Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2017 17:17:53 GMT
1st Divisional Matchups Summary
The first foray into the divisional matchups is complete, and parity is the name of the game. Only the Jets are out of the race, at least one division leader is in serious trouble, and the gap between 6th and 15th is only 20 points. Lots of hockey left to play.
Atlantic
1. Montreal Canadiens (53-29-8, 114 points)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-36-8, 100 points)
3. Buffalo Sabres (38-42-10, 86 points)
4. Ottawa Senators (35-49-6, 76 points)
Montreal is still in the lead, but after losing to Ottawa in week 6 the Canadiens no longer look so invincible. Fortunately for Montreal, a 10-3 win over division rival Toronto was enough to put them far enough ahead. As for the Maple Leafs, two convincing wins over Buffalo and Ottawa brings them within 14 points of first in the division and certainly leaves them in contention. Buffalo beat up on the Senators in week 4, but then suffered bad defeats at the hands of Montreal and Toronto. And Ottawa is thrilled with its win over the Canadiens, but only taking 19 points against Buffalo and Toronto leaves the Senators with an uphill climb in the division. If it wasn't for the win by Ottawa, this was looking like a 2-team division. But the Senators flipped the script, and now who knows what might happen.
Metro
1. New York Islanders (51-30-9, 111 points)
2. Philadelphia Flyers (39-42-9, 87 points)
3. New York Rangers (32-45-13, 77 points)
4. New Jersey Devils (33-50-7, 73 points)
As expected, the tough Metro teams beat up on each other over the past three weeks. The Islanders squeaked out three wins, 9-5, 8-5 and 7-5, although the stats were incredibly close in all of their matchups. The Flyers got off to a good start with a 8-6 win over the Rangers, but then lost to the Isles and Devils in weeks 5 and 6. The Rangers beat the Devils 8-6 and then lost by a hair to the Islanders. And the Devils are hanging around after a tough starting schedule, finally getting into the win column in week 6. All in all, this division may largely pummel itself into only getting one team in the playoffs.
Central
1. Minnesota Wild (51-30-9, 126 points)
2. St. Louis Blues (40-38-12, 92 points)
3. Dallas Stars (40-41-9, 89 points)
4. Winnipeg Jets (19-60-11, 49 points)
Minnesota was left eating crow, after making a lot of noise about sweeping the Jets in week 5, when St. Louis came to town in week 6 and handed the Wild its first loss of the season. The win left the Blues 3-0 on its divisional stretch, and catapulted St. Louis into the playoff picture. Things were looking bleak in Dallas after losing to Minnesota and St. Louis, but then Winnipeg arrived at a perfect time to get the Stars back into the playoff picture. As for the Jets, they got 2 points in the past two weeks. Fortunately for the top 3 teams in the Central, they can feast on the Jets two more times each and probably compete for the playoffs on the backs of that imbalance in scheduling.
Pacific
1. LA Kings (49-32-9, 107 points)
2. Colorado Avalanche (43-40-7, 93 points)
3. LV Golden Knights (41-43-6, 88 points)
4. Calgary Flames (32-50-8, 72 points)
The Kings are still in the lead, but after losing to the Knights and the Avalanche over the past three weeks the perennial division champs are on shaky ground. The Avs appear legitimately to be turning the corner into a playoff-challenging team, although the win against the Kings salvaged what could have been a divisional disaster after tying Calgary and losing to the Knights in weeks 4 and 5. The Knights were the best team in the division over the past three weeks, going 3-0. And while the Flames are still only 20 points out of 6th in the league, two losses and a tie might push some skeptics to predict a tank.
The first foray into the divisional matchups is complete, and parity is the name of the game. Only the Jets are out of the race, at least one division leader is in serious trouble, and the gap between 6th and 15th is only 20 points. Lots of hockey left to play.
Atlantic
1. Montreal Canadiens (53-29-8, 114 points)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-36-8, 100 points)
3. Buffalo Sabres (38-42-10, 86 points)
4. Ottawa Senators (35-49-6, 76 points)
Montreal is still in the lead, but after losing to Ottawa in week 6 the Canadiens no longer look so invincible. Fortunately for Montreal, a 10-3 win over division rival Toronto was enough to put them far enough ahead. As for the Maple Leafs, two convincing wins over Buffalo and Ottawa brings them within 14 points of first in the division and certainly leaves them in contention. Buffalo beat up on the Senators in week 4, but then suffered bad defeats at the hands of Montreal and Toronto. And Ottawa is thrilled with its win over the Canadiens, but only taking 19 points against Buffalo and Toronto leaves the Senators with an uphill climb in the division. If it wasn't for the win by Ottawa, this was looking like a 2-team division. But the Senators flipped the script, and now who knows what might happen.
Metro
1. New York Islanders (51-30-9, 111 points)
2. Philadelphia Flyers (39-42-9, 87 points)
3. New York Rangers (32-45-13, 77 points)
4. New Jersey Devils (33-50-7, 73 points)
As expected, the tough Metro teams beat up on each other over the past three weeks. The Islanders squeaked out three wins, 9-5, 8-5 and 7-5, although the stats were incredibly close in all of their matchups. The Flyers got off to a good start with a 8-6 win over the Rangers, but then lost to the Isles and Devils in weeks 5 and 6. The Rangers beat the Devils 8-6 and then lost by a hair to the Islanders. And the Devils are hanging around after a tough starting schedule, finally getting into the win column in week 6. All in all, this division may largely pummel itself into only getting one team in the playoffs.
Central
1. Minnesota Wild (51-30-9, 126 points)
2. St. Louis Blues (40-38-12, 92 points)
3. Dallas Stars (40-41-9, 89 points)
4. Winnipeg Jets (19-60-11, 49 points)
Minnesota was left eating crow, after making a lot of noise about sweeping the Jets in week 5, when St. Louis came to town in week 6 and handed the Wild its first loss of the season. The win left the Blues 3-0 on its divisional stretch, and catapulted St. Louis into the playoff picture. Things were looking bleak in Dallas after losing to Minnesota and St. Louis, but then Winnipeg arrived at a perfect time to get the Stars back into the playoff picture. As for the Jets, they got 2 points in the past two weeks. Fortunately for the top 3 teams in the Central, they can feast on the Jets two more times each and probably compete for the playoffs on the backs of that imbalance in scheduling.
Pacific
1. LA Kings (49-32-9, 107 points)
2. Colorado Avalanche (43-40-7, 93 points)
3. LV Golden Knights (41-43-6, 88 points)
4. Calgary Flames (32-50-8, 72 points)
The Kings are still in the lead, but after losing to the Knights and the Avalanche over the past three weeks the perennial division champs are on shaky ground. The Avs appear legitimately to be turning the corner into a playoff-challenging team, although the win against the Kings salvaged what could have been a divisional disaster after tying Calgary and losing to the Knights in weeks 4 and 5. The Knights were the best team in the division over the past three weeks, going 3-0. And while the Flames are still only 20 points out of 6th in the league, two losses and a tie might push some skeptics to predict a tank.