Eastern Conference Surprises Of The First Half Of The NHL Season
As the first half of the season comes upon us, I am going to reflect back and look at a few of the surprises and disappointments around the NHL. I will split them into conferences and also split between surprises and disappointments.
Apr 13, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing
Alex Ovechkin(8) celebrates with Capitals center
Nicklas Backstrom(19) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Today, I look at the Surprises (in a good way) in the Eastern Conference. All in all, it hasn’t been a great season for many Eastern Conference clubs and players. The dominance of the Western Conference has made headlines and it shows up in the standings and among the league’s leaders statistically. For that reason, this will be a relatively short list as I look for some positive surprises in the East. It will be a much longer list when I look at the disappointments.
1. The Montreal Canadiens, Carey Price & P.K. Subban
Mar 23, 2012; Montreal, QC, CAN; Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil (25) in between Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban (76) and goaltender Carey Price (31) during the 3rd period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Somehow the Habs are keeping their heads above water and remain in a playoff spot. I didn’t think the Canadiens could repeat what they did last year and thought they would slide out of post-season contention, Michel Therrien would continue to stagger through a season and might not last the year.
Led by Team Canada hopefuls Carey Price and P.K. Subban, the Habs remain in third place in the Atlantic Division and are 4 points up on the Red Wings and 9 points ahead of the teams currently outside the playoffs. Subban has proven for the most part that his Norris Trophy wasn’t a fluke and he hasn’t really taken a step backward.
They are a streaky team and could just as easily go on a cold run as a hot one to start the second half, but credit to them for proving me wrong, at least so far.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning, Martin St. Louis & Ben Bishop
Dec 5, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis (26) and goalie Ben Bishop (30) fist pump after they beat the Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Moving to the tough Atlantic Division was supposed to be a tough task for the Lightning and the Panthers, but Tampa has shown that they are up to the task, despite losing their most dynamic offensive player, Steven Stamkos, to a broken leg. Martin St. Louis and former Ottawa Senators goalie Ben Bishop have led the way and the Lighting sit in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, trailing only the Bruins.
Despite losing his centreman, St. Louis still finds himself in the top 12 of NHL scorers.
3. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and The Washington Capitals
Dec 21, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring is 401 goal during the third period at Verizon Center. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 5-4 Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Another team that I thought would struggle with the new alignment of the NHL divisions, the Capitals have scored their way to a spot near the top of the Metropolitan Division.
Alex Ovechkin leads the league in goals with 30 already and sits 5th in NHL scoring, while linemate Nicklas Backstrom is a point ahead of him in 4th. Only the Penguins have scored more in the Eastern Conference, and if Adam Oates could get them to play better defensively and not allow so many goals, they would be treated a little more seriously as a playoff contender.
4. Sidney Crosby‘s Health
Dec 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at the face-off circle against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Love him or hate him, and there are plenty of people in either camp, the NHL is a better league when Sidney Crosby is on top of his game. And for the first time in 4 seasons, Crosby has been healthy and not missed any games so far this season. He leads the league in scoring with 54 points in 39 games and is on pace for over 115 points. He has the Penguins on top of the Eastern Conference despite the team already having lost more than 220 man games to injury.
Oh yeah, the last time Crosby had a fully healthy season, he scored the Gold Medal winning goal for Team Canada in the Olympics. Coincidence?