The NHL All-Star break marks the end of the first half of the season and many teams can now take a breather. Here are three teams who can’t wait for this break to come.
As the first half of the season comes to a close, many teams are exhaling a huge sigh of relief. The NHL season is a long one and a nice weekend break in between allows players time to detach and recover before they enter the final stretch.
However, some teams are looking forward to the chance to recover more than others. Here are three teams who cannot wait for the All-Star break to come.
3. Buffalo Sabres
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
The Buffalo Sabres have had a terrific first half of the season, winning 10 straight games and propelling themselves up the standings. However, after that streak ended, they have gone 7-12-4 and have looked like the shell of their former selves.
Their losing stretch has led to a dive in the standings, as they are now out of a wild-card spot by four points. This team has a strong top line but lacks the scoring depth to match other teams. The Sabres top line of Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart lead the team in points (52, 44, 44 respectively). After that, the point totals drop off.
While an All-Star break will not fix their roster problems, the Sabres are crawling into the weekend with hopes of a brighter second-half. If this team can start firing on all cylinders as they did at the beginning of the season, perhaps management will step in and trade for a fighting chance.
2. Edmonton Oilers
After firing their general manager Peter Chiarelli and going 5-6 in the month of January, the break could not come faster for the Edmonton Oilers. The team has undergone many personnel changes, both in management and the roster and this weekend will be a nice chance to absorb all the changes. The state of the organization has been chaotic.
Moreover, the Oilers have undergone a lot of turmoil and the decisions made by management will take years to recover from. All they can hope for right now is that the All-Star break will help them reset their batteries and get ready for a strong finish. As of right now, the Western wild-card race is very close and Edmonton is only three points out.
1. Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals had a very strong November and December, at one point being winners of seven straight games. But when January rolled around, this team went cold. Entering the All-Star break this team has been losers of seven straight games and they have been giving up buckets of goals.
In their last three losses, they have given up six goals against Toronto, seven against San Jose, and eight against Chicago. Their goaltending has not been good enough and their team defense, in general, has been sub-par. Not only is the team giving up a lot of goals, but their star players also have not been contributing.
In his last 12 games, Evgeni Kuznetsov has recorded 7 points (2G 5A) and Nicklas Backstrom has 7 points (3G 4A). Alexander Ovechkin is still scoring goals and now is tied with Sergei Fedorov for most points ever by a Russian-born player, but he’s lacking the supporting cast that he needs.
During the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie collided headfirst with each other in the neutral zone. Ovechkin was taken out of the game for a bit for concussion protocol and even if he doesn’t have one, he will still be feeling sore for a little while. This All-Star break will be a welcome sight for him and his teammates as they now have time to rest and recover both physically and mentally.