We are just over half of the way through the National Hockey League (NHL) season, so let’s take a look at how the teams have fared so far. The 2013-14 season is the first year back to 4 divisions in the NHL. As expected, the defending conference champions are at the top of their divisions.
The Chicago Blackhawks, who are the Stanley Cup Champions from last year, are tied at the top of the Central Division in the Western Conference with the St. Louis Blues, but have played 3 more games, so they are really in 2nd place. The team they beat in the finals, the Boston Bruins, lead the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference but only by 2 points over the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 3 points over the Montreal Canadiens.
The other division leader in the Eastern Conference isn’t a surprise either, as the Pittsburgh Penguins lead the Metropolitan Division by a whopping 15 points over the 2nd place Philadelphia Flyers. However, even though the Anaheim Ducks won the Pacific Division in the Western Conference last year, most people are surprised that they not only are leading that division again, but they have the best record in the NHL with 71 team points.
The Ducks have a 9 point lead over the San Jose Sharks, and a 12 point lead over the Los Angeles Kings, who won the Stanley Cup Championship 2 years ago. Even if the Ducks maintain this lead, all 3 teams will make the playoffs, and history has proved that home-ice advantage doesn’t mean very much in the playoffs. The Ducks are solid on offense, and much better on defense, but I’m still leery of their goalie situation.
I discovered an interesting thing when looking at the statistics of all the NHL teams. The Blues have by far the best goal differential with a +63 (160 goals for, and 97 goals against). The next closest team is the Blackhawks at +42. Having a +63 goal differential after just 43 games is quite impressive. Not surprisingly, the Blues and the Ducks have been the hottest teams recently, with the Blues 9-0-1, and the Ducks 9-1-0 in their last 10 games.
At the mid-point of this NHL season, the Penguins are the best team in the Eastern Conference, while the Ducks, Blues, and Blackhawks are playing the best in the Western Conference so far. Who knows what will happen in the second half of the season, but these 4 teams are virtually assured of a playoff spot with their good first half of the season.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
