NHL Midseason Review: Who Will Finish with the Best Record in the NHL?

At the midpoint of the NHL season, there are many teams who are near the top of the standings. The question is who will finish with the best record overall? Experts have said that the key to success in the playoffs is solid goaltending. The same can be applied to teams that win the Presidents' Trophy. Having a solid goaltender allows teams to pick up points in games that they usually would lose.

Last year the Vancouver Canucks' were led by the Sedin twins but Roberto Luongo was a solid goaltender during the regular season. His superb regular season play was a big part of the Canucks success.

The second half of the season is where the contenders are separated from the pretenders. Teams get serious, they make attempts to improve their roster and they set their sights for the playoffs. Right now the Detroit Red Wings are the leaders with 67 points. They also are led by Jimmy Howard.

The Red Wings have been led by a top rate offense and solid goaltending. The Wings are fourth in the league with 158 overall goals. Jimmy Howard also currently leads the NHL with 30 wins and he boasts a 1.95 goals against average which puts him in a tie for second place amongst starting goaltenders.

However the fact the Wings are relying on Howard so much weakens their case. Unless the Wings plan on burning out Howard before the playoffs start, they will likely cut down his starts soon. To start in almost every game played this season is a great way to tire yourself for the postseason. It is true that Howard has always had a heavy work load but teams are trying to cut down the amount of games their starter plays in the regular season. 

The optimal number of starts is between 60-65 and that has been the case with recent cup winners. Tim Thomas started 55 games last season, Antti Niemi appeared in 39 games the year before that and Marc Andre Fleury appeared in 62 games during the Penguins cup campagin in 2008-09.

Henrik Zetterburg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom are great players for the Wings who will do their best to help carry the load for the Wings. The strength of Detroit's lineup makes them favorites but Howard remains the key piece for the Wings.

The more the Wings play backup Ty Conklin down the stretch, the less games they will win.This year he has a subpar record of 3-5 and a goals against average of 3.01. It is no coincidence that Howard has played almost every game this season. The Wings as they are have a great shot of winning the Presidents' Trophy but they will likely prefer a fresher Howard and a shot at the Stanley Cup instead.

You could then look at the top team in the Eastern Conference the New York Rangers. The Rangers are a team that has surprised many this year. The Broadway Blueshirts have been a bottom feeding playoff team for the last few years. It isn't so surprising that critics and experts are having a tough time believing that this could be the Rangers' year. Brad Richards was the big acquisition for the Rangers this offseason and so far it appears to have been a good move.

The team also has young stars exceeding expectations, the defense has overcome injuries and they have had excellent goaltending. The Rangers however have an advantage over the Red Wings.

Unlike the Red Wings, the Rangers don't need to play their top goalie in every game to win. Henrik Lundqvist has been on a reduced scheduled this season because John Tortorella wants him well rested for the playoffs. When Hank needs a night off, the Rangers can count on Martin Biron to get the job done. Biron is 9-2 on the year and has been very solid in net.

However the Rangers are not a clear favorite either. They have a lot of talent but the team will likely finish somewhere in the top three. The Rangers are finding ways to win but it is my opinion that will just fall short of the mark. It is no knock on them as a team but going from 8th to 1st is quite the jump in the standings over the course of a season.

The Boston Bruins are the second best team in the Eastern Conference and have a good shot to walk away with the Presidents' Trophy. They have a well rounded offense, good defense and one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.

Tim Thomas is a true freak of nature. He has played great hockey the past two seasons despite being one of the elder crease crusaders in the NHL. Don't let his age fool you because Thomas can steal games left and right. He set records last season with his stellar play and has been pretty solid this season in net for the Bruins.

Tuukka Rask is also no slouch and is one of the better backups in the league and has worked a balanced schedule in tandem with Thomas this season. As the defending cup champions Boston is a top favorite to finish with the best record. They have a very talented roster and know what it is like to play with pressure. They also have a team full of grit and size that has the ability to grind out victories.

Zdeno Chara leads the Bruins blue-line and has played solid hockey all year long. The Bruins also have players like Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand who have had an impact on many games this season. The team is so physical and defensively sound that they have the potential to be a scary seven game series opponent. 

It is hard to argue against the defending cup champions and right now they are the clear favorite.

There are a few teams also that have a solid shot given their current place in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues currently have 64 points as well. The Blackhawks have had solid play from players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and havent let the injury of Patrick Sharp impact the team's overall play. However the latest injury to captain Jonathan Toews may be a crushing blow to Chicago for the interim.

The Blackhawks won the cup two years ago so they have proved in the past that they can go the distance. The makeup of the team has changed since then but they still have potential.

No one expected that the Blues would have had such a successful turnaround since Ken Hitchcock took over. Brian Elliot has emerged as a big surprise of the early 2011-12 season and things are looking up for the Blues. Players like David Backes, Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo are just some of the players who have been good defensive minded players under Hitchcock's system. If the could add a top six scoring forward at the deadline, their odds would drastically improve. 

However both these teams lack the goaltending edge that benefits the Bruins, Rangers and Wings. Goaltending plays a huge role down the stretch as games become tighter with playoff spots and seeding on the line. Henrik Lundqvist, Tim Thomas and Jimmy Howard have the obvious edge over Corey Crawford and Brian Elliot.

There are some dark horse teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins who could make a run if everything goes their way. The Flyers have been battling injuries but are in striking distance of the Rangers in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins have also surged as of late due to the fact that Evgeni Malkin and James Neal are white hot with offense.

The Penguins showed last season that they could perform without Crosby, Staal and Malkin so they should be able to make a run with Malkin healthy as ever.

In short, there is still a lot of hockey to play in this season. The all-star break is coming up and teams will be looking to catchup on rest. So who are the top three likely favorites to win the Presidents' Trophy?

 1.Boston Bruins:

Why?:

With one of the league's top goaltenders and well rounded rosters, the Bruins with 64 points will fight until the end of the season to secure the number one record in the NHL. If Thomas needs a night off, Rask still gives the Bruins a great chance to rack up points. The balance of goaltender usage will play a big role down the stretch for the Bruins.

Strengths: Experience, Goaltending, Balanced Lineup, Coaching

2. New York Rangers

Why?:

The New York Rangers like the Bruins have a top goaltending tandem. With Henrik Lundqvist making the most out of his early starts, the team has been on a lighting hot pace. Marian Gaborik is starting to heat up again and that bodes well for the Rangers going down the stretch. If the power play improves, the Rangers will have a great shot to win the Presidents' Trophy.

Strengths: Goaltending, Defense, Coaching, Consistency 

3. Detroit Red Wings

Why?:

Detroit is led by Jimmy Howard but the goaltending edge that the Bruins and Rangers have make them more well rounded and flexible teams.The Red Wings are a high scoring team and currently lead the league with 67 points but the Red Wings will likely attempt to cut down on Howard's work load as the playoffs approach. The biggest thing going for the Wings is that they are unbeatable at home. A 20-2-1 record is an amazing statistic.

Strengths: Veteran Leaders, Goaltending, Two Way Forwards, Dominance at Home.

Dark Horse Teams and Key to Success

 Chicago Blackhawks- Jonathan Toews

 Philadelphia Flyers- Claude Giroux 

 Pittsburgh Penguins- Evgeni Malkin

 St.Louis Blues- Brian Elliot

While a lot can change from now and you can disagree with the ordering, the Bruins, Rangers and Wings are the three favorites for the Presidents' Trophy. Teams like the Blackhawks,Blues, Flyers and Penguins may just miss out due to the obvious goaltending advantage the favorites possess.

It is hard to go against great goaltending and well rounded rosters and that is exactly what the Bruins, Rangers and Red Wings have in common. Either team could easily win and there could be a surprise or two along the way odds are that the teams listed will be in the thick of things as the regular seasons comes to an end.

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: