The Washington Capitals turned their season around back in mid-March, and aided by the poor quality of play in the Southeast Division, the Caps now stand poised to win the division in this final week of the regular season. TheSportsNotebook’s NHL analysis will look at how Washington got themselves to this point, and the road that lies ahead.
The unlikeliest contender is the Columbus Blue Jackets. The franchise has only made the postseason one time since coming into existence in 2001. That was four years ago and they lost in the first round. So it’s understandable, with the team now tied for the final playoff berth, that the locals might be excited about something more than college football for a change.
Today we’re going to take a look at Ottawa, who seems to have their playoff berth reasonably in hand with 11 days to go in the regular season. We’ll also check in on Winnipeg, who is chasing either the 8-seed and final playoff berth, or the title in the weak Southeast Division, which would be default move them up to the 3-spot.
It’s been an up-and-down year for the San Jose Sharks—which is saying something, because the compressed schedule wouldn’t seem to lend itself to a lot of ups and downs. But with the season entering its final two weeks, the Sharks’ roller-coaster is at the top. They’re in fifth in the Western Conference, with a comfortable seven-point margin between them and the playoff borderline. For today’s NHL analysis, we’ll examine their strengths and weaknesses and see if this the San Jose team that can finally reach the Finals.
Hockey in the New York Tri-State area has no shortage of excitement going right now, with the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils are battling around the borderline of the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoffs. It’s possible all three could make it, and it’s possible all three could miss. Although neither extreme is likely, it adds to the drama these final seventeen days of the regular season. TheSportsNotebook’s NHL analysis will compare all three teams in each phase of the game.
The Minnesota Wild have had a less than stellar history since their founding prior to the 2001 season. The franchise has only made the playoffs three times, the last of which was five years ago. But the strike-shortened year of 2013 has been good to the Wild, and they’re tied for first in the Northwest Division—with powerhouse Vancouver no less—and in third in the Western Conference overall. Today’s NHL analysis will look at whether or not the Wild is the real deal, after an offseason where they splurged on free agents.
With the sports world focused on the NCAA Tournament and the beginning of baseball season, the Pittsburgh Penguins took the NHL by storm. The talented Penguins have ripped off 15 straight wins, all but locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference and passed Chicago for the best record overall. In today’s NHL analysis, TheSportsNotebook will break down how Pittsburgh is doing it, and then take a brief look at the overall postseason landscape in the East.
In this space, we’ll have closing thoughts on regional finals action, then see what’s on tap in the daily sports TV action throughout the week, as we build to the big night of college hoops on Saturday.
The Chicago Blackhawks are all the rage in the NHL in this shortened season. Don’t look now tough, but the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are lurking in second place in the Western Conference. Anaheim’s only four points behind Chicago and has played one fewer game. Are the Ducks the real deal, or are they a pretender in the West? That’s the question TheSportsNotebook’s NHL analysis will try and answer today.
The rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins is one of the best in hockey and the first half of the NHL’s truncated regular season suggest that 2013 could provide a special installment of that rivalry’s history. Halfway through the season, the Canadiens and Bruins are playing the best hockey in the Eastern Conference. Montreal is atop the standings. Boston is only a point behind coming into Sunday, despite having played three fewer games.
It’s been quite a dry spell for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The franchise last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 and in the intervening years they’ve never made it back to the Finals, and only four times have even reached the conference finals. An even bigger mark of ineptitude is the seven straight years they’ve missed the playoffs—let’s call it the Curse of Gary Bettman, since that covers the entire period since the 2005 season was cancelled. Today though, Toronto is hanging in the NHL Eastern Conference playoff race, in the #7 position. TheSportsNotebook’s NHL analysis today will focus on whether the Leafs are finally for real as a playoff team.