So, needless to say, the competition in the West is a little tougher. Oh, look at that: I said it anyway.
(We've been a little bogged down lately, so all apologies for the delay)
(NOTE: ALL STATISTICS ARE TAKEN FROM PRIOR TO THE ALL-STAR BREAK)
1. Calgary Flames (3rd)
-The Flames have assumed their rightful place atop the division. My only problem with the team? Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Ever since capturing the Vezina Trophy in 2006 as the best goalie in the league, his stats have declined at a steady rate. This year, he finds himself with a 2.82 GAA and .903 Sv%. Not incredibly atrocious numbers, by any means, but make no mistake: the main reason he owns the league lead in wins is the fact that he also leads the league in games played. The Flames need a backup goalie who can win a few games for them as well. Nevertheless...
...the fact that they have the 6th best offense in the league (3.15 goals per game) helps. And as usual, captain Jarome Iginla is leading the way (53 points in 46 games). He likes to drop the gloves from time to time as well:
The guy can throw rockets.
After losing Kristian Huselius and trading away Alex Tanguay during the offseason, the offense looked a little empty. Not anymore. Let me introduce you to...The Other Guys. (Template: Goals-Assists-Points).
Mike Cammalleri (C)-acquired from Los Angeles on the day of the draft. Leads the team with 22 goals. Good on the powerplay as well. (22-22-44)
Daymond Langkow (C)-enjoying his time on Iginla's line. Interestingly enough, actually drafted 6 spots ahead of Iginla. (16-21-37)
Rene Bourque (L)-offseason signing has a powerful shot and likes to get his hands dirty, as evidenced by his 62 PIM. (16-15-31)
Todd Bertuzzi (R)-while still having trouble escaping his history, Berty's showing he can still play. (11-20-31)
Fortunately for Kiprusoff, the defense in front of him is pretty solid. Dion Phaneuf can score (30 points in 46 games), but he can also dish out the pain (when he's not taking a tumble). Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich are quality defensive defensemen, while Adrian Aucoin (6-15-21) and Mark Giordano (2-15-17) can be a little more offensive-minded and help round out the group.
FINAL GRADE: A-. Last season, the biggest obstacle for this team was consistency. It hasn't gone away completely, but if Kiprusoff can manage to dig in, it will go a long way.
2. Edmonton Oilers (6th)
-I'll be honest, I didn't even think these guys would make the playoffs, but that was probably just my bias. There they are, sitting smack dab in the middle of the playoff race. Maybe Oilers coach Craig MacTavish will be able to save his job yet again, though his poor track record makes me wish they would fire him already. Sure, he took them to the finals once. It just so happened to be the year that right wing Fernando Pisani, he of 136 points in 340 career games, had 18 points (14 of them goals) during their 24 game playoff run.
People often point to MacT as the reason Ales Hemsky has yet to reach his potential. Either way, Hemsky's 41 points in 36 games this season satisfies me. Elsewhere, the forwards have been underwhelming. Guys like Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner, after promising rookie seasons, have failed to up their production. Dustin Penner (23 points in 44 games) has also continued to disappoint in Edmonton, as he's on pace for another 40 or so point season. Same for Erik Cole (21 points in 46 games).
When the forwards have floundered, the defense has stepped up. Sheldon Souray (31 points in 45 games), whose durability I enjoy comparing to the house of cards I make when I get really bored (has only played more than 80 games once in 10 seasons, and my house is never sturdy), has shown just how effective he can be when healthy. Prior to Hemsky's return to the lineup, Souray led the team in goals. This guy has a rocket of a shot. Fellow blueliner Lubomir Visnovsky, acquired from Los Angeles over the summer, has been impressive as well (29 points in 46 games). Meanwhile, Tom Gilbert (24 in 46) and Denis Grebeshkov (21 in 43) are both on pace for about 40 points. Four defenseman hitting 40 points? No guarantee, but if it happens, that's pretty impressive.
Oh, and Souray doesn't get involved often, but when he does, he makes sure to enjoy himself:
Prior to shipping Mathieu Garon to Pittsburgh, the Oilers had quite a mess in net. However, Dwayne Roloson has put up decent numbers (2.73 GAA, .913 Sv%) to pry the job away from Garon and Jeff Deslauriers.
FINAL GRADE: B. They've been trending upward since December. If the young guys can pick up their play, pencil these boys into a playoff spot.
3. Vancouver Canucks (7th)
-Right behind the Oilers, the Canucks are in a much less favorable spot. They only have 2 wins in their past 10 games. Mats Sundin and his massive contract have been good enough for 3 points in 7 games, while Roberto Luongo has let up 11 goals in the 3 games since his return from injury.
While Sundin still has the potential to improve his play, this offense still centers around Swedish twins Daniel (48 points in 48 games) and Henrik (44 points in 48 games) Sedin, with Henrik playing set-up man and Daniel pulling the trigger. Pavol Demitra (25 points in 37) games has been electrifying at times and extremely disappointing at others. Meanwhile, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler do a quality job of shutting down opponents' top players. They can even help out on offense every once in a while (combined 49 points through 48 games).
The defense is without a superstar, but nobody is below average. Kevin Bieksa leads them offensively with 24 points through 39 games, while Willie Mitchell, Matthias Ohlund, and Alexander Edler have provided quality defensive play. Shane O'Brien and his bruising hits has been helpful as well. Acquired from Tampa Bay early on in the season for Lukas Krajicek, O'Brien has the honor of leading the NHL in penalty minutes with 130.
During Luongo's time spent on the injury reserve, Jason LaBarbera, acquired from Los Angeles for a 7th round pick, put up decent numbers (3.07 GAA, .907 Sv%) while handling most of the games. Original backup Curtis Sanford (2.59 GAA, .906 Sv%) has been sent to the minors despite cool suggestions for his helmet design:
(If you don't get it, the top one is former Canuck goalie Dan Cloutier, who wasn't particularly good, while the bottom one is starting goalie Roberto Luongo's face. Isn't it funnier when you understand it?)
FINAL GRADE: B-. And they were playing so well out of the gate. But they need to improve fast if they want to stay in the playoff race.
4. Minnesota Wild (9th)
-Oh, Marian Gaborik. You are so talented, but you are the epitome of fragile. You scored 5 goals in one game once! Then again, you're out for the season, and you have an unresolved contract dispute with the organization. Good for both of you. Now they'll probably lose you for nothing and you'll get less money than you wanted.
When healthy, Gaborik is a weapon and the heart of this offense. However, that's rare, and this season it finally seems as though he's done in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Wild's first round draft pick in 2001, Mikko Koivu, has taken over. He's on pace for 82 points, and on a team that ranks 27th in the league in scoring (2.47 goals per game), every point counts. Pierre-Marc Bouchard is showing just how badly he needs Gaborik with his 23 points in 43 games. Still, props to Antti Miettinen, who has 30 points through 46 games despite having a career high of 34. And as for you, Owen Nolan, you just keep on chugging; your 19 points through 28 games shows you're fragile, but you're a warrior. Nolan's 11 goals are sorely needed on a team without any big name scorers.
However, let's not forget that a lot of this is due to coach Jacques Lemaire's suffocating brand of defensive hockey. The Wild rank second in the league with 2.30 goals against per game. Defenseman Marek Zidlicky, acquired from Nashville during the offseason, has 25 points through 41 games. This guy can engineer an offense, and Lemaire has handed him the keys to the powerplay. Brent Burns (19 in 42) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (17 in 36) can both help out as well, but Kim Johnsson and Nick Schultz are the ones impress defensively. While Schultz doesn't dazzle offensively (5 points through 46 games), his plus 2 rating seems even higher, given his low offensive output.
Niklas Backstrom has been terrific in net (2.22 GAA and .926 Sv%), and he needs to be. For Lemaire it's not fun unless they win the game 2-1.
FINAL GRADE: B+. If this team makes the playoffs, I tip my hat to Lemaire. It may be boring to watch, but it works.
5. Colorado Avalanche (12th)
-The fact that the Avalanche are this close to a playoff spot is mind-boggling to me. Okay, maybe it's not that surprising, but when I look at this team I don't feel too good about them.
After debating retirement, center Joe Sakic decided to sign a one year contract with the team. He promptly got injured 15 games into the season, then hurt himself again in a snowblower accident. Don't get me wrong, Sakic is one of the greatest of all time (1,641 points in 1,378 career games). If anything, he deserves better than that; it shouldn't be the way he has to go out. I hope he doesn't retire yet. In the wake of his injury as well as the loss of Paul Stastny, left wing Ryan Smyth leads the team with 36 points in 47 games. Not bad, but that's less than I'd like to see in return for 7.5 million. Right behind him is Milan Hejduk with 34 points in 47 games. He hasn't looked the same since his heyday either.
However, Colorado has a funny way of blending the old with the new. Wojtek Wolski has 9 points in his last 8 games since shifting to center. T.J. Hensick continues to show potential with 15 points in 34 games, and John-Michael Liles has 23 points in 45 games to lead Colorado defensemen. Hard-hitting Adam Foote is also on his way back from injury, and will provide a much-needed boost to an ailing club. And here's to hoping Cody Mcleod can hit the 20 goal mark. Feel free to start a website to support his journey.
The Avs haven't enjoyed quality goaltending since Patrick Roy, and I'll bet they miss his occasional fight. Andrew Raycroft (2.77 GAA, .901 Sv%) and Peter Budaj (2.91 GAA, .899 Sv%) have both played excellent for stretches, but just as it seems they are about to pull away with the starting job, they play a terrible game.
FINAL GRADE: C-. I don't know if this team needs all-out rebuilding, but the veterans are fading quick. Peter Forsberg may make another comeback later in the season. Either way, this team needs some fixing.
FINAL STUFF
-Calgary wins the division while the Oilers and Wild tag along for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Canucks get pissed at themselves for blowing all that money on Sundin, fire their coach, and enjoy golf during the spring with the Avalanche.
Didn't the East win the all-star game?
ReplyDeleteyes they did. would you like me to explain further why the west is better?
ReplyDeleteNo, you pretty much covered it all. I was just pointing it out since it seemed at odds with your assessment. But you have stats to back it up so I won't argue.
ReplyDelete