As the NHL season winds down, some things are certain: The Washington Capitals are running away with the President’s Trophy race with a whopping 98 points. They are 13 points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks who have 85; Alexander Ovechkin is the favorite to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as he leads the league in goals with a grand total of 41; and there is still a wide open race for the Vezina Trophy.
But the Stanley Cup playoffs, as many of you know, are as unpredictable as can be. An eighth seed can topple a first seed and win the Stanley Cup (look up the Los Angeles Kings) and a lower seed can sweep the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round (reference the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs). From a glance, it is easy to think that the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks are the favorites to meet in the Stanley Cup Final but there are some teams that can sneak in there and disrupt that.
Anaheim Ducks
After a disastrous start of the year with a 1-7-2 record after the first month of the season, the Anaheim Ducks have rallied well since the holiday break with a NHL-best 23-3-2 record.
What makes this team go is the combination of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry: Getzlaf leads the team in assists with 41 while Perry leads the team in goals with 25. They are as good a dynamic duo as you will find in the league west of the Mississippi River but the strength of this team is not the only depth they have.
Emerging for the Ducks this season has been center Rickard Rakell who has a stat line of 16 goals and 18 assists, providing good depth behind Getzlaf and Perry. Other players such as Jakob Silvferberg, veteran Ryan Kesler, trade acquisition David Perron, and defenseman Sami Vatanen all provide good offense to the Ducks. The one-two punch in net with Frederik Andersen and John Gibson are keeping the ship steady by allowing the third-least amount of goals in the NHL with 142.
After a crushing seven-game defeat at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, this Ducks team is more determined than ever to get to the Stanley Cup final. They’re peaking at the right time, and that can carry a team a long way in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Kings
After winning the Stanley Cup in two out of the previous three years, the Los Angeles Kings missed the playoffs last season. The absence was largely blamed on injuries and having to adjust to having new players in their system. This year, however, the Kings started fast and have not looked back in the Pacific Division, holding a four-point lead over second-place Anaheim.
The Kings’ success depends on the success of goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick leads the team in wins with 31 and with a goals-against average of 2.15. Despite having 36 wins last season and six shutouts, his save percentage was only .918%. His save percentage this year so far has been .922%.
Anze Kopitar has been leading the Kings’ attack with a stat line of 18 goals and 34 assists, leading the team in points. Kopitar’s passing ability has allowed others to have opportunities to contribute. Guys such as Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown and Tyler Toffoli have all followed his lead in putting up goals night after night.
The Kings have always been a team that finds ways to win no matter the circumstances. For example, in the 2013 Playoffs first round, they rallied back from a 3-0 hole against the San Jose Sharks to win the series and eventually to take the Stanley Cup. This team is definitely one to be careful of when the playoffs start.
St. Louis Blues
No one knew what to expect from the St Louis Blues going into the season. First they trade away one of their star players in T.J. Oshie to make room to pay Vladimir Tarasenko more money and questions about the supporting offense until Tarasenko came about during the season.
Those questions for now at least have been put to rest. Troy Brouwer, who was added in the Oshie trade, has provided steady offense but not quite as explosive as what Oshie provided. Brouwer has a stat line of 12 goals and 13 assists on the year, ranking fifth in goals and tenth in assists for the team, so it’s proving it wasn’t a bad trade. Captain David Backes has been his consistent self with 16 goals and 18 assists and Alexander Steen has been sensational with 17 goals to go with 30 assists.
While the Blues have been known for their defensive style of play, they rank only 19th in the NHL in goals scored, mostly due to injuries to key scorers such as Steen, Jori Lehtera and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The goal-tending tandem of Jake Allen and Brian Elliot has kept the Blues in games and it shows with the team standing third in the Western Conference with 81 points. If this team wants to avoid another playoff letdown after being bounced from the first round for the past three years, they need to get healthy and score more to support their goal-tenders. Timely scoring and a hot goal-tender can go a long way for a team in the playoffs.
