NHL Week In Review 12/27/19
With another week of the NHL season in the books, quite a few teams have taken a stance in the standings.
There’s still a lot of hockey left to be played, but there's reason to believe that we may see a Stanley Cup rematch between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues.
The Bruins are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference and the Blues sit in the driver’s seat in the West.
However, there’s still a lot of teams in the hunt.
We take a look at some teams who are on the rise and others who have stumbled as of late:
Who’s Hot:
St. Louis Blues
Record: (24-8-6)
Standings: 54 points, 1st place, Central Division
Odds to Win Central Division: +180
The St. Louis Blues are now on a six-game winning streak and in sole possession of the Western Conference.
In their last two games, the Blues took down the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings on the road.
Against the Sharks, Alex Pietrangelo had two goals and goaltender Jake Allen had 34 saves in a 5-2 win on Saturday.
The Blues then used a four-goal first period, which included two goals by Brayden Schenn, in a 4-1 victory over the Kings.
Looking Ahead – The Blues have home and away matchups against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday and Sunday before games against Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: (20-14-4)
Standings: 44 points, 2nd place, Atlantic Division
Odds to Win Atlantic Division: +1200
The Bruins are in control of the Atlantic Division but thanks to an impressive five-game winning streak, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t too far behind.
Backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson came away with 29 saves in his first win of the season in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
And on Monday, Mitch Marner had two goals and one assist to lead Toronto to an 8-6 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Looking Ahead – The Maple Leafs have matchups against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Minnesota on Tuesday. They are all winnable games and they have a real shot to push their winning streak to eight games.
Who’s Not:
Detroit Red Wings
Record: (9-26-3)
Standings: 21 points, 8th place, Atlantic Division
Odds to Win Atlantic Division: +350000
The Red Wings are currently on a four-game losing streak.
The last time Detroit came away with a victory was back on Dec. 14 against the Montreal Canadiens.
In that game, Mike Green scored a powerplay goal in the third period and Jonathan Bernier made 42 saves to lead the Red Wings to a 2-1 win.
Looking Ahead – The Red Wings have upcoming games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning before hosting the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
San Jose Sharks
Record: (16-20-2)
Standings: 34 points, 7th place, Pacific Division
Odds to Win Pacific Division: +2500
Over their last 10 games, the San Jose Sharks have a 1-8-1 record, including a three-game losing streak.
On Saturday night against the Blues, the Sharks mustered up two goals in a 5-2 loss. On Sunday, Logan Couture scored the lone goal and goaltender Aaron Dell made 34 saves in net in a 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Looking Ahead – The Sharks have upcoming games against the Kings and Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and Saturday before travelling to Detroit on Tuesday to take on the Red Wings.
By Dan Canova