Western
Conference
- The
Columbus Blue Jackets are in last place in the Central, but can you blame them?
This division is unreal. Chicago just
recently lost for the first time, Detroit is a perennial pain in the skate
blade, and Nashville and St. Louis feature two of the stingiest defenses since
Buddy Ryan’s 46. The Winged Insects
recently turned it on though, winning 5 in a row. Former Flyer Sergei Bobrovsky
has a 2.20 GAA. - Calgary
is in last place, and guess who leads the Flames in points? Jerome Igilna of course,
and that means the usual trade rumors.
He’s an unquestioned leader , so the rumors are warranted, as anyone
would have to love to have him for a playoff run. His cap hit is high at $7
million, but I would think teams will offer up some savory morsels of future stars
for the Flames to build upon. - The
Los Angeles Kings are streaking and guess who has helped them win 8 out of
their last 10? Former Flyer Jeff Carter has 17 goals, placing him second only
to Steven Stamkos. Personally I would
still rather have Jakub Voracek, but Carter has been great for the reigning Cup
champs. He gets goals in a way that must
frustrate teams the most; a seemingly harmless rush turns into a lit-up
scoreboard with a quick flick of the wrist. - The Phoenix Coyotes need to step up and play
better or their dwindling crowds (averaging around 13,000 people a night, 29th
in the NHL) will shrink to Antarctica-outpost levels. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
might be the only reason why I’d watch this yawn-inducing squad. - In
Vancouver, the Sedin twins have a combined 47 points which got me thinking
about who the best brother tandem in the league is currently. Right now, I have to go with the Staal
brothers in Carolina in a slight edge over Henrik and Daniel because they can
play both ends of the ice, and both have won Cups (albeit on different
teams). As far as physical specimens go,
Philadelphia’s Schenn brothers stand alone. The medical bills those two alone have
inflicted upon the players of this league are staggering.
Eastern Conference
- Pittsburgh
is second in the conference, and Sidney Crosby leads the league in scoring with
45 points. As much as it pains me to say
it, Crosby has to be the best player in the league by a long shot. He’s a good
team leader (as the Flyers learned when they were up 3 goals on Thursday) and
can do whatever he wants with the puck.
You have to respect the great players, and Crosby’s skills are deeply
disturbing. Seriously, why does Chris
Kunitz tickle that much twine? - Can
someone help John Tavares on the Island? The NYI center has 16 goals and the
team isn’t too far back, but they’ve given up the second to most goals in the
conference with 88. Tavares is a
beast. Give that team some players that
can play both ends of the ice and they will make a quick surge. Sounds easy, I know. - Florida
is last in the Conference and has won only two of their last 10. I mostly blame
their record on injuries, as it seems almost everyone on their team has missed
extended time. One bright spot is
Jonathon Huberdeau, who has 12 goals. He’s
19 years of age. - I
do believe Steven Stamkos is partially to blame for the surging electricity
costs on this continent, leading the league in goals on a consistent basis the
way he does. The Tampa Bay Lightning, however,
are a disappointment. - The
Winnipeg Jets are my favorite non-Flyers team to watch. Dustin Byfuglien is the size of an NFL
linebacker on skates and exhibits the grace of a swan with optimal plumage. They
missed the playoffs in their first season back in Winnipeg last season after
moving from hockey hell that is Atlanta, but with a somewhat more consistent offense they'll make it this season.
