This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
The Los Angeles Kings are on Fire
The defending champs have been treading water for much of the season and on the fringe of the playoff race. They had a very similar trajectory last season, until about this very point in the campaign. Well, for the second straight season it certainly looks like the Kings have been able to flip a switch, and right now are playing at a very high level.
They have reeled off eight straight wins with star goalie Jonathan Quick in goal for each of these positive results. He has allowed only 14 goals during this stretch, is once again among the league leaders in wins, and he has lowered his season-long goals-against average to a very impressive 2.38 per game. These numbers did not look so good three weeks, but this turnaround has reminded all hockey fans that he remains a top-tier goalie.
If you are a fantasy owner who gave up on this solid veteran, you have been dealt a very harsh lesson. You just can't give up too early on a proven NHL star.
As for the rest of the roster, there are other keys that account for the recent improvement. That 70s line of Jeff Carter, Dwight King and Tyler Toffoli has been the key to the offense in this stretch with 21 scoring points in those eight games.
On top of that, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams were the subject of speculation that they were mired in sub-par campaigns. They
The Los Angeles Kings are on Fire
The defending champs have been treading water for much of the season and on the fringe of the playoff race. They had a very similar trajectory last season, until about this very point in the campaign. Well, for the second straight season it certainly looks like the Kings have been able to flip a switch, and right now are playing at a very high level.
They have reeled off eight straight wins with star goalie Jonathan Quick in goal for each of these positive results. He has allowed only 14 goals during this stretch, is once again among the league leaders in wins, and he has lowered his season-long goals-against average to a very impressive 2.38 per game. These numbers did not look so good three weeks, but this turnaround has reminded all hockey fans that he remains a top-tier goalie.
If you are a fantasy owner who gave up on this solid veteran, you have been dealt a very harsh lesson. You just can't give up too early on a proven NHL star.
As for the rest of the roster, there are other keys that account for the recent improvement. That 70s line of Jeff Carter, Dwight King and Tyler Toffoli has been the key to the offense in this stretch with 21 scoring points in those eight games.
On top of that, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams were the subject of speculation that they were mired in sub-par campaigns. They too have rebounded and removed any earlier concerns.
Drew Doughty is quietly doing what he does, and while other defensemen have drawn some headlines, he has produced 35 points and has a plus-6 rating on the season. He has turned up his game level with four points and a plus-8 rating in his last six starts to join his mates in hitting his playoff-type stride. He remains a workhorse and thinks nothing of his 29 minutes per game.
I can't think that there are too many teams that are looking forward to meeting the defending champs in the postseason. The road to the Cup will travel through Los Angeles.
The Boston Bruins are in Real Danger
The big, bad Bruins have been one of those teams that preseason prognosticators could safely pencil in as easy playoff qualifiers, and this season was not thought to be an exception.
However, there have been many signs that this was not going to be a normal Boston year. Right off the start, they lost former top-four blueliner Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders because of the Bruins' salary-cap issues.
That departure meant more pressure on the remaining veterans, particularly Zdeno Chara, and required more from young offense-minded defensemen Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton. More importantly, a couple of untested blueliners would be needed to make the jump from prospect to fixture on the blueline.
The B's have long required their defense to be tough and adept in their own end of the rink as a key part of the team's success.
What has happened, instead, is that Chara has been limited to 41 games, producing only 15 points and a plus-1 rating. That last statistic is very revealing, as the big captain has routinely been among the most imposing players in the league and normally among league leaders in the category. In looking at the stats for the other two young keys mentioned previously, they have delivered a combined 64 points and yet only post a plus-5 rating together.
That means the top three blueliners have barely broken even for the Bruins. Factor in the expectation that the remaining depth blueliners cannot be expected to produce more that these guys, and you have the recipe for the Bruins battling for the last playoff spot.
Up front, the Bruins have leaned on perhaps the top 1-2 all-round centers on any NHL team as the focal point of their offense. Patrice Bergeron has produced 42 points in 59 games, which is on pace for his point total from last season. Again, the big difference is his plus-2 rating, as opposed to an impressive plus-38 last season.
Couple that with David Krejci's troubled campaign that has seen him sidelined twice by injuries, limiting him to only 26 points in 38 games, and we can clearly see this is not the same old Bruins.
Even though he is well-off his normal scoring pace, Milan Lucic, with a plus-10 and only 32 points in 59 games, may be considered the best of the Bruins' forwards this season, and yet, it's clear that he too is nowhere near his normal level of play.
These factors all combine to put the Bruins at risk of missing the postseason.
Montreal and Anaheim Help Each Other via Trade
A couple of teams that are challenging for their respective Conference regular-season titles got together on a deal that they could both benefit from.
The Ducks sent Devante Smith-Pelly, a 2010 second-round pick, to the Canadiens in exchange for Jiri Sekac.
This looks like a classic case of teams dealing from their respective strengths to fill a corresponding weakness.
From the Ducks standpoint, they are a big, physical squad that has relied heavily on a very skilled top end of their offense. Smith-Pelley is one of those big bodies who filled out a bottom-six there since he made the roster. He has not provided the offense that was expected of his draft status, but he has delivered the consistent physical presence that is clearly not a part of the Canadiens' game.
The Canadiens were able to ship out a player who made their lineup because he has shown himself to be yet another skill player who appears to have a pretty high offensively-focused hockey IQ.
Both players will add to the makeup of their new teams and should be a better fit in their new homes because of these combinations of team needs and player skill-sets.
This is a rare trade scenario, in that top teams have traded with one another and both should be happy with the players they are welcoming.
We won't see this type of deal in the next week, as pending UFA rentals will be moved to contending clubs…they will look like one-sided hockey trades. That's why I was doubly-intrigued by this trade: a potential "win-win" between winning teams.
Make sure to come back to this column next week when we break down the trade deadline swaps, highlighting how players may fill needs for their new clubs.
Paul Bruno has been writing about the fantasy sports scene for several years and is an accredited member of the sports media in Toronto for over 20 years. You are invited to send your feedback and you can follow him on Twitter (@statsman22) or catch him on 120 Sports.
