We're now well past the halfway point of the NHL season, and things are still quite wacky.
From all eight teams in the Atlantic being separated by just thirteen points to just six points separating eight teams in the Western Conference wild card race, it's still going to take some time to truly see some separation in the NHL.
And the statistics don't even begin to paint such a picture. Here's just five of the wildest numbers from another chaotic month of NHL hockey.
13-1-0
That's the Buffalo Sabres' record since December 9th.
While I'm basing this mini recap off of NHL action since December 15th, I am going to be a little lenient here and extend this part of the article to the beginning of Buffalo's recent ten-game win streak.
Even though Buffalo had been playing some determined hockey for much of the season's first quarter, an 11-14-4 start meant they were condemned to the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings. Now, they enter play on January 11th as one of the Eastern Conference's Wild Card teams while sitting just four points back of Montreal for third in the Atlantic Division. Not only do the Sabres play Montreal three times before the Olympic break, but they'll also have a chance on February 3rd to cut into Tampa Bay's five point advantage on Buffalo.
0-7-4
On a completely different end of the spectrum, the Winnipeg Jets aren't exactly taking off and competing to the same degree they did last year.
Despite being 15-15-1 at one point, the Jets had since rattled off eleven straight losses. Yes, you read that right. Eleven straight losses.
While the Jets would end their losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on January 9th, the damage had already been done. With eleven points separating the Jets and the final playoff spots, it's going to take a big winning run for the team to turn things around. Such a run should include results against the Chicago Blackhawks and St Louis Blues, who are also making their name in the Western Conference playoff race.
10 games
That was the length of the Seattle Kraken's recent point streak, which has seen them surge up the Pacific Division standings.
While the Kraken will enter their next game against the New York Rangers in possession of a Wild Card spot, there was a point recently in which Seattle was in the Pacific Division's top-three. But a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, coupled with a sixth win in seven games for the San Jose Sharks, would put Seattle behind the Sharks in the divisional standings.
Even then, the Kraken had been playing some determined hockey over that ten game stretch. In the last game of the stretch, Seattle would battle back from a 2-0 hole against Minnesota to steal yet another crucial point in the standings.
Hopefully, Seattle's recent winning run was enough to inject some additional confidence into the team heading into the Olympic break. A three-game East Coast swing will kick things off over the course of the week of the 12th, while a January 17th showdown in Utah could be pivotal in Seattle's playoff chase. Seattle will then contest a six-game home stand, which includes a big divisional game against the struggling Anaheim Ducks, before playing Vegas, Anaheim, and Los Angeles in the lead up to the three-week break.
27 and 13
These numbers correspond to Macklin Celebrini's total points scored since December 11th and the length of his ongoing point streak. His run of form has helped the Sharks pick up eighteen of a possible twenty-six points in the standings; the team now finds itself up in the Pacific's top-three spots as a result.
By now, there should be no doubt that Macklin Celebrini's sophomore season is going to be better than his rookie year. And with his team set to play teams like Tampa Bay and Colorado before the Olympic break, Celebrini could only continue to shine as the Sharks look to pick up points and be in possession of a playoff spot heading into the Olympics.
7/13
That's how many times the Florida Panthers failed to score at least three goals in a game since December 15th.
In the seven games where they scored less than three goals, the Panthers had a record of 1-5-1; the lone win came on January 4th against the Colorado Avalance.
The Panthers' record in the three games where they scored at least three goals? 6-0-0.
While the Panthers have generally done a good job at pulling themselves into the playoff race, the aforementioned statistics are crucial in understanding Florida's season. Even before December 15th, the games Florida lost generally saw the opposition put around four or five goals behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Save for a handful of occasions, Florida has been losing big but winning close.
Sure, you can say that injuries have been why Florida has struggled to put much together. And with several key players not expected back until after the Olympic break, it's looking like another month of weathering the storm. The Panthers have done a good job thus far in terms of staying in the hunt; however, the biggest tests separate the team from a much-needed three-week break.
Despite playing two games this week, those games come against a red-hot Sabres side and a Carolina Hurricanes team looking to hold off a handful of teams gunning for the lead in the Metropolitan Division. A January 24th encounter with Minnesota could serve as a litmus test for Florida's three-peat bid, while a rematch with Buffalo and another edition of the Battle of Florida represent the final two games in the team's pre-Olympic stretch.