2017-2018 NHL Division Ranking Analysis

From the NHL’s four divisions, we take a look at where all the teams stand and how they compare to the end of the regular season last year. We have some unexpected teams in unexpected positions. Why are they there and will they have a chance to stay there or recover?

Last year, the Oilers were second in their division. They are now sitting at the bottom of their division with a much lower record than expected. Also, their star player, Connor McDavid, is playing and scoring far less than expected. The Pacific division has had a dry start to its seasons, except for the new team, the Vegas Golden Knights. There have not been any featured games shown by the other teams. The Pacific division has been choppy compared to last year and the expected results have not yet occurred. There are plenty of games left to play and all it takes is a couple of teams that are on a hot streak to flip the rankings in the Pacific division. One team that he expected to see a better turnout in his season was the Arizona Coyotes. They had a very difficult year last season and now they don’t see much improvement. The only team that has one win less than them right now is the Buffalo Sabres. The Coyotes are 7-18-5 and the Sabers are 6-17-4. They are fighting not to be in last place in the entire NHL. It’s hard to see these teams struggle, I don’t like to see professional teams so uncoordinated. I hope their seasons start to produce success for the players and the club in general!

On a different note, the Blackhawks placed first in the Central division last year and are now next to last this year. The Blackhawks have a lot of skilled players, but it seems that their performance is low. Another team in the Central division that isn’t doing as well as it was at the end of last season is the Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks and Wild finished in the top two spots in the Central division last year, but they aren’t playing like they did at the end of the regular season. Right now, these two teams are sitting in two of the bottom three spots. The last team in the central division is the Avalanche. They had a horrible season last year and even though they are doing much better now, they are still the team that was expected to be in last place. One team that was quiet last year and in first place in the central division is the Winnipeg Jets. Right now, the Blues and Jets are vying for the top spot and it should be interesting to see what the product of increased competition will produce.

Following the Central Division, is the Metropolitan Division. The biggest change we’ve seen in this division thus far is the amazing value the New Jersey Devils have shown. They had a bad season last year finishing in last place and now sit in second place in the Metropolitan division just two games away from being tied for first place. The other teams in the division are not far off from what was expected. The Pittsburgh Penguins have done mediocre for being a Stanley Cup team and have had some big losses to teams with big deficits. Usually the Stanley Cup team presents a challenge to the rest of the league, but there hasn’t been anything extraordinary yet.

Finally, we have the Atlantic division that has not surprised us too much. There are two teams in this division that have been a lot of fun to watch. These two teams rank first and second in the division and have great players. The Lightning are in first place with the Maple Leafs trailing by one game in the winning bracket but 3 points to tie. In Lightning, they have Stamkos and Kucherov, who are the dynamic duo. These two players have had great passes, plays and goals that you find yourself watching over and over again. On the Maple Leafs, you have Auston Matthews, who is 20 years old and has had an incredible season. He is a great points contender and has incredible goals. These top two teams plus the Vegas Golden Knights are some of the best teams to watch right now. The last teams of the Atlantic division are not very surprised. The only team that gets a surprise for being low in the rankings is the Ottawa Senators, who are in next to last place but were in second place last year. They have had an unlucky season but have the ability to make a strong comeback. The Sabers and Panthers are bottom of this division and haven’t been top contenders in a while.

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