In early February, the final half of the NHL season commenced after the league’s All-Stars played their weekend games. As teams vie for the top three spots in their respective four divisions, new franchises are attempting to claw their way to the playoffs in an increasingly competitive hockey era.
Leading the way in the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers had a near NHL record-breaking 16-game win streak, almost beating the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 17-win 1993 record, until the Vegas Golden Knights cut it short with a 1-3 win mid-season. Although they lost some momentum from that game, the Oilers have had continued success with the addition of a new coach, Kris Knoblauch, former professional hockey player and previous head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack.
In the same division, the Knights have proved themselves with five playoff appearances and a Stanley Cup despite being one of the newest additions to the league — joining in 2017. As the NHL looks to expand to more cities, the Knights’ prominent rise to a contending team serves as a success story for future investors and cities.
Though both the Oilers and Knights have had a significant impact this season, the Vancouver Canucks have emerged as first in the division. With superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes, a strong contender for the Norris Trophy, and the league-best scoring average, they reign over the division with a comfortable 10-point gap between them and their division rivals. The Canucks haven’t been to a Stanley Cup final in over a decade; but, their regular season performance has been promising for their postseason.
Another team favored to win the Stanley Cup, the Dallas Stars have a strong roster that has helped them solidify themselves as the first in the Central Division. The Stars have one of the best goaltenders in the league, Jake Oettinger; however, that wasn’t enough in last year’s season, where their defense carried them through the regular season, but their offensive weaknesses ultimately eliminated them from the playoffs. With a strong season so far, the Stars have introduced right wing Craig Smith and center Sam Steel into the offense aiming to have a good postseason run.
Coming in second in the Central Division, the Colorado Avalanche is determined to reclaim the Western Conference after winning the 2022 Stanley Cup but then losing the first round in next year’s playoffs. In 2023, their upset loss to the Seattle Kraken, a franchise that had only started playing in 2021, humiliated them. Bringing in the new addition of veteran forward Zach Parise, they have remained as one of the top scorers this season and aim to redeem themselves this postseason.
Remaining at the top of the Atlantic division, the Boston Bruins showed their prowess after dominating a game against the Canucks 0-4. Last year they acquired the President’s Trophy with a record-breaking season of 135 points and 65 wins. Even with the best season in NHL history last year, they were knocked out early by an upset loss to the Florida Panthers. This year, they hope their success doesn’t end in the regular season.
Following numerous upsets last season, the Bruins and Avalanche are looking to regain their positions at the top. However, with new franchises looking to disrupt the balance, the back half of the season is setting up to be a memorable one.
