Hockey Divisions
The NHL playoffs are just around the corner and with it, the Central Division of the National League has some teams that have not had a whole lot of success over the years. The St. Louis Blues will be the favorites in the Western Conference, but they will need to go through the powerhouse Chicago Blackhats in the second round. If the Blues don’t win this series they could well be out of the playoffs altogether. Here’s a look at how the NHL Central Division races stands for the 2021-11 season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets has been the cream of the crop in the Central Division the last couple of years and are favorites to take the trophy again. Their offense is lethal and they boast one of the best defenses in the league. However, they do not have the kind of depth that the defending champion Chicago Blackbirds do and they’ll likely get caught up in a battle for first place in the Metro Division. The Columbus offense ranks sixth in the NHL and second in the power play. Bryan Hedberg should provide some offensive production and the Jackets will likely carry the momentum into the postseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins is a little bit of a mystery, especially after they traded their captain, Patrick Eaves, to the Vegas Golden Knights this off season. They still possess some excellent players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Craig Adams, but they lost their number one center, Guy Boucher, to a trade to the Ottawa Senators. They do have some high-level defense talent including Chris Osgood, Brooks Orpik, and Matt Cooke. But the Penguins may lack a true number one center and they will likely be unable to slow down the power plays that the opposing teams use so effectively. This could spell disaster for their hopes of making it to the Stanley Cup. If they cannot crack the defense of the Chicago Blackbirds and stay out of the trap games, they may not even make the playoffs.
Another team to keep an eye on in the Eastern Conference is the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning have a top line of Brad Richards, Tampa Bay’s first line, and goalscorer Victor Hedman. The Lightning are an interesting team that seems to always find a way to put a good team on the ice. And they also seem to do so without using any particular player, which gives them the ability to adapt to any style of hockey.
One team that has been playing down the middle the whole year is the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs have managed to keep their stars in the lineup all year, despite missing several key players due to injury. Andrei Markov, Guy Laforest, Richard Levi, and even Alex Semin have provided quality hockey play all year. And with some help from Max Paciwall and some good luck, the Habs could end up sneaking into the playoffs.
These are three teams to keep an eye on in the Eastern Conference. No matter who is playing what, it will be worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses. There is no doubt that the Central Division will be the toughest as there are five powerhouse teams in the league, but the Atlantic and North have as well.