During the marathon NHL season, divisional standings change from week to week. In the Atlantic Division, the parity is evident. I’m going to break down the teams in two parts. The top four teams in the standings then the bottom four teams. Let’s take a look at where things stand after three weeks in our Atlantic Watch.
Atlantic Division Watch – Top Four Teams
Florida Panthers – Another decent week for the reigning Stanley Cup champs. They went 2-1 and appear to be running on all cylinders. If there is a point of concern, it would be their goal differential. Through 10 games, the Panthers have scored 33 goals. In those games, they have also given up 33 goals. Matthew Tkachuk returned to action last week and Aleksander Barkov Is expected to play Monday.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Overall, it was an average week. How else do you describe going 2-2? Among the players this week, Andrei Vasilevskiy pitching a shutout over Washington was impressive. Conor Geekie scored his first goal and first assist of his NHL career. Defenseman JJ Moser is playing a quietly solid game. They improved a couple of percentage points on faceoffs but are still below 50% on face offs.
Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres were the surprise team in the division last week. Jumping from 7th of 8 teams to 3rd. Before anyone shuffles off to the Buffalo bandwagon, they only won two games. The good news for them and their fans, they only played two games. Their power play (last in the NHL) is a major concern.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Tough week for the most scrutinized team in the league. Going 1-2-1, the Leafs ended last week a .500 team. One bright spot is goalie Anthony Stolarz. Cementing his hold on the number one spot, he is saving 93% of the shots he’s faced. He is also giving up only 2.19 goals a game. Those numbers can carry this team. Especially with the offensive struggles they have.
Atlantic Watch – Bottom Four Teams
Boston Bruins – Last week the Bruins went 1-2. The win was in overtime. The team is still struggling with offense. Like Toronto, the Bruins don’t have a skater in the league’s top 50 point getters. With names like David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, this is a surprise. Their power play continues to struggle.
Ottawa Senators – The Senators split their two games last week. Last week the Senators won two and lost one. Their power play continues to be the best in the Eastern Conference at 41.7%. Goalie Linus Ullmark has struggled but Anton Forsberg is playing well. A plus one goal differential equates to an average team.
Detroit Red Wings – Going 2-1 last week allowed the Red Wings to jump from 8th in the division to 7th. Baby steps. One major concern is their penalty kill. They are only killing 64% of their penalties and are last in the Eastern Conference. One bright spot is goalie Alex Lyon. Saving 94% of the shots faced and giving up 2.05 goals a game has earned him more starts.
Montreal Canadiens – I mentioned it was a bad week two weeks ago for the Habs. Last week they replicated that bad by going 0-2-1 for the second week in a row. If anyone can lead a turnaround, it’s Marty St. Louis. But his team is struggling in a tough division. Goalie Sam Montembault continues to play well. He just needs some goal support.
Look Ahead to Next Week
Florida has three games, one on the road then two at a neutral site against Dallas in the Global Series in Finland. Buffalo is their road game before they head to Finland. The second place Lightning host former captain Steven Stamkos and his new team, the Nashville Predators on Monday. Then they head to Colorado and Minnesota for a couple of road games. Buffalo has three games, two at home. Facing Florida and the Islanders at home and Detroit on the road. The Leafs have three games, two on the road. Winnipeg and St. Louis are the road games and they host Seattle in the home game.
Boston also has three games with two of those on the road. They face Philadelphia, Carolina and the Flyers again. Ottawa has a tough week on the schedule. Four games, two each on the road and home. The home games are St. Louis and Seattle. The road games are Colorado and the Islanders. Detroit has three home games playing Edmonton, Winnipeg and Buffalo. Also having a four game week is Montreal. Worse for them is that three of those games are on the road. Playing Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington and Pittsburgh is a hard week for any team.
