What’s happening in the NHL?

Even with no lockout or strike to speak of, things have been interesting in the NHL this year so far! And at just about the halfway mark of the season, some surprising teams have risen to the top, while some major contenders have fallen to the bottom of the pack. And with all of that going on, is it anyone’s guess at this point who will be in the playoffs?

The Boston Bruins had a slow start to their year and had many doubting the Stanley Cup champions. But their offense has since given their head a shake and the intuitive coaching style of Claude Julien has definitely played a hand in turning the Bruins around to keep them sitting in the #1 spot in the East.

The Bruins’ bad start though may not have been surprising as the outstanding season the Florida Panthers have been having. The Panthers sit just two spots under the Bruins and that’s pretty incredible for a team that has been fairly laughable for more than the past decade. It was in 1996 that the Panthers last had a run at the Stanley Cup and at that time, they had Ed Jovanovski’s help along the way. Perhaps he then can be directly linked to the teams’ success, as they began to suffer when he moved onto other teams and are clearly now a much better team after signing Jovanovski back on as a free agent in July.

The last surprise of the eastern division in the NHL is the Washington Capitals or rather, Alexander Ovechkin. The captain had everyone talking and wondering what was wrong early in the season when he couldn’t seem to score goals, pick up speed, or do anything else on the ice. Problems with the coach might have been the problem there as the firing of Bruce Boudreau and the hiring of Dale Hunter seems to have changed Ovechkin’s outlook, and his stats.

Boudreau wasn’t unemployed for too long though. The same week he was fired by Washington, he was hired by Western division team, the Anaheim Ducks, who are a bit of a surprise themselves this season. Always being known as one of the toughest teams to go up against for the past several years, Anaheim now finds themselves in second-last place in their division, just over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The top of the standings in the West bring more surprises as the Minnesota Wild, who haven’t made the playoffs in the last two years, hold the top spot. Below them are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars, two more teams that have been barely mentionable in the years past, although Chicago has been making a bit of a comeback recently. San Jose, a team that usually dominates in the West, has fallen to eighth spot, while the Vancouver Canucks are just slightly above them, at number six.

So who will make the playoffs? Many of the old faces will be there including Vancouver and San Jose (although Anaheim’s chances are very slim,) but there will be some new ones too. Minnesota will likely head back, the first time for them since 2007; and Toronto might even be there too — that will be the first time for them since the 2003-2004 season.

So what’s happening in the NHL? A lot. And with so much uncertainty and so many surprising teams, it might be one of the best seasons there is!

Categorized in: NHL