The Toronto Maple Leafs picked a good year to be competitive because their division is not for the faint of heart.
We are now over a quarter into the 2018-19 NHL season, and already the Atlantic Division looks as cutthroat as ever. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of competition this year, whether it’s a returning powerhouse or a rebuilding organization gunning for the playoffs, the Atlantic is wide open for the taking.
The usual suspects have made themselves known, and while there is one huge surprise on top of the division, there’s an even bigger surprise sitting at the bottom of the table.
We have a long way to go folks, but let’s take a look at the chaos that is the Atlantic Division.
Wait…BUFFALO?
Ok, who could’ve predicted this? The Buffalo Sabres (16-6-2), at the time of writing, are on a nine-game winning streak and sitting pretty at the top of the division. Contributors to their rise include new addition Jeff Skinner, who leads the team with 18 goals, and Jack Eichel, who has a whopping 23 assists and leads the team with 28 points.
If the Sabres are going to contend for their first playoff spot since 2011, they’re going to need Carter Hutton (11-6-1, 2.53 GAA, .919 SV%) and Linus Ullmark (5-0-1, 2.52 GAA, .926 SV%) to hold down the fort.
The Usual Suspects
Below the Sabres you’ll find the three teams who made the playoffs out of the Atlantic last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning (16-6-1), Toronto Maple Leafs (16-8-0), and Boston Bruins (13-6-4). The Leafs are one point back of the Lightning for second while the Bruins are two back of the Leafs. It’s going to be tight between all three teams, but injuries are likely going to be the difference.
The Lightning just lost Andrei Vasilevskiy for four to six weeks with a fractured left leg and have already lost Ondrej Palat and Anton Strålman for several weeks. The Leafs will be getting Auston Matthews back sooner rather than later and possibly have William Nylander returning if they can sign him.
Meanwhile, the Bruins will be without Patrice Bergeron for four weeks and Zdeno Chara for a similar amount of time.
If the Leafs or Bruins want to catch the Bolts, now is the time. Without Vasilevskiy they are going to be very vulnerable, especially if the offence dries up. First place in the division is still up for grabs, so the Sabres should in no way become complacent.
Middle Of The Pack Holds No Surprises
There aren’t a whole lot of surprises when it comes to the middle of the division. The Montréal Canadiens (11-8-5) are better than advertised, and could very well contend for a wild-card spot if they keep up the pace, although the organization would probably prosper more from missing the playoffs and acquiring a top-five pick. Although if Max Domi (26 points in 24 games) can keep up appearances and lead the offence, who knows what could happen.
The Detroit Red Wings (10-10-3) are just behind the Habs, and while they haven’t been awful, they’ve been exceptionally mediocre. Their power play and penalty kill rank 16th and 14th in the league, respectively, and Dylan Larkin is their only player 20 points. Jimmy Howard has played on his head (7-6-3, 2.55 GAA, .925 SV%), but, like the Habs, this team would be better off heading for the draft lottery.
Ottawa Being Ottawa
But while the Red Wings and Canadiens have their first round picks next year, the Ottawa Senators (9-11-3) have no such luxury. Thomas Chabot (27 points in 23 games as a rookie defenseman) and Matt Duchene (Leading the Sens with 29 points) have performed admirably, but the Sens are in an extremely tricky situation.
They don’t have the goaltending (Craig Anderson has a 3.91 GAA and .899 SV% in 21 games) to compete for a playoff spot, but they can’t tank the rest of the season with no first round pick to play for. There’s also the question of trading Duchene and/or Mark Stone if they can’t reach an agreement on an extension. It’s going to be an interesting few months in Canada’s capital.
Earth To Florida: What is Going On?!
But if there’s one surprise that baffles the mind in the Atlantic, even more than the Sabres being good, it’s the Florida Panthers (8-9-4) being awful.
What is going on down in Sunrise? This team missed the playoffs by one point last year and now the Senators are ahead of them by one point in the basement of the division.
An easy excuse would be they lost Roberto Luongo for a month back in October, but that doesn’t excuse their penalty kill (75.0%, tied for 28th in the NHL) or their lack of scoring depth (Mike Hoffman is their highest scoring player with 22 points). If the offence can’t pick up the slack soon (47 even strength goals, tied for 23rd in the league), there may be a surprise contender for the number one overall pick in 2019.
Get Ready for A Wild Ride
This could be the tightest and most competitive Atlantic Division race since the divisions were redrawn in 2013. The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a ton of work to do against teams like the Lightning, Sabres and Bruins. It’s still anyone’s division title at this point, but this could be a sign of how things will finish up come April.
Thanks for reading!