| Place/Team | Games Played | WINS | LOSSES | OTL | Points | ROW | GF | GA | DIFF | HOME | AWAY | S/O | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Boston Bruins | 68 | 40 | 25 | 3 | 83 | 33 | 222 | 164 | +58 | 20-13-2 | 20-12-1 | 7-2 | 4-5-1 | LOST 2 |
| 2. Ottawa Senators | 70 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 81 | 31 | 216 | 206 | +10 | 18-13-4 | 8-12-5 | 5-3 | 7-2-1 | WON 1 |
| 3. Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 32 | 29 | 8 | 72 | 25 | 171 | 194 | -23 | 17-11-7 | 15-18-1 | 7-4 | 7-2-1 | WON 1 |
| 4. Toronto Maple Leafs | 68 | 30 | 30 | 8 | 68 | 27 | 200 | 210 | -10 | 16-13-6 | 14-17-2 | 3-4 | 1-7-2 | OT 1 |
| 5. Montreal Canadiens | 69 | 27 | 32 | 10 | 64 | 23 | 183 | 193 | -10 | 12-15-8 | 15-17-2 | 4-8 | 3-7-0 | WON 2 |
No change in the standings in the Northeast since last week. Ottawa has pulled within 2 points of Boston, though Boston has 2 games in hand. Buffalo has continued their strong play and have moved to within 2 points of Washington for 8th, while Toronto has continued to struggle and fall farther out of the playoff picture. Montreal still occupies bottom of the division and the Eastern conference.
Major Problems
 |
| Konopka, in one of his many fights this season. |
Give, Don't Take
The Northeast is a generous division this season. Just two players, Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza both of the Senators, are in the top 15 in takeaways this season. While there are 7 players in the top 15 in giveaways. I guess they took "Better to give to receive" with them on the ice.
Shootout Sniper
Daniel Alfredsson has been lights out in the shootout this season. He's taken 5 shots in the penalty shot competition, and he has converted on all 5 of his attempts. He's one of only 3 players to have taken more than 1 attempt and convert 100% of the time.
Tuuka's Trouble
Boston's Tuuka Rask went down with a knee injury in a game against the New York Islanders on March 3rd. It is an abdominal/groin strain and he will be out for 4-6 weeks.
Turco Time
 |
| Turco finally gets back in the NHL. |
Showing Up Late
The Ottawa Senators lead the league in goals scored in the third period. Ottawa has 91 goals in the 3rd, 4 more than Pittsburgh and Boston who are in second with 87. All these late goals allow for comebacks by the team in the nation's capital. They are tied for 4th in comeback wins, with 6, when trailing after 2 periods.
Second Period Slip-ups
The Toronto Maple Leafs and their rotating goaltending situation have allowed the most goals in the second period's of games this season. They have allowed 84 goals in the middle frame, showing that they may have trouble holding momentum from the first period where they are 7th in goals for.
Keeping It Positive
| Seguin's defensive game has greatly improved, and it's showed in his plus-minus. |
Taking The Extra Advantage
Montreal has had the second most 5-on-3 opportunities this season, behind only the Los Angeles Kings, with 17 times two men up, and they are taking their advantage. Montreal has the most 5-on-3 goals with 7. Though their power play is 26th ranked, if only they could be two men up more often.
Busy In Net
Craig Anderson and all the other Senator's goalies have been busy this season. Ottawa is averaging 32.2 shots against per game, just 0.1 fewer than 30th ranked Carolina with 32.3 shots against per game. It's working for them though, they are battling for the top of the division.
Guess Who's Back, Back Again?
Andrei Markov has finally returned after suffering his second straight knee injury in November of 2010. He chipped in with an assist on P.K. Subban's powerplay goal in his first game back. For more information, check this article.
 |
| A lot of celebrate personally, but not for his team. |
Montreal's Max Pacioretty scored two goals against the Edmonton Oilers on March 8th to give him 30 goals on the season. He's the first since Alexei Kovalev in 2007-08 to score 30 for the Habs.
Lupul Sidelined
Toronto's Joffrey Lupul will be out for a month with a separated shoulder that he suffered in the game on March 7th against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Toronto's Tough Trip
The Leafs have a 5 game road trip coming up that begins today against the Washington Capitals and raps up on March 19th where they face Boston. This will decide the season for Toronto. If they perform well on the road trip they might have a chance, but anything less than 3 wins, and even then, it will an uphill battle. Toronto is 14-17-2 on the road this season.
Caron On A Roll
Boston's Jordan Caron has 7 points in his last 5 games and has been moved up to the first line. The 21 year old was selected 25th overall by Boston in the 2009 draft and has spent parts of the last two seasons up with the big team.
Mottau Takes A Wing
Boston's Mike Mottau got moved up to left wing in their game on Saturday against Washington. Benoit Pouliot was a late scratch because of injury, catching coach Claude Julien off-guard and forcing him to use Mottau on the fourth line. He played 6:52 recording no points and no shots.
Players To Watch
- Brad Marchand. He snapped a 6-game pointless streak with a 2 point effort yesterday vs Washington. This could get him going for the stretch drive, as he is always key for Boston.
- Ryan Miller. He is 5-1 in his last 6 games and has a 1.83 GAA over that stretch. With Buffalo making a charge, he will lead the way.
- Max Pacioretty. He is on a 5 game point streak and has 10 points in those games and 5 of those being goals. Although Montreal is out of playoff contention, he continues to step up.
- Ben Bishop. The huge 6'7" goaltender has played the last 3 games for the Sens, winning 2 of them. And with Craig Anderson's return date uncertain, Bishop could seize this opportunity.
- Clarke MacArthur. Before Saturday's game against the Flyers, where nobody on either team recorded a point, MacArthur was on a 4 game point streak recording a goal and 3 assists. Look for him to keep contributing to help the Leafs put together a streak.
Follow @Sconavar
No comments:
Post a Comment