This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
What we want to see, at this late stage in the season is teams gearing up for the playoffs. We pick away at a number of clubs whose fortunes cover a wide range at this time. The ideal outcome is for teams to be peaking right now and advancing to the post-season. Some teams are, while others are not.
The Bruins have been on a hot streak, but some unexpected contributors have really helped out…Senators are developing some nice pieces…Have the Sabres got any fantasy value on their roster?...Rangers roll on despite key injuries…Nashville Predators are slumping at a bad time…Minnesota looks like a scary wild card.
Boston is playoff bound thanks, in part, to unexpected contributors
Sometimes a high draft pick just needs some time to figure things out as a pro. Ryan Spooner is now 23 years old after being a second-round pick in 2010. There aren't a lot of teams that will be that patient with high pick. He has spent some time with the Providence AHL affiliate and obviously with a streak of nine points in nine games, he may have finally clinched a spot on the Bruins' roster. Another more recent top pick, David Pastrnak, was the team's first pick (24th overall) last summer. He has been a regular on the roster in 2015 and has 18 points in 28 games, with more time on the power play of late. These are unusual developments where youngsters are getting time on the Bruins' scoring lines.
What we want to see, at this late stage in the season is teams gearing up for the playoffs. We pick away at a number of clubs whose fortunes cover a wide range at this time. The ideal outcome is for teams to be peaking right now and advancing to the post-season. Some teams are, while others are not.
The Bruins have been on a hot streak, but some unexpected contributors have really helped out…Senators are developing some nice pieces…Have the Sabres got any fantasy value on their roster?...Rangers roll on despite key injuries…Nashville Predators are slumping at a bad time…Minnesota looks like a scary wild card.
Boston is playoff bound thanks, in part, to unexpected contributors
Sometimes a high draft pick just needs some time to figure things out as a pro. Ryan Spooner is now 23 years old after being a second-round pick in 2010. There aren't a lot of teams that will be that patient with high pick. He has spent some time with the Providence AHL affiliate and obviously with a streak of nine points in nine games, he may have finally clinched a spot on the Bruins' roster. Another more recent top pick, David Pastrnak, was the team's first pick (24th overall) last summer. He has been a regular on the roster in 2015 and has 18 points in 28 games, with more time on the power play of late. These are unusual developments where youngsters are getting time on the Bruins' scoring lines.
Senators are retooling with some new faces
When you think of the Sens, you have to consider Erik Karlsson first: he has 10 points in his last 12 games at a time when the Sens are putting on a nice push for a playoff spot. Others who are contributing are Mark Stone, with nine points, along with Mika Zibanejad and Mike Hoffman, each of whom has eight points in that same stretch. They are all young forwards who are taking the next steps in their development. Even if Ottawa's season doesn't include the postseason, they can at least point to these three young guns and expect that they will have learned a lot from the last few weeks of this season. Veterans like Milan Michalek (seven points) and Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan with six each, have also chipped in. All of a sudden this offense looks to be gaining depth.
Rangers reach for the top despite missing key parts
Rangers have surprised onlookers as they have survived the extended absence of starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who suffered a vascular injury to his neck and has been out of the lineup since Feb. 2. In his absence, the club could have been expected to fold, but instead they have rallied behind backup goalie Cam Talbot and maintained a solid team structure to their play, rolling to a 15-2-3 mark in that span. Talbot has played in 18 of those games and now has a 17-6-2 record backed by a glittering 2.19 goals-against average in 29 appearances this season. To emphasize the commitment to team defense, no Ranger has produced more than eight points in the last month, with Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard each producing one goal and seven assists in that period.
In terms of goal scoring, it's the usual suspects, Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash leading the way with five and four goals, respectively. Speedy Carl Hagelin is next in line with three goals and three assists.
The Rangers received good news with the report that Lundqvist has been cleared to return to a full practice regimen and should be able to start in goal in a week or so. However, St. Louis will likely miss the next two weeks with a lower-body injury.
The Blueshirts have leaned on their solid defense corps to get them through this rough patch in fine style. Credit goes to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal for anchoring the blueline and leading this unexpected rally with attention to their disciplined approach.
Predators tumbling downward at a bad time
The Predators were looking like the favorite to win the President's Trophy, with the most points in the NHL a month ago, but their relative inexperience with the rush to the playoffs appears to be showing a bit. They now sport the third-best record in the Western conference, trailing the Blues by a point in the Central division, with St. Louis holding two games in hand. Should the Preds not regain their division lead, their first round playoff matchup would be against the Blackhawks, who are apparently in playoff ready mode, with a 7-2-1 record in their last ten outings.
At the moment, the Predators are the only current playoff bound team, in the Western Conference that has a losing record in that time frame.
A number of players have really tailed off. Among the forwards, Craig Smith and Matt Cullen are leading the scorers with only nine points in their last 15 games. After that, it's down to Mike Fisher and Mike Ribeiro with six points each. The added trouble is that their minus-2 and minus-6 ratings, respectively, tell the bigger story of the Predators' issues.
On defense, their captain and leader in playing time, Shea Weber, has only two points and a minus-6.
First-half phenom, Filip Forsberg has really tailed off as well, with only five points and an unsightly minus-9 rating.
In short, the Predators need to get back to that earlier season level of play or they will be cannon fodder in the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota is looking like a legitimate wild card
Minnesota is the hottest team in the Western conference, getting a great contribution throughout the lineup. They really saw their fortunes turn with the acquisition of Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round pick. All he has done is grab the No. 1 goalie slot and win 21 of his 27 decisions while sporting a great 1.67 GAA and .939 save percentage.
Those performances have effectively turned the club's biggest weakness into perhaps its biggest strength.
Up front, the team's offensive stars are leading the way, with Zach Parise at the head of this class. He has 12 points and a plus-7 rating, while sniper Tomas Vanek has nine points and a plus-2. Mikael Granlund has solidified his two-way game and has a plus-10 to go with 10 points in 14 games, and third-year pro Justin Fontaine has contributed nine points and a plus-9 during his best stretch in the NHL.
While these are all positive indicators, it's the emergence of quality depth on the blueline that leaves room for great optimism. We all know that Ryan Suter is capable of a heavy workload with solid production on the attack (33 points this year), but he is ably-supported by Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba in as talented a quintet as any team can boast.
Playing at this level, Minnesota will be a tough out in the postseason.
It will be interesting to see which teams are the hottest over the concluding weeks of the regular season.
