What to Expect from Each NHL Team in the Remainder of the 2014-15 Regular Season
At this point of the 2014-15 NHL season, you can stick the 30 teams into five different categories.
There are the front-runners, the cream of the crop heading into the playoffs. They're the potential division champs, the teams ready to make deep runs in the postseason with few, if any, holes in the roster.
You have the contenders who aren't at risk of missing out on qualifying but aren't as safe a bet as the top teams. They may be in the mix for home ice in the first round or even in the hunt for a division title, but they come with some questions or injury baggage.
The playoff hopefuls are the bubble teams either sitting tentatively in the wild-card spots, third slot in the division standings or on the outside looking in with a mathematical and somewhat realistic hope of displacing one of the squads above them.
Spoilers are teams that have no realistic shot at making the playoffs but may be able to make a difference in the standings by stealing points away from the higher seeds. These teams take pride in the fact they're playing out the season with pride.
Then there are the rebuilders. These are the hopeless teams that are mathematically eliminated from the postseason. These are the teams with a better shot at a lottery pick in this year's draft than a first-round matchup in the spring.
Click through to take a look at all 30 teams and what category they fit in.
Anaheim Ducks
1 of 30
Status: Contender
How they got here: After a disappointing finish last spring, the Ducks did some retooling with the addition of Ryan Kesler to improve the center position. They've depended on the top trio of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Kesler for much of their scoring, with a few secondary contributors.
What to expect: Depending on who you believe, the Ducks are either destined for playoff failure because of underlying numbers or the only team that doesn't have to worry down the stretch. Their goal differential is just middle-of-the-road thanks to average goaltending and top-heavy offensive production. They could have a tough first-round matchup and may not be cut out for a deep run.
Arizona Coyotes
2 of 30
Status: Rebuilder
How they got here: Goaltender Mike Smith has been the team's Achilles' heel, posting a sub-.900 save percentage for the first time since 2010. But he's not the only reason the Coyotes were forced to purge at the trade deadline after a disappointing first half of the season. They may finish the year with only one 20-goal scorer—defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
What to expect: With one win in their last 15 games, the Coyotes are coasting through the rest of the schedule with little to play for. Their biggest game remaining could be the one against the Buffalo Sabres with a chance to better their odds for one of the top two picks in the coming draft.
Boston Bruins
3 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: With a recent surge, the Bruins have propelled themselves into a more cushioned spot in the wild-card standings. It's a far cry from where most thought they would be at this point after claiming the Presidents' Trophy last season. They have battled uncharacteristic inconsistency from goalie Tuukka Rask and injuries to Zdeno Chara and David Krejci.
What to expect: The Bruins are getting hot at the right time. After a six-game losing streak in February, the team has rallied. The Bruins have a few games directly against their closest Eastern Conference competition over the final weeks and will effectively be able to officially lock up their spot with more of what they've done lately. If they get past the first round, the conference is wide open, and they could go deep.
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Buffalo Sabres
4 of 30
Status: Rebuilder
How they got here: It's been an ugly year for the Sabres, who picked early in last spring's draft and will be doing so again this year. They got here by icing a team without a whole lot of experienced talent. Their top point-getter a year ago, Cody Hodgson, is on pace for a miserable 15 points. They dealt both starting netminders and two of their top five scorers this season before the trade deadline.
What to expect: There is some raw talent on the team, but without a legitimate NHL starter in goal or much in the way of depth, they won't be spoiling many opponents' evenings the rest of the way. The organization will hope to look for some chemistry among the youth and evaluate heading into next season. Buffalo will likely finish in the bottom two by the end of the year.
Calgary Flames
5 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: One of five teams battling for the final four spots in the Western Conference playoff picture, the Flames have countered poor possession stats and a lack of elite veteran talent with relentlessness and hard work that have led to the most third-period comeback victories (12) in the league. Jiri Hudler is having a career year with rookie Johnny Gaudreau and sophomore Sean Monahan by his side.
What to expect: A favorable schedule in comparison to some of those they are battling on the bubble should help them get into the playoffs in a season most expected them to challenge for one of the top picks in the draft. They may not win a round, but anything is possible with this unpredictable group.
Carolina Hurricanes
6 of 30
Status: Spoiler
How they got here: You can't put the blame solely on one or two players, but a hugely disappointing season from the highly paid Alexander Semin and another step back from captain Eric Staal are big factors in the lack of offense. Carolina is among the worst in the league in scoring.
What to expect: Playing 10 games against teams jockeying for position or one of the final playoff berths, the Hurricanes will continue to put their best efforts out there in the hopes they can spoil a few nights for opponents while setting the tone for their next season. Chances are slim they'll do much damage, though.
Chicago Blackhawks
7 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: Mediocre months of January and February have the Blackhawks third in the Central Division with some ground to make up if they want a chance at winning the top seed. But they've fared well recently despite losing top scorer Patrick Kane and are still among the deepest teams in the Western Conference.
What to expect: Without Kane, they're not as deadly up front, but they have plenty of versatile wingers who are capable of playing on the top two lines. Chicago will surprise no one if it reaches the conference championship series for the fifth time in seven seasons.
Colorado Avalanche
8 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: Winners of five of their last six games, the Avalanche have hung tough and managed to give themselves an unlikely but possible shot at the postseason despite starting the year with three wins in the month of October and goaltender Semyon Varlamov struggling to find his Vezina-worthy form from a year ago.
What to expect: The Avs have a tough final week to the season, facing five teams currently in playoff spots, but they have a chance to make up some ground first with games against Buffalo, Arizona and a pair against the Edmonton Oilers mixed in with winnable contests against the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames. Their possession stats are still poor, and they will almost definitely fall short down the stretch despite a valiant effort.
Columbus Blue Jackets
9 of 30
Status: Spoiler
How they got here: The Blue Jackets were decimated by key injuries for most of the year, setting a new franchise record for man-games lost. The curse continued when they traded for Toronto Maple Leafs winger David Clarkson, who quickly went down for the season. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky's save percentage has dipped 10 points from last year as well.
What to expect: The Blue Jackets play the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division at least one more time each, and the New York Islanders twice, and they would love to have an effect on those standings. They also play the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks with pride on the line. Expect some big efforts from a team that feels it should have been much better this season.
Dallas Stars
10 of 30
Status: Spoiler
How they got here: The fact that goalie Kari Lehtonen has his worst save percentage since 2005-06 has a great deal to do with the Stars being a spoiler after making the playoffs a year ago. The Finn has been inconsistent, and the scoring is coming primarily from one line in support. Add a disappointing defensive group to the dip in Lehtonen's stats and it's actually a little surprising they are less than 10 points out of the race.
What to expect: The Stars have just one game against an Eastern Conference opponent down the stretch, which means they will be influential in the West. With a couple of contests against the on-the-bubble Calgary Flames and a pair in the final week against the Nashville Predators, who are fighting for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference, the Stars could make an impact.
Detroit Red Wings
11 of 30
Status: Contender
How they got here: A nice couple of rebound seasons for veterans Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who have remained relatively healthy, combined with the continued evolution of younger players Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Riley Sheahan have made the Red Wings a scary opponent for the playoffs.
What to expect: One thing working against the Red Wings is their record within the division. They're at .500 on the year in point percentage versus the rest of the Atlantic and sub-.500 against the Eastern Conference, with eight losses coming in overtime or shootouts. The playoffs are a fresh start, but with the division setup, they could fall early.
Edmonton Oilers
12 of 30
Status: Rebuilder
How they got here: Years of drafting high but doing a poor job at it have left the Oilers with lots of talent but little in the way of maturity. This year, the moves to increase character and grit didn't pan out. Injuries to Taylor Hall have prevented the best teammates from playing together consistently. Not a single goaltender on the roster has a save percentage of .900 or higher.
What to expect: With just six wins since January and one in their last eight, you can expect more of the same over the final few weeks from the Oilers, who were officially eliminated from the playoffs before mid-March.
Florida Panthers
13 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: Strong performances from some of their young players, including rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad, have helped the Panthers overcome a lack of star power. They get offensive contributions from personnel all over the lineup and have had stellar goaltending from Roberto Luongo when he's healthy—his save percentage is higher than it's been over a full season since 2011 when the Canucks went to the Cup final.
What to expect: The one playoff team they can catch, the Boston Bruins, is on the schedule three more times this season, and the Panthers have four other games against teams outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. That gives them a chance of overcoming a seven-point deficit in the race for the final wild-card spot. It's probably too big to close unless they can sweep the Bruins—and that's unlikely.
Los Angeles Kings
14 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: The Kings have been sleeping giants for much of the season and have struggled to score but continue to be one of the toughest teams to score against. They had a January to forget and then a February to remember. Their eight consecutive wins place them in the hunt for one of the wild-card spots with the potential to move up as high as second in the Pacific Division.
What to expect: Considering their history of entering the playoffs in a bottom seed and still coming away as Stanley Cup champs—finishing sixth last year and eighth in 2012—no one should be surprised to see the team seemingly built for the playoffs put together another strong performance when it counts.
Minnesota Wild
15 of 30
Status: Contender
How they got here: Three reasons: Devan Dubnyk, Devan Dubnyk and Devan Dubnyk. Since bringing their new No. 1 netminder over from the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 14, the Wild have gone from third-last in the conference to the seventh seed. Dubnyk is 21-5-1 with five shutouts since joining.
What to expect: The only thing that seems a given is the Wild finishing in the seventh seed as the top wild-card team. They are five points behind Chicago in the Central Division and a few up on the hopefuls behind them. None of the Western Conference teams will want to face them in the first round.
Montreal Canadiens
16 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: An MVP-worthy season by goaltender Carey Price, who will almost assuredly win the Vezina Trophy, has set the tone. He's getting little in the way of offensive support with the team ranking 22nd in scoring average per game.
What to expect: The Atlantic Division title will come down to the wire between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Canadiens. The Habs have the edge with a relatively easy schedule to close out the year.
Nashville Predators
17 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: A new coach in Peter Laviolette, a star rookie in Filip Forsberg and a stellar defensive group have made the Predators a serious threat in the Western Conference. A healthy Pekka Rinne has been a huge difference after the team struggled without him for much of last season.
What to expect: The Predators appear to be serious threats in the West, but with just two wins in their last 11 games, they're cooling off at a tough time, which could create a difficult first-round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks and an early end to their fairy-tale season.
New Jersey Devils
18 of 30
Status: Rebuilder
How they got here: The Devils went with a veteran-heavy lineup this year, and it backfired. Although they have had good goaltending from Cory Schneider along the way, they are the third-worst in scoring in the NHL. They dealt vets Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky at the deadline but still have one of the oldest lineups in the league.
What to expect: Personal goals may be all that are within reach now, with Mike Cammalleri looking for the third 30-goal season of his career and Adam Henrique seeking his second 20-goal campaign.
New York Islanders
19 of 30
Status: Contender
How they got here: The Islanders loaded up in the offseason and preseason to deepen every position. They added goalie Jaroslav Halak, defensemen Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk on the back end and forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin for offensive depth. Halak and captain John Tavares have been the inspiration for a stellar final season on Long Island.
What to expect: They should be able to lock up home-ice advantage for a divisional matchup in the first round and could face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch from two springs ago, which the Pens won in seven games.
New York Rangers
20 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: Rick Nash's re-emergence as an elite power forward has helped this team to a special season so far. Backup goaltender Cam Talbot has also stolen the spotlight recently with Henrik Lundqvist out with an injury, winning 13 of his last 18 games and getting to extra time in three more.
What to expect: With a five-point lead over the Islanders in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers seem to have established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The fact their goal differential is the best in the NHL bodes well for them to be one of the last teams standing in the East.
Ottawa Senators
21 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: Feeling the loss of Jason Spezza for most of the season, the Senators struggled to find a leader to rally around all year. It's come late, but the rise of unheralded netminder Andrew Hammond has provided one of the best late-season stories of the year. On Tuesday, he tied an NHL record with his 12th consecutive game allowing fewer than two goals against to start his career, according to Ottawa Citizen writer Ken Warren.
What to expect: With a game in hand over the Boston Bruins, the team they are most likely to catch in the playoff race, the Senators can push things to the wire and beat the odds to qualify for the postseason if they take advantage of a head-to-head matchup with the Bruins on Thursday and three games against the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs down the stretch. Some tough games are ahead too, though, with a pair against the New York Rangers among them.
Philadelphia Flyers
22 of 30
Status: Spoiler
How they got here: Despite a career year from winger Jakub Voracek, the Flyers are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL because they don't get enough production from the bottom six forwards. Injuries to top goaltender Steve Mason also derailed the Flyers' hopes of making the playoffs.
What to expect: In typical Philly fashion, the Flyers will go down swinging and try to take teams with them. They play the Ottawa Senators in the final game of the year and could potentially end the Sens' hopes. They could dent the Calgary Flames' aspirations as well this week. And two games against rival Pittsburgh will be important as the Pens try to improve their playoff position in the Metropolitan Division.
Pittsburgh Penguins
23 of 30
Status: Contender
How they got here: It seems every offensive star has been bumped from the lineup due to injury at some point in time this year, but the Penguins have had solid goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, who is sporting the best save percentage of his career so far.
What to expect: Fleury's playoff performance is always a wild-card factor for the Pens, but when the talented forward group is fully healthy, they can overcome the occasional disappointing outing. The Eastern Conference is as wide open as ever, and the Penguins have as good a shot as any of the top six teams to make a deep run.
San Jose Sharks
24 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: An offseason full of turmoil has turned into a season full of question marks as well, most of which revolve around former captain Joe Thornton and his relationship with general manager Doug Wilson. Wilson says the relationship is fine, according to NHL.com writer Dan Rosen, but Thornton's comments don't match that sentiment. The disconnect has shown on the ice in terms of team chemistry.
What to expect: A year ago, folks might have had faith the team could make up a six-point deficit, but the Sharks haven't shown much bite all season. If anything plays in their favor, it's that they face five teams outside the playoff picture in their final six games.
St. Louis Blues
25 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: An incredible month of January—during which the Blues won nine of 11 games—really propelled the Blues forward in the standings. They have continued to push toward the top of the Western Conference with top-five goaltending and top-four scoring thanks to third-year standout Vladimir Tarasenko and a red-hot Alexander Steen.
What to expect: The Blues are just behind the New York Rangers in goal differential, and as one of three teams tied for the lead league with 95 points, they have a legitimate shot at the Presidents' Trophy.
Tampa Bay Lightning
26 of 30
Status: Front-runner
How they got here: Eleven Lightning players have scored at least 10 goals, and four of them already have 20. It's no wonder the Bolts lead the NHL in goals per game, with nearly 3.25 scored every night. They have a young team with lots of depth and a solid work ethic, as well as a strong one-two punch in goal.
What to expect: The Bolts have just one game remaining against the Western Conference and will battle the Montreal Canadiens for top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference right to the end of the schedule in April. They have the advantage of a relatively easy schedule over the final week.
Toronto Maple Leafs
27 of 30
Status: Rebuilder
How they got here: A leadership group with many question marks, a history of selfish play, an inability to prevent opponents from blistering them with shots on a nightly basis, a fired coach and a just-as-frustrated interim replacement are just a few of the lowlights in Toronto this season.
What to expect: You can count on more changes coming in the offseason as the team attempts to turn things around in the locker room and on the ice. According to Sportsnet's Mike Johnston, Toronto was officially eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday, so don't expect a team that already lacked motivation to embrace the role of spoiler.
Vancouver Canucks
28 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: A bounce-back year from both Henrik and Daniel Sedin after a coaching change in the offseason, a dressing-room trade to facilitate the departure of an unhappy Ryan Kesler and the addition of some key free agents like goalie Ryan Miller and winger Radim Vrbata have all contributed to a much stronger season than the one that saw the Canucks miss the playoffs a year ago.
What to expect: Where in the Pacific Division standings the Canucks finish might depend on how they fare in head-to-head battles with the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets, whom they play twice each down the stretch. They also play the Arizona Coyotes twice and the Edmonton Oilers once. Victories in those mismatches would go a long way to assuring second place and home ice in the first round.
Washington Capitals
29 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: Everything seems to be coming together for the Capitals under the tutelage of new coach Barry Trotz. Alex Ovechkin is putting up a positive plus/minus while still scoring 40-plus goals. Goaltender Braden Holtby is third in wins and has top-10 numbers in GAA and save percentage.
What to expect: The Capitals should challenge the Pittsburgh Penguins for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division standings by the end of the season but have a tough schedule over the final week. The team under Trotz could be more suited for playoff hockey than past versions.
Winnipeg Jets
30 of 30
Status: Playoff hopeful
How they got here: Willpower has been an important piece of the puzzle for the Jets this season as they have battled through locker-room spats with former teammate Evander Kane and plenty of injury trouble on the back end that has forced Dustin Byfuglien to go back and forth from forward to defense.
What to expect: The Jets close out their season against the Calgary Flames, and it's possible that sets up as a winner-take-all game for one last spot in the playoffs.
Statistics are via NHL.com unless otherwise indicated.
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