Around the NHL at the quarter pole

November 23, 2008   ·   Hasan   ·   Jump to comments

It’s always fun around this time of the year to take a look at where teams stand around the league. And I’ll do that with a twist – going by division names as they should be.

Patrick Division:

1. Rangers (14-7-2) – Starting to cool after their hot start, and Jarko Ruutu is giving Ranger fans a taste of what Sean Avery did to the Devils last year.
2. Pittsburgh (12-5-3) – Even with assorted defections and injuries, the Penguins are still rolling after a slow start. Just imagine when they get Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney off IR (shudder).
3. Devils (10-7-2) – The anticipated post-Martin Brodeur nightmare hasn’t come to pass yet – but a killer December schedule looms. At least Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik should return in the next week or two.
4. Philadelphia (9-6-4) – Down and up, down and up, the Flyers can make you seasick; but their goaltending seems to have straightened out which bodes well for the rest of the way.
5. Islanders (8-10-2) – Not as bad as initially feared – especially without Rick DiPietro – then again we say that about the Isles all the time in December and look where they are by April.

Adams Division:

1. Boston (14-3-4) – Who would have thunk Claude Julien‘s previously conservative Bruins would be leading the Eastern Conference in goals…let alone have the best record?!
2. Montreal (11-5-3) – Still a decent record and their goalies have been playing well but the Habs don’t look quite as imposing as last year. Perhaps losing Mark Streit has hurt the power play.
3. Buffalo (9-8-3) – What was I saying about Buffalo being a playoff shoo-in a few days ago? Oops…but I’m sure grosek18 isn’t surprised by the Sabres’ recent swoon.
4. Toronto (7-8-5) – Have held up surprisingly well under Ron Wilson with a rebuilding team especially given the dissapointing play of Vesa Toskala. But again, it’s early.
5. Ottawa (7-9-4) – Finally, the Senators have found a reliable goaltender in Alex Auld. Too bad it’s 2 or 3 years too late.

Bettman Division:

1. Washington (11-6-3) – About where they’re expected to be, scoring and giving up a ton of goals (the latter mostly thanks to a predictably dissapointing Jose Theodore).
2. Carolina (11-7-2) – I still don’t think they’re particularly good, but hey someone’s gotta get wins in the (cough) Southeast. And Eric Staal is due to pick it up and be more consistent.
3. Tampa Bay (6-7-6) – Only in Bettman’s NHL and a bad division can this team with its off-ice circus act still be muddling along at close to .500. But Mike Smith is showing he’s ready for prime time as the starting goaltender.
4. Atlanta (7-10-2) – Have the Thrashers finally made Ilya Kovalchuk lose interest? The flashy winger is on pace for only 25 goals. At least the Thrashers may have also found their goalie of the future in Ondrej Pavelec.
5. Florida (7-11-1) – I guess I was off with picking the Panthers to be on the rise. Even with Vokoun and Anderson in net and an improved defense, it’s hard to win when you barely average two goals a game as a team.

Adams Division:

1. Detroit (14-2-3) – The record’s been as good as advertised though their usually staunch D hasn’t been. Then again if you can average almost four goals a game why would you bother playing D in the regular season?
2. Chicago (10-4-5) – Looks like bringing in Joel Quenneville helped, the Hawks are 9-2-4 since their contreversial coaching change, and may just have another rookie of the year in Kris Versteeg.
3. Columbus (9-8-3) – If Versteeg isn’t rookie of the year, Derick Brassard might be. He’s pumped some life into a previously dormant Jackets offense and they’ve treaded water despite dissapointing play from Pascal Leclaire.
4. Nashville (9-9-1) – With an improved division, shaky goaltending and diminshing talent level you’d think at some point even Barry Trotz isn’t going to have any magic rabbits left to keep the Predators competitive.
5. St. Louis (8-8-2) – How is this team even .500?! Their two leading scorers (Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes) have +/-’s of -12 and -14 and Manny Legace pre-injury had a GAA of 3.11 and save percentage of .896.

Norris Division:

1. Vancouver (13-6-2) – Off to a pretty good start with a healthy Pavol Demitra giving their offense a boost but now their season may be hanging in the balance due to a single MRI – franchise goalie Roberto Luongo’s.
2. Minnesota (11-6-1) – If they win the division again without Demitra, Brian Rolston or Marian Gaborik (FA defections and one costly long-term injury) then Jacques Lemaire has to get considered for the Jack Adams award.
3. Calgary (11-9-1) – Middling along as usual, their offense is improved this year but Miikka Kiprusoff looks fat and happy after signing a big extension two years ago.
4. Edmonton (9-9-2) – Mattheu Garon followed his breakout season last year with a disasterous start this year and the Oilers are struggling to sort out a messy goaltending situation.
5. Colorado (9-10) – If it wasn’t for a 4-0 shootout record things would be far worse for a team with question marks pretty much everywhere – goaltending, offense, health.

Gretzky Division:

1. San Jose (17-3-1) – They do have talent but I am still surprised they’ve done as well early on with a rookie coach, different system and Evgeni Nabokov‘s recent injury.
2. Anaheim (11-8-3) – Funny how Brian Burke swooped in, lucked into a Stanley Cup thanks to the Niedermayer and Pronger families and now conveniently exits just as the team is aging and in cap hell.
3. Los Angeles (8-8-3) – Another team that hasn’t been as bad as expected, mainly due to smart low-cost imports on defense and finally figuring out that Erik Ersberg should be the starting goalie.
4. Phoenix (8-9-2) – While some of their younger players haven’t lived up to expectations, Ed Jovanovski also needs to step up, the supposed leader on D has a pitiful four points and is a -10 in 19 games this season.
5. Dallas (6-9-4) – And to think they were a dissapointment before the season-ending Brenden Morrow injury. While the Avery antics were tolerated and encouraged in New York, they haven’t been received as well in Dallas.