NHL Division Outlook: Central

Welcome to NHL Division Outlook, where we give you a snap shot of each division in the NHL. In our final post of the series, we will take a look at the Central Division.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks sit tied atop the Central with the St. Louis Blues, though the NHL’s early season surprise, the Colorado Avalanche, are still in the discussion, too.

Central Division

1. St. Louis Blues (39-12-6, 84 points)
2. Chicago Blackhawks (35-11-14, 84 points)
3. Colorado Avalanche (37-16-5, 79 points)
4. Minnesota Wild (31-21-7, 69 points)
5. Dallas Stars (27-21-10, 64 points)
6. Winnipeg Jets (28-26-6, 62 points)
7. Nashville Predators (25-24-10, 60 points)

St. Louis Blues

Feb 8, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Alexander Steen (20) takes a shot against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Ken Hitchcock had the Blues going as the hottest team in the Western Conference prior to the Olympic break.

Hitchcock, who was part of Team Canada’s coaching staff in Sochi, returns as a gold medalist, along with Blues defencemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester. Meanwhile, captain David Backes led all Blues in Sochi scoring with four points in six games, and he also had a stretch where he had at least a point in six of seven games just before the break.

The Blues have the best chance at catching the Anaheim Ducks for the top seed in the Western Conference, as they have three games in hand. However, they don’t have a real easy schedule, as 16 of their final 25 games come against current playoff teams, including two games with Chicago that could determine the Central Division champion.

Western Conference Standing: 2^nd

Division: 1^st

Record in Last 10 Games: 7-2-1

Top Scorers

• Alexander Steen (46 GP, 28-18-46)
• T.J. Oshie (57 GP, 14-32-46)
• David Backes (52 GP, 20-22-42)
• Jaden Schwartz (55 GP, 19-23-42)

Top Goaltender: Jaroslav Halak (39 GP, 24-8-4, 2.26 GAA, .915 SV%, 4 SO)

Chicago Blackhawks

Feb 5, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center

(19) battles for the puck with Anaheim Ducks defenseman

(6) during the third period at the Honda Center. The Blackhawks won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The defending Stanley Cup champions are once again in prime position to earn a high seed going into the Western Conference playoffs.

The Olympic break may also have given Joel Quenneville a chance to hit a minor reset button, as his Blackhawks only won four of their last 10 games going into the break. However, as long as Chicago has Patrick Kane and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jonathan Toews in the lineup, not to mention a supporting cast including fellow Olympians Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, and Duncan Keith, they will be a tough team to beat come playoff time.

While they currently sit third in the West, winning one or both remaining games against St. Louis would go a long way to making a serious run at the Central Division crown in their final 22 games.

Western Conference Standing: 3^rd

Division: 2^nd

Record in Last 10 Games: 4-3-3

Top Scorers

• Patrick Kane (59 GP, 27-36-63)
• Patrick Sharp (60 GP, 28-30-58)
• Jonathan Toews (60 GP, 19-36-55)

Top Goaltender: Corey Crawford (42 GP, 22-9-10, 2.35 GAA, .916 SV%, 1 SO)

Colorado Avalanche

Jan 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Colorado Avalanche center

(29) and defenseman

(2) and center

(25) and center

(7) celebrates MacKinnons goal against Dallas Stars goalie

(not pictured) at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After getting off to such a hot start, many were wondering whether or not the Colorado Avalanche would eventually fade away.

Going into the Olympic break, the Avs were showing no signs of slowing down, as first-year head coach Patrick Roy still has his team within shouting distance of St. Louis and Chicago in the Central.

First-overall draft pick Nathan MacKinnon was on a tear leading into the Olympic break, riding an eight-game point streak into the NHL’s two-week shutdown.

While the Avalanche don’t have a player averaging more than a point per game, they already have two 20-goal scorers (MacKinnon, and Ryan O’Reilly), with another three players with 17 or more (Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, and captain Gabriel Landeskog.) However, they will need to get a bit more out of their secondary scoring.

Western Conference Standing: 5^th

Division: 3^rd

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-4-0

Top Scorers

• Matt Duchene (55 GP, 19-31-50)
• Gabriel Landeskog (57 GP, 18-30-48)
• Nathan MacKinnon (58 GP, 24-22-44)

Top Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov (46 GP, 28-11-5, 2.48 GAA, .924 SV%, 1 SO)

Minnesota Wild

Feb 6, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward

(22) celebrates with teammates against the Nashville Predators at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Predators 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota has never been known as a high-scoring team, even when Marian Gaborik was around. They’re the only Western Conference playoff team to have conceded more goals than they’ve scored this season (145 GF, 147 GA), yet they’ve found ways to win.

Though injuries have caused him to miss 15 games, Zach Parise needs to continue with the touch that has made him a five-time 30-goal scorer if the Wild hope to remain competitive. However, he should get a few more opportunities with captain Mikko Koivu‘s imminent return to the Minnesota lineup after missing two months with a broken ankle.

They’ll take all the offence they can get, as Jason Pominville is their leading scorer with 40 points in 59 games.

A bigger concern may be looming in net, though, depending on Josh Harding‘s status as he continues his fight with multiple sclerosis. When healthy, Harding has been far and away Minnesota’s best option in net this season, but the question remains as to whether Minnesota is willing to wait for Harding to recover sufficiently to help on a playoff run.

Western Conference Standing: 6^th

Division: 4^th

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-2-2

Top Scorers

• Jason Pominville (59 GP, 22-18-40)
• Zach Parise (44 GP, 19-17-36)
• Mikko Koivu (44 GP, 8-27-35)

Top Goaltender: Josh Harding (29 GP, 18-7-3, 1.65 GAA, .933 SV%, 3 SO)

Dallas Stars

Feb 8, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing

(14) and Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) celebrate the win over the Phoenix Coyotes at the American Airlines Center. Lehtonen had 26 saves in the game. The Stars defeated the Coyotes 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas rounds out the Central Division teams currently in a playoff position, albeit in a Wild Card spot. If I had to pick one team that will not be in playoff contention come April, it would have to be Dallas. Both Phoenix and Vancouver are close behind and will likely push them out of contention.

The Stars simply do not have the scoring depth right now, as their is a significant drop off after their top two scorers. However, the Stars have been playing great hockey and went into the Olympic break 6-2-2. Stars GM Jim Nill is reportedly content with his current roster and will likely be quiet on March 5th.

Western Conference Standing: 8th

Division: 4th

Record in the last 10 games: 6-2-2

Top Scorers

• Tyler Seguin (24 G, 32 A, 56 points)
• Jamie Benn (22 G, 29 A, 51 points)
• Cody Eakin (12G, 16A, 28 points)

Top Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen (22-15-10, 2.48 GAA, .916 SV%)

Winnipeg Jets

Feb 8, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Winnipeg Jets center

(55) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Winnipeg’s first season back in the Western Conference has largely been one to forget. They struggled for most of the season, eventually leading general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to fire former head coach Claude Noel.

Paul Maurice came in as Noel’s replacement, and they looked like a completely different team immediately following the change, going on a run that at least put them within shouting distance of the final wildcard spot. Now, as the Jets head into their final 22 games, they sit two points out of the playoffs, which will most certainly be earned via the wildcard as they sit 17 points out of third place in the Central Division.

They could certainly do with stronger goaltending from Ondrej Pavelec, especially since Al Montoya has been great in backup duty.

Western Conference Standing: 11^th

Division: 6^th

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-3-1

Top Scorers

• Blake Wheeler (60 GP, 22-26-48)
• Bryan Little (60 GP, 18-29-47)
• Dustin Byfuglien (60 GP, 13-30-43)

Top Goaltender: Ondrej Pavelec (45 GP, 18-22-4, 2.97 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO)