Eastern Conference grades: Caps, Devils, Sabres not your average teams
If one man's parity is another's mediocrity, then a snapshot of the Eastern Conference at the midway point offers something for just about everyone.
The Devils, Capitals, Sabres and until lately the Penguins have distinguished themselves from the pack, and barring second-half disasters should all be locks for playoff spots. But the rest of the conference has been bunched together so tightly since the outset, that at least nine should be considered even-money bets to grab any of the four remaining playoff shots.
• Western grades: Coyotes head surprising trio
Maybe even 10 if Maple Leafs nation faithful are to be believed. Truth is only the Carolina Hurricanes are in the hopeless category at this point, but stranger things have happened.
And some could definitely be on the way. But for now, a graded look at how teams faired at the halfway point in the schedule.
Atlanta Thrashers: For the first two months of the season a lot of people wondered if they were too quick to dismiss Atlanta. Lately, not so much. The Thrashers hit the midpoint by losing for the eighth straight time and dropping below the playoff cutoff. More important, it sharpened the focus on Ilya Kovalchuk, who still hasn't signed a contract extension. The team captain is having a great season individually, and is the biggest reason Atlanta is sniffing around for a postseason spot. But as much as the Thrashers want him back, they can't afford to let their franchise face walk for nothing next summer, and they can't wait until there is a gun to their heads at the trade deadline. It's the biggest concern they had coming into the season and it really needed to be resolved by now. Grade: C
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| The Hurricanes are the only team in the Eastern Conference to receive a failing grade. (Getty Images) |
Buffalo Sabres: Ryan Miller may be the league's Most Valuable Player because the players Buffalo has counted on to produce have yet to. Thomas Vanek is a 40-goal guy who has only 11 so far, and no player on the team has more. Buffalo has another half dozen players with a similar total, and a smart and efficient defense that includes the league's best rookie, Tyler Myers. Buffalo hasn't missed the playoffs by much in the last two seasons, and the makeup of the team has been remarkably stable for this day and age. They know the system lifer coach Lindy Ruff likes to play and with Miller in another zone in this Olympic season, it's made the Sabres one of the league's best so far. Grade: A
Carolina Hurricanes: Here are some of the, ahem, highlights of Carolina's first half. Captain Rod Brind'Amour was made a healthy scratch. Carolina went without a road win until December. Both Eric Staal and Cam Ward were sidelined for nearly a month. It added up to a disastrous first half for an aging team that is one of the league's biggest busts. Revisionists might even question how this team actually made it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. But in retrospect, it looks like that was an emotional last gasp run by a team that has had nothing since the start of this season and played itself out of playoff contention by Thanksgiving. Grade: F
Florida Panthers: One of these seasons the Panthers will get their due and make the playoffs. The last appearance was 2000, but Florida has knocked on the door a few times since, and fell short last season under rookie coach Pete DeBoer because of a tiebreaker. Florida has hovered around the .500 mark this season, largely because it has been pretty good on the road where the Panthers tend to simplify things to be more effective. They are still basically a no-name type of group, although former first-rounders Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton have grown into leadership roles and goalie Tomas Vokoun has generally been steady. But the Panthers are hurting without high-scoring forward David Booth, who may not return this season from a concussion he suffered in October. Grade: C
Montreal Canadiens: There was little doubt the Montreal Canadiens needed a major overhaul to its roster after last season and an equal level of uncertainty about how all the new faces would mesh going forward. So for the Canadiens to be around the playoff cutoff level at midseason isn't necessarily the worst possible place. Especially since the team's best player, Andrei Markov, missed more than two months after an opening-night injury. Montreal has been hit hard by several other key injuries, but the Habs are getting strong seasons from Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri, and Jaroslav Halak has been making a strong case to be a No. 1 goalie either in Montreal or elsewhere. Grade: C
New Jersey Devils: Going back to the future has been a good thing for the Devils. Jacques Lemaire's second tour of duty in New Jersey hasn't made anyone less conscious of playing defense, but he is allowing enough freedom for superstar Zach Parise and several other players to do their things. New Jersey had several question marks coming into the season, some of them concerning goalie Martin Brodeur after his forgettable exit from the playoffs. But Brodeur has been at the top of his game while establishing career records for shutouts and games played, and the Devils have been the best and most consistent team home and away in the East as a result. Grade: A-plus
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| Ryan Miller's outstanding play has made the Sabres one of the best teams in the league to this point. (Getty Images) |
New York Rangers: Once in a while, the Rangers can actually hit the jackpot with a free-agent signing. Marian Gaborik has been better than advertised for New York, and along with goalie Henrik Lundqvist, is the reason the Rangers can still think about the postseason. New York had a blazing start and then seemed to fall off the face of the earth quickly. No one has to worry about that now as the Rangers have had some better moments lately. Thing is, Gaborik is a one-man scoring attack, while Lundqvist often plays the role of game savior. That's not enough. Losing either for an extended period would spell disaster for the team loaded with players who seem intent on seeing high-strung coach John Tortorella's blood vessels pop. Grade: D-plus
Ottawa Senators: The Senators got screwed by Dany Heatley last summer and their ability to overcome that debacle has made them one of the under-appreciated stories of the first half. Ottawa didn't make the playoffs last season, and watched their best scorer leverage his way out of town. But the Senators have been in the playoff pack all season and were challenging for the Northeast lead for the first two months. Mike Fisher is having a big season, as is Milan Michalek, who came from San Jose in the Heatley deal, have helped made up for the disappointing Alex Kovalev and an injury to Jason Spezza. You have to give credit to coach Cory Clouston in his first full season as an NHL coach. Grade: B-minus
Philadelphia Flyers: Just when you might have thought the Philadelphia Flyers realized it was time to get down to business, they turn in a head scratcher. Philadelphia has easily been the biggest bust so far as any team that acquires Chris Pronger is supposed to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. It cost John Stevens his coaching job, and while they seemed to be figuring out what replacement Peter Laviolette was saying heading into the Winter Classic, the Flyers came right back with a clunker. As always, goaltending is a concern here, and it might remain so even when Ray Emery gets back. And there really is the kind of talent here that could go deep in the playoffs. But there's no guarantee it can get there. Grade: D
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins looked no worse for wear from their short summer at the outset of the season, and the talent level here is so deep that their current swoon shouldn't be taken out of context. Pittsburgh will be there when the postseason begins, and very likely in the same fourth seed as last year. The Penguins could still challenge the Devils for the Atlantic's top seed, but they have shown a tendency to go through the motions at times, and as defenseman Brooks Orpik pointed out last weekend, you can only get away with that for so long. But Pittsburgh's title defense is about having it all in sync at playoff time, and then letting Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury do the rest. Grade: B-plus
Toronto Maple Leafs: It took the Maple Leafs eight games to get their first win, and five more to get their second, and yet they hit the halfway point still within sight of a playoff spot. Eight points is not an insignificant number to overcome, but the Leafs have had some decent moments and not that many East teams look better on a regular basis. A lot will depend on rookie goalie Jonas Gustavsson staying healthy and Phil Kessel producing regularly rather than in spurts. Toronto's best player has been defenseman Tomas Kaberle, the team's scoring leader, but Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Alex Ponikarovksy have had good seasons as well. Grade: D-plus
Tampa Bay Lightning: Neither Vincent Lecavalier or Martin St. Louis has double-digit goal totals at midseason and the Lightning are still legitimately in the playoff picture. Sophomore Steven Stamkos has taken a big step this season and Ryan Malone made himself a no-brainer for the American Olympic team, so Tampa Bay hasn't gone away. The goaltending has been solid, especially from Antero Niittymaki, while hot-shot rookie Victor Hedman hasn't disappointed. And both Lecavalier and St. Louis have stepped things up lately, which can only mean good things. If the Bolts can improve on their miserable shootout record, it might be enough. Grade: C-plus
Washington Capitals: The last few days were an exception for a team stunned by a trade that sent its captain to Columbus. No doubt there had to be a it-ain't-broken feeling around the Caps, who charged out of the gate and haven't really slowed all season. Alex Ovechkin has missed a few games because of injury and a suspension, but he's played like a man on a mission when in the lineup and that has set the tone for everyone else in Washington. Along with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin up front, and Mike Green coming from the back end, Ovechkin leads what is by far the most threatening offense in the conference. The defense hasn't been better than it is often given them credit for, and goalie Semyon Varlamov hasn't looked like the one-hit wonder some expected him to be after a great playoff run as a rookie last spring. Grade: A-plus
