Tonight's Picks
ARZ 0 CHI 2
CBJ 2 NYI 0
EDM 2 LAK 1
MTL 2 FLA 0
OTT 0 BUF 2
VAN 0 ANA 2
WSH 2 CAR 0
Yesterday we discussed the NHL teams who most needed to make the playoffs or be faced with a summer full of changes... Today we talk about the next level. Those teams whose expectations are not just to make the playoffs but to win in the playoffs. For some teams, this can mean winning a playoff round while for others it can mean getting to the Conference Finals or even the Stanley Cup Final.
So who are these teams?
#1. Tampa.
It's not the norm to say a team which is coming off such an epic season as the Lightning should have so much pressure on them...but when you are sitting 21 points ahead of your closest competitor and at an almost unthinkable +100 goal differential not going to at least a Cup Final will have to be seen as a disappointment. Would an early exit mean changes for Tampa? No...well maybe. How can you improve this team really? It will come down to how they are eliminated. If they are defeated by the Caps and a physical Tom Wilson then maybe you could see them trying to get a little tougher. Maybe.
#2. Nashville.
The Predators are a team whose Window is wide open but is showing signs of closing. The Preds look a little bored right now, and Peter Laviolette teams have demonstrated a history of going from VERY right to suddenly wrong quickly. There is a ton riding on whether or not Nashville can avoid St Louis. That might mean catching the Jets for first in the division, or the Blues may actually blow by both Winnipeg and Nashville. Currently, the top three teams in the Central are separated by 4 points, and that gap continues to narrow. The Preds were in the Cup Final two years ago, and anything less than a Conference Final will mean changes. Although, this is David Poile, and he is not one to make coaching changes very lightly.
#3 Winnipeg
The Jets are suffering what can best be described as a team-wide sophomore slump currently. The reasons here are many and a constant source of debate among Jets fans. Are they simply bored? The Jets have played a large part of this season on top of the division without much to really play for, and this can make a young team complacent. However, there is now suddenly a ton of pressure from below. The Jets have been unable to kick their level back up and now are looking at perhaps even falling out of a home ice first-round series. Remember the way this team went down last year in the Conference Finals. They dominated game 1 against the Knights and then were swept in the next four. Does this show a trend of "not being able to recover from overconfidence?" The Jets need to make the Conference Finals at least, or changes could be in the offering.
#4 San Jose
These Sharks are also a few years out of a Cup Final, and few would argue that this is the best Sharks team ever. This team added Erik Karlsson and is getting a Joe Thornton from a decade ago. Their depth is simply crazy. And yet it will all come down to Martin Jones and if he can find his playoff form again. The Sharks are too good not to get to the Stanley Cup Final. This is a notoriously patient and easy-going market, but for the first time I am getting a sense that these fans are edgy.
#5 St Louis.
The Blues are a compelling case. If I had posted this article in October, I would have placed the Blues at #1 or 2 when it comes to pressure. The Blues made changes in the offseason which were all about winning NOW. And then they were terrible. And expectations fell quickly...until the pieces started to meld together and they found their holy grail...a goalie they could trust. So what is acceptable now? Winning a round or two? I am not sure.
One notable team off the list....
Toronto
Ok, so maybe they should be on this list, but I don't get the sense that they are in the "OR ELSE" category. The fans would put them there, but the management honestly hasn't acted that way. The people who oversee this group are obviously still playing a long game or they would have made more moves at the deadline. A few depth D-men and a backup goalie would have sounded more alarms of desperation, but when you are unwilling to give up a 3rd or 4th round pick to increase your current chances you really don't care that much about your current chances. And that to me is a problem...a little bit of paralysis by analysis from Shanahan and crew. The fear of failure goes away when you act like it doesn't matter...the fear may go away, but the failure can remain.
What do you think?
Am I missing anyone with a ton of pressure on them? Some may say Calgary, but honestly, I don't feel they are.. Am I wrong? As for Vegas...they are actually still playing with house money in my opinion..
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