain Roman Josi scoring a team record 20 points in 13 games, or Pekka Rinne scoring the illustrious “goalie goal,” making him only the 12th goalie to ever accomplish the feat. Yet, there has been more disappointment than success.
Starting with the obvious, Nashville had to fire their head coach. Peter Laviolette, who led the team to a Stanley Cup Final and five straight playoff berths, was released simply because the offense wasn’t clicking. Currently, Filip Forsberg leads the team in scoring with only 16 goals. Beyond this, the power play has been dreadful for the Predators. Last year it was the worst in the NHL, and this season it is barely better at 25th.
Although they picked up Matt Duchene during the offseason to help improve offensive production, the team has simply been unable to execute efficiently. For now, it feels like the franchise’s time to win a Stanley Cup is running out.
Contender: Vancouver Canucks
As of right now, the Canucks 54 points ranks them as the top wild card team in the Western Conference. Could anyone have imagined this at the start of the year? Their run this year has been one of the more impressive in the NHL, mainly because almost all of their scoring has come from their youth talent.
At just 21-years-old, Elias Pettersson has done more than turn heads this season; he has solidified himself as one of the most exciting prospects within the sport. Last year, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy thanks to his brilliant rookie campaign, and his play this season has been even better, with a team-high 48 points in 47 games played.
Along with Pettersson, Brock Boeser, 22, and Quinn Hughes, 20, have been special. Along with J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson, Vancouver has had one of the most balanced offenses in all of the NHL.
Dud: Florida Panthers
The Panthers are very much alive in the playoff picture, but somehow you can’t help but feel disappointed by this team once again. For years, talks of Florida making that push into the playoffs, which they only did twice throughout the 2010s, have been circulating. It appeared this season may have finally been the year where these hopes would pan out, thanks mainly to the $70 million signing of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Yet they currently find themselves ranked 19th overall in the league with a 24-16-5 record. Their play is not terrible, but certainly not exceptional, especially considering the Panthers hired the second all-time winningest coach in NHL history in Joel Quenneville. Quenneville, who led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in 2010, ‘13 and ‘15, is arguably the best coach in the NHL today. It seems as though the talent the Panthers carry with the expertise of a champion coach would put them at the top of the NHL. However, things haven’t quite played out that way.
The pieces do seem to be there, especially offensively. Their 166 goals scored are ranked second in the NHL, and Jonathan Huberdeau’s 61 points is the eighth-highest total. Their biggest downfall, despite having an inconsistent Bobrovsky in the crease, has been their goals allowed. Bobrovsky’s 3.29 GAA is already set to be the worst season total in the goalie’s career, with his previous worst being a 3.02 in 2011-12. If the Panthers want to find more success, it is essential for their biggest offseason acquisition to increase his play and get in a solid rhythm.