When you think of the most competitive division in the NHL, many instances come to mind. There’s the Atlantic, which has four teams that are always playoff-bound and four teams who hope it will be their year but never deliver. Then you have the Metro, where the Rangers and the Hurricanes are the best every year, and everyone else fights for a wildcard spot.
The Pacific has heavy hitters like the Oilers, Canucks, and Golden Knights, with the remaining five teams being a mixed bag of mediocre and awful. Through a week and a half of NHL hockey, there is no question that the Central will be back and forth and an absolute dogfight this year. Between one team being perfect and another team being winless until the other night, a lot is going on in the Central Division.
Nashville Predators Already Need To Keep Pace
“Keep pace” is a crazy phrase for a team like the Nashville Predators to be tied to this early in October. After winning the offseason with a plethora of high-profile signings, the Preds started the season 0-5-0 before finally getting their first two points against the Bruins in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night. Now that they have their first win, it’s time to keep the good times rolling. They play Chicago and Columbus over the weekend, who are two teams they should be able to beat.
The Predators are at the bottom of the division with two points, and while the season is still young, they are looking up at a pretty big climb already. Winnipeg has 12 points, and Minnesota and Dallas have 10. Utah and St. Louis are going to be more competitive than in past years, and Colorado hasn’t hit their stride yet. Since the top three teams in the division make it to the playoffs, they can’t afford to go on another winless streak for the rest of the season. So what’s the answer?
Stamkos and Marchessault were massive additions this summer and they have yet to pull their weight. They have two goals and five points combined. Out of those numbers, Stamkos has only one goal. As a team, they’ve been putting a lot of pucks at the net with little reward, but those two guys have to start producing at a higher level.
The other solution, and maybe the bigger one, is between the pipes. Star Goaltender Juuse Saros had an incredible performance against the Bruins, recording his 24th shutout in their 4-0 win. In his first four games, he had a 3.64 goals against average and a .875 save percentage, which is a far cry from his stats last year. Moreover, Nashville had been outscored 23-10 in that same stretch. Yes, 10 goals won’t get it done, but Saros has to start pulling his weight and stealing games when the offense has an off night.
Minnesota Wild Look To Keep Pace Atop Division
Everybody had the Dallas Stars at or near the top of the division, and they’re right there with a 5-2-0 record to start the season. The Winnipeg Jets were thought by some to take a step back this year, but they still have great players and one of the best goalies in the game. One thing is for sure, nobody had the Minnesota Wild at the top of the division, and through six games, that’s exactly where they are.
They are 4-0-2 to start the 24-25 campaign and have yet to trail in regulation this season. Goaltending was a big reason why the Wild had a rough start last year. This year, it’s the exact opposite. Through six games, the Wild have given up more than two goals just once, and have allowed only one goal in each of the last three games. Gustavsson has a great start between the pipes with a 4-0-1 record, and .952 SV%, and a 1.40 GAA.
Offensively, they have scored three or more goals in five of six, and it’s been by committee for the most part. Kaprizov, Boldy, Rossi, and Zuccarello are leading the way, as they should, combining for 12 goals and 31 points, while Eriksson has chipped in with three points of his own despite missing two games.
So, can the Wild sustain this and get back to the playoffs? The short answer is yes. However, the margins are thin. In the 23-24 season, the Wild were 21st in goals per game and 20th in goals against. By the end of the year, those categories have to be better. They are second in the NHL in goals allowed, giving up only 11. They might not finish that high, but first and foremost the goaltending has to carry its weight. Colorado won’t be at the bottom of the division forever, and Utah and St. Louis should continue to be competitive, which means the Wild have to keep banking points early in the season.
Quick Glance At Rest Of Division
The Colorado Avalanche had a dreadful 0-4 start and have since won three in a row, quickly making up lost ground. The goaltending is still a question mark, but their offense will mask those woes, at least to a point. It’s still reasonable to predict the Jets, Stars, and Avs will all be in and around the top three in the division. We’ll see what Nashville does, but those predictions still make sense.
Utah and St. Louis are two teams off to good starts, and with five good teams in the division (we’ll include Nashville), it will be interesting to watch how they progress as the season goes on. Hopes were high for Utah at the beginning of the year, but injuries to Marino and Durzi will be hard to overcome since they are both out until at least February.
St. Louis has had a hard time consistently scoring goals over the last few years, and Rob Thomas being out for the next couple of months will make scoring even harder. The one thing St. Louis has that Utah doesn’t is Jordan Binnington. He had a bounce-back year last year, and if he can be at his best, the Blues will be pesky for everyone in this division.
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