| Place/Team | Games Played | WINS | LOSSES | OTL | Points | ROW | GF | GA | DIFF | HOME | AWAY | S/O | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Boston Bruins | 56 | 35 | 19 | 2 | 72 | 28 | 190 | 130 | +60 | 18-10-2 | 17-9-0 | 7-1 | 4-6-0 | LOST 1 |
| 2. Ottawa Senators | 60 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 68 | 25 | 179 | 183 | -4 | 15-11-5 | 15-11-5 | 5-2 | 3-5-2 | WON 2 |
| 3. Toronto Maple Leafs | 58 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 64 | 26 | 176 | 174 | +2 | 16-9-4 | 13-14-2 | 3-3 | 5-4-1 | WON 1 |
| 4. Montreal Canadiens | 59 | 24 | 25 | 10 | 58 | 21 | 159 | 161 | -2 | 11-12-8 | 13-13-2 | 3-8 | 5-4-1 | WON 1 |
| 5. Buffalo Sabres | 58 | 24 | 27 | 7 | 55 | 19 | 142 | 173 | -31 | 13-11-7 | 11-16-0 | 5-4 | 5-3-2 | OT 1 |
The normally very tight Northeast division is looking much different this year. Perennial contenders in the Canadiens and Sabres have dropped off this season and are sitting in the bottom of the Eastern conference. Boston still maintains the top spot in the division, the spot they have held pretty much since their amazing hot streak that followed the abysmal start they had. Toronto, a team that also seems to be on the bubble to make the playoffs but have been unable to do so since the 2003-2004 season, are currently holding down 8th spot in the conference. The Senators, who many billed a rebuilding team this year, have surprised and are currently sitting in 7th thanks to great years from Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and the ageless Daniel Alfredsson.
Misfiring
One reason for the sub-par season for Montreal could be their performance in shootouts. Before their shootout win tonight, they were 2-8 in shootouts this year. If they could gain the extra point in a few more of these games, they could be much closer in the playoff hunt. Carey Price has been in net for all but one of these shootouts, and his stats are less than impressive. He is 2-7, allowing 13 goals on the 30 shots he has faced leaving him with a shootout SV% of .567. This is worse than his career percentage which is at .680. He never really has been known as a prolific shootout goaltender with a career win-loss of 15-20.
And the Opposite...
Montreal's rivals in Boston have fared much better in the shootout this season. Tim Thomas, with his win over the Habs in the most recent shootout, pushed his season record to 5-0 in shootouts. The team is 7-1 when they go to penalty shooters, giving them those extra points that are so crucial to staying in the playoffs.
Monkey Off His Back
It took Scott Gomez more than a calendar year to score a goal but on February 9th against the Islanders, he finally got one past a keeper.
First time he's led this line in over a year
SENsational
Jason Spezza has been lighting it up over the past four games for the Senators. With 12 points (5G, 7A) he's lighting the nation's capital on fire at the right time as they push to stay in the playoffs.
Leaf Bait
With his contract beyond this season uncertain, Mikhail Grabovski, could be on the move at the deadline. By no means are the Leafs shopping Grabovski, they would like to re-sign him, but if the right offer comes along Grabo could be in a different uniform come February 27th.
'Patches' Leads the Way
Montreal has had players struggle with scoring (see: Scott Gomez) but Max Pacioretty has not been one of the problems. Already over 20 goals this season, now with 24, he has 13 in the new year. Montreal has scored 55 goals total since the beginning of 2012, and his 13 account for 24% of them.
Melancholy Miller
Not a great year for almost all of the Sabres, but Ryan Miller, has been have a career-worst year. With his GAA at 2.82, a career worst and his SV% at .907 just .001 higher than his worst of .906 in 2007-08 he is a key reason for the Sabres struggles. Making $6.25M through 2013-14 the Sabres expect more from Miller. Although he missed quite a bit after the infamous incident with Milan Lucic, he hasn't been able to regain his usual form.
Bell Centre Blues
Montreal hasn't just been bad on home ice, they've been brutal. They have a better home record, at 11-12-8, than only the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Though the Bell Centre is usually a place opposition teams hate to go to with the fans that are very vocal, the fans have been more vocal about their own team. Being booed on home ice is not something unusual for the Habs this season, and the fans took up the sarcastic cheering of Gomez on his anniversary.
Perfect Match
Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been having amazing years in Leaf Land. They earned well-deserved All-star spots this year in Ottawa and carried that momentum with them. They are the only Leafs to be producing at a point-per-game or better with Kessel having 62 points and Lupul with 61 points, both in 58 games. Leaf Nation just hopes that the two can keep up the production and carry them to the playoffs.
A lot to celebrate for these two this season.
Bright Spot
On the struggling Sabres, Jason Pominville is one of the lone bright spots. He's got 22 goals already this season, tying his mark from last year. He even has added a shorthanded goal and is tied for the team-lead with Thomas Vanek in game winning goals, with 4. He leads Buffalo in points with 54 in 57 games.
Sweet To Be Seguin
The sophomore season for Tyler Seguin has been much better than his rookie campaign. With all the hype last year around 'Taylor or Tyler', the pressure may have gotten to Seguin who put up just 11 goals and 22 points in 74 games. This season, though, with increased responsibility Seguin has shone. He's got his first 20 goals season, and has added 25 assists so far in 54 games.
King Karlsson
Erik Karlsson is having an outstanding season in his third year in the league. He leads all defensemen in points and assists with 53 and 43 respectively. He is tied for fourth in goals by defensemen with 10 and is tied for tenth in Time On Ice with 25:24. His amazing numbers are generating some Norris talk among many in the hockey world.
Divisional Domination
The Bruins have dominated the Northeast division in head-to-head competition. They are 13-3 in matches against their division foes. Buffalo is the only other team in the Northeast to be over .500 within these match-ups at 8-4-3.
The Bruins have gone hard to the net against all their Northeast foes.
Separate Special Teams
Montreal's power play and penalty kill have been on opposite side of the spectrum this season. Their penalty kill is the best in the league working at a 88.9% efficiency. Unfortunately for them, when they get their opportunity on the power play, they are second-worst in the league only capitalizing on 13.5% of their chances.
Bushy-Tailed Bruins
The Bruins have been the healthiest team in the NHL this season. They have lost just 41 man games to injury by far the lowest. They are the only team to have lost less man games than they have actually played. Contrast that to the least-healthy team in the NHL, Pittsburgh, who have lost a whopping 278 man games to injury in their 57 contests this season.
Players to Watch
- Jason Spezza. Been on fire lately, hoping to continue his hot-streak to propel the Sens.
- Jonas Gustavsson. With James Reimer having his struggles recently, look for The Monster to grab the reigns and run with them.
- Patrice Bergeron. He leads the Bruins in points, and they have have won the last 3 games that he has recorded at least a point.
- Derek Roy. With his name mentioned in trade talk recently, it may elevate his game, or it could affect his mental focus and hinder his game.
- Scott Gomez. You never know, he's got one goal now, maybe he'll actually get another one this year.
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