Only Jets, Maple Leafs left to carry Canada’s torch
When the Calgary Flames meekly lost their sixth straight game in regulation Monday - the culmination of an epic stumble that finally and officially put the club out of its misery - Canada was left with just two potential entries for this spring’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
What a difference 12 months can make in the NHL.
Five of the league’s seven Canadian teams made the post-season last April, with two clinching second-round berths and one reaching the conference finals.
The Winnipeg Jets booked their ticket to the 2018 playoffs Sunday, while the Toronto Maple Leafs have been all but assured a spot for months in the top-heavy Atlantic Division.
Both fanbases will be hoping for long runs into June, but having just a pair clubs from north of the border in the playoff dance represents a brutal reality check in a season that kicked off with sky-high hopes.
The Edmonton Oilers, led by star centre Connor McDavid, were picked by many to end Canada’s Cup drought dating back to 1993 after a big step forward last spring. They not only made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, but also won a round and then took the Anaheim Ducks to seven games.
While not a darling of the analytics crowd, the Ottawa Senators managed to get within a goal of reaching the Cup final before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, and seemed a good bet for at least a post-season return.
Even the teams that bowed out in the 2016-17 first round had plenty of reason for optimism.
Toronto’s young and exciting roster led by Auston Matthews had gained valuable experience in the franchise’s playoff return, the Flames had a talented core with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, and the Montreal Canadiens were always viewed as a threat with Carey Price in goal.
Winnipeg missed out last season, but the Jets had a strong nucleus of Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, among others.
The Vancouver Canucks weren’t expected to reach the playoffs after consecutive springs of discontent in a rebuild that never fully took hold.