The Winter Classic seems like it came and left before you can say “New Year’s Eve hangover”. Perhaps the nostalgia from seeing my childhood idols on the ice again made the moments pass more swiftly than I wanted, but as we turn the corner into 2014 there is plenty to look forward to.
There are five more outdoor games across North America this season. The Olympics are coming up in the next 50 days. The NHL season is officially at it’s halfway point and the quality of play will only get better as each game gets more important.
There are some confusing signs of life from the bottom of the NHL standings. Too little, too late is the metaphor of the hour, but these clubs have certainly provided a reminder to the rest of the league that there are no easy games in the NHL. Here are the eDraft Power Rankings 12.0.
30. Edmonton Oilers-Another four game losing streak. Yawn. When do the Olympics start?
29. Calgary Flames-The Flames are playing tough, but still look to be over their heads a bit. Waiting to see when the Flames start moving some of their tradable pieces to plan for next year.
28. Buffalo Sabres-The Sabres are in the same breath as Calgary. They are playing tough every night, but the business side of the NHL is calling. The Sabres have some quality players with expiring contracts. Time to start trading for value.
26. Winnipeg Jets-The Jets continue to tease their loyal fan base by staying within striking distance of the playoffs. They are a good run away from making that happen, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
27. Nashville Predators-With their record (18-18-5), the season is far from lost, but Nashville can’t seem to build any momentum with a few wins in a row. Pekka Rinne’s return should provide some kind of spark in a couple weeks.
25. Florida Panthers-The Panthers have lost their last two, but they are finally playing some good hockey. Coach Peter Horacek knows exactly what he has to work with and Alexander Barkov is showing signs that he can be a star in the NHL.
24. New York Islanders-So now the Islanders want to start winning games? They have the talent to win on any given night, but have they dug themselves too far into the cellar?
23. Detroit Red Wings-I’m not quite sure how Detroit can not play inspired hockey after the week of activity surrounding the Winter Classic. Sure they are getting healthier, but they are playing like sick dogs. Saturday night’s win is a step in the right direction, but let’s see some consistency.
22. Carolina Hurricanes-The Hurricanes cannot figure out if they want to be a playoff team or not. If every game were against Washington, they could win the President’s Trophy with Jeff Skinner as the Hart Trophy recipient.
21. New York Rangers-Hello? Anyone home? The Rangers are in direct competition with the Islanders to be the most disappointing team in the NHL. The Islanders have owned that crown all year but the Rangers seem to want it lately. And then a 7-1 win over a Toronto team with momentum. Because, of course.
20. New Jersey Devils-Middle of the road. Win, Loss, win, win, loss, loss. The Devils are still viable in the playoff picture, but lack consistency
19. Minnesota Wild-There’s a bad free fall happening in Minnesota and the Wild are endanger of playing themselves out of the playoffs. Josh Harding is back, but he can’t score goals. A nice come back against the Caps can hopefully start a streak in the right direction.
18. Phoenix Coyotes-The Coyotes have fallen upon mediocre times after their fast start. The second half of the season will be a testament to Dave Tippett’s ability to motivate his squad.
17. Columbus Blue Jackets-The Jackets have the potential to be a “feel good” story if they can sneak into the playoffs. Never mind that the only reason they have a shot is that the rest of the Eastern Conference has been awful.
16. Ottawa Senators-Four consecutive wins put the Sens back into the playoff discussion. Rich in talent, and youth, Ottawa is capable of great things. So far this year we have seen they are capable of awful things too.
15. Washington Capitals-They are still holding on to second in the Metro Division, but the Caps have lost three in a row and have the Flyers closing on them fast. Alexander Ovechkin keeps scoring, but he needs some help.
14. Toronto Maple Leafs-A huge win at the Winter Classic has the Leafs riding a three-game streak and possibly turning the corner and becoming the contender that they should be. The Rangers’ 7-1 can be chalked up to a Winter Classic hangover. #TorontoOptimism
13. Dallas Stars-One of the more underrated teams out west, the Stars are a fun team to watch. If you haven’t had a chance to see Valeri Nichushkin play, tune in immediately. He is a strong candidate for the Calder Trophy and looks like one of the more exciting young players in the league.
12. Philadelphia Flyers-Another road win in Phoenix gives the Flyers their sixth win in seven games. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek are on fire and Philly is finally living up to their preseason hype.
11. Los Angeles Kings-Although I predicted a collapse in Los Angeles, I forecasted it when Jonathan Quick was hurt in November. After five straight losses, Quick returns in goal against the Canucks to right the ship. We’ll see if he is the remedy the Kings need.
10. San Jose Sharks-The Sharks got back to their wining ways before falling in Colorado Saturday night. With Anaheim slipping from view, the Sharks now have to stave off challenges from behind in the standings from Los Angeles and Vancouver.
9. Montreal Canadiens-The Canadiens defense looks as sturdy as ever before last night’s loss to red-hot Ottawa. While I don’t expect the Habs to stay in the top ten through next week, they have been solid in their last ten and are still worthy.
8. Vancouver Canucks-The Canucks welcome Roberto Luongo back to the net on Saturday and are challenging for a top three seed in the Pacific Division. They have taken points in eight of their last ten games and getting their starting goaltender back should give them more momentum.
7. Colorado Avalanche-The Avalanche put the brakes on a slide down the standings in the Central Division. Wins over Philadelphia and San Jose reminded us that they are still not a fluke and won’t go away easily. With his legal troubles apparently behind him, Semyon Varlamov has been on fire lately.
6. Boston Bruins-The Bruins continue to be unspectacular, but keep on winning. Jarome Iginla seems to have found some chemistry with David Krejci and has rediscovered his scoring touch. The defense, as always has been super stingy.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning-I believe in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ben Bishop. This could very well be the best story of the year. Let’s not forget that Tampa is still waiting for their best player to return.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins-The Penguins made the New York Rangers look like an ECHL team on Friday night and are still not healthy. The goaltending has held up so far, and a wealth of young talent on defense has made life without Kris Letang and Paul Martin quite enjoyable.
3. Anaheim Ducks-The Ducks could quite easily be the best team in the NHL, but stumbled a bit this week against the rival Sharks. Anaheim returned the favor on home ice, thumping San Jose 6-3 before a comfortable home win against Edmonton 5-2.
2. Chicago Blackhawks-With very little fanfare, the Blackhawks have put together the best record in the NHL. They don’t appear to be as dominant in the regular season, but with the core of their 2013 championship intact, they are capable of turning it up a notch for the playoffs.
1. St. Louis Blues- The hottest team in the NHL right now is by far the St. Louis Blues. Another big win over an outgunned opponent (6-2 vs. Columbus Saturday) gives the Blues a five game win streak and moves them within three points of Chicago with three games in hand. By the way, St. Louis’ top goal scorer, Alexander Steen is still out with a concussion and has been placed on injured reserve.