By the end of today, we will have just seven days and 48 games left in the regular season. We know eight teams that have already clinched a spot (Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver) and the eight teams that are already eliminated (Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nashville, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay) with a pair of teams able to clinch tonight with a win (San Jose and St. Louis) and two potentially eliminated with a loss (Edmonton and New Jersey).
Phew. Since Winnipeg is within striking distance of Washington to take the Southeast Division, let's just call the non-division clinching contender Jets/Caps for now. So, to put it simply, we essentially have four teams fighting for three spots in the East (NY Islanders, Ottawa, NY Rangers and Jets/Caps) and five teams fighting for two spots in the West (Minnesota, Columbus, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix).
Is your head spinning yet? Good. It has been a whirlwind of a season. Fans that swore off the NHL before the first puck even dropped due to Collective Bargaining Disagreements have had goldfish memories and provided some of the best television ratings the sport has seen in years. From a handful of blockbuster deadline deals to rookies putting up numbers all over the league to Toronto ending its playoff plague and Detroit possibly ending their reign, it certainly has been a fun year to watch.
So as we enter this final week of the regular season, I wanted to take a moment to point out a number of stories that I found compelling.
Chicago's Record Setting Point Streak to Start the Season
The Chicago Blackhawks seemed poised to strike when the negotiations were finally concluded, as they earned a 24 game point streak to start the season. Not short on leadership or talent, they found themselves with a goaltending tandem of Crawford and Emery that complimented the tremendous skill they have up front. While some sports commentators tended to look down on this streak as they did suffer losses in shootouts during the span (these same sports commentators referred to them as ties, which haven't been around in the NHL for years - glad you get to be on camera talking about hockey), the historic start has since placed the Blackhawks in the #1 playoff spot in the Western Conference and almost undoubtedly the President's Trophy recipients for most points in a season. If a team is doing so well they're able to revitalize Ray Emery's career, you know they're doing something right. The only irony is that their first regulation loss came at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, last place in the West and likely to get the first or second overall pick in the Draft.
The Massive Influence of Rookies
Since we're on the topic of Chicago, let's transition to the impact rookies have had on this season. Chicago's Brandon Saad has posted 10 goals, 15 assists and a plus/minus rating of +15 in 43 games this season. Punch line? He's 5th in rookie scoring. Unfortunately, two of the guys ahead of him (Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau and Edmonton's Nail Yakupov) won't make the postseason this year, but Ottawa's Cory Conacher and Montreal's Brendan Gallagher will. Across the league rookies have had a significant influence on wins and losses, but there a number of cities that are now playoff bound because of their hard work - namely Montreal and Ottawa (most likely). Don't forget about St. Louis' Jake Allen in net either - going 9-4 and having a GAA of 2.46 in the same division as Detroit and Chicago is nothing to frown upon. Let's just hope these young guns can keep the juices flowing come May.
Sidney Crosby's Hart Memorial Trophy Bid
I won't say much about this because we all know about the skill Sidney Crosby possesses. What I will say is that he went took a Brooks Orpik slap shot to the face that broke his jaw and cost him a couple of chicklets on March 30th and he hasn't played since. Today is April 21st, and he still holds the league lead for points. By three points. Its realistic that he might be out for a whole month before someone overtakes the top spot in points. Everyone talks about Malkin's size and his moves that stop the show around the net, but Crosby is a player that has had a target on his back since he was 12 years old and he's always risen above expectation. Supposing he makes it back in time for round one (along with Malkin and Neal), the Penguins are going to be a tough team to face. Keep in mind they're 7-2 without him including the game in which he was injured and at that point it was around one minute into the first and tied 0-0.
Unexpected Success
Two teams I never expected to see in playoff contention this year are the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's kind of hard to put a finger on the Islanders' success this year assuming you overlook their former #1 overall draft pick and leader John Tavares. A lot of people expected franchise flipping play from this skilled forward and while he has had a number of impressive years to start his career (averaging a point a game this year) he has yet to supply a season in which he ends up in the plus. Still, at only -3, he looks to jump into Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time as a bottom four seed and hopefully do some damage. The Blue Jackets on the other hand can put a face on their success without question, and its the face of Bob. Sergei Bobrovsky is putting up Vezina quality numbers for Columbus after he and Bryzgalov let pucks in their net like a couple of bad bouncers at a college bar last year for the Flyers' playoff run. This year he's faced almost 1,000 shots and has posted a 93.1% save percentage in stark contrast to the 72.2% of playoffs just a year ago. They're still in 8th place, but IF they make playoffs the only success Columbus will see will be at the hands of Bobrovsky continuing his mind blowing tending of the net. They say goaltending wins championships...
A Nation United
Alright I know that as a Boston fan I'm going to look biased by merely mentioning this, but I have to say how incredibly touching it was to see the sports world come together in light of the Boston Marathon bombings. Across the nation we saw teams and players paying homage to those who were injured, first responders or unfortunately lost in the wake of this cowardly act and you don't need another person to point that out to you. What I will say is this: two of the most heated rivalries in North American sports are the Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees. They're historic, they're brutal, they're relentless. Those differences were put aside as both the Habs and the Yanks honored the city of Boston before their next games - in Montreal that night and in New York the next night. A lot can be said about sports and rivalries, but when it comes down to it respect rules the day. Here is the video of the Bruins' pregame when hosting the Sabres on Wednesday (two days after the bombing), complete with the moment of silence, the montage and the anthem. Keep in mind that after the game was over, both the Bruins and the Sabres stayed on the ice to lift their sticks and honor the crowd.
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