Now that Team USA, led by Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, has clenched victory in the Olympic Gold Medal game over Team Canada, led by Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, it’s time to head back into the regular NHL season. Where are things at right now?
Games resume on Wednesday, Feb. 25, starting with the Buffalo Sabres battling the New Jersey Devils, and the Philadelphia Flyers facing off against the Washington Capitals, at 4:00pm. The Sabres are currently 4th in the Atlantic with 70 points, and New Jersey is 7th in the Metropolitan with 68. The Flyers stand at 6th in the Metropolitan with 61 points, with the Caps just one place above them, in 5th with 65 points.
The Tampa Bay Lighting lead the Atlantic division in the Eastern Conference with 78 points, and the Carolina Hurricanes the Metro with a mirroring 78 points as well. The red hot Colorado Avalanche lead the Central Division in the Western Conference, and the entire league, with 83 points. The Vegas Golden Knights reign in the Pacific Division with 15 points less at 68.
As of right now, the top three teams in the Atlantic in playoff spots for the Stanley Cup are the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Detroit Red Wings. In the Metropolitan, the top three teams are Canes, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the New York Islanders. Buffalo and Boston are in Wildcard #1 and Wildcard #2 of the Eastern Conference, respectively.
In the Western Conference, Colorado, Minnesota, and Dallas are in the playoff spots in the Central Division. The Pacific, however, is a much tighter race that has seen a lot of bouncing around. Currently, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Seattle Kraken are in the top three spots for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Utah Mammoth and the Nashville Predators are in Wildcard #1 and Wildcard #2.
League leaders in scoring are as follows: Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (96), Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (93), Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (91), Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks (81), and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers (81). MacKinnon also leads in goals (40), with McDavid in 2nd (34), and Kirill Kaprizov, Jason Robertson, Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, and Moran Geekie all tied for 3rd with 32 goals.
These teams and players have until Apr. 16 to change these standings around and clench a playoff spot for good. The last game will start at 7:30 PM that evening, with the Avalanche facing off against the Kraken. That same evening at 5:00 PM, the Ducks will battle the Predators, the Sharks will see the Winnipeg Jets, the Vancouver Canucks will fight the Oilers, the St. Louis Blues will meet the Mammoth, and the Kings will go head-to-head with the Calgary Flames.
Who will make it to the Stanley Cup Final this season? Will Sid the Kid get it done for Pittsburgh again? Will McDavid finally break his championship curse? Will MacKinnon’s fire be fueled by his devastating Olympic loss? Or will Celebrini, the next “Great One”, start a revenge tour after missing out on Gold at the Olympics and bring San Jose its first Stanley Cup? Each team has around 25 games to figure that out.
