It is no surprise that the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are at the top of the Central Division standings. What is surprising is the emergence of the Nashville Predators as bona fide Central Division contenders. who have a good chance to lock up either a Central or wild card playoff spot.
Here Come the Hawks!
The Blackhawks ripped off a streak of nine wins in 10 games to take the top spot in the Central with a record of 19-8-1-0. RW Patrick Kane and C Jonathan Toews are tied at the hip with two mega bucks contracts signed over the summer and are proving the worth of those deals. Kane had 12 goals and 14 assists while Toews added 11 goals and 12 assists as the top two scorers on the team. G Corey Crawford was flexing a Vezina pose with a .929 save percentage and 1.87 goals against average with a record of 12-5-1. Chicago is again a top shelf favorite to win it all.
Winning Note
The Blues were 16-8-0-2 and had won six out of nine games to stay in the hunt for the top spot. The big story is G Martin Brodeur who won two out of his first three games with the Note and posted a solid save percentage of .904. Number one netminder Brian Elliott remains out on injured reserve and Brodeur is likely to get plenty of work as the Blues obviously lack faith in number two G Jake Allen. LW Vladimir Tarasenko has broken out as one of the most exciting and best forwards in the game with a dominant line of 17 goals and 13 assists.
Sweet Tunes in Music City
A head coach can have a significant impact as proven by Peter Laviolette, who is working wonders in his first year with the Nashville Predators. The Preds were not just a much improved 18-7-2 which was good for second in the Central but were playing a much more entertaining style of play after years of a snooze inducing hockey under Barry Trotz.
Having G Pekka Rinne certainly makes Laviolette look smart as the netminder has a sensational .934 save percentage and 1.81 goals against average with three shutouts. C Filip Forsberg is looking like a steal of a deal for GM David Poile, who acquired the young prodigy two years ago from Washington. Forsberg has a team high 12 goals and 15 assists. What is most encouraging about the Preds is that they were the top team for goals against while getting that increase in offensive production.
