NHL 2021-2022 Midseason Report Cards: Atlantic Division

As the middle of January transitions into the end of January, the NHL is at the midpoint of its 2021-2022 campaign.

With the holiday break and the Winter Classic in the books and the All-Star break and trade deadline lurking, this is the natural point in the NHL season where teams begin to determine how to proceed for the remainder of the year.

Some teams have Stanley Cup championship aspirations, while some just want to get into the playoffs, and others are simply seeking improvement over what they accomplished a season ago. Whatever the case may be, each team can be assessed based on expectations, and what better way to do that than with report card grades?

Where do things stand in the NHL’s Atlantic Division?

I’ll go division by division to gauge how teams have faired this season, and the next group on the list is the Atlantic Division. Let’s start with the standings as they appear entering action on Thursday, January 27:

1. Florida Panthers (29-9-5, 63 points)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (28-10-5, 61 points)
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (26-10-3, 55 points)
4. Boston Bruins (24-13-3, 51 points)
5. Detroit Red Wings (18-19-6, 42 points)
6. Buffalo Sabres (13-22-7, 33 points)
7. Ottawa Senators (13-20-3, 29 points)
8. Montreal Canadiens (8-26-7, 23 points)

Boston Bruins: B

The Bruins are having a good season, yet it somehow feels as though they aren’t really in the mix. Boston is in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, though the team is comfortably situated ahead of the next closest team.

The defense, including the penalty kill, has been as stout as you might expect for the Bruins, while the offense has been good in a complementary role. I suppose that the Bruins being in fourth place in the Atlantic is the reason that things don’t seem exciting for Boston, but it has nevertheless been a successful first half of the year.

I’m not sure that Boston will challenge for the Eastern Conference title, but they are in a prime position to qualify for the postseason, and from there, a team with as much playoff experience as the Bruins can always be a tough out.

Buffalo Sabres: D

Some things never change. The Sabres started quick, then cooled off in a hurry, ultimately reclaiming their position near the bottom of the NHL’s standings.

Buffalo has seen improvements in play from some of its veterans this season, which is a positive, but there aren’t really young superstars to get excited about now that Jack Eichel is gone. Things in western New York aren’t as bad as things are in some other NHL cities, but in terms of the team on the ice, I’m not sure what the direction or the fix is for Buffalo.

Until this team takes a step forward or management makes a significant change, it’s hard to view the Sabres in a positive light.

Detroit Red Wings: A

The Red Wings are the first team out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference right now, which is a huge win for this team. The Wings are one win shy of last season’s win total, demonstrating how much they’ve improved this season.

Detroit finished 27th in the NHL a season ago, so this step in the rebuild process is a large one that has been somewhat unexpected. It does feel like the Red Wings are at least a year away from actually reaching the postseason, but you have to start somewhere, and for Detroit, this is a good place.

I think it will be important for this team to have a respectable end to the season so that it doesn’t lose the momentum it gained early in the year. So far, they’ve positioned themselves well to do so.

Florida Panthers: A+

The Florida Panthers are lightning the NHL on fire. Their offense is scoring a whopping four goals per game this season, and the team’s goal differential is +50 (tied for the best in the NHL).

The Panthers have overcome the early-season departure of coach Joel Quenneville, and they haven’t skipped a beat in doing so. The goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky has been markedly improved, which has also been great for this team.

Special teams could certainly be better for Florida, but at this stage of the season, what more could a team ask for?

Montreal Canadiens: F

The Canadiens surprised everyone last year, and in a very different way, they’re doing it again this season. I don’t think anyone saw Montreal as a Cup contender entering the 2021-2022 campaign, but I don’t think many fans saw them as a basement dweller either.

From the moment that Game 5 of the Cup Final concluded, it’s been downhill for the Habs. Shea Weber is out, Carey Price is out, other players have been limited, and management has changed. This team looks very different than it did only six months ago, and that hasn’t been a good thing.

It’s a sad day in Montreal when the Canadiens are the worst team in hockey, which is the unfortunate reality right now. The nosedive that this team has taken this year can only be given an F.

Ottawa Senators: C-

The Senators won’t get the dismal grade that the Habs received, but that doesn’t mean that the Sens have had a pile of success. Ottawa has been about as bad as expected, but it hasn’t been a team that just rolls over and gets blown out.

The Senators have shown some fight at times this year, and the young stars in the lineup make this team interesting at the very least. The Sens have several games in hand thanks to a flurry of postponements in recent weeks, so Ottawa has the ability to move up the standings as it enters the second half of the season.

It’s going to take some time for the Senators to be good, but there are some positives in this challenging season, which prevents them from earning a lower grade.