The last week of the NHL season before Christmas break is currently underway. The New Year will come around quickly after that.
This season hasn’t been short on intrigue thus far. Here are some things to look out for the remaining distance and beyond.
Can the Vegas Golden Knights Repeat?
In the salary cap era, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups is a difficult feat. It takes more than just having a strong team; the stars must line up.
There hasn’t been much discussion about the Vegas Golden Knights’ chances of repeating. Perhaps there’s expansion-team jealousy involved as well?
Vegas earned its Cup; they never faced elimination and had only trailed in a playoff series following Game 1 of Round 1 against Winnipeg.
They also had a remarkably healthy postseason finale and lead the Western Conference heading into the holiday break.
You risk missing out on them because they have a potent roster, excellent coaching, and a fierce desire to win.
Will Alex Ovechkin Rediscover His Scoring Touch?
The race to break Gretzky’s record is now at a standstill. In 28 games, Alex Ovechkin has just five goals.
Though he is still in the top 20, he is not even close to leading the league in shots, something he has done 11 times in his career. But his accuracy has suddenly dropped to just 4.8 percent, which is hardly a third of the 14.3 percent from the previous season.
Even though ‘Ovi’, 38, is starting to feel the effects of aging, he has a history of improving during the second half of the season.
He’s not going to get the 67 he needs to tie The Great One before the season ends, but he might add enough to make things interesting in 2019.
Which Playoff Perennials Will See Their Streaks End?
Last spring, Ovechkin’s Capitals lost their eight-year run of consecutive postseason appearances, and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on the playoffs for the first time in seventeen years.
Certain playoff regulars, like the Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers, may have to schedule earlier-than-usual tee times this spring because of the tight standings surrounding the wild-card spots and the teams’ potential to make a comeback.
With seven seasons each, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold the longest active streaks, while the Colorado Avalanche have six. Although they are all currently quite safe, the Tampa Bay Lightning (six seasons) and Carolina Hurricanes (five seasons) may face more challenges in the second half of the competition. The Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Edmonton Oilers are all vying to continue their four-year playoff streaks at the next rung.
When Will the Trade Deadline Market Heat Up?
With seven seasons each, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold the longest active streaks, while the Colorado Avalanche have six. Although they are all currently quite safe, the Tampa Bay Lightning (six seasons) and Carolina Hurricanes (five seasons) may face more challenges in the second half of the competition. The Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Edmonton Oilers are all vying to continue their four-year playoff streaks at the next rung.
When you take into account the limited cap space, a lot of clubs might have to wait until the very last minute to pursue a rental or choose to recover assets on an upcoming UFA.
Please be patient; this year’s deadline is March 8, which is five days later.
Which Familiar Faces Will Repeat as Trophy Winners?
Auston Matthews is back in the running for his third career Rocket Richard Trophy after taking a one-season break. Along with some new names like Brock Boeser, Zach Hyman, and Sam Reinhart, other winners Sidney Crosby and David Pastrnak are also in the running.
And perhaps, before beginning his pursuit of his sixth Art Ross, Connor McDavid was providing the opposition with an advantage? The captain of the Oilers scored 31 points in his next 16 games after scoring just 10 in his first 10 games, propelling him back into the top five in the standings.
Despite his sluggish start, McDavid is now second only to Nikita Kucherov in terms of points per game (1.58). Furthermore, he is scoring 1.68 points per game at this point, far more than the 128 points per game he scored to win the 2019 scoring title.
This season, we may witness first-time Norris and Vezina winners elsewhere. There’s no denying that Patrice Bergeron’s retirement has left the Selke race wide open. Agents, get your engines running.