2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: What Teams on the Brink Need for a Playoff Push
Now that the All-Star break is over and the NHL's 30 teams are back to work, the playoff race will become even more intense.
There are only 16 spots for the Stanley Cup playoffs, and although a few teams will undoubtedly be in the playoffs (see: Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers, for example), there are no guarantees of who will make it and who will be seeded where.
In the Eastern Conference, the current eighth place team (the Atlanta Thrashers) has just one point on the ninth place team (the Carolina Hurricanes).
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks should be sweating. They are in eighth place with 58 points, but the Minnesota Wild has 57 points, and three teams are behind the Wild with 56 points.
Teams who are on the brink are looking for every possible edge to get into a playoff spot.
In this slideshow, we will look at seven teams (three from the Eastern Conference, four from the Western Conference) who are currently out of a playoff spot. We'll see where they stand in a variety of categories and what they will need to do to sneak into the postseason.
Buckle your seatbelts, hockey fans. It's going to be a wild ride.
Alison Myers is a Featured Columnist for the Pittsburgh Penguins. You can contact her by e-mail at Alison.Myers@mail.com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/AlisonM_BR.
Eastern Conference Teams on the Brink
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9. Carolina Hurricanes (25-19-6, 56 points)
10. Buffalo Sabres (25-21-5, 51 points)
11. Florida Panthers (22-22-6, 50 points)
Carolina Hurricanes
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Key Players:
The Canes' offense is headlined by Eric Staal, who leads the team with 52 points and 25 goals. He is ranked eighth in the NHL in points and seventh in goals scored.
However, Jeff Skinner, who is in his first professional season, is making a name for himself in Raleigh. He leads all NHL rookies with 40 points and recently participated in the NHL All-Star skills competition. At just 18 years old, there is no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him.
Rookie defenseman Jamie McBain has 18 points and has already passed his 10-point total from a call-up in 2009-2010.
Cam Ward is having a good comeback year after suffering a leg injury last year and currently sits in seventh among NHL goaltenders with 22 wins. He has a .920 save percentage and 2.70 GAA.
Ward, who won the Conn Smythe in 2006, has been the Hurricanes' go-to playoff goalie in both the 2006 and 2009 playoffs. In 41 playoff games, he has a record of 23-18 with four shutouts to go with a .917 save percentage and 2.38 GAA.
Justin Peters came to Carolina as Ward's full-time backup, but has not yet established a winning record. He is 3-4-1 in eight games with a .879 save percentage and 3.88 GAA.
Key Stats:
2.98 goals scored per game (ranked eighth)
3.02 goals against per game (ranked 23rd)
Power Play: 18.2 percent success rate (ranked 13th)
Penalty Kill: 78.9 percent (25th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
The Hurricanes will need to take advantage of their somewhat easy schedule in February, as they will play non-playoff teams four times (one meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs and three meetings with the New Jersey Devils).
Although the Canes have good offensive depth, they need a slight push to put up at least three goals per game. In January, they put up more than three goals nine times and won every time.
Buffalo Sabres
3 of 9Key Players:
Thomas Vanek has 41 points in 49 games and is on pace for his fifth straight 50-point season. However, he must keep producing to avoid a decline for a second straight year. He is the Sabres' leading scorer this year.
Tyler Ennis is in his first full NHL season and participated in last weekend's All-Star festivities. He is fifth in rookie scoring with 28 points. He proved himself worthy of a permanent roster spot in a call-up in 2009-10 and had nine points in 10 games. During the Sabres' playoff run against the Boston Bruins, he had four points in six games.
Derek Roy is currently out with an injury, but had 35 points in 35 games before going down, making him a point per game player. However, his injury is going to make it difficult for him to match or improve upon last year's 69 points.
Tyler Myers, last year's Calder Trophy winner, has taken a step back this year. After netting 48 points and a plus-13 rating, he sits with 21 points and a minus-11.
As always, Ryan Miller is proving to be a strong link for the Sabres. He has a 21-14-4 record, and his win total is 10th in the NHL. He also has a .913 save percentage and 2.68 GAA. In 40 playoff games, he is 22-18 with a .917 save percentage and 2.39 GAA. The farthest he led the Sabres was the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals.
Key Stats:
2.71 goals scored per game (ranked 16th)
2.94 goals against per game (ranked 22nd)
Power Play: 18.7 percent (ranked 12th)
Penalty Kill: 81.6 percent (ranked 17th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
The Sabres need to find consistency in their game to make the playoffs. They have not won more than two games in a row all season. Their defensive unit also needs some work, as they have a team plus/minus rating of minus-10 and just six players with a positive plus/minus.
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Florida Panthers
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Key Players:
Stephen Weiss is the lone player on the Panthers roster with 30 or more points. He has tallied 35 points this season.
Michael Frolik, who had 40-point seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10, has 26 points this year.
On defense, Dmitry Kulikov leads the team with a plus-10 rating.
Dennis Wideman, who leads Panthers defensemen with 25 points, has an abysmal minus-18 rating.
Tomas Vokoun has again proven to be one of the lone bright spots in Florida. He is 17-16-3 this year with a .923 save percentage, which is ranked eighth among NHL goaltenders. He also has a 2.51 GAA. Unfortunately, he has not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006-07, when he played five games with the Nashville Predators.
Scott Clemmensen has proven to be a serviceable backup to Vokoun. In 17 games, he is 5-5-3 with a .919 save percentage and 2.46 GAA. However, like Vokoun, he has very limited playoff experience.
Key Stats:
2.64 goals per game (ranked 20th)
2.62 goals against per game (ranked 11th)
Power Play: 12.2 percent (ranked 30th)
Penalty Kill: 83.8 percent (ranked sixth)
How to Push for the Postseason:
This is tough to answer, because it seems like Vokoun is the only Panther ever worth talking about (someone trade him to a contender already; he deserves better). However, a big part of any playoff push for Florida will be offensive depth. They lost a lot of it in the Nathan Horton trade, and Weiss cannot carry the team on his own.
Western Conference Teams on the Brink
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9. Minnesota Wild (26-19-5, 57 points)
10. Colorado Avalanche (25-19-6, 56 points)
11. Los Angeles Kings (27-22-2, 56 points)
12. Calgary Flames (25-21-6, 56 points)
Minnesota Wild
6 of 9Key Players:
The Wild boast two 40-point scorers in Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu, who have 44 and 43 points, respectively.
Andrew Brunette, who is closing in on 1,000 NHL games played, has 28 points this year. He has spent six out of his last nine seasons in Minnesota. He had 61 points last year after producing lower point totals in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Brent Burns, who recently represented Minnesota at the NHL All-Star Game, leads Wild defensemen in scoring with 31 points. He has already improved on his 2009-10 total of 20 points.
Clayton Stoner leads Minnesota with a plus-seven rating.
Niklas Backstrom is currently 16-11-3 with three shutouts in 30 games. His .925 save percentage is ranked sixth in the NHL, and he also has a 2.43 GAA. He has improved on his .903 save percentage and 2.72 GAA from last year.
Jose Theodore signed with the Wild after Josh Harding went down for the season with a knee injury. He is 8-7-2 in 18 games and has a .913 save percentage with a 2.66 GAA. Like Backstrom, he has improved on his 2009-10 stats (.911 save percentage and 2.81 GAA).
Key Stats:
2.6 goals scored per game (ranked 20th)
2.6 goals against per game (ranked 10th)
Power Play: 20.9 percent (ranked sixth)
Penalty Kill: 82.4 percent (ranked 10th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
Although there are no shootouts in the playoffs, the Wild need to improve in that area to gain extra points. They are 1-4 in shootouts and just won their first one of the season against the Kings last night.
Minnesota will also face non-playoff teams six times this month, and picking up points will be crucial.
Colorado Avalanche
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Key Players:
The Avalanche have three players with at least 40 points this year. Second year pro Matt Duchene leads the team with 45 points, while Paul Stastny and Milan Hedjuk come in second and third with 43 and 42 points, respectively.
On defense, John-Michael Liles leads Colorado defensemen with 35 points, and Ryan O'Byrne's plus-11 rating takes the top prize in that category.
Craig Anderson has been the Avs' main goalie this year. In 29 games, he is 13-12-3 with a .903 save percentage and 3.12 GAA. However, he is on the decline from last year, when he went 38-25-7 with a .917 save percentage and 2.64 GAA.
Peter Budaj has almost evenly split netminding duties with Anderson. He has played 25 games and has a .894 save percentage and 3.17 GAA. However, he has also done worse this year. In 2009-10, he went 5-5-2 and had an identical GAA and save percentage to Anderson.
Key Stats:
3.16 goals per game (ranked fourth)
3.30 goals against per game (most in the NHL)
Power Play: 20.8 percent (seventh)
Penalty Kill: 77.7 percent (27th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
Colorado's offense is explosive, but it loses some of its luster when you look at how many goals they give up. They will need to play tighter defense and lessen their goaltenders' workloads.
The penalty kill also needs some work. The Avs average 12.5 penalty minutes per game, so they don't need it terribly often, but it could work against them in the postseason.
Los Angeles Kings
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Key Players:
Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 49 points this year. L.A. also has five players with 30 or more points, including Justin Williams, who has 39 points after posting 29 points in 2009-10.
Captain Dustin Brown has put up at least 40 points in four out of his five seasons with the Kings.
Jack Johnson leads Kings defensemen in scoring with 33 points, but Kopitar and Williams have the highest plus/minus ratings, with each posting a plus-16. Drew Doughty comes in second at plus-15.
The young goaltending duo of Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier is working out well for the Kings. Quick is seventh in the NHL with 22 wins and is 22-14-1 with five shutouts. He also has a .920 save percentage and a 2.15 GAA, which is ranked fourth.
Bernier, on the other hand, is trying to get used to the league and has a 5-8-1 record with a .899 save percentage and 2.84 GAA. However, he is a good goaltending prospect and will be given more time to find his game.
Key Stats:
2.71 goals scored per game (ranked 16th)
2.43 goals against per game (ranked sixth)
Power Play: 16.7 percent (ranked 21st)
Penalty Kill: 82.9 percent (ranked 12th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
The Kings are currently in the midst of a 10-game road trip. They kicked off last night's swing with a 1-0 shootout loss to the Wild. Prior to that game, they had won three straight.
This will not be an easy swing for the Kings. They are 10-13-1 on the road this year and face just five non-playoff teams on their trip. How they try to improve on their record could go a long way towards determing where, or if, they end up in the playoff race.
Calgary Flames
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Key Players:
Flames captain Jarome Iginla leads the team with 47 points this year. While that is respectable, he needs to avoid going downhill for the second straight year. He had 69 points in 2009-10 after posting 89 points in 2008-09.
Alex Tanguay, who had 37 points last year, will be on the upswing for at least one more year. He already has 38 points on the season.
Mark Giordano leads Calgary defensemen with 25 points, but has a disappointing minus-10 rating. Robyn Regehr has the highest plus/minus rating on the team with a plus-nine.
Anton Babchuk had 35 points in his last NHL season with Carolina in 2008-09. He had 22 points when playing in the KHL last year. He has already matched that point total with the Hurricanes and Flames.
In goal, Mikka Kiprusoff is 21-18-2 with three shutouts, and his win total is ranked 10th in the NHL. He also has a .902 save percentage and 2.73 GAA.
Henrik Karlsson is in his first professional season in North America, having previously played in Sweden. He has gotten into 12 games for Calgary and is 4-3-4 with a .899 save percentage and 2.66 GAA.
Key Stats:
2.69 goals per game (ranked 18th)
2.88 goals against per game (ranked 18th)
Power Play: 15.8 percent (ranked 24th)
Penalty Kill: 81.9 percent (ranked 16th)
How to Push for the Postseason:
Head coach Brent Sutter must avoid overworking Kiprusoff. For the last five seasons, Kipper has played in at least 70 games, and as a result, he cannot perform well in the playoffs. Of course, this requires Karlsson to prove himself as a reliable backup.
The Flames also do not have any elite players or any standout statistics. At this point, they are merely average. That will not be enough when competing with high talent teams like the Sharks and the Kings for a playoff spot.
However, they are moving in the right direction with a current five game winning streak. They have three games in February with other teams pushing for a playoff spot, so they will need to keep up the strong work ethic that General Manager Jay Feaster has already praised them for.
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