The NHL All-Star Game has come and passed, and for many teams that meant getting back to business right away.
Some teams are still on their bye weeks, while others hit the ice on Monday. We’re well past the halfway mark in the season, so the sample sizes across the board are significant. If you’re really a contender, you can’t take your foot off the gas at any point going forward, and with the NHL trade deadline in a few weeks, it’s about to get spicy.
There are some tight playoff fights in both conferences and little room for error. Here’s a look at five teams that need to kick things off in a big way coming out of the break:
Vegas Golden Knights
Standings: No. 3 in Pacific, two points ahead of wild-card No. 1 Edmonton Oilers
The Golden Knights struggled profusely in the lead-up to the break, going 2-6-2 in the final 10 games. There were quite a few close losses along the way, but you can’t drop games to Detroit, Los Angeles or Arizona at this point. The team has a solid Western swing, including some very winnable matchups against Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim and Nashville, but the Knights can’t afford to extend their current four-game losing streak.
They’re now without captain and first-line right winger Mark Stone for the foreseeable future, so they’ll need some of the depth guys to step up in a significant way down the stretch – assuming they don’t end up making a big splash on the trade market. They also simply need better goaltending from Logan Thompson, who has allowed three or more goals in five of his past six starts. We know how dangerous this group can be, even when dealing with injuries, but now, sitting in third place in the Pacific with a two-point advantage over Edmonton, the pressure is really on.
New York Islanders
Standings: No. 3 in the wild card, tied with Pittsburgh for the final spot
The Islanders made the first big splash ahead of the deadline this year, acquiring Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks early last week. They kicked off the new era with a tight 2-1 win over the Flyers, with Horvat leading his new team with four shots. By acquiring Horvat, the Islanders – who sit on the outside looking in – are making a statement by saying they’re not ready to miss the playoffs again, and they believe they have the group capable of causing damage. Now the pressure is really on, especially after moving a first-round pick.
The immediate schedule features some winnable matchups, like Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa. Seattle, Pittsburgh, Boston and Winnipeg will cause some issues, though, and the Isles will especially need to win the two upcoming bouts with the Penguins. The Islanders definitely have a group capable of making noise, but they’re also so close to the race for Connor Bedard, too. They’re in a mushy middle that seems to change nearly daily, so the next few weeks will be paramount to the team’s end game. The Islanders are committed to Horvat after signing him to an eight-year deal, so it’s not like they can flip him for more assets if everything falls apart.
They’ve got a top-flight goaltender. They’ve got shutdown defenders. They’ve got a refreshed attack. Now it’s time to put it all together, and I wouldn’t want to face them when the going gets tough in the playoffs.
Calgary Flames
Standings: No. 2 in the wild card, two points behind Edmonton in wild-card No. 1
The Calgary Flames went from one of the best teams in the league to one of the most disappointing in a year, and now they’re looking at missing the playoffs altogether. The club sits second in the wild-card race, but just one point ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champion, Colorado, and four points ahead of Nashville. The Pacific Division is completely wide open, with Seattle only having a five-point gap over the Flames in fifth. The race for the wild card isn’t as tough in the West as it is in the East, but I wouldn’t want to be the team having to go up against Edmonton and Colorado to grab one last spot.
On paper, making the playoffs shouldn’t have been a concern. Jacob Markstrom can be a top-five goalie when he’s on his game. MacKenzie Weegar was supposed to shore up the blue line. Sure, Johnny Gaudreau and Matt Tkachuk are gone, but Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau were supposed to be solid replacements. Yet, here they are, clinging on to a wild-card spot in a division with so much opportunity. Los Angeles and Vegas have had their struggles, and the next few weeks will be about taking advantage of them.
Los Angeles Kings
Standings: No. 2 in the Pacific, three points ahead of Edmonton in wild-card No. 1
Speaking of the Kings, this is a group that, for the most part, has managed to defy expectations, but recently, they’ve been getting exceptionally poor goaltending, especially out of Jonathan Quick. Pheonix Copley has a 15-3-1 record, so he’s clearly winning, but he’s letting too many goals in the process.
That’ll make the Kings an interesting club at the deadline. They’re 5-4-1 in their past 10 but have been helped thanks to struggles by Vegas and Calgary. The good news is Los Angeles has the same number of points as Seattle in the Pacific – the bad news is L.A. has played four more games and is the only team in the top five in the division with a negative goal differential.
Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty aren’t getting any younger. If they’re going on another Cup run, they need to address their own zone play and poor goaltending. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter where they qualify in the playoff race – it’ll be over quickly.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Standings: No. 2 in Atlantic, five points ahead of No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning
Every stumble along the way is noticeable when you play in the biggest market in the league, and a 5-4-1 record in a 10-game span will definitely get people talking. Big losses against Ottawa and Boston, and injuries to Auston Matthews and Matt Murray, left the team in a tough spot to close out the lead-up to the break. Matthews won’t miss many games thanks to the break plus the bye, but the need to add some extra scoring depth is apparent.
When Ilya Samsonov has been on his game, he’s been lights out, but he’s had a few games along the way that make you scratch your head. When the scoring is silent, it can be concerning, but again, we’re talking about a market that gets overanalyzed to death. Toronto sits second in the Atlantic with a 31-13-8 record, 13 points behind Boston in first but five points ahead of third-place Tampa Bay. It looks like the Leafs are set for a first-round rematch with the Lightning, so it’s all about ironing everything out and making sure everyone is ready for the postseason. The Leafs’ struggles in the first round are highly publicized, so making it just a little bit farther is paramount.
A good restart this weekend would be a perfect way to kick off the stretch run.
