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habsfans98 · 6 years

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Habsfan98 Opinion 2017-2018 Montreal Canadiens season

Season Records: G: (Games) W: (Wins) L: (Loses) OT: (Overtime Loses)

Overall Season:

G: 82 W: 29 L: 40 OT: 13 PTS:71

Home Record: 18-14-9

Away Record: 11-26-4

Leading Scorers: GP: (Game Played) G: (Goals) A: (Assist) P: (Points)

Brandan Gallagher - GP: 82 G: 31 A: 23 P: 54

Alex Galchenyuk – GP: 82 G: 19 A:32 P: 51

Jonathan Drouin – GP: 77 G: 13 A: 33 P: 46

My Opinion for the 2017-2018 Canadiens Season

I had a lot of hopes for this season when it came to the habs line up. After last season disappointing first round elimination by the Rangers. I thought that season with a healthy core, and some younger players including the addition of Jonathan Drouin. I had expectation of going to the playoffs this year, and maybe getting out of the first round.

I knew that this team wasn’t a Cup contender, not with are weakness at the center position. But, I expected the team to be like the habs of season prior, and get through the rough patches of offense, with stingy defensive play, and the great goaltending of Carey Price.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This season from the get go was a mess. Carey Price was arguably playing the worst hockey of is career so far. With play that reminded me of his early years as the habs starter. IT didn’t help that Price was dealing with the lingering effects from his injuries, that played a big role in his poor play.

This resulted in the team, have to call up Charlie Lindgren from the farm team, and pick up Antti Niemi off waivers from Pittsburgh to stabilize the goaltending until Price could come back from his new set of injuries.

So, with Carey Price injured, and having a very off season. The Canadiens did not have the back up and cover they’ve relied on to help mask many of the team’s flaws.

Which resulted in the team falling through the glass floor pretty hard.

The teams lack of true Centre depth came of full display this season. Jonathan Drouin was experimented with at center, forcing Alex Galchenyuk to play on the wing for most of the game this season.

The experiment yielded little success, with Drouin showing very little development, and the maturity to anchor the habs top line most line most nights. I didn’t help the forward that took over the role as top center for the team; Phillip Danault was injured for the most of the season.

Another area that hurt the habs shockingly was the teams defense.

This season was a polar opposite for the habs defensive core. At first, we say a short-lived spark from Jeff Petry, who was scoring in spades for most of the first half of the season. While Shae Weber was once again great at his shut down role and imposing his will on other teams; anchoring the powerplay.

However down the stretch the play began to slow down, the offense dried up, and injuries mounted.

Shaw Weber was the biggest loss of all. After discovering that he had been playing most of the season on a broken foot, which clearly had affected his play; before he was forced to get season ending surgery.

And while Petry, and new defensemen Karl Alzner played the full 82 games this season, their impact of the offensive and defensive side of the season at best were minimal.

By far, the worst part of the season was the offense of the Montreal Canadiens.

While Brandan Gallagher had a great offensive season leading the team in Goals and point, he was not enough to make up for the mess of under achieving, and poor play this season by the Canadiens forwards.

To address the major elephant in the room in regards to this season, we look not further the Captain of the Canadiensl; Max Pacioretty.

Pacioretty by all accounts had a dreadful season this year. Playing 64 games this season, before ending his season in late march for season ending surgery. Pacioretty finished with a G: 17 and A: 20. These are his lowest numbers in a non-lock out shortened season since 2010-2011, (Which was also a season he was sidelined with injuries).

Pacioretty for much of the season was healthy and playing top minutes on the team’s top line. However, was not able to get consistent scoring. Even though historically, pacioretty has been a streaky goal scorer; this did not happen this season.

His poor play on the ice, and often times less the enthused post game reaction and comments, began a rumor mill that Pacioretty was on the trade blog during this seasons trade deadline. There have been reports that the LA Kings and Florida Panthers, had kicked the tires on trade talks before and on trade deadline for Pacioretty. However, no deals were finalized.

It was clear however, that the relationship between the habs captain and the front office management and become rather strained. And one could only imagine, or fear that Marc Bergevin will try to kick start a rebuild, or re-tooling of the habs with a trade involving the once perennial 30 goal scorer.

This season has been pretty disappointing to watch as a habs fan.

Not only were their very uninspired and rather boring games that the habs played. The teams poor play, just seemed to make the season drag on.

I will be very honest and say that I didn’t watch a majority of games this season. Not just because I was busy with a new job, and life. Rather I just couldn’t take watching underachieving habs this season, especially with a Carey Price that wasn’t play well either.

There was much better hockey to watch this season.

Another reason, was the lack of any real urgency of for thought from the habs front office. The season to a lot of people can be seen, as a one off; with the hope that next season will be better.

However, the front office needs to address the most important problem for the habs. The lack of real center depth.

Never mind the fact that we still don’t have a number one center. The habs don’t have any real center depth. Even though we have a few young pieces being groomed in AHL. The current rooster, and poor development with the coaching staff, does not give me much confidence that are young rookies can turn the franchise around.

I know, and a lot of hockey experts expect the Canadiens to be a big player in the John Tavarase swip stakes. Once he become a free agent this season, after his contract expires this July with the Islanders. The Canadiens have a cap space to sigh the star center to a big long-term contract.

However, I think this is the wrong move for the habs.

I believe that a full rebuild is a right way to go for this franchise at this point. Much of the team’s rooster is again, while some of the younger players that got to show off, during the last few games this season, showed promise at being good depth pieces.

I believe that the throwing the hope that Taravees with sign with the team, (Throwing all your eggs in one basket) will not be the best idea for the franchise.

We’ve already felt the effect two trades that leveraged the teams future for a quick fix to the mask the team’s issues.

And its resulted in this seasons mess.

Final Thoughts

This season has been pretty special hasn’t it?

We have so many amazing stories, and amazing events that have happened this season.

We have the expansion team on the Vegas strip that has shown us that teamwork, good chemistry, great coaching, and a forward-thinking GM; can make a juggernaut out of the clear blue sky.

Joining that team, is another team that some how turn it all around.

The Colorado Avalanche were supposed to be a bottom feeding team, just like the Vegas Golden Knights. Only they defied the all the odds, playing great hockey, staying relatively healthy, (before the last month of the year) and winning more than losing.

The player I think that will win the Hart Trophy Nathan Mackinnon has taken that all important step in becoming that start game changing player the Avalanche always thought he would turn into when they drafted him first overall in 2013.

On the other side, another team broke expectation just like the Knights and Av’s. The New Jersey Devils lead by the Taylor Hall, and so much needed injections of youth and speed, turned from a lottery team; to a playoff team this year.

Yeah, Taylor Hall is going to the playoffs finally! He’ll go there knowing that he’s in the running for the Hart Trophy along with Mackinnon, and many other players this season.

I should talk about one of the other teams that disappointed me this season. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Arizona Coyotes, both failed at taking steps with their young players at their cores, and the veteran players they brought in to help with at step.

Although I didn’t think the Yotes would make the playoffs. I did expect them to be competitive. I didn’t expect them go on a 20+ game winless drought; all of which were regulation by the way.

Meanwhile the Hurricanes suffered from poor goaltending, and inconsistent play for most of season. And although they once again, miss the playoff by the slightest margins. Its clear that if the team wants to get passed the hump and join the post season dance next season; changes have to be made.

Finally, I’d like to apologies for the lack of posts and overall lack of activity and enthusiasm I had this season on my blog.

I will be watching a lot of playoff hockey this year, because I know it going to be crazy exciting this year. So, expect me to join a bandwagon for a good portion of the coming months.

To my follow habs fans. We always have next year, to hope, to see, and to enjoy hockey from the Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.

Now let’s enjoy some playoff hockey!

#Habsfan98 Opinion 2017-2018 Montreal Canadiens season #NHL #habsfan98 #Montreal Canadiens #nhl playoffs

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Barzal, Panarin Each Hit 80 Points

Barzal, Panarin Each Hit 80 Points

Mathew Barzal scored two goals and added an assist, giving him 60 assists and 82 points on the season. Let’s step back and admire what a rookie season it has been for Barzal, who is the first rookie since Evgeni Malkin in 2006-07 to reach 80 points. The Calder Trophy is pretty much his at this point, as he is nearly 20 points clear of the next highest-scoring rookie (Clayton Keller). One burning question I have: Will he be the Islanders’ first line center next season? That question applies whether or not John Tavares is back on Long Island.

Barzal’s linemate Anthony Beauvillier scored a goal and added two assists on seven shots on goal, giving him 20 goals on the season. Beauvillier is riding a four-game goal streak, so he should be rolling in your fantasy lineup as the Islanders play out the string.

Nolan Patrick scored two goals and added an assist in the same game, which places him one point shy of 30 in his rookie season. These splits seem to foreshadow progression next season. Don’t forget to add the 2017 second overall pick to your sleeper list.

Oct-Jan: 41 GP, 11 PTS (0.27 PTS/GP)

Feb-Apr: 30 GP, 18 PTS (0.6 PTS/GP)

Over a full season, Patrick’s production over the past two months would amount to a 50-point pace.

Did anyone have Taylor Hall booked for 90 points playing on the Devils? With two goals and two assists on Tuesday, Hall has now reached 93 points and is just one goal shy of 40. Hall is also third with 37 power-play points and ninth with 274 shots. Hall was barely drafted in the top 100 (ADP: 92.5 in Yahoo leagues), yet he won’t come nearly as cheap next season.

Those hoping that Erik Karlsson would cash in because of the Sens’ four-game week will be disappointed that he will miss the final three games of the season. Understandable, though, given what he has been through. Have we seen the last of him in a Senators’ uniform? The offseason should certainly be interesting.

If you’re a Karlsson owner playing for a championship, Thomas Chabot is worth an add. He scored two goals and an assist on Monday and also has three games over the last four days of the fantasy season. Expect big minutes and power-play opportunity with Karlsson out. Chabot’s fantasy value will be helped big time if Karlsson is shipped out without an adequate return on defense.

Speaking of the Sens, Mark Stone is expected to be a game-time decision on Wednesday. Get ready to activate him in case he plays.

With a goal and two assists on Tuesday, Artemi Panarin has four consecutive multipoint games with 11 points over that span. Projected by many to regress in Columbus, Panarin has actually improved with his first 80-point season. Panarin has been ripping it up during the fantasy playoffs with 28 points in just 17 games since the beginning of March. We can officially abandon the narrative that Panarin’s point totals were high because of Patrick Kane. He’s an exceptional player on his own.

With his goal on Tuesday, Pierre-Luc Dubois now has five goals over his last three games and seven points over his last four games. On Panarin’s line, Dubois has been a point-per-game player over that same hot stretch since early March.

The other player on that line is Cam Atkinson, who with two goals on Tuesday now has 10 goals and 15 points over his last 10 games. He was also a point-per-game player since early March after a disappointing first half. Between this red-hot top line and the solid goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky, does anyone like the Blue Jackets as a potential Cinderella team out of the East? Something I’m starting to think about.

You might think that Kyle Connor has at least partially been a product of his linemates. So it’s worth mentioning that he scored his 30th goal of the season to go with two assists. His linemates for Tuesday? Try Jack Roslovic and Andrew Copp. The Jets rested Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, among others, for this game. Somebody tell these coaches that we have fantasy titles to win and we need our big guns in the lineup!

In stopping all 33 shots he faced against Atlantic rival Boston, Andrei Vasilevskiy won for the first time in four games and earned his first shutout in over two months. Surprisingly, he still leads the league in both categories. Vasilevskiy posted a goals-against average north of 4.00 in March (ouch!) so maybe it’s gotten to the point where you have benched him. It’s been that kind of rollercoaster ride for too many goalies this season.

Vasilevskiy and the Bolts earned the win in spite of being without Steven Stamkos, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Charlie McAvoy returned to the Bruins’ lineup after missing 15 games. He was held without a point and was a minus-2.

Hat trick for Jamie Benn, who has now cracked the 30-goal mark. His goal and point totals over the past couple seasons suggest that he is a very good fantasy option, but not an elite one as it stands now.

Kari Lehtonen left Tuesday’s game against San Jose with an upper-body injury. With Ben Bishop also sidelined, Mike McKenna came on in relief and stopped all 17 shots he faced to earn a come-from-behind win for the Stars.

With his 42-save win against Calgary, Antti Raanta has now won six consecutive starts and nine of his last ten. Since January 1 Raanta has a 1.83 GAA and .942 SV%. I understand the Coyotes’ and Raanta’s rough starts, but how could he still only be owned in slightly less than half of Yahoo leagues? This guy could be winning you a championship as your third goalie!

Here’s the Predators’ buzzer beater that was disallowed due to “goaltender interference.” Don’t ask me for my opinion because I don’t know what goaltender interference is anymore. It seems that Viktor Arvidsson pushing his stick on Roberto Luongo was enough for the refs to make the call.

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Even Carrie Underwood is weighing in now…

I am seriously livid. @NHL , fix this.

— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) April 4, 2018

Some Anaheim injury news: Cam Fowler is expected to be sidelined for the next 2-6 weeks (I know, doesn’t really narrow it down) with a shoulder injury, while John Gibson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Remember Brandon Pirri? That Vegas magic dust rubbed off on him in his first game for the Vegas Golden Knights, as he scored two goals in a late game against the Canucks. Pirri was in the lineup because Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault were given the night off, a concept that seems to be growing in popularity in the NHL.

William Karlsson scored goal number 43 and added two more assists, giving him six 3-point games on the season. Much is made of the goal total, which no one predicted. But did you know that Wild Bill leads the NHL with a plus-46? I still say the goal total regresses next season with a likely shooting percentage decline (23 percent), but chemistry is chemistry and confidence is confidence. He’s found both in Vegas.

When Jussi Jokinen was sent to Vancouver in the Thomas Vanek trade, I assumed that he was just a throw-in that would mostly be healthy scratched over the remainder of the season. But injuries hit the forward ranks, and Jokinen has not only played, but thrived. With an assist on Tuesday, Jokinen now has seven points over his last five games. The way Jim Benning loves his veteran mentors, I now wouldn’t be surprised if Jokinen is brought back by the Canucks next season after playing for four teams this season. Especially with the Sedins retiring. Maybe Jokinens is even a late-season add if you’re in a deeper format.

Nikolay Goldobin posted the first two-goal game of his career on Tuesday, which gives him goals in back-to-back games and four points over his last three games. He shows flashes of brilliance, such as a goal I was in attendance for where he absolutely undressed Drew Doughty. Yet he disappears for long stretches, which should make him hard to trust in keeper leagues.

I’m sure you’ve heard or will hear about plenty of Sedin stories as they now play their final week. Here are two that stand out to me, both originating from their draft day in 1999:

The three trades that Brian Burke made to acquire both first-round picks needed (the Canucks already owned one pick). You may believe that Burke is an overrated GM/executive, but this was outstanding work and perhaps his finest moment as a GM. These trades ensured that the Sedins could spend their entire careers together. It’s fair to assume that they wouldn’t have had the individual success they had without each other.

The 1999 draft class itself. Aside from the Sedins, this might be the weakest draft class ever. Ryan Miller and Henrik Zetterberg were superb later-round picks, but many of the names in the first round are unrecognizable today. This might serve as a cautionary tale of overvaluing draft picks relative to actual NHL players, although I am led to believe that scouting tools have improved in the information age.

Daniel recorded an assist, while Henrik was held without a point in their first game since they announced they would retire at the end of the season. I’ve got the Sunday Ramblings, so be prepared for at least a little bit of Sedin coverage as they play their final game on Saturday.

Classy move by the Golden Knights in sticking around to shake hands with the Sedins after the game.

Congratulations on an incredible career! @canucks #ThankYouSedins pic.twitter.com/s4nu14fppP

— y – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 4, 2018

For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-barzal-panarin-each-hit-80-points/

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junker-town · 7 years

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NBA Summer League scores 2017: 3 winners from a stacked Friday night

Here’s a clue: Lonzo Ball was not a winner.

NBA basketball continued on Friday with a six-game slate of Summer League hoops, and some of the players you least expected had standout nights to help their chances at cracking the rotation come regular season.

The biggest surprise of all was Lonzo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers’ highly touted No. 2 pick who only scored 5 points on 2-of-15 shooting. Ball showed the court vision and pinpoint accuracy he hangs his hat on, finding Brandon Ingram for an alley-oop on the game’s very first play. But an uncharacteristically poor shooting night underscored an otherwise solid NBA debut.

The look on Magic Johnson's face after this last Lonzo Ball brick says it all. http://pic.twitter.com/Cz4yRGelg5

— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) July 8, 2017

Instead, guys like Clippers’ late picks Brice Johnson and Sindarius Thornwell had impressive showings. Cleveland cruised to a 29-point victory over the Bucks, and several of the Kings’ promising young players showed why the franchise could finally be headed in the right direction in the post-DeMarcus Cousins era.

Regardless, only three parties came away clear winners on Friday night. In case you were out partying, fell asleep, or just flat-out forgot basketball was a go, this is for you:

Winner: De’Aaron Fox

The Kings lost their Summer League opener against the Phoenix Suns, but De’Aaron Fox shined through defeat, showing why his name belonged next to Ball and Markelle Fultz as the top point guards in the 2017 draft class.

These four plays are all you need to see:

De'Aaron Fox thru the legs stepback jumper. Goodness. http://pic.twitter.com/Paplw2yWHU

— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) July 8, 2017

De'Aaron Fox hustle steal, push, lob assist to Skal Labissiere. #BBN http://pic.twitter.com/hzBvkJ5siR

— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) July 8, 2017

You get out of the way when @OneBigHaitian attacks the rim. Always. http://pic.twitter.com/ocgwdHGtHe

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 8, 2017

De'aaron Fox puttin the on Derrick Jones Jr. http://pic.twitter.com/caS2SgOR2o

— Las Wobgas (@World_Wide_Wob) July 8, 2017

Fox ultimately finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, along with five steals and four assists. Mama, there goes that man.

Winner: Los Angeles Clippers

Lonzo Ball was the headliner of the Lakers-Clippers showdown, but Brice Johnson stole the show after he spun off the No. 2 pick and posterized two defenders in one play.

On ESPN...@bjohnson_23 throws down the SLAM! #NBASummer http://pic.twitter.com/peyzSoZC43

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2017

Johnson scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead the Clippers to a three-point win over the favored Lakers. He had some help, too.

Rookie Sindarius Thornwell got to the line 18 times, making 14 of his attempts, to finish with a game-high 26 points. Patrick Beverley approved, so he must be in good company.

Safe to say @patbev21 approved of @Sin_City_803's play tonight.#SummertimeGrind http://pic.twitter.com/aXAzmWCVAv

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 8, 2017

Winner: Social Media

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points in the Lakers’ overtime loss to the Clippers, but he nearly got injured on the last play of regulation when he landed awkwardly on his right leg. That prompted team president Magic Johnson to shut it down with no exceptions.

Here at SB Nation, we like to have fun with situations like these. For example:

Me: "You want something from store?" Her: "Nope" *30 minutes later* Her: "Can I just have one pi-" Me: http://pic.twitter.com/FVcw2zuRiN

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) July 8, 2017

Bartender: "Open or closed" Me: http://pic.twitter.com/nCctewzMGY

— Cash Kofie (@KofieYeboah) July 8, 2017

Ya'll cutting anymore heads today? Barbers: http://pic.twitter.com/d35cSTuc93

— John Ketchum (@Ketchcast) July 8, 2017

Phil Jackson: "I am listening to trade offers on Kristaps Porzingis." Rest of the universe: http://pic.twitter.com/ya4SQ35DHr

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) July 8, 2017

Friday’s Summer League Scores

Lakers 96, Clippers 93

LAL: Lonzo Ball — 5 points (2-of-15 shooting), 5 assists, 2 steals; Brandon Ingram — 26 points (9-of-17 shooting), 3 steals, 2 blocks

Brandon Ingram with the sauce http://pic.twitter.com/xTtJTuDcEO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 8, 2017

LAC: Sindarius Thornwell — 26 points (6-of-13 FG, 14-of-18 FT); Brice Johnson — 23 points (10-of-15 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals

Rockets 102, Nuggets 99

HOU: Troy Williams — 29 points (8-of-15 FG, 4-of-7 3PT) DEN: Malik Beasley — 29 points (12-of-30 FG), 6 rebounds, 7 fouls

Troy Williams and Malik Beasley put in 29 PTS each. @HoustonRockets get past @Nuggets 102-99 at #NBASummer. http://pic.twitter.com/JVmyR0XuEw

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2017

Nets 75, Hawks 72

BKN: Archie Goodwin — 14 points (6-of-10 FG), 6 rebounds ATL: DeAndre' Bembry — 22 points (10-of-18 FG), 4 rebounds, plus-20

Fear. The. Fro. http://pic.twitter.com/Sn7R8vGr8O

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 8, 2017

Cavaliers 82, Bucks 53

CLE: Edy Tavares — 12 points (4-of-6 FG), 8 rebounds MIL: Rashad Vaughn — 12 points (5-of-9 FG)

Raptors 96, Pelicans 93

TOR: Kennedy Meeks — 15 points (7-of-13 FG), 9 rebounds; Fred VanVleet — 18 points (7-of-15 SG), 9 assists, 2 steals NOP: Cheick Diallo — 27 points (11-of-18 FG), 10 rebounds

27 points ... ✔️ 10 rebounds ... ✔️@cheick_diallo13 ... ✔️ http://pic.twitter.com/Vffzc5dida

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 8, 2017

Suns 89, Kings 85

PHX: Marquese Chriss — 19 points (5-of-17 FG), 9 rebounds; Josh Jackson — 18 points, (6-of-17 FG), SAC: De’Aaron Fox — 18 points (7-of-16 FG), 5 steals, 4 assists; Justin Jackson — 18 points (7-of-11 FG, 2-of-4 3PT); Jack Cooley — 11 points (4-of-5 FG), 10 rebounds

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junker-town · 7 years

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NHL midseason status report: The road ahead for Eastern Conference playoff favorites

Non-Metro teams are in for a fight.

We’ve entered the final stretch of the 2016-17 NHL season. With the March 1 trade deadline bearing down on us and the playoff races in chaos, it’s time to finish our league-wide status report series with a look at the Eastern Conference.

We’ll start with the teams currently residing in playoff positions, even if they’re hanging on to them by a thread or two. Here’s where each stands and what lies ahead as they sprint to the finish.

Metropolitan Division

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Capitals (36-11-6, 78 pts)

Status: First in the Eastern Conference. First in the Metropolitan. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by 19 points.

Outlook: Thriving. Washington’s won nine straight at home, three overall and seven of their last ten games. The rest of the Metro has slowed down since a torrid December, but Washington hasn’t. The Capitals are cruising to their second straight Presidents’ Trophy.

Second-half goal: Stay healthy. A playoff berth is all but assured, and the Capitals have been blessed with good health to their best players. Getting into the first round unscathed is key if they want to make a deeper run this year.

Trade deadline plans: A depth defenseman if one is available. They won’t swing for the fences because they don’t need to.

Columbus Blue Jackets (33-13-5, 71 pts)

Status: Second in the Eastern Conference. Second in the Metropolitan. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by 12 points.

Outlook: Regressing a bit, with just four wins in their last ten games. That was expected; Columbus’ first-half run was too remarkable to be sustainable over 82 games.

Second-half goal: Bolster the team’s depth before the playoffs.

Trade deadline plans: A big priority has to be a backup goalie. Neither Joonas Korpisalo nor Anton Forsberg have stepped up since Columbus parted ways with Curtis McElhinney, and they could go after proven backups like Ondrej Pavelec or Keith Kinkaid. If a center is made available they’ll take a hard look there, too.

Pittsburgh Penguins (33-13-5, 71 pts)

Status: Third in the Eastern Conference. Third in the Metropolitan. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by 12 points.

Outlook: Hitting their stride again. Pittsburgh started racking up wins and gathering points in spades before the All-Star Break, righting a ship that had started to take on water for a week or two. They’ve won seven of their last nine and are on the brink of overtaking the Blue Jackets for the first time this season.

Second-half goal: Sort out your goalie situation while keeping everyone healthy. Evgeni Malkin took time off a week ago to rehab an injury, and Crosby and Letang have stayed relatively healthy most of the season. Another deep playoff run requires their stars stay in the lineup.

Trade deadline plans: Marc-Andre Fleury’s departure seems imminent, even if he and the Penguins aren’t talking about a divorce publicly. It would behoove the Penguins to send him somewhere just to give him and Matt Murray peace of mind, even if they don’t get the bounty they once hoped for.

Atlantic Division leaders

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Montreal Canadiens (30-16-8, 68 pts)

Status: Fourth in the Eastern Conference. First in the Atlantic. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by 9 points.

Outlook: Scuffling a bit, with just three wins in their last ten as the Senators and Leafs creep up on them in the division. They opened February with three losses as goal-scoring has eluded them.

Second-half goal: Find that groove again while finding scoring from people not named Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty, whose 15 combined goals have accounted for a third of Montreal’s scoring since Jan. 1.

Trade deadline plans: Martin Hanzal and the Habs have been linked in trade rumors for the longest time, and it makes all kinds of sense. He’s a great two-way forward with size (6’6, 226 lbs) most of the Canadians lack (ranked 29th in average height this season).

Ottawa Senators (27-17-6, 60 pts)

Status: Sixth in the Eastern Conference. Second in the Atlantic. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by one point.

Outlook: Sure seems like Mike Condon is at the end of his rope. Craig Anderson is back at home in Ottawa with his wife (undergoing cancer treatment), which is fantastic news for those two. Condon has carried the Senators all season, but he’s starting to fray: since Jan. 15, Condon has posted a .897 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average. Only three goalies have played more minutes than Condon since December.

Second-half goal: Find a way to get Condon some rest while keeping the foot down on the gas pedal. Ottawa’s strong season is impressive, but they are far from clear of the teams chasing them. Atlantic teams don’t have the Metro’s luxury of a massive points gap; if you slip out of the top three you’re going to have a tough time fighting to get into the playoffs.

Trade deadline plans: They’ll join the league-wide hunt for a backup goalie. It’s also possible they’ll dangle Curtis Lazar as trade bait.

Toronto Maple Leafs (24-17-10, 58 pts)

Status: Eighth in the Eastern Conference. Third in the Atlantic. Clear of the final Wild Card spot by zero points.

Outlook: Better than most expected out of the NHL’s youngest team. Mike Babcock has his merry bunch of rookie wonders blitzing up the Eastern Conference standings. For the first time in awhile, the playoffs are a real possibility in Toronto.

Second-half goal: Avoid a rookie burnout while keeping your eyes ahead. It’d be tempting for Toronto to trade its wealth of assets for a bunch of big-name players, but their window isn’t even open yet. If they fade, that’s okay; but they need to make sure it’s not because they wore out their inexperienced players.

Trade deadline plans: If they do make a splash, the perfect long-term deadline acquisition would be Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He’d fit a need, he’d be willing to sign there (presumably) and he’d make an immediate impact.

Wild Carders

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New York Rangers (33-18-1, 67 pts)

Status: Fifth in the Eastern Conference. Fourth in the Metropolitan. Claiming the first Wild Card berth by eight points.

Outlook: New York gave Alain Vigneault a contract extension and won two of their next three games. But the strength of the Metro has them stuck fighting for Wild Card berths the rest of the season, in all likelihood. The good news is that they have a sizable gap between them and the Flyers right now.

Second-half goal: Keep that cushion intact and hope Henrik Lundqvist has truly turned a corner. A month removed from his worst month of his career, Lundqvist has gone 5-2-0 with a .910 SV% since Jan. 17.

Trade deadline plans: New York is in the interesting position of being a seller playoff contender. They have numerous assets they can ship elsewhere on March 1, recouping lost draft picks without significantly hurting their roster. Brandon Pirri, Oscar Lindberg and Michael Grabner come to mind.

Philadelphia Flyers (26-21-7, 59 pts)

Status: Seventh in the Eastern Conference. Fifth in the Metropolitan. Claiming the second Wild Card berth by one point.

Outlook: Hanging on for dear life in the Wild Card race while driving their fans nuts by scratching their great rookies and young players.

Second-half goal: PLAY THE DAMN KIDS, DAVE HAKSTOL.

"Okay, we'll bring Konecny back in. Who comes out?" (checks who scored PHI's only 5v5 goal over past 3 games) "Yep, that guy! Benched!"

— Charlie O'Connor (@BSH_Charlie) February 6, 2017

PLAY THE KIDS.

SAVE THE SEASON.

Trade deadline plans: Still think that Matt Read is a candidate to get moved if someone convinces Ron Hextall. Andrew MacDonald is playing his way into the lineup more and more, so Mark Streit could be out. A lot depends on how the next week or two goes.

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