Key Themes Behind NHL's Top Contenders
With the NHL's regular season dwindling down, there is a clear line drawn at the top of the standings. As of March 31, five teams have 100 points or more, and two are within two points of the plateau. For the purposes of this piece, that is the line that has been established for the "top contenders."
This season has been an interesting one, to say the least, and there have been many different storylines such as a decrease in scoring and the rise of the backup goaltender. Each of the top contenders are where they are in the standings for a reason, and there's a central theme that explains most of, if not all the major successes from the 2014-15 tilt.
There are certainly a number of ways you can spin it, but here are the essential key themes and words that best describe each top contender.
Anaheim Ducks: Perseverance
1 of 7
Points: 105
The Anaheim Ducks are a team that has persevered this season and overcome obstacles at numerous positions. Top goal scorer Corey Perry has been limited to 63 games this season because of the flu, mumps and a knee injury suffered in December. That hasn't stopped him from scoring 32 goals to date, and he is second on the team in points per game.
In addition to being without Perry, the Ducks were with their top defender Sami Vatanen for 15 games after he suffered a lower-body injury. The loss of the budding young offensive defender was brutal, especially when you consider the season he was having. He's played 63 games to date and already has tallied 36 points.
The injury bug continued to impact Anaheim, and it came in an area of the utmost importance. In net, Frederik Andersen missed eight games and John Gibson missed 21 games due to injury. That led to a very interesting Ilya Bryzgalov experience that was short lived.
All in all, the Ducks were able to roll with the punches because of how general manager Bob Murray built his roster. Young players such as Kyle Palmieri, Jakob Silfverberg, Patrick Maroon and more stepped up, and it is impressive that the Ducks are currently atop the NHL standings.
Nashville Predators: Dynamism
2 of 7
Points: 102
The Nashville Predators are a dynamic team, and the word dynamism really describes the emerging core of this team. Filip Forsberg is second in scoring with 59 points, and he is 20 years old. Roman Josi is only 24, and he has been the team's best defender by far. He is third in team scoring with 55 points.
In addition to the two bigger names, Craig Smith and Colin Wilson, both 25, have had respectable seasons in which they have tallied 42 and 41 points, respectively. This list to a greater extent speaks for the players who have had a major impact this season outside of Pekka Rinne and Mike Ribeiro.
For a number of weeks, the Predators proved critics wrong by continually winning hockey games, and their success can be repeated in the coming years because of the vitality and youthful vigor of the lineup. There's a good chance the Predators could win the Stanley Cup if things break their way, and it has been a very fun team to watch in 2014-15.
Montreal Canadiens: Historic Excellence
3 of 7
Points: 102
The Montreal Canadiens are where they are in the standings because of the historic excellence of Carey Price, and if he were having a usual year, it would be interesting to see where the team would be sitting right now.
He is a leading contender for the Hart Trophy, as Price has a record of 41-16-5 with a 1.92 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and nine shutouts.
To put into context how rare it is for a goalie to win 40 games and have a sub 2.00 goals against average, it has only happened seven times, according to Hockey-Reference.com. Five total goaltenders have accomplished the feat, and that includes Terry Sawchuk, Martin Brodeur, Jacques Plante, Bernie Parent and Roman Turek.
Price will join the club if his stats hold, and it should be noted that he has the highest save percentage of the group, although the stat wasn't tracked while Parent, Plante and Sawchuk were playing.
The last goalie to finish with 40 or more wins and a sub 2.00 goals-against average was Turek with the St. Louis Blues in 1999, and he finished the season with a record of 42-15-9 with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Price is on pace to finish with one of the greatest seasons in NHL history, and he has a chance to match Martin Brodeur’s 1997-98 season in which he finished with 43 wins and a 1.89 goals-against average.
New York Rangers: "Unforeseen"
4 of 7
Points: 101
The word "unforeseen" most definitely explains the New York Rangers' 2014-15 season. The Blueshirts have been one of the best teams in the league, and it has been for reasons you wouldn't think of. When Henrik Lundqvist went down with an injury, the Rangers were in unfamiliar territory.
Since entering the league in 2005, Lundqvist hadn't suffered any major injury that kept him sidelined for a significant amount of time. With the Blueshirts in wild-card territory at the time, things were looking dire.
Cam Talbot was pressed into service as the team's starter during the stretch that Lundqvist was out, and the team hardly missed a beat. The Caledonia, Ontario, native went 16-4-3 and 20-year-old Mackenzie Skapski went 2-0-0 in his two appearances against the Buffalo Sabres.
As a whole, the Rangers were able to pick up 39 of a potential 50 points during that span, and they held an unprecedented winning percentage of .720. In addition to the play of Talbot and Skapski, the Rangers have received unexpected contributions from forwards such as Kevin Hayes, Carl Hagelin and J.T. Miller.
The trio has been superb in a third-line role, as Hayes has 39 points, Hagelin has 32 and Miller has 20 in only 51 games played this season. Yes, the Rangers have received solid play from Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard, but the team has primarily been driven by quality contributions from unexpected sources.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Electricity
5 of 7
Points: 101
It may seem cheap and unoriginal, but electric best describes the atmosphere surrounding a young team full of speed, creativity and power. If you take a look at NHL.com's stats page, you will notice that Steven Stamkos is no longer the main offensive threat on his own team.
Tyler Jonson has 67 points playing 17 minutes, 17 seconds per game, Nikita Kucherov has 60 points playing 14:55 per game and Ondrej Palat has 59 points playing 17:24 a game. Stamkos leads the team with 68 points playing 19:25 a night.
In addition to that, the defense has played a solid two-way game, and it has really kicked things up a notch. Anton Stralman has 38 points, Victor Hedman has 37 points in 57 games and Jason Garrison has 30 points.
In goal, Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy have been a formidable tandem, and both give the Lightning an equal chance to win. Bishop is 37-13-4 with a 2.37 goals-against average and Vasilevskiy is 7-4-1 with a 2.30 goals-against average.
Last year, the Lightning went out in a sweep because Bishop was hurt, but this year they should be in good shape if either netminder were to get injured.
Although the team has been battling the injury bug, it has the potential to do some damage if it can get healthy again. No matter what happens, this has been a successful step forward for Tampa Bay, and the future looks very promising.
St. Louis Blues: Balance
6 of 7
Points: 99
The St. Louis Blues' balance has really put them in a position to succeed this season. The Blues historically haven't been an offensive juggernaut, but this season scoring has been balanced throughout a number of lines.
Dynamic winger Vladimir Tarasenko has 71 points, Alex Steen has 62 points, Jaden Schwartz has 56 points, David Backes has 54 points, T.J. Oshie has 52 points, Paul Stastny has 43 points and Jori Lehtera has 40 points. As good as the Blues' forwards have been offensively, the blue line has had two quality contributors.
Alex Pietrangelo has tallied 42 points to date and Kevin Shattenkirk has 40 points in only 51 games. Both are also very talented in their own end, and it just adds to their overall value to the team. Head coach Ken Hitchcock has been one of the best bench bosses in league history and is one of four coaches to win 700 games.
In the past seasons with the Blues, the team has been strong during the regular season, but the balance of scoring in conjunction with a solid defense and goaltending has allowed St. Louis to bolster its candidacy for the Stanley Cup.
Chicago Blackhawks: Experience
7 of 7
Points: 98
The Chicago Blackhawks have consistently been a team among the leaders in the NHL, and this year can best be described as one in which veteran experience has been key.
Marian Hossa is 36, but that hasn't stopped him from tallying 22 goals and 57 points. Patrick Sharp has overcome some slumps and struggles to tally 40 points in 62 games.
Brad Richards has tallied 36 points in a second- and third-line role, and "young veteran" Jonathan Toews has really set the tone since Patrick Kane was injured a few weeks ago.
While the overall point totals aren't that impressive, each has come through in the clutch at one point or another this season. Toews has five game winners, Richards has three and both Hossa and Sharp have two game winners.
The collective experience of the group makes Chicago one of the savviest teams ready to enter the playoffs, and for that reason it should not be overlooked once the playoffs start.
Statistics via Hockey-Reference.com and NHL.com reflect totals before play started March 31. Injury information is via The Hockey News' transaction tracker.
.jpg?w=600 "4x All-Pro Justin Simmons Retires")