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Connor McDavid’s time beyond regulation objective to beat the USA within the 4 Nations Face-Off closing final week was the very best Canadian males’s hockey second of the final 15 years. Might Canada’s first Stanley Cup parade since 1993 be subsequent?
The probabilities aren’t horrible, with three Canadian-based NHL groups at present ranked within the prime seven total, two extra holding a playoff spot and one other very a lot within the hunt for the post-season. One betting website has the implied chance of a Canadian workforce successful the Cup at round 29 per cent, whereas the seven golf equipment’ title odds on the hockey-stats web site Money Puck add as much as about 25 per cent.
This is a fast check-in on the seven Canadian groups as they enter the ultimate ~25 video games of the common season.
The large 3
Main the best way is Winnipeg, which received its league-high 10th consecutive game final evening to reclaim first place total from the Washington Capitals. Mark Scheifele’s time beyond regulation objective — his 329th for Winnipeg, breaking Ilya Kovalchuk’s Thrashers/Jets franchise report — gave him 32 on the season, which ranks third within the NHL. Kyle Connor is sixth in objectives with 30 and tied for fifth in factors with 71. Together with the league’s finest report, the Jets (41-14-3) personal the highest power-play success price (32.5 per cent) and objective differential (plus-70).
Winnipeg additionally has the NHL’s finest goalie. Connor Hellebuyck leads the league in all the key conventional stats — wins (35), goals-against common (2.04), save proportion (.925) and shutouts (6) — in addition to the superior Targets Saved Above Anticipated. He is a digital lock to win his second straight Vezina Trophy and third of his profession, which might be a report for a U.S.-born participant, and Hellebuyck may even be within the MVP dialog too.
Toronto (35-20-2) sits fifth total, holding a one-point edge within the Atlantic Division over the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who shall be with out star ahead Matthew Tkachuk for some time because of the groin damage that compelled the American to look at many of the 4 Nations closing from the bench.
Whereas reigning NHL objectives champ Auston Matthews nonetheless appears bothered by the upper-body damage that has brought about him to overlook 15 video games this season, William Nylander has helped fill the void with 33 objectives — second-most within the league. Mitch Marner has additionally stepped up. The pending free-agent winger is tied with the Jets’ Connor for fifth within the league with 71 factors, placing him on tempo for his first 100-point season. Marner was unbelievable within the 4 Nations closing too, establishing Sam Bennett’s game-tying objective and McDavid’s OT winner.
WATCH | Canada celebrates its 4 Nations Face-Off victory:
Politicians of all stripes joined with Canadian followers throughout the nation in social media celebrations of Group Canada’s win over the U.S. within the 4 Nations Face-Off closing.
After all, the Leafs are well-known for wanting good within the common season after which flopping within the playoffs. However there’s hope for a distinct consequence this 12 months as new head coach Craig Berube has shored up the workforce’s defensive play whereas Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz provide strong goaltending for a change.
Edmonton (34-19-4) ranks seven total, thanks largely to the efforts of (this can shock you) McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The latter is working away with the Rocket Richard Trophy with 42 objectives — 9 greater than the second-place Nylander — and his 86 factors put Draisaitl only one behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead. Regardless of lacking a complete of six video games resulting from an early-season ankle damage and a suspension, McDavid ranks fourth with 72 factors, together with 22 objectives.
Nonetheless, if the defending Western Convention champs are going to catch Vegas for the Pacific Division lead (the Golden Knights are up two factors), they could want extra from inconsistent goalie Stuart Skinner and proficient defenceman Evan Bouchard, whose scoring numbers are down whereas his defensive play stays shaky.
The opposite 4
In some ways, Vancouver goes by means of the season from hell. A feud between its two finest forwards, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, dogged the workforce till Miller was traded to the Rangers a month in the past. However the change hasn’t helped the struggling Pettersson, who has zero objectives and solely two assists in six video games because the deal. Pettersson went pointless in three video games for Sweden on the 4 Nations, and it is now been over a month since his final objective. “He isn’t transferring his toes,” coach Rick Tocchet stated after Sunday’s loss to Utah.
In the meantime, Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes has missed the final six video games with the unspecified damage that saved him out of the 4 Nations, and goalie Thatcher Demko is harm once more after lacking the primary two months of the season with the bizarre knee damage that knocked him out of final 12 months’s playoffs.
The Flames missed the playoffs by 17 factors final season, then clearly signalled they have been in rebuilding mode by buying and selling No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey. However that proved to be a savvy transfer as younger Dustin Wolf, the MVP of the American Hockey League two years in the past, sports activities a 20-11-3 report and a .913 save proportion.
Ottawa will get full marks for resiliency too. The Senators completed twenty sixth total final 12 months, and so they’re massive low season acquisition, goalie Linus Ullmark, missed all of January with an damage. However younger ahead Tim Stutzle is again to averaging greater than a degree per recreation, and Ottawa (29-24-4) is clinging to the ultimate wild-card spot within the East, simply forward of Columbus, Boston and the Rangers.
One space of concern for the Sens: ahead Brady Tkachuk left early from at this time’s observe because of the damage that bothered him on the 4 Nations. He stated he may sit out Wednesday’s recreation towards Winnipeg so he can come again full-steam and “be an animal the following 25 video games.”
In the intervening time, Montreal (26-26-5) is the one Canadian workforce we are able to most likely rule out of the playoff race. The Habs are 5 factors out of a spot within the East, which can not sound like quite a bit. However they’ve misplaced eight of their final 10 and there are 4 groups between them and Ottawa. That leaves the Habs with lower than a 5 per cent likelihood of constructing the playoffs, in response to Cash Puck.
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