We are now at the midway point in the 2013-2014 NHL season. There have been many teams that have exceeded their expectations, but also many that have struggled to find consistency in their play.
Although there are teams that have been expected to be at the top of their respective conferences, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, most teams are not where they were expected to be. Many players have stepped up for their teams, such as Alexander Steen of the St. Louis Blues, Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars and Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In professional sports, anything can happen, and that is especially true in the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche, who finished with the worst record in the Western Conference and ended up with the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, are currently third in their division and have a comfortable lead for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Going into this season, the New York Islanders were thought to be a team that would be fighting for a playoff spot. especially after However, despite their in-season acquisition of four-time 30 goal scorer Thomas Vanek, New York is sitting among the bottom five teams in the league.
The St. Louis Blues have taken their performance to a new level, while riding the hot stick of Steen (27 goals, 45 points) throughout the season. The Blues are sitting in second place in the Central Division and in third place overall in the Western Conference.
The most surprising team so far this season would probably be the hometown Tampa Bay Lightning. Led by captain Martin St. Louis and starting goaltender Ben Bishop, the team has been able to sustain success for most of the season, even without their top forward, Steven Stamkos, who has not played since Nov. 11 due to a broken tibia. The Lightning went from one of the worst teams in the league last season to a playoff contender this season. St. Louis has given the Lightning a great source of scoring by contributing 54 points, including 25 goals. Bishop is one of the main reasons the team is sitting at third place overall in the Eastern Conference. The goalie has 27 wins, along with a .933 save percentage and a 1.98 goals against average, making him one of the
favorites for the Vezina Trophy.
Most teams would not be where they are without certain players that carry the team. At this point in the season, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins definitely deserves the MVP. He is one of the few elite players in the NHL and has certainly raised the performances of the players around him. So far, Crosby has contributed a league leading 77 points, including 28 goals, along with 27 power play points and a +13 plus/minus.
A player that has been the most disappointing is Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings. After a fantastic Stanley Cup winning season and a fairly good lockout shortened season, the Kings’ captain has a paltry 16 points to his name while playing all but one game this season.
Most teams have played nearly 60 games, so that means there are about 20 games remaining before we get to the playoffs. For teams looking to make a playoff push, this is when no mistakes can be made and every game counts.
Teams that are in a good position for the playoffs are the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning in the East and the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche in the West. Every other spot is up for grabs.
The playoffs are tough to make, but once you get into the dance, crazy things can happen. There is still a lot of time in the season, so anything can happen leading up to the playoffs. After the break for the Sochi Olympics, get ready for some exciting hockey as teams try to push to extend their season in the battle for the Stanley Cup.
Dominick Falco can be reached at dominick.falco@spartans.ut.edu.