NHL Power Rankings: 6 Teams That Would Have Been a Threat in the Playoffs
One of the most exciting times of the sports year is just around the corner: the NHL playoffs. Which means, with only about four games remaining for most teams, that there are going to be a lot of teams that are making last-ditch efforts to make the playoffs. Some will pay off, some will not.
Every year the NHL playoffs seems to have some type of Cinderella story that rivals the unthinkable runs of some of the NCAA teams. How many times in the last five years have we seen a seven or eight seed come up with an unbelievable upset in the first round?
Sadly, regardless of how great a push they make, some of these teams will be left on the outside looking in. This is a list of the six teams that won't be making the playoffs, but would have been a real threat in the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.
Calgary Flames
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The Calgary Flames have had a roller coaster season, to say the least. They got off to a very slow start and people were quick to rule them out of the playoff picture.
Naturally, that cued an amazing push in the standings that currently has them sitting just one point out of the eight spot in the Western Conference. So why are they on this list?
Simple, really. As of today, the Chicago Blackhawks (who currently hold the eighth spot) and the Dallas Stars (who are just two points behind the Flames in 10th position) both have two games in hand on the Flames.
That means that both the Blackhawks and the Stars will have two games left to play after the Flames play their last regular season game. So even if the Flames are able to push up into the eighth spot with a one point lead on their closing game, both the Blackhawks and the Stars will get two more chances to put themselves over the top.
True, some chance is better than no chance for Flames fans, but the odds are most definitely not in their favor.
Ottawa Senators
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Wait, what? The Ottawa Senators are in a slideshow that has to do with teams that would have been a threat in the playoffs? Well, yeah!
Craig Anderson is the main reason for this. Since acquiring Anderson from the Colorado Avalanche, the Senators have been a different team. This is largely because Anderson has been a completely different goalie.
While playing for the Avalanche this season, Anderson 13-15-0-3. He had a goals against average of 3.28, and a save percentage beneath .900 percent. Those are horrific numbers, and Anderson was definitely not to blame for all of them. Not to mention the horrible handling of goalies by Joe Sacco, and a rather poor attitude on his own part.
Since joining the Senators, Anderson is 9-5-0-1, has a sparkling 2.06 goals against average, and sports an astonishing .940 save percentage. This is the Anderson that the Avalanche were missing.
Had the Senators been part of the playoffs with this guy in net, and the rejuvenated team that came with him, the Senators definitely could have made life interesting for several teams.
St. Louis Blues
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If you look at the season for the Blues, you might be surprised. They haven't had a bad season. They aren't sitting in the cellar of the Western Conference, even though they are ranked 12th. They have 82 points on the season, and they have a lot of promise.
While they haven't been a huge threat to make the playoffs this year, they definitely could have made life a bit troublesome for a team in the first round, especially after the trade deadline.
Acquiring Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk from the Colorado Avalanche, they gained a lot of offense and gave up very little in return. Yes, Erik Johnson is a great talent, but he's not going to get you the 30 goals that Chris Stewart might.
Since joining the Blues, Stewart has 14 goals in 23 games. This is more than his 13 goals he tallied for the Avalanche in 36 games.
Shattenkirk has also proven to be a very effective quarterback for the St. Louis power play, and will only get better with age.
Then you can't forget about Jaroslav Halak, who backstopped the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He knows a little something about playoff hockey, and when your goalie can play the way Halak did, your team can beat anybody.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
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The Maple Leafs have proven to be one of the streakiest teams in the NHL, and that has hurt them. When they are playing well, this team can beat absolutely anybody that they step onto the ice with. But when they aren't fully on their game, it just seems like they always fall a bit short.
They have a ton of great talent. Phil Kessel is a perennial All-Star and 30-goal scorer; Dion Phaneuf is a frightening force to play against on the blue line; J.S. Giguere may not be the number one right now, but he has a lot of playoff experience that could make him useful at a given moment; and Mikhail Grabovski is a fantastic young talent that will continue to help this team improve.
The biggest thing that bites them is their inability to stay consistent. However, if they had managed to stay hot and make the playoffs, this team might have been able to pull off a big first-round upset.
Dallas Stars
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This one is not quite a done deal yet, but it just seems like the Stars have almost too much of an uphill battle to pull this one out.
The Stars had one of the biggest turnarounds of the season, and not in a good way. At the start of the year, it seemed like the Stars were going to run away with the Pacific Division, and possibly even the Western Conference. Things have not worked out like that and the Stars have tumbled in the standings ever since.
Until lately, when they had a resurgence that has put them just three points out of a playoffs spot. The challenge for Dallas will be to make sure that they are able to play with desperation and intensity, which they have been doing to keep themselves alive.
Much like their luck in the playoffs, this playoff atmosphere for the Stars is going to have them falling just a bit short by the end of the year, as Chicago will claim the eighth spot in the West.
New Jersey Devils
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There is not a team in the NHL that has been more disappointing than the New Jersey Devils this year.
After making two blockbuster signings in the offseason with Anton Volchenkov and Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils were ruled out of the playoff race early. They did make a run in the month of March, but things came up very short.
It's always been hard to rule New Jersey out of things because of two things. First, their absolute commitment to their system which has worked for them for years. Second, Martin Brodeur.
There is not a goalie in the NHL right now that knows more about what it takes to win a championship than Martin Brodeur. He is easily in the discussion of best goaltender of all-time, and holds several records to prove it.
With all of their talent, it is really hard to understand why the Devils fell short. If their push had continued, and they had managed to make the playoffs, Martin Brodeur and crew could easily make their way deep into the playoffs.
In the end, they have to just sit back and wonder what went wrong and plan for next season.
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