The Biggest Question Marks for NHL Teams That Have Clinched a Playoff Spot

NHL teams that have secured a playoff position can now focus on getting healthy and making sure their rosters are set for the long playoff season.

Injuries can devastate teams, and if they happen after the deadline—witness this year's Tampa Bay Lightning—they can have a tremendous impact on playoff chances. Injuries are one area, but slumps or a suddenly cold power play can also derail a good team.

Here is the biggest question mark for all confirmed playoff teams—and what they might do about addressing them.

Anaheim Ducks: Can They Win with a Young Goalie?

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Anaheim Ducks have been incredible since Christmas. On that day their record was 12-16-6. Since then, the Ducks are 32-9-5 and look like a strong contender for the Stanley Cup. One question that remains unanswered: Can their young but talented goalie tandem survive the rigors of a long playoff season? 

How Big a Deal Is This? Frederik Andersen—currently suffering from a concussion—has played in just 23 NHL playoff games. John Gibson—who may start in the postseason—has played but four NHL playoff games. Teams generally go with more experienced goaltenders at this time of year.

A Possible Solution: The Ducks can win the Stanley Cup, and one of Andersen or Gibson could lead the way. The best-case scenario has Andersen returning to full health before the playoffs and coach Bruce Boudreau running with the hot hand all spring.

Chicago Blackhawks: Lack of Defensvie Depth

Andrew Nelles/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Chicago Blackhawks are the most successful franchise in the NHL over the past few seasons, but their depth on defense is a concern entering the playoffs. Duncan Keith—who is suspended through the early part of the postseason—Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson give Chicago three outstanding veterans. After that, depth is a concern.

How Big a Deal Is This? Losing Keith is a substantial short-term issue, but the Blackhawks have a real problem. He and Hjalmarsson have been an effective duo this year, but Seabrook has struggled with Trevor van Riemsdyk and this may weaken Chicago's defensive group.

A Possible Solution: Rookie Erik Gustafsson has been successful with Seabrook, and that may end up being a key pairing in the postseason. Christian Ehrhoff has also been useful, although the veteran has been inconsistent since coming over in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings.

Dallas Stars: Can They Outscore Everyone?

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Dallas Stars are a powerful offensive team who are fun to watch. They also have a chance to win their division, but they allow more goals than average. Can they outscore their mistakes?

How Big a Deal Is This? The phrase "defense wins championships" can be turned around—the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s did it five times in a decade. It is difficult to do, especially against buttoned-down defensive teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings.

A Possible Solution: Dallas acquired Kris Russell at the deadline in an effort to improve the defense, but he and fellow defender Jason Demers are on the injured list. Stars fans are probably better off cheering for Tyler Seguin's return, as the best chance for Dallas is to outscore its opponents this year.

Florida Panthers: They Have Planned for Everything

Joe Skipper/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Florida Panthers look like a well-built NHL team. They have veteran depth and impressive youth and display great balance across the roster. The question mark in Sunrise has to do with the unknown—injury, slumps, horrible luck—and you can't plan for those things completely. 

How Big a Deal Is This? Florida fans should feel good about their team, and the depth built by general manager Dale Tallon is impressive. Backup goaltender Al Montoya has a good record and a save percentage that looks like a match for starter Roberto Luongo's. Injuries to Vincent Trocheck and Erik Gudbranson are not considered to be impossible to overcome.

A Possible Solution: The Panthers could lose a playoff series this spring to an inferior club. They are young in some important spots—many of their top players are quite young and lack playoff experience. Some of their best players are old—Luongo is aging (37), and Jaromir Jagr is ancient (44)—and the easy thing to do would be pointing to those things as major question marks. They are not major issues based on the season just played, and the fact is that finding holes in Florida's roster is difficult this spring. 

Los Angeles Kings: Will the Offense Dry Up?

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Los Angeles Kings are a formidable team, designed for a long playoff run and on track to contend for their third Stanley Cup in five years. Although they are brilliant defensively, the Kings are only average offensively—and that can be a problem in a short series. 

How Big a Deal Is This? In a tight-scoring series, the Kings are difficult to beat. However, they have scored only 26 goals in their last 10 games while allowing 28. Their record in those 10 games includes only four wins and eight points, and that can be a problem. 

A Possible Solution: The Kings' power play is just over 20 percent for the season, an above-average total. If Los Angeles can make the power play hum during the postseason, that could be the difference.

Minnesota Wild: Will They Receive Secondary Scoring?

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Minnesota Wild were sitting pretty on December 25. The club had 18 wins and 42 points in its first 33 games of the year. Since then, the Wild have played 48 games, won 20 of them and posted another 45 points. The poor second half has cost them better playoff seeding.

How Big a Deal Is This? The Wild are not a dynamic enough offensive team to overcome slumps. Their goaltending has been solid again—especially in the last 10 games—but they have been trending down for months, and that is a bad sign.

A Possible Solution: Minnesota has been getting a nice spike in offense from Erik Haula, who has four goals and eight points in his last 10 games. If the Wild can get some secondary scoring during the playoffs, it might get them deeper into the spring.

Nashville Predators: Will the Goaltending Be Good Enough?

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Nashville Predators are locked into their playoff spot and will play a team from California in the first round. The big worry is in goal, where the team save percentage—.910—is well below average. 

How Big a Deal Is This? It is potentially a major deal, as the team's No. 1 goalie—Pekka Rinne—is a team leader and will be relied upon in the postseason. Rinne's save percentage is well below both his career average and his performance last year.

A Possible Solution: Backup Carter Hutton has superior numbers this season but has started only 14 times this year. For better or worse, Nashville is likely to use Rinne in the opening round. Based on the opposition, this series is a candidate to be over early unless the Predators' veteran goalie can find his form from last year. He has struggled in March and early April.

New York Islanders: Who's in Net?

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The New York Islanders have been scrambling in goal since Jaroslav Halak went down with an injury in early March. The Toronto Star reported at the time of the injury that Halak was likely to miss the first week of the playoffs. 

How Big a Deal Is This? In the last 10 games for New York, Thomas Greiss, Jean-Francois Berube and Christopher Gibson have all played in net for the Islanders. The team is 7-3-0 in those 10 games and has allowed 28 goals—which isn't good enough to win four out of seven playoff games this spring.

A Possible Solution: Halak is the answer, although Greiss has posted a .926 save percentage this season. New York is going to have a difficult opening-round series, and the goaltending will need to be outstanding. It is absolutely a question mark at this time.

New York Rangers: Can Henrik Lundqvist Outduel His Opponents?

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The New York Rangers have given up 215 goals through 81 games this season—substantially more than the 192 goals against in 82 games last year. Veteran Henrik Lundqvist remains the best option in goal, but is it enough?

How Big a Deal Is This? Part of the problem comes from the Rangers defense. So far this season, they are allowing 30 shots per 60 minutes in all situations, per Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. That ranks No. 20 overall in the NHL and is considerably more than the 27.2 shots per 60 of a year ago.

A Possible Solution: Ryan McDonagh is out currently with a hand injury and is the best defender in shots against per 60 on this year's team. New York may have to outscore its mistakes, as it has in the last 10 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Will the Bubble Burst?

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Pittsburgh Penguins are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games and have gone from a bubble team to possibly winning home-ice advantage for some of the playoffs. They are winning without impact players Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury, but will the bubble burst?

How Big a Deal Is This? During the last 10 games, Pittsburgh has enjoyed tremendous performances from Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin, Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino—plus magical goaltending from rookie Matt Murray. That kind of depth has been key to this run, but chances are several Penguins will fall off the pace in the coming weeks.

A Possible Solution: Fleury has been day to day with a concussion since the beginning of April, and Malkin has now missed one month with his arm injury. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Fleury is close to returning and Malkin is on pace that will have him back in late April. Crosby and his support group have help on the way and look strong entering the playoffs.

San Jose Sharks: Can the Defense Hold Up?

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The San Jose Sharks have enjoyed a strong season and are finishing up well in the Pacific Division. The playoff history for the team is not the stuff of legends, and the opening-round matchup will be difficult. Will the defense collapse again? David Pollak of the Mercury News wrote about the famous collapse in the spring of 2014. 

How Big a Deal Is This? The annual playoff frustration finally climaxed last spring, when the team missed the postseason and Todd McLellan exited as coach. The Sharks hired Peter DeBoer as his replacement. The team addressed the defense, adding Paul Martin to a veteran group—and the result has been a successful season.

A Possible Solution: The Sharks appear to be set across the board as they enter the playoffs, with goalie Martin Jones and the tweaked defensive unit ready to roll. CBSSports.com—via Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News—reports Marc-Edouard Vlasic may play in the final regular-season game Saturday, which means San Jose could enter the postseason with a complete lineup. 

St. Louis Blues: Trying to Change History

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The St. Louis Blues are enjoying another strong regular season and could win their division. The difficulty for the Blues comes in the playoffs, where they haven't been past the first round since 2012. For St. Louis, the question for this spring involves changing history and going deep into the postseason. 

How Big a Deal Is This? If the Blues exit in the first round this spring, it could mean the end of the line for Ken Hitchcock as coach. Although he has posted a long and successful career as an NHL coach—including a Stanley Cup ring in 1999—it could be time for a change.

A Possible Solution: Brian Elliott has been on fire of late, and the Blues routinely get outplayed at that position in the postseason. If Elliott can carry the team through a round or two, St. Louis has the firepower to go deep in the playoffs once it gets the offense rolling.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Will the Injuries Stop?

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Tampa Bay Lightning are devastated by injuries, and it may not get better in time for the playoffs. An article this week by Joe Smith for the Tampa Bay Times shows just how many injuries this team faces at the most important time of the year.

How Big a Deal Is This? No team can hope to overcome injuries to quality players such as Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman and Victor Hedman. It is especially frustrating when taking into consideration men like Stamkos will be free agents this summer.

A Possible Solution: Per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com, the Lightning recalled Jonathan Drouin Thursday and will insert him into the lineup. There is no doubt this is a talented team, but it faces an uphill battle in the playoffs. Tampa Bay has suffered awful luck with injuries this year.

Washington Capitals: Did They Peak Too Soon?

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Question Mark: The Washington Capitals have been miles ahead of the pack for most of the season. Their record is the best in the NHL, and their goal differential—plus-57—is also a league best. The problem comes in their most recent games—they have four wins and 11 points in their last 10 games. 

How Big a Deal Is This? The Capitals are the class of the league, and fatigue is to be expected. It is not a convenient time—we will be talking playoff games next week—but they have enough quality and depth to survive this slump. A busy weekend of games may be just what the team requires, and some good results could put the issue to rest.

A Possible Solution: Impact center Nicklas Backstrom returned to action Thursday night and could be the missing piece to the puzzle. No Capitals player has been on fire in the last 10 games, so a breakout from one their other quality players could help the cause.