NHL Teams March Toward Lord Stanley's Cup

Now that the NHL is in the final quarter of the season and the trade deadline has passed, teams are who they are—and the forecast of the future is clearer. Thus, it seems logical to gaze into the crystal ball and project the final standings.

For this article, I will examine not only each playoff team's position, but also predict the number of points each finishes with and give a brief explanation why. In the next article, I will project the playoffs.

1. Washington Capitals (120): This team has arguably the most impressive offence in the league, and it is getting better in net. Moreover, the Capitals play in by far the weakest division in the NHL, and they already have a game-and-a-half lead over the team with the next best record—San Jose.
2. San Jose Sharks (117): For more on them, visit me at Shark-Infested Blogger.
3. Chicago Blackhawks (116): While they own the tiebreaker over San Jose, they have at least as tough a schedule the rest of the way— and a two-point deficit.
4. Vancouver Canucks (106): With the energy and glut of home games left following the Olympics, they should dominate a subpar division and finish with the fourth-best record in the league.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (104): The defending champions have a game-and-a-half lead in their division and added Jordan Leopold at the trade deadline without giving up a player on the current roster.
6. Buffalo Sabres (100): Olympic MVP Ryan Miller will not be in front of his home fans much in the final stretch, but his team should be able to hold onto the two-game lead it holds—and maybe even let him rest for a game or two.
7. Los Angeles Kings (102): This young team has all three phases— scoring forwards, a stout and mobile blue line, and a goalie it can ride.
8. New Jersey Devils (101): Martin Brodeur will be resolved to redeem his shaky Olympic performance, and the rest that his failures got him should help.
9. Phoenix Coyotes (101): Dave Tippett deserves a lot of credit for keeping this young team focused at the beginning of the season through all the bankruptcy talk—despite a lack of familiarity with one another. The Coyotes are nowhere near this good, but they skate well, never take a shift off, and stick to the system.
10. Colorado Avalanche (98): Another overachieving team that skates well, Colorado will make you work and has one of the best home records (Should we credit the thin air, the fact that it's in their opponents' heads, or something else entirely?), where it plays nine of their last 17.
11. Detroit Red Wings (97): Watch out now that the repeat Western Conference champions are healthy!
12. Ottawa Senators (95): If it weren't for having 11 of its final 16 games on the road, this team could win the Northeast Division. Behind—or in front of—the surprising play of former Wisconsin Badger champion goalie Brian Elliot, this deep team is firing on all cylinders, despite having battled through injuries.
13. Philadelphia Flyers (94): A seasoned team with a lot of scoring and a physical blue line, the only thing missing in Philadelphia is the one thing it has lacked for as long as I can remember—goaltending.
14. Nashville Predators (93): Barry Trotz may be the best coach in the league, keeping a perennial bottom-salaried team in the playoffs. But in the end, it lacks the talent to hold off a now-healthy Detroit team—but it will be enough to hold off a dysfunctional Calgary squad and an Anaheim one with too much ground to make up.
15. Boston Bruins (91): A team with a couple of good lines, a couple of great defencemen, and a couple of great goalies is always dangerous. The bad news is that 10 of its last 18 games are on the road; the good news is, the Bruins road record is better than their home record.
16. Montreal Canadiens (90): With Mike Cammalleri due to return any day, this team will sneak in ahead of the defence-challenged Lightning and depth-challenged Thrashers despite its weak division—as well as the inconsistent New York Rangers.