Revisiting Preseason Predictions: Atlantic Edition

How are our preseason predictions for the Atlantic division holding up at the quarter mark?

Jon Alfano | 2 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (77) fights for control of the puck during the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images / Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

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The NHL is now roughly a quarter of the way through the season as families gather around to celebrate Thanksgiving, which makes this as good a time as any to look back and reflect.

Before the season, we released a series of predictions for each NHL team by division. How are our predictions for the Atlantic division holding up? Well, let's take a look.

Boston Bruins

Preseason Prediction: Miss Playoffs
Current Status: Looking Good So Far

At the time of writing (Wednesday afternoon), the Bruins are tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the final wild card spot with 23 points, but they've also played two more games. Make no mistake, though, this has been a rough season in Beantown.

At 10-10-3, the Bruins are off to their worst start in several years and several key players are not performing up to their standards. Jim Montgomery has already lost his job and taken on a new one with the St. Louis Blues, even if the Bruins' struggles seem like the result of poor roster construction than poor coaching.

Maybe interim coach Joe Sacco can turn the ship around, but right now, Boston's eight-year playoff streak looks to be in serious jeopardy.

Buffalo Sabres

Preseason Prediction: Rasmus Dahlin Norris Finalist
Current Status: Not Quite

Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, is playing quite well this season, scoring 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 21 games. A Norris finalist, though? It's hard to say he is at this point.

That's not Dahlin's fault, but Colorado Avalnche star Cale Makar is on such an otherwordly pace that he's a runaway favorite for the award already. Aside from that, there's still a lot of other great defensemen to beat out for the other two finalist positions. Maybe if Dahlin helps the Sabres end their 13-year playoff drought he can vault himself into the Norris discussion, but right now he's probably just on the outside.

Detroit Red Wings

Preseason Prediction: End Playoff Drought
Current Status: Oh Boy

Oh Detroit, when will it end?

Once again, the Red Wings are off to a slow start and currently sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-2 record. If anything, the Red Wings have regressed compared to last season, when they just missed out on the final playoff spot due to tiebreakers. There's still time to turn things around, but the vibes in Detroit are definitely off right now.

Florida Panthers

Preseason Prediction: Aleksander Barkov Hart Finalist
Current Status: Incomplete

Unfortunately, Barkov missed roughly two and a half weeks of action with an injury he suffered in just the second game of the season. That already has him behind the pack in the Hart race, which is a shame because he's been excellent with 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 14 games.

Florida's current four-game losing streak, during which Barkov only has two assists, must end for the captain to improve his standing in the Hart conversation, but if he keeps up this level of play, then he just might work his way into it.

Montreal Canadiens

Preseason Prediction: Cole Caufield Scores 40 Goals
Current Status: There's Potential

Caufield began this season on a torrid pace, scoring 10 goals in his first 11 games. He's cooled off since then, though, recording just two goals in his last 10 games, both coming against Buffalo on Nov. 11.

If Caufield can return to the form he had at the start of the season, then he can absolutely score 40 goals and shatter his career high. If he keeps playing like he currently is, though, then he'll likely fall well short of that mark.

Ottawa Senators

Preseason Prediction: Linus Ullmark Regresses
Current Status: Predictable

Surprise, the least bold of the bold predictions ended up coming true.

Ullmark has struggled in his first season with the Senators, currently possessing a .881 save percentage, 3.10 goals against average and a 4-7-1 record. Ottawa obviously doesn't have the same defensive core that Ullmark had in Boston over the past few years, but even in his time with Buffalo before that, he was putting up significantly better stats than he is now. It just seems like nothing can go right for the Senators, who are in another early hole in the standings.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Preseason Prediction: Andrei Vasilevskiy Returns To Form
Current Status: Mostly True

Another prediction that was a bit on the tame side. Indeed, Vasilevskiy is playing much better than he did last season, currently boasting a .915 save percentage, 2.24 goals against average and 10-6-1 record. He hasn't quite reached the peak he did about half a decade ago, but he's back to the level he was before last season, and Tampa Bay will take that.

The Lightning are a very inconsistent team as a whole, but Vasilevskiy looking more like himself is a great sign for this team's hopes going forward.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Preseason Prediction: Mitch Marner Leaves
Current Status: Unlikely

With Auston Matthews out for the past few weeks, Marner has stepped up in a big way for the division-leading Maple Leafs. The hometown kid currently leads the team with 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) and is on pace for a career year offensively while maintaining his strong defense.

Granted, the playoffs are the true test for Marner and the Leafs as a whole, so maybe there could still be changes if they fall flat again. Trading him in the middle of the season, though? Yeah, that was a step too far.

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Published 2 Hours Ago

JON ALFANO