Most contending teams have reasons for concern as playoffs near
Problems. This time of year almost every team outside of the seemingly unbeatable Rangers and Wild has them, from injuries to inconsistent goaltending to underperforming stars. With the playoffs less than two weeks out, here’s a look at the pressing issues that are bedeviling some of the league’s top clubs.
DUCKS: There’s so much to like about this team. They Ducks are loaded down the middle with Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell. Their defense, bolstered by a couple of deadline acquisitions, is as deep and skilled as any group in the league. And they have a couple of quality goaltenders in Fredrik Andersen and rookie John Gibson. The problem is, they don’t seem to have a starter. While both goalies have played well at times, neither has forced coach Bruce Boudreau to leave either between the pipes. Gibson is 6-2 in March but he gave up nine goals in back-to-back losses to the Rangers and Blue Jackets. Andersen has won his past three starts, allowing just five goals, but he posted back-to-back months with a save percentage below .900. Are either of these guys up to the task of being Anaheim’s playoff No. 1?
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BLACKHAWKS: A lineup that boasted Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith didn’t have much trouble scoring earlier this season, averaging 2.82 goals per game. But in the 15 contests since Kane was lost to a clavicle injury on Feb. 24, the Hawks have been reduced to ham-fisted scavengers who scrape by on just two goals per game. That number is troubling enough on its own, but it looks even worse in context. Over that stretch, just three teams have scored fewer goals than Chicago. The sight of Kane at practice on Wednesday raised hopes that his return might be imminent, but the team is still sticking to a 12-week recovery timeline that would keep him on the sidelines into May. That may be conservative by a couple weeks, but can this team get by on scraps until then?
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ISLANDERS: If only this team could spend more time shorthanded. New York’s much-maligned penalty kill, the league’s worst for much of the season, finally found its footing in March. The unit went 12 consecutive games without allowing a goal, an impressive stretch that saw the Isles kill 25 consecutive chances. But while one special team was rolling, the other veered off the tracks. Before connecting three times against the Red Wings on Sunday, the Islanders’ power play was just five for 35 in March. It’s easy to pin those struggles on Kyle Okposo, a power play beast who hasn’t been the same since returning from a detached retina. But the bigger issue might be courage. The Isles haven’t established much in the way of net presence lately, and that’s led to softer chances. Until they start paying a price, they won’t scare anyone with the extra man.
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are doing their part to carry the load, the lack of consistent secondary scoring, especially on the power play, is killing this team.
BLUES: Are the Blues being overcoached? T.J. Oshie raised a few eyebrows this week when he told reporters that “there’s a lot of information going around, guys are getting a little indecisive.” He also said that he felt mentally refreshed after missing Saturday’s game against Columbus with the flu, adding it was nice “not having to sit through all the meetings and same old practices.” There’s no denying that Ken Hitchcock is one of the most detail-oriented coaches in the league, and it’s possible that an overload of input could lead be leading to some of the defensive mistakes this team has been committing lately. If that is the case—and it’s unlikely that a veteran like Oshie would speak so boldly without some consensus—the staff will have to simplify its message ... but there is no guarantee of success.
CANUCKS: “The objective is to get better discipline,” coach Willie Desjardins said after reading the riot act to several veterans in a private meeting on Wednesday. It’s a good message, but does it come too late? The Canucks are the league’s fourth-most penalized team, averaging 11.1 minutes per game, and as Desjardins points out too many of those fouls come at inopportune moments or are guided by selfish motivation. The penalty kill has been sharp at 84.9%, but all that time spent defending is time lost to the attack. In a tight series, that could be the difference.
PENGUINS: Not to overlook the fact that the suddenly hamfisted Pens scored one goal or fewer in seven of their 15 games in March, but this team has bigger concerns. Kris Letang and Christian Ehrhoff, two of the team’s top-four blueliners, are out indefinitely while dealing with concussion-related issues. That’s bad. Really bad. The salary cap crunch that prevents GM Jim Rutherford from calling up a sixth defenseman won’t be an issue come playoff time, but the depth and three-zone capabilities of this group will take a significant hit if these two veterans can’t go.
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NHL Goalie Masks by Team (2014-15)
Frederik Anderson
Anaheim Ducks
John Gibson
Anaheim Ducks
Mike Smith
Arizona Coyotes
Louis Domingue
Arizona Coyotes
Tuukka Rask
Boston Bruins
Niklas Svedberg
Boston Bruins
Anders Lindback
Buffalo Sabres
Matt Hackett
Buffalo Sabres
Jonas Hiller
Calgary Flames
Karri Ramo
Calgary Flames
Cam Ward
Carolina Hurricanes
Anton Khudobin
Carolina Hurricanes
Corey Crawford
Chicago Blackhawks
Corey Crawford (Winter Classic)
Chicago Blackhawks
Scott Darling
Chicago Blackhawks
Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks
Semyon Varlamov
Colorado Avalanche
Reto Berra
Colorado Avalanche
Sergei Bobrovsky
Columbus Blue Jackets
Curtis McElhinney
Columbus Blue Jackets
Kari Lehtonen
Dallas Stars
Jhonas Enroth
Dallas Stars
Jimmy Howard
Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek
Detroit Red Wings
Ben Scrivens
Edmonton Oilers
Viktor Fasth
Edmonton Oilers
Roberto Luongo
Florida Panthers
Roberto Luongo
Florida Panthers
Al Montoya
Florida Panthers
Jonathan Quick
Los Angeles Kings
Martin Jones
Los Angeles Kings
Devan Dubnyk
Minnesota Wild
Darcy Kuemper
Minnesota Wild
Niklas Backstrom
Minnesota Wild
Carey Price
Montreal Canadiens
Dustin Tokarski
Montreal Canadiens
Pekka Rinne
Nashville Predators
Carter Hutton
Nashville Predators
Cory Schneider
New Jersey Devils
Keith Kinkaid
New Jersey Devils
Jaroslav Halak
New York Islanders
Michal Neuvirth
New York Islanders
Henrik Lundqvist
New York Rangers
Cam Talbot
New York Rangers
Andrew Hammond
Ottawa Senators
Craig Anderson
Ottawa Senators
Robin Lehner
Ottawa Senators
Steve Mason
Philadelphia Flyers
Ray Emery
Philadelphia Flyers
Rob Zepp
Philadelphia Flyers
Marc-Andre Fleury
Pittsburgh Penguins
Thomas Greiss
Pittsburgh Penguins
Antti Niemi
San Jose Sharks
Alex Stalock
San Jose Sharks
Brian Elliott
St. Louis Blues
Jake Allen
St. Louis Blues
Jake Allen
St. Louis Blues
Ben Bishop
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ben Bishop
Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Bernier
Toronto Maple Leafs
James Reimer
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan Miller
Vancouver Canucks
Eddie Lack
Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby
Washington Capitals
Braden Holtby (Winter Classic)
Washington Capitals
Justin Peters
Washington Capitals
Ondrej Pavelec
Winnipeg Jets
Ondrej Pavelec
Winnipeg Jets
Michael Hutchinson
Winnipeg Jets