#NHLPeachy #WhomYouKnow Final Quarter: 2017-18 NHL Season Lightning aim for rare feat as playoff push intensifies; Vegas eyes more history; Ovechkin ahead in goals with milestones in sight
NHL ENTERS FINAL QUARTER OF 2017-18
The 2017-18 NHL season entered its final quarter on Saturday, with 956 of 1,271 games in the books (75.2%). A look at key storylines entering the remaining 315 contests of the regular season.
QUICK HITS
* First place in three of the League’s four divisions is well within reach for many teams, with the top two seeds separated by four or fewer points in the Metropolitan, Atlantic and Central Divisions.
* The Golden Knights own a 12-point lead atop the Pacific Division. Vegas aims to become the first expansion club from either the NHL (since 1967-68), NBA (since 1961-62), MLB (since 1961) or NFL/AFL (since 1960) to finish the season atop the League standings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
* Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin paces the NHL with 38 goals as he pursues his seventh Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, aiming to become just the second player in NHL history to finish a season with the most goals at least seven times (Bobby Hull: 7x).
* Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 82 points (33-49—82) as he pursues his first Art Ross Trophy. He leads a group of 43 players age 25 or younger who have collected at least 40 points this season – a cohort that also features rookie scoring leader Mathew Barzal of the Islanders (17-49—66).
PLAYOFF PICTURE: DRIVE FOR DIVISION TITLES
First place in three of the League’s four divisions is well within reach for many teams, with only one point separating Nos. 1-3 in the Metropolitan Division, five points between Nos. 1-3 in the Atlantic Division and two teams tied in terms of points for first place in the Central Division. The expansion Golden Knights are the only club with a lead of at least five points, holding a 12-point advantage over the Sharks in the Pacific Division.
Metropolitan Division
* The Capitals (35-20-7, 77 points), who have posted the League’s top record in each of the past two seasons, sit atop their division – where the top four clubs are separated by only five points. This is contrary to the trend since 2013-14, as the gap between the top two clubs has been largest in the Metropolitan Division in every season during that span compared to the other three divisions (2013-14: 13 points; 2014-15: 12 points; 2015-16: 16 points; 2016-17: 7 points).
Atlantic Division
* The Lightning (42-17-3, 87 points) pace the Atlantic Division and NHL after missing the playoffs last season. Tampa Bay has relinquished first place in the NHL for only six days since Nov. 28, never falling more than one point from the top spot. Only one team in the past 81 years has finished with the League’s best record after missing the playoffs the previous season – the Rangers did so in 1993-94 en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
Central Division
* The Predators (37-14-9, 83 points) lead their division race – with the Jets (37-16-9, 83 points) hot on their heels – after advancing to the Stanley Cup Final as the final Western Conference playoff entrant in 2017. The Central has been the most tightly contested division since the League’s current alignment was introduced in 2013-14, with the top two seeds separated by five or fewer points in each of the past four seasons (2013-14: 1 point; 2014-15: 5 points; 2015-16: 2 points; 2016-17: 3 points).
Pacific Division
* The Golden Knights (41-16-4, 86 points), who have held first place in their division since Dec. 23, have already established records for wins and points by an NHL team in its inaugural season. Vegas now aims to become the first expansion club from either the NHL (since 1967-68), NBA (since 1961-62), MLB (since 1961) or NFL/AFL (since 1960) to finish the season atop the League standings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Golden Knights would become the second expansion team from any of the four North American professional sports leagues to finish first in its division, joining the NBA’s Denver Nuggets who did so in 1976-77 (aside from 1967-68 Flyers, when all teams in the NHL’s West Division were expansion clubs).
PLAYOFF PICTURE: WILD CARD PUSH
Overall, 22 teams either occupy a playoff spot or sit within five points of one, including 11 teams who were not part of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs (East: TBL, PHI, NJD, NYI, CAR, FLA; West: VGK, WPG, DAL, LAK, COL).
* The Eastern Conference features three teams – the Islanders (63 GP), Hurricanes (62 GP) and Panthers (59 GP) – who currently sit outside the playoff picture but within five points of the second Wild Card position.
* The Western Conference includes three teams outside the top eight – the Blues (62 GP), Kings (62 GP) and Avalanche (61 GP) – who are within four points of a playoff spot.
* Last season, seven teams made the playoffs after not qualifying in 2015-16 – matching the largest year-to-year change in NHL history. There has been a playoff turnover of at least five clubs in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
OVECHKIN LEADS GOALS RACE IN PURSUIT OF 7TH MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin paces the NHL with 38 goals as he pursues his seventh Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Ovechkin, who sits fourgoals shy of 600 in his career, aims to become just the second player in NHL history to finish a season with the most goals at least seven times (Bobby Hull: 7x).
* Ovechkin is being chased by 11 players who are within 10 goals of him, including seven other 30-goal scorers. The last season to feature at least eight 30-goal scorers at the three-quarter mark was 2009-10 (also eight players through 923 GP).
KUCHEROV AHEAD OF PACK CHASING ART ROSS TROPHY
Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 82 points (33-49—82) as he chases his first Art Ross Trophy as the League’s top point-getter – a position he has held since Dec. 12. He is the only player to reach 80 points this season, but eight others have hit the 70-point benchmark.
* Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (36-40—76) has collected three points in three of his past four games to move into second in the League in both goals and points. He is one of two active NHL players with multiple Art Ross Trophies (also Sidney Crosby).
* Six of the top 10 in points have never won a scoring title, including Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux (22-52—74), Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau (20-53—73) and Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler (18-54—72), who ranks third through fifth, respectively. No player from the Flyers or Jets/Thrashers franchise has ever won the scoring title.
* Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (27-44—71) ranks sixth as he aims to defend his scoring title, a feat not accomplished since Jaromir Jagr won four straight from 1997-98 through 2000-01.
YOUNG STARS SHINE AT BOTH ENDS OF ICE
There are 43 players age 25 or younger who have reached the 40-point mark this season – including three of the League’s top six point-getters (Nikita Kucherov, Johnny Gaudreau and Connor McDavid). That cohort is highlighted by 20-year-old Islanders forward Mathew Barzal (17-49—66), who has used a trio of five-point showings to catapult to the top of the rookie points race and into 12th overall in the NHL (tied).
* Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Brock Boeser (27-24—51) ranks second in rookie points and paces that group with 27 goals. Three other rookies have hit the 20-goal mark this season – Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor (22), Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde (22) and Chicago’s Alex DeBrincat (22) – with four others within five of that benchmark.
* Only five rookies in the past 21 seasons have finished among the NHL’s top 20 point-producers, including only three who cracked the top 10.
* In addition, four goaltenders from the 25-and-under contingent have posted at least 20 wins this season. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, 23, and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, 24, rank first and second (tied) in the League with 36 and 32 wins, respectively. Vasilevskiy would become the 12th different goaltender in NHL history to finish a season with at least a share of the League lead in wins before celebrating his 24th birthday – Carey Price (2010-11) is the only goaltender to do so since 1996-97.
