NHL shakeup: Cellar-dwellers no longer

Photo courtesy of sportyviews.com

Welcome to the humdrum period of professional hockey. It’s February, which means we have watched enough hockey to know which teams are for real, but there is also enough time for teams at the top to slip up and for dark horse teams to gain some momentum and possibly sneak into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, we are stuck in limbo. Only time will tell who will emerge as contenders and who will slip through the cracks. With so many storylines yet to unfold, all we can do is simply sit back and wait.

Wait, what’s that? The New York Islanders are leading the Metropolitan Division? The Nashville Predators are sitting atop the Central Division? Tampa Bay has 34 wins in mid-February? When did this happen? How? What? No.

Yes.

Behold the new-look National Hockey League. Sure, Buffalo is still dismal and Edmonton still can’t buy a win, but just look at the rest of the league. There is plenty of hockey still to be played, but the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning are both top three teams in the Eastern Conference, while the Nashville Predators have established themselves as the number one team in the Western Conference.

While you were taking your annual NHL siesta, the Islanders emerged as an elite team, piling up 75 points thus far and sporting a 20-6-0 home record. With a goal differential of plus-23, this team is proving that it is more than just the John Tavares show. Offseason acquisitions Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy have been sound defensemen for the Isles this season, while veteran netminder Jaroslav Halak has recorded a 30-11 record on the season and has logged a .912 save percentage in the process.

The Lightning also know a thing or two about solid goaltending. Ben Bishop has been outstanding between the pipes this season. Bishop is in great form, as he is allowing below 2.5 goals per game. He has shown consistency in his time with the Lightning, averaging a .917 save percentage since joining Tampa Bay in 2012. The Lightning also have one of the most potent attacks in hockey right now, with a killer one-two punch of sniper Steven Stamkos on the top line and assist machine Ondrej Palat on the second line. Tampa Bay’s plus-30 goal differential can obviously be largely attributed to Stamkos, who is lighting in a bottle (pun intended) and can seemingly score on demand. But the supporting cast has stepped up in a major way. Ryan Callahan, who was Martin St. Louis’s counterpart in last season’s trade with the New York Rangers, has 39 points and is looking more and more comfortable with Stamkos on the first line.

The Islanders made the playoffs in the 2012-13 season, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a run for their money in the first round before losing in six games. The Lightning were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in last season’s playoffs, but they were expected to make a run at the postseason again this year, so Jon Cooper’s squad was certainly not a “sleeper” heading into this season.

The Nashville Predators are a different story, though, especially because of how competitive their division happens to be. With all due respect to the Eastern Conference, the West is brutal in comparison — at least on paper. Of the 14 teams in the Western Conference, only three have fewer than 60 points thus far. In the East, however, half of the teams have not reached 60 points yet. Though this is obviously not the sole comparative metric between conferences, it is important to note that teams in the West really are looking at what may be a photo finish to get into the playoffs. The disparity between teams in the East’s Metropolitan Division, for example, is clear. The drop-off is evident. Washington, fourth in the division, is sitting on 68 points, while Philadelphia, fifth, has just 56. In comparison to the West’s Central Division, which is an absolute bloodbath, this gap is extraordinary.

The parity in the West makes for great entertainment, but for fans of the Nashville Predators, this drama may not be relevant to them this season if the team keeps chugging along as it is right now. Head coach Peter Laviolette has helped his team to an impressive 38 wins thus far. The Preds also boast a plus-39 goal differential, second only to St. Louis and Chicago, who both have a plus-40 mark. The Blues and the Blackhawks are outstanding yet again this season, which makes Nashville’s rise to the top of the Central Division even more remarkable. The Preds look built for the postseason, especially with Shea Weber anchoring the defense and Pekka Rinne in goal.

We shall see what unfolds the rest of the way, but when the playoffs roll around, don’t be surprised to see the Islanders, Lightning and Predators all contending. These teams have flipped the script and taken the league by storm. The Blackhawks will be in the mix, as will the Blues, Ducks, Canadiens and many of the other usual suspects. But don’t forget about the new kids on the block. Because they can skate with the best of them.

Josh Cohen is a freshman majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. His column, “The SCoreboard,” runs Mondays.