NHL | National Hockey League, Breaking News & Current Standings
February 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm,
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Here we bring you the latest news emerging from the National Hockey League and
the current standings in North America’s professional league.
NHL Preview & Key Info
The National Hockey League is one of the most exciting sports to watch, especially in North America. The regular season is way past the halfway mark and we are heading towards the most important part of the NHL which is the Stanley Cup. It represents the playoff round and it is scheduled for June 8 this year. There are 16 spots up for grabs in the NHL playoffs on June, 12 of which are filled in by the top three teams from the four divisions while the remaining spots are allocated to two wildcards from both conference leagues. We are going to look at the current situation in the Eastern and Western conferences to see interesting battles for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
The best teams in the Eastern Conference are the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. Ranked first and second respectively, these two teams are the best representatives from this conference. But the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning all have a chance to topple those two.
Carolina Hurricanes are big favorites to reach the Stanley Cup with consistent performances in the regular season. They already have their sights set on the Stanley Cup trophy and few teams can match their intensity. After winning just one of their first five games in 2023, Rod Brind'Amour's team is cruising at the moment with only one defeat from 13 games.
The Boston Bruins are number one on the charts for the Eastern Conference. They have held their own despite the injuries they faced this season. Right Wing David Patsmack has been key to the Boston Bruins' run towards the playoffs. The Boston Bruins are blessed with very good scorers and this has seen them rack up good numbers.
At the bottom of the Eastern Conference, we have the Columbus Blue Jackets who have no chance of reaching the Stanley Cup. The 2022/23 season is one to forget for the Columbus Blue Jackets as their trade involving Vladislav Gavrikov fell through. They are joined in the bottom three by the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadien.
Western Conference
Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights are the top two in the Western Conference with Vegas Golden Knights taking the conference by storm. Other teams like Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets have a very good shot at participating in the Stanley Cup.
The Vegas Golden Knights have a slender advantage over the Dallas Stars and we are witnessing one of the best playoff races in the Western Conference. They lead both in the Western Conference and the Pacific division table. A spot in the Stanley cup isn't too far looking at their run this year
Dallas Stars is the closest team to the Vegas Golden Knights and they lead their division; the central division. A good scoring team like the Dallas Stars always does well in the Stanley Cup, and if they get to that stage, they would be among the strong favorites to win.
The Anaheim Ducks are far down the standings of the Western Conference. At this point, they would need a miracle to even reach the playoffs with a lot of inconsistencies in the team's play. San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks are other teams struggling in the Western Conference but the latter is starting to pick up.
Conclusion
Every team wants to be at the prestigious Stanley Cup in June, some are having a good ride towards that goal but there are also some teams underperforming. However, this is one of the most interesting parts of the regular season for the players and fans.