The Chicago Blackhawks is just weeks away from breaking for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and look to be in a dogfight for division supremacy until the last day of the season.
The St. Louis Blues have been the improved team they were expected to be, and appear to be poised as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup in June. The still-surprising Colorado Avalanche are in the picture for the NHL Central Division crown. The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars have had their fair share of issues but remain in the playoff picture.
The Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are also in the playoff picture, but their negatives have outweighed their positives for majority of the season.
Here is a look at where the division stands with a few weeks remaining before players head to Sochi.
1. St. Louis Blues: The Blues are currently in second place, two points behind Chicago, but have played four less games than the Blackhawks. The scoring depth has been a welcomed sight for Blues fans, as X players have scored at least 20 points. Their +63 goal differential is the best in the NHL. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott continue to play well in short spurts, relieving each other in time to prevent any long-term slumps. If one team not named Chicago survives in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’ll be St. Louis.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Inconsistency is the name of the game on the west side of Chicago. Goalie Corey Crawford has had lapses in play and an injury that costs him close to one month of ice time. The penalty kill, a normal strength, is now the team’s major weakness. The 28th-ranked penalty kill unit has had small glimmers of hope, but like the intensity and confidence that the Stanley Cup-winning unit had. That being said, the lull hanging over the team should not concern fans. The Hawks will be in the playoffs, and that is when all cylinders will be firing. A 9-6-3 record against the NHL Central Division is something that will be brought up often until Chicago competes nightly against them. That will have to change now and following the Olympic break.
3. Colorado Avalanche: Patrick Roy has done well as a rookie coach, but the Avs are having trouble staying in the view of Chicago’s rear-view mirror for second place. The future start statuses of forwards Matt Duchene and rookie Nathan MacKinnon are rising at an alarming pace. Good for Avs fans, bad for the rest of the division. The key to sustaining success going forward will have to be protecting goalie Semyon Varlamov from so many shots per contest. He currently sees 29 shots per game.
4. Dallas Stars: A horrible start to the 2013-14 campaign put Dallas in a large hole in the NHL Central Division. Even as the Stars sit in fifth in the division, they rank 9th in Corsi for and 7th in Fenwick for, which indicates that they are playing much better than their record based on shot attempts. Shot attempts are tied to puck possession, which helps dictate who has a better chance of winning. Kari Lehtonen has had to steal games because of some suspect defense throughout the season. The biggest bright spot on the team is the 1-2 punch of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The top line in Dallas could be one of the best in hockey if a right winger can step up and play at a similar level as Benn and Seguin.
5. Minnesota Wild: Josh Harding missing time while adjusting to new medication to help control multiple sclerosis has been troubling. Harding has been one of the best stories in all of sports over the past year, and his superb play is needed on a team starving for a good story. Injuries and a lack of scoring continue to plague the Wild.
6. Nashville Predators: The acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk Wednesday afternoon could be the stopgap needed while incumbent starter Pekka Rinne continues to miss time. The Predators also lack a scoring prowess. Rookie winger Filip Forsberg and Craig Smith appear to be the building blocks on offense needs going forward, but do not pose an immediate threat for a playoff spot.
7. Winnipeg Jets: The “Dustin Byfuglien at forward” project is in full swing north of the border. If it produces similar results to the same experiment when Byfuglien played in Chicago, then maybe Jets GM Kevin Chevaldayoff could fleece another team in a trade in the same way the Hawks did to them. The lack of defense on the blueline is appalling. If Zach Bogosian did not play well in his own zone, no one would. Evander Kane has to stay on the ice and play like a top-3 forward if the Jets expect to contend any time soon.
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