The young Tampa Bay Lightning are loaded with skill and talent and also possess one of the bright young minds in the game in head coach Jon Cooper. General manager Steve Yzerman has used his education as a Detroit Red wing player and executive to mold the Lightning in that championship image. Meanwhile, Detroit was neck-and-neck with the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division as they have reloaded instead of rebuild.
The Montreal Canadiens have a world class goaltender in Carey Price, a perennial Norris Trophy candidate in P.K. Subban, and a bona fide sniper in left wing Max Pacioretty to formulate a Stanley Cup contender. The Atlantic Division will have a playoff push that will be among the most competitive and exciting in the NHL and with little margin for error for its teams.
Tampa Bay Lighting
In centers Tyler Johnson and Steven Stamkos, the Lightning have two of the best at that position in the game. Johnson had 17 goals and 31 assists with a whopping +26, while Stamkos had 26 goals and 19 assists. Right wing Ryan Callahan has proven to be an astute pick up in last year’s trade with the New York Rangers for Martin St. Louis. Callahan had 15 goals and 20 assists.
The Lightning led the NHL in goal scoring but ranked 15th for goals against. Defensemen Matt Carle and Radko Gudas were out with injuries to thin their young defensive corps while goaltender Ben Bishop had an ordinary save percentage of .914. A team that is a joy to watch, Tampa Bay must tighten up on defense if they are to advance far in the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings were one of the hottest teams in the NHL heading into the break with seven wins in eight games. Detroit was getting strong defense and goaltending as evidenced by their ranking of sixth in the NHL for goals against. Left wing Tomas Tatar has broken out with a strong season as he led Detroit with 21 goals. Center Gustav Nyquist had 19 goals as Detroit ranked 10th in the NHL for goal scoring and second for the power play. Goaltender Jimmy Howard had a .920 save percentage with a 2.11 goals against average. Head coach Mike Babcock has again proven to be the best in the game as his team is in the hunt for the Atlantic Title while retooling on the fly.
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Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens have emerged as one of the top defensive teams in the NHL with a ranking of fourth for goals against. Offense remains a concern as the Canadiens ranked 21st for goals scored and the power play. Pacioretty had 21 goals to pace the offense and added a +22. Subban had 11 goals, 20 assists and +7. Montreal was a final four team last year but to retain that status they will likely need an additional piece on offense before the trade deadline. The Habs won seven out of 10 before the break as an encouraging sign.
Boston Bruins
Age seems to have taken its toll with Boston and in particular defenseman Zdeno Chara. Boston slipped to 22nd in the NHL for goal scoring while ranking eighth for goals against. Left wing Brad Marchand led the Bruins with meager 12 goals. The Bruins have also gotten less than par out of goaltender Tukka Rask, who had a .918 save percentage. Boston did pick up the pace before the break with five wins in six games. The combination of an aging roster and lack of scoring will likely doom Boston if they even make the playoffs.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are much improved with an interesting mix of veteran leaders such as captain Willie Mitchell to go along with Rookie of the Year candidate Aaron Ekblad. Head coach Gerrard Gallant is an outstanding leader that gets top effort each night. Goal scoring remains scarce and a concern for Florida’s long term viability but they will go down fighting if they fail to gain a playoff spot and take a few teams with them along the way.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs are falling fast as their new emphasis on defense has taken away their one strength which was goal scoring. Toronto lost eight out of nine before the break.
Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is playing for a draft lottery pick and is badly outmanned each night while Ottawa has lost too many key pieces from their playoff teams of 2012 and 2013.
