Things going north for Canadian teams
After last year’s shutout, six of seven NHL franchises harbour viable post-season hopes
The official Hockey Day in Canada was Feb. 18. It apparently took another two weeks for this country’s NHL franchises to truly celebrate the occasion.
Fourteen days after the coast-tocoast hockey love-in, Canadian NHL teams went a perfect 5-0 Saturday, outscoring opponents by a combined total of 21-10.
With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, those results can be viewed as a rallying point as teams kick off the stretch drive in the quest for post-season berths. And when it comes to Canadian teams, what a difference 11 months makes.
As of Monday, the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames find themselves in playoff spots, while the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are within three points of one, if not closer.
And while the post-season aspirations of the Vancouver Canucks continue to exist despite the odds, fans on the West Coast finally have a rebuild they can embrace, one led by young Bo Horvat.
With management showing confidence in a kid who’s still just 21 by stitching an alternate captain’s ‘A’ on his jersey for the game in Los Angeles Saturday, Horvat responded with a three-assist performance in a 4-3 upset of the host Kings.
As we buckle ourselves in for what promises to be a wild and wacky final six weeks of the season, here’s a brief look at what’s gone right for the seven Canadian teams and what they each must do to maintain it. MONTREAL CANADIENS: Now familiar with Julien’s swarming defensive scheme, the Habs have won five consecutive games. GM Marc Bergevin’s trade deadline additions are paying dividends, with defenceman Jordie Benn scoring a goal and forward Steve Ott chipping in with an assist in the Canadiens’ impressive 4-1 win over the host New York Rangers Saturday. And those questions about what’s wrong with goaltender Carey Price, well, they’ve disappeared.
OTTAWA SENATORS: Give GM Pierre Dorion credit. Head coach Guy Boucher’s hiring last summer has remedied the team’s one-time leaky defensive issues. Meanwhile Dorion’s deadline additions already are chipping in. Former Canuck Alex Burrows scored twice in his Sens debut Thursday, while speedy journeyman Viktor Stalberg had a key goal in the Senators’ important 3-2 win over Columbus Saturday.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Mike Babcock’s young team received a dose of reality on the West Coast, where it accrued just one of a possible six points. Nevertheless, the Leafs are still in the thick of the playoff race. Deadline acquisition Brian Boyle has already had a positive effect, both in the room and on the faceoff circle.
WINNIPEG JETS: What’s not to like? In a breakout season for youngsters Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, the uber-skilled Patrick Laine started play Sunday in second in the NHL’s goal-scoring race with 32, just two behind Sidney Crosby. Lost in all the Calder talk is this kid’s remarkable bid as a teenager to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck came within 15.4 seconds of recording his second straight shutout in Winnipeg’s 6-1 mashing of Colorado Saturday and is vital to the Jets’ chase for a playoff berth.
CALGARY FLAMES: Entering play versus the New York Islanders on Sunday, the Flames had allowed two or fewer goals in seven of eight previous games, going 7-1 in that span. Goalie Brian Elliott’s overcoming of early season’s struggles has been a key to the turnaround.
EDMONTON OILERS: A debate during one of the trade deadline TV shows Wednesday featured a couple of analysts suggesting they might trade McDavid for Auston Matthews straight up. No disrespect to Matthews, but no way. McDavid’s highlight-reel goal in the first period of Edmonton’s 4-3 win over Detroit Saturday once again showed that he is the next great thing in the sport, if not already. With goalie Cam Talbot already at 33 victories and the next seven games at home, the Oilers are poised for a first post-season appearance in 11 years. VANCOUVER CANUCKS: The Canucks still harbour faint hopes of a playoff berth. Saturday’s victory over the Kings pulled them to within seven points of the final wild-card slot as of Sunday. But the optimism in Vancouver goes beyond the immediate future. By dealing the likes of Jannik Hansen to San Jose, the return of young talent like flashy prospect Nikolay Goldobin offers the promise of better days ahead, especially if his breakaway goal against the Kings is any indication. As for Horvat, the framework is in place for him to develop into a team leader for years to come.