Now that the East is in the books, it's time to attempt to tackle the insanely deep and competitive Western Conference. As of the beginning of the day Thursday, February 3, a mere 10 points separate 4th place in the conference from 14th. Needless to say, every single game down the stretch is incredibly important to nearly every team out there. Deep breath, and here we go...
1. Vancouver Canucks - 117 points
Admittedly, this was the easiest of the eight spots to rank in the West, as Vancouver has been on an absolute tear all season. Their home ice has proven to be the hardest building in the league to get a regulation win, as they have only lost 3 times in regulation there this season. This does not bode well for any challengers they will face in the playoffs, as they are looking Presidents' Trophy bound this year and will have home ice throughout the Playoffs. This team might be the most balanced in the league, ranking no lower than 4th in Average Goals For, Average Goals Against, Power Play % and Penalty Kill. Newcomers Manny Malhotra and Keith Ballard have added to an already loaded lineup (despite Ballard's recent affinity for injuring goaltenders that play for or used to play for the Florida Panthers, see Tomas Vokoun and Craig Anderson. Watch out Luongo). Despite the recent loss of defensive leader Alexander Edler, the Canucks look like a team on a mission, led by the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and one of the best backstops in the league Roberto Luongo (not to mention their more-than-solid backup Cory Schneider). The bottom line is, while this team has never quite been able to get over the hump in the Playoffs, it looks like this year with their new additions could be a special one.
2. Detroit Red Wings - 111 points
No matter how old they seem to get, the Red Wings just keep on motoring (pun intended) as one of the elite franchises in the NHL. Ranking 1st in Average Goals For and 5th on the Power Play, this team is still loaded with weapons that allow them to stay in any game. With names like Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen, just to name a few, this team approaches the Playoffs with a "been there, done that" attitude that has them prepared for any and all situations. On D, despite their advancing ages, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are still two of the premier blue liners in the league, and Niklas Kronwall continues to wreak havoc while never getting called for leaving his feet on checks. In net, they have the benefit of choosing between a young and talented Jimmy Howard and an experienced Playoff veteran in Chris Osgood. To top it all off, the Wings also boast probably the best head coach in the league in Mike Babcock. This team is always a threat to go deep in the Playoffs.
3. San Jose Sharks - 104 points
Despite a very disappointing, lackluster start to their season, the Sharks look to be on their way back to the top part of the standings. While their division is absolutely loaded, the Sharks remain one of, if not the most talented all around team in the Pacific, and also have the most stretch run and postseason experience (regardless of their lack of Playoff success). While it looks like as many as 5 teams from the Pacific could potentially make the Playoffs, I believe the top spot will be decided in San Jose and Dallas. The Sharks' top three lines can compete with any in the league, and their already loaded roster from last season has welcomed some key new additions in now Cup Finals veterans Ben Eager and Antti Niemi, both fresh off winning it all with the Blackhawks last year. Additionally, Calder Trophy candidate Logan Couture has been one of the best surprises for any team all season. Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Douglas Murray highlight a solid defensive crew, and the aforementioned Niemi and former NHL starter Antero Niittymaki give these Sharks solid but not outstanding options in net. When it comes down to it, I believe it will be San Jose's great amount of experience that will allow them to edge out the Stars and take the division crown yet again.
4. Dallas Stars - 101 points
The Stars have been one of the most surprising teams of the season thus far, though if you really look at their team, their success shouldn't be THAT unexpected. Many people seem to forget that this team is led by a former Conn Smythe winner and one of the best players in the league Brad Richards. He seems to have found a niche in leading warm weather teams to great success. Additionally, this Dallas bunch is fortunate enough to have three brilliant young left wingers in 25-year old Loui Eriksson, 23-year old James Neal and 21-year old Jamie Benn. Those young guns complement a solid veteran core of the previously mentioned Richards, Brenden Morrow, Mike Ribeiro and the recent re-addition of old flame Jamie Langenbrunner. Kari Lehtonen is a better goalie than people seem to give him credit for, but I still think that the Stars don't quite have enough to outlast the Sharks in the division race. However, they will certainly make the Playoffs, and could be a dangerous bunch if Lehtonen gets hot.
5. Nashville Predators - 99 points
He may look like someone whose primary job would be living under and guarding a bridge, but Barry Trotz continues to be one of the most outstanding coaches in the game. He always manages to get the most out of his players, and this season his crew looks the most promising it has yet. The Preds return their solid, blue collar core and welcome in new additions like Montreal pariah Sergei Kostitsyn. Captain Shea Weber leads the battalion of Tennessee hockey mainstays David Legwand, Steve Sullivan and Martin Erat, while youngsters Ryan Suter and Patrick Hornqvist continue to make even larger contributions to the team's success. This Predators lean heavily on their team defense to fuel success, as they rank 4th in Goals Against and 3rd on the Penalty Kill. This will be key in the Playoffs, where there are many more 2-1 and 3-2 games than 5-4 and 6-5 games. The other key ingredient to maintaining these solid defensive numbers is the play of goalie Pekka Rinne, who, now that Dan Ellis has gone to Tampa, has taken over as the unquestioned starter. While this team needs to improve on its offensive game, their all around defense looks good enough to make them very competitive in the Playoffs. Hopefully they can get more fans to show up to their games to see a great hockey team play, instead of just serving as something for drunk Vanderbilt students to do on a Thursday night.
6. Los Angeles Kings - 97 points
The Kings currently sit in the 5th spot in the Pacific division, but that still has them sitting as one of the contenders in the crazy Western Conference. LA has been bitten by the injury bug this year, but they still have built one of the best young core of players in the league. Young center Anze Kopitar along with D-men Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty are already some of the premier players at their positions in the world. Captain (and still relatively young) Dustin Brown, Ryan Smyth, Michael Handzus and Jarret Stoll are just a few of the great leadership group for this team. Them, along with the additions of defenseman Willie Mitchell and the resurgence of winger Justin Williams make these Kings a very dangerous team that I believe will have a great last few months of the season to secure a solid spot in the Playoffs. This group was able to get a taste of the postseason last year, and they will look to build on that this year to make a deeper run.
7. Anaheim Ducks - 96 points
Anaheim is a team that has seemed to get better and better as the season has progressed. Even while enduring a long stretch without Ryan Getzlaf and relatively middle of the road statistics, they have been playing well and getting better thanks to their veteran leadership, goaltending and deadly power play that ranks 2nd in the league. Recently this team has been carried by the play of right winger Corey Perry and net minder Jonas Hiller. When Getzlaf returns, this team will get even better, but I still don't think they have enough to finish higher than 7th. Their defensive and penalty kill numbers are both simply average, and while they have been lighting the lamp often with the man advantage, they still rank just 20th in the league in Goals For. It will be interesting to see how this bunch navigates not only the crazy Western Conference standings but also their insanely competitive division. If they are going to make any noise in the Playoffs, I believe it will be based on the play of Hiller and their special teams.
8. Chicago Blackhawks - 95 points
Following their magical Stanley Cup run of yesteryear, the Hawks were forced to get rid of some of their most precious assets in order to become salary cap compliant for this season. Major contributors Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Antti Niemi along with leadership guys like Andrew Ladd were all lost in the fray (personally, I would have never signed an aging Marian Hossa to such a ridiculous contract so that I could keep a dynamic young player like Byfuglien, but i guess that's just me). This team is now saddled with questionable goaltending at best, and are naturally finding it harder to compete in this loaded conference. However, they still have one of the best all around players in the game in captain Jonathan Toews, as well as other great players like forwards Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp and one of the best defensive pairings in the league in Norris trophy winner Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Even though Chicago will be handcuffed by the salary cap at the trade deadline, I don't believe that Toews will allow them to miss the Playoffs. However, I believe that simply making the postseason is all this team can hope for.
Finally, as a die-hard Colorado Avalanche fan, it pained me dearly to pick them to miss the Playoffs, but they simply have not shown me that they have what it takes to be one of the top eight teams in maybe the most competitive conference I've ever seen. Unless they can solve their goaltending and special teams issues, or if they can get Peter Mueller back and have him make a huge impact, I just don't see it happening this year. (Also, I am hoping that by not picking them they will prove me wrong and go on a run. One can only hope...)
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