The NHL regular season schedule ends on April 17th. NHL news will move towards the playoffs soon. Some teams are favorites to not only qualify but also have an excellent chance at winning it all. This NHL news article will dissect three teams trending in the wrong direction if they intend to vie for a Stanley Cup.
Teams like the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche are showing why they are favorites.
New Jersey Devils – two key players injured
NHL News: Per – Adam Proteau – thehockeynews.com. With two star players injured within two days recently, the Devils are searching for answers.
Every NHL team experiences injuries and must have the next player step up. Losing two quality players like Jack Hughes, who will be lost until training camp, and Dougie Hamilton, who may be back in time for the playoffs, is not good news. Yet, it must be noted that the Devils haven’t been playing great hockey for a while now.
Their record since January 11th is an uninspiring 11-11-2. Playing .500 hockey won’t get you to the postseason.
The fear is that if the Devils continue their downward trend, they could lose their current third-place standing in the Metropolitan Division. If that happens, they may drop to a wild-card position, and their fate will suffer. They certainly don’t want to face the Panthers or the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.
Without their two star players, the Devils’ playoff picture looks cloudy. They did acquire forward Cody Glass, who has two goals and two assists in four games. He is not Jack Hughes, but he can help the Devils. Replacing Hughes’s scoring of 27 goals and 43 assists will not be easy. Devils’ fans must wonder how their team will perform for the final 14 games.
Minnesota Wild – Now A Wild-Card Team
NHL News: Per – Adam Proteau – thehockeynews.com. The Wild have played poor hockey lately, with a meager 11-13-1 record since January 11th.
Minnesota has also experienced significant injuries to key players, including superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov, center Joel Eriksson Ek, and defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. They have just 15 games to turn things around, and without Kaprizov, who contributed 23 goals and 29 assists in just 37 games, things don’t appear too bright.
Right now, the Wild are projected to play against the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, or Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs. Their chances of recovering are slim with two forwards and two defensemen hurt. They did acquire Gustav Nyquist from the Nashville Predators before the trade deadline. Nyquist has just one assist in seven games since joining the Wild.
Things were going fine for the Wild before all the injuries. Like the Devils, things can go south quickly when you lose one of your top scorers. Earlier in the season, the Wild were second in the Central Division, but the injuries started taking them down.
The Wild have 15 games to try to finish strong and improve their playoff standing. Can they do it?
Edmonton Oilers – What’s Wrong?
NHL News: Per – Adam Proteau – thehockeynews.com. Weak goaltending and all-around poor play have plagued the Oilers.
The Oilers haven’t experienced all the injuries like the Devils and Wild have, yet they are not playing like a team searching for a Cup of late. They have gone 7-9-1 since January 27th. Their two forwards have tallied 185 points between them: Leon Draisaitl has 49 goals and 51 assists, and Connor McDavid has 24 goals and 61 assists.
The Los Angeles Kings have surpassed the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division by winning five straight games. If the Oilers continue their fall, will the Vancouver Canucks or Calgary Flames surpass them? Stranger things have happened in the NHL playoff races in the past.
The Oilers can score almost at will, but their defense and goaltending have been their weakness. They are ranked 24th in penalty killing, which would be critical for a team with a weak offense. The Edmonton club is ranked fifth in the power play to make up for any deficiencies created by Stuart Skinner in net. He has been anything but stellar, with a weak .867 save percentage in February and an .876 SV% thus far in March.
It’s time for the Oilers to finish strong and make a long-awaited run for the Cup. They acquired Trent Frederic, Max Jones, and Jake Walman at the trade deadline. Will those additions be enough to get them to the Cup Final again? Connor McDavid is hopeful as he awaits his turn to hoist the Cup.
End Of NHL News Rant
Due to their recent struggles, New Jersey, Edmonton, and Minnesota have had control of their destiny taken away from them. Sure, injuries haven’t helped, but they now have to improve significantly or hope the teams ahead or just behind them fall in the standings. That’s not an ideal situation for these three teams.
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