With the NHL season on the verge of its midway point, there are plenty of surprising stories to relish. A fair share of shockingly disappointing tales also—especially for the New York state squads—but let us put those to the side for now.
Maybe the most surprising squads are those atop the conference standings.
If anybody predicted on the eve of the season that after Jan. 4 the top four clubs in the Western Conference would be the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings, they would have been given more than just sideways glances.
That would have gone double if anybody said the Eastern Conference would have a one-two punch of the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.
But the success of those squads to this point is well-earned.
The Golden Knights have been a top-notch club since the beginning of their existence, but with how they faded last season and were bumped from the playoffs with barely a whimper, this did not appear in the cards but is happening thanks to a dominating season by Jack Eichel and a healthy Mark Stone.
Winnipeg has proven to be more than just goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, with Gabriel Vilardi’s breakout season adding to a team that has Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele leading the attack.
Of the Western clubs, the biggest surprise may be the Wild, who have overcome a constant wave of injuries, which has even hit their top player and a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate, Kirill Kaprizov.
The Kings have been a playoff team for the past few years and bounced by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoff in three consecutive seasons but are rolling with a goaltending tandem of Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich thanks to a balanced lineup.
Speaking of teams that have been to the playoffs with great regularity but enjoy far too little success, the Maple Leafs are riding high despite their own surprising goaltending from Joseph Woll and the oft-injured Anthony Stolarz. Bizarre is the record with the 10-5-0 record they managed during the two stints without Auston Matthews. Maybe their fans who are clamoring to see Mitch Marner traded away should reconsider that theory.
Which brings us to the last team among this group of what some would say are overachievers: the Capitals. Most figured this season would be all about Alex Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record and little else, with the likely scenario that Ovechkin would net thirty-something goals and be in a position to break the mark next season.
Apparently reports of Ovechkin’s demise had been exaggerated. Despite missing more than a month due to a broken leg, Ovechkin has already scored 19 goals in 23 games. He has netted nine goals in his last seven games and four in five outings since returning from injury, leaving him 23 shy of breaking Gretzky’s mark of 894.
Ovechkin’s prowess is a front-burner story, but is overshadowing how impressive the Capitals have been as a whole. They boast the league’s second most prolific attack with a balanced lineup, and that is not the biggest key.
Defensively, the Capitals are sixth in the league and their penalty kill is fourth. Frankly, goaltender Logan Thompson was undeservedly snubbed while being left off Canada’s team for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but Washington’s ability to keep the puck out of the net is also a byproduct of a team commitment to defending.
For his ability to keep Ovechkin’s offensive push a key part of the game plan while maintaining strong defensive play, coach Spencer Carbery deserves far more credit than he is receiving.
