Trading has started in earnest with Dion Phaneuf, Ilya Kovalchuk and Olli Jokinen all being dealt over the last week. GMs are now making judgements on their team’s needs and objectives for the rest of the season as they jostle for position heading into the Olympic break, which is now just one week away. Around the Eastern Conference will do its best to give you as much information as possible, but if there is anything I miss or you have any additional questions then please e-mail me. This article covers a week-by-week analysis of each Eastern Conference team including; injury updates, transactions and the upcoming schedule.
Washington Capitals 39-12-6 84 points (4-0-0 this week)
Washington has now won 12 straight and they are building up a significant lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have even been without top defenseman Mike Green through suspension for the last three games, but it hasn’t stopped them. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble are the hottest line in the NHL and had yet another outstanding offensive week. Ovechkin registered his 500th career point with an outstanding goal against the Rangers on Thursday; he now has 80 points in 49 games this season! Backstrom had three goals and eight assists this week, and Knuble scored four goals and added two assists. Jose Theodore has found a groove of late, after a very poor start Theodore has a .936 save percentage in his last nine appearances. I don’t expect Theodore to remain so consistent, but Bruce Boudreau will definitely ride him while he and the Capitals are hot.
New Jersey Devils 35-18-2 72 points (1-2-0)
The Devils have won just three of their last 11 and while they are still leading the Atlantic Division, they have dropped far behind Washington and have been disappointed in their offense. However, as of today the main talking point in New Jersey is Ilya Kovalchuk. Deals like this are always difficult to break down, the Devils have managed to add one of the league’s most talented scorers without giving up too much at the present (though the package of youth Atlanta got is very solid). Kovalchuk has 58 points in 49 games so far this season, but he will now play for a coach that demands defense first in a defensive system. He is more than talented to score in any setup, but the next three months and beyond will be very telling of Kovalchuk’s character, be ready for offensive output to drop off slightly. On the injury front, Patrik Elias and David Clarkson are both possibilities to return on either side of the Olympic break to boost the Devils new look forward group.
Buffalo Sabres 32-16-7 71 points (1-2-0)
Defeats to close rivals Pittsburgh and Ottawa capped a slightly disappointing week for a fully healthy Sabres team that is still struggling to consistently play up to its potential. For the first time in a long time Buffalo has legitimate competition at the top of the Northeast Division with Ottawa now just one point behind. Tim Connolly continues to be the team’s consistent producer as he scored a goal and contributed three assists this week. Tomas Vanek scored twice this week; Vanek’s disappointing offensive output this season is difficult to explain, but I still expect both he and Derek Roy to enjoy a strong finish to the year after the Olympic break. The Sabres play Carolina twice, Boston and Columbus this week as they look to head into the Olympic break on form.
Pittsburgh Penguins 35-21-1 71 points (2-0-0)
Ottawa’s recent hot streak has changed the dynamic of the Eastern Conference now meaning that Pittsburgh has some real competition for a home ice playoff position. However, the Penguins have enjoyed a good week with wins over Detroit and Buffalo, while also enjoying a four-day break. Still don’t be surprised to see GM Ray Shero make a move for a scoring winger as the Penguins are too reliant upon star duo Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin; Crosby had four goals this week, while Malkin had three assists, but no other player recorded more than a point across the two contests. Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis have made solid contributions this season with 16 and 12 goals respectively, but neither has been able to take true advantage of the quality of their centermen. Chris Kunitz could return from injury as early as Saturday and the Penguins will hope he can help to fill some of the scoring void.
Ottawa Senators 33-21-4 70 points (3-0-0)
Ottawa’s 11 game winning streak has transformed the Eastern Conference and seemingly out of nowhere the Senators have propelled themselves into prime position in the Conference. There is little doubt that the success of this team begins and ends with Brian Elliot, who continues to be superb. It’s never an easy task to decide whether it’s a case of a young goaltender fulfilling his potential or just someone playing over their head, but if anything Elliot is getting better and better, he had a .947 save percentage and 1.67 GAA this week. All season long fantasy poolies have been asking, where is Jason Spezza? Well it looks like he has finally come into form and he has provided the Senators with a huge offensive boost, Spezza had four goals and an assist this week. He now has an eight-game goal scoring streak, 10 of his 12 goals this season have come in his last 11 games.
Montreal Canadiens 27-25-6 60 points (2-0-1)
The Eastern Conference is so tight that placing sixth to 13th tend to read like a form guide and this week’s form team is Montreal. The Canadiens won tight contests against Vancouver and Boston even with two of their most talented offensive players in Andrei Kostitsyn and Mike Cammalleri sidelined with injuries. It feels like I always talk about goaltending when it comes to Montreal, but Jaroslav Halak enjoyed yet another outstanding week with consecutive 45 save performances in the two victories. Halak is still the subject of trade rumours, but why on earth would the Canadiens trade him? Sergei Kostitsyn recently returned from injury and after a difficult season, which has seen him spend some time in the AHL, Kostitsyn is finally starting to show his potential, he had a goal and two assists this weekend and saw over 17 minutes of ice time against Boston on Thursday. Tomas Plekanec had a goal and two assists this week and his production will be interesting to watch with his regular wingers both sidelined.
Philadelphia Flyers 28-24-3 59 points (2-1-0)
After closing out a six-game home stand 4-2, the Flyers are now 1-1 on a three-game road trip. Ray Emery sat out the Flyers recent 1-0 defeat to Edmonton, but he had enjoyed two consecutive strong outings conceding just one goal. Michael Leighton performed strongly in relief despite the loss as Brian Boucher continues to look like the odd-man out. It was not a strong offensive week for Philadelphia, but Mike Richards did show some signs of regaining form with two goals and an assist, while Simon Gagne had three assists. Some may be concerned that Matt Carle is on a 10-game pointless streak while being a -4 in that span, however they shouldn’t be concerned. Carle should prosper in Laviolette’s system and continues to play with Chris Pronger, expect him to contribute once the Flyers offense picks up again. The Flyers also added defenseman Lukas Krajicek to their line-up, Krajicek is a talented defenseman, but is still likely to be the odd-man out when Philadelphia gets healthy.
Tampa Bay Lightning 24-21-11 59 points (2-1-0)
Tampa started a key four-game home stand heading into the break with a convincing 5-2 win over the Islanders, a good week now and the Lightning could enjoy two weeks off from a playoff position. Antero Nittymaki is playing excellent hockey right now and is being rewarded with the majority of the starts, Nittymaki has arguably outplayed Mike Smith all season and while I still expect to see Smith get his fair share of starts, Nittymaki has the quality to remain Tampa’s #1 from here on out. Kurtis Foster has quietly had a very useful season with the Lightning, Foster had three assists this week and now has 26 points on the season; just two off his career high set in 2005/06. Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are powering this offense making Tampa look like a very dangerous team. Stamkos had three goals and three assists this week, while St. Louis record three goals and two helpers.
Florida Panthers 24-23-9 57 points (1-2-0)
Florida had a bad week results wise, but will still be feeling extremely pleased after David Booth returned to the ice last Sunday in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, a game in which he recorded his first point, an assist, since suffering a serious concussion on the 24th October. Booth’s return is especially welcome to an offense currently deprived of Nathan Horton, who is currently sidelined with a broken tibia. Offense has been hard to come by despite solid defense and strong goaltending with Vokoun recording his seventh shutout of the season in the win against New York. Booth will take time to recover and find his game, until then the Panthers will need to look for additional offense from within particularly Stephen Weiss who has struggled since Horton went down.
New York Rangers 25-26-7 57 points (1-3-0)
The Rangers have dropped below .500 and another disappointing week has forced the inevitable deal. New York sent Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik to Calgary in exchange for center Olli Jokinen. Jokinen has had a slightly disappointing season with the Flames so far this season and Coach John Tortorella will hope he can find wingers who mesh with the talented centerman. Rangers’ fans should be pleased, Jokinen is a point per game player and should enjoy a good final 25 games playing in New York. Marian Gaborik has bounced back after a short cold spell, he had five goals and two assists this week, and he now has 34 goals and 68 points on the season. Vinny Prospal also enjoyed a prosperous week with two goals and four assists and suddenly the Rangers look like a much more dangerous offense heading down the stretch run.
Atlanta Thrashers 24-23-8 56 points (0-2-0)
Atlanta lost both of its games this week and will struggle to gain momentum while playing four of their five games before the break on the road. GM Don Waddell evidently decided that he couldn’t afford to stand pat anymore and traded away captain and impending free agent Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey. Kovalchuk and Waddell could not come to terms on a new deal, so the GM decided to get value for his franchise player rather than see him leave to free agency. The Thrashers got Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, Johnny Oduya and a 1st round pick in a solid return for a player who is effectively a rental. It will be particularly interesting to see how Bergfors gets on while playing in a run and gun system in Atlanta. The loss of Kovalchuk is huge to a Thrashers franchise that has relied upon him over the past seven seasons, the effect on regular line mates Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov could be negative to their production, but it may be positive in helping younger players like Bryan Little and Rich Peverley to step up and take on more offensive opportunity.
Boston Bruins 23-22-10 56 points (0-2-2)
All season long the Bruins have had troubles with injuries, but now with only defensive defensemen Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference sidelined, their problems scoring still persist. Boston is winless in their last nine and has only won three of 16 games since the start of 2010 as they slip further and further down the standings. Marc Savard had three assists this week and has been showing signs of improvement since his return from injury. David Krejci had a goal and two assists, but hasn’t quite been able to produce on a consistent basis this season; he has just 30 points so far this year. This is one of the poorest runs of form in Bruins history, but don’t expect it to continue for much longer. Boston is not playing that badly and has deserved better over the last week or so, expect the big three down the middle Savard, Krejci and Patrice Bergeron to pick up their play and this team’s offense over the final 25 games or so.
New York Islanders 23-26-8 54 points (0-3-0)
Only a couple of weeks ago, the Islanders were riding a wave of good form and had found themselves in eighth position playing well, however they are now three games below .500 and have lost seven straight. New York’s troubles start and end with a struggling offense that managed just three goals this week. John Tavares was held pointless this week as he and Matt Moulson remain relatively quiet after their strong performances in the first half of the season. To further the Islanders woes, Josh Bailey has suffered an upper body injury, while he should return after the Olympic break, every game is so crucial to the Islanders at this stage of the season. Rick DiPietro is still slowly working himself back into game shape; Coach Scott Gordan still elected to use Dwayne Roloson in two of the three games this week.
Toronto Maple Leafs 18-28-11 47 points (1-1-1)
Brian Burke was not going to remain patient forever and after observing his team for 56 games, he decided it was time for a bit of an overhaul. Toronto acquired Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and a defensive prospect for Matt Stajan, Nicklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers. Burke then sent Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake to Anaheim for J.S Giguere. A 3-0 win over New Jersey may have been more a reflection of the energy gained from the moves rather than the quality of the new team. Phaneuf is a talented young defenseman who badly needed a change of scenery, I expect him to play well for the Maple Leafs for the rest of this season, something especially useful for Toronto who have learnt that Mike Komisarek will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Giguere was possibly the best short-term addition to the line-up; Giguere is still capable of providing reliable, consistent goaltending if given the opportunity to be the #1. It will be interesting to see how this affects young goaltender Jonas Gustavsson who is likely to get fewer opportunities now. Phil Kessel had three goals this week as he re-discovered his form, while Alexei Ponikarovsky had a goal and four assists, but it will be interesting to see how these two cope with the offensive depth that the Leafs gave up in their deals.
Carolina Hurricanes 19-30-7 45 points (1-2-0)
Carolina is 0-2 on a four-game road trip, after this road trip they will enter the break with a three-game home stand. With the trade market officially open it will be interesting to see whether the Hurricanes trade any of their veterans with the likes of Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen, Scott Walker and Erik Cole (if able to get healthy) amongst a group that might have value. Meanwhile Cam Ward and Eric Staal are leading this team the way they were expected to from the start of the season; Staal had a goal and three assists and has now scored more than a point per game for the first time this season. Chad LaRose is the team’s latest injury concern, he probably won’t return until after the Olympic break, while there is no clear deadline on Cole’s or Walker’s returns as of yet.