Breaking down the West in the NHL
Tight fit in the West
Seven teams blanketed by six points has the playoff race in the Western conference looking very messy indeed. It was like this a week ago and everybody seems to be winning, no team looks like playing themselves out of it, three of those seven teams are going to end their seasons early however.
Teams that should make it: St Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators.
Currently in qualification spots:
Chicago Blackhawks (84 Points, 11 Games Remaining)
Why they’ll make it: Hossa, Kane, Sharp, Keith, Seabrook and Toews (Just back from injury), they’ve got a pretty decent bunch of skaters. They are too good a team to still be involved in this race.
Why they won’t: Goaltending issues have held the Blackhawks back all season long; Corey Crawford has been a massive disappointment and although Ray Emery has improved the situation he hasn’t resolved it.
Dallas Stars (83 P, 11 GR)
Why they’ll make it: Just an all-around good team, 8-1-1 in their last ten and should they extend that run will see them qualify comfortably.
Why they won’t: Don’t get a massive amount of scoring from beyond their top two lines; to be honest I’m struggling here.
Phoenix Coyotes (81 P, 11 GR)
Why they’ll make it: Very experienced core of players including captain Shane Doan and Ray Whitney that make the Coyotes a very steady but effective team. Throw into that some unexpectedly good years from players like Radim Vrbata and Mike Smith and it’s been a very positive year in Phoenix.
Why they won’t: Faltering slightly of late and the chasing pack have caught up, leaving them in a slightly more pressurised position than they might have expected.
Colorado Avalanche (80 P, 10 GR)
Why they’ll make it: Rejuvenated by the additions of Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie at the trade deadline, the Avalanche are firing at the moment and seem to be nicking important points. Semyon Varlamov is also playing well for them right now.
Why they won’t: Generally very inconsistent throughout the year, offense has had a tendency to misfire at times added to the fact Matt Duchene is out at the moment. A tough schedule where they are mainly on the road including some big divisional matchups where they have struggled to pick up wins.
Teams currently outside:
San Jose Sharks (78 P, 13 GR)
Why they’ll make it: Unexpectedly involved as this is a pretty similar team to the ones that have won back to back division titles. San Jose also have the most home games remaining in which their considerable offensive firepower could come to the fore.
Why they won’t: Only two wins in their last 10 and have slipped back as a result. Trades to pick up Dominic Moore, Daniel Winnik and TJ Galiardi are yet to pay dividends.
Calgary Flames (78 P, 12 GR)
Why they’ll make it: The Flames have won four straight and are hitting a favourable stretch of schedule, continue the streak and they will put themselves in an excellent position. Jarome Iginla as ever is in the groove at the right time, scoring in their last five games.
Why they won’t: Have had to recover from a poor start to the season to get back in to contention. Miikka Kiprusoff has been as reliable as always but has 32 of their 33 wins and could well tire with playing so many minutes.
Los Angeles Kings (78 P, 12 GR)
Why they’ll make it: Jonathan Quick. The Kings are third in goals against this season and it is largely down to their goaltender, he deserves to be a Vezina trophy finalist. That’s not to say their skater group hasn’t done its part in their solid defensive displays though.
Why they won’t: As good as they have been in their own zone; their lack of scoring has undermined it as they are ranked 29th in goals for. Acquisition of Jeff Carter has helped to an extent, but they still look underpowered.
Teams out of contention: Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets.
Thoughts: Chicago and Dallas were relatively easy for me to rule in, I don’t reckon they will be troubled too much despite the fact they don’t have a big cushion. I’m also backing San Jose to get out of their slight funk and use their additional games to climb in to the top 8. For me the final spot is completely up in the air but went for Phoenix thanks to them having the most points on the board.
Final Standings Prediction:
- St Louis (Central Division Winner)
- Vancouver (Northwest Division Winner)
- Dallas (Pacific Division Winner)
- Nashville
- Detroit
- Chicago
- San Jose
- Phoenix
- Calgary
- Los Angeles
- Colorado
- Anaheim
- Minnesota
- Edmonton
- Columbus
