NHL hits leader Kiefer Sherwood #of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his career-high 12th goal of … [+]
During the grind of an 82-game schedule, NHL players appreciate the opportunity to recharge their bodies and brains during the league’s three-day Christmas holiday break. Mandated by the collective bargaining agreement, no team activities are permitted between Dec. 24-26.
“It’ll be nice to kind of unwind and let the emotions relax,” said winger Kiefer Sherwood of the Vancouver Canucks, who currently leads the NHL by a wide margin with 200 hits this season. “It takes a lot when we play, for the last month, every other day, and a couple of back-to-backs in there.”
At U.S. Thanksgiving, the Canucks sat third in the Pacific Division by points percentage at .595. But they had played just 21 games, among the fewest in the league.
The Canucks’ 4-3 home-ice win over the San Jose Sharks was their 13th game since Nov. 28, and improved their record during that stretch to 6-3-4 for a .615 points percentage. They’re still in a playoff spot, but they’ve actually lost a bit of ground in the tight Western Conference playoff race.
Three Pacific Division teams have been among the hottest in the league over the last month.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers have been two of the NHL’s hottest players … [+]
That list starts with the Edmonton Oilers, who have shaken off their early-season malaise and gone 10-2-0 over their last 12 games. Since Nov. 28, Leon Draisaitl has logged 22 points while Connor McDavid is right behind with 21, and the Oilers flipped a minus-5 goal differential through their first 22 games into a plus-16 mark at the Christmas break. They didn’t have as far to climb as last season, but Edmonton has once again moved from the outside into a playoff spot after U.S. Thanksgiving, now sitting second in the Pacific.
Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights won eight of their last nine games heading into the … [+]
Still atop the division: the Vegas Golden Knights. They were 14-6-3 at Thanksigiving and have since gone 9-2-0, improving to a league-leading .721 overall points percentage. And even in their eighth year of existence, the ‘Vegas Flu’ still seems to be a thing. The 2023 Stanley Cup champions boast an impressive 14-3-0 record on home ice this year.
The only team that has lost less at home also hails from the Pacific. The Los Angeles Kings are 10-2-1 at Crypto.com Arena, and with a record of 7-2-2 since Thanksgiving, they’re third in the Pacific with 43 points, two more than Vancouver. The Kings play a tight defensive game and their new No. 1 netminder, Darcy Kuemper, has been fantastic in net since returning from a lower-body injury in early December. In his last six starts, he’s 4-0-2 and has allowed just 12 goals.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the two hottest teams have been the Sunshine State squads. The Florida Panthers continue to avoid the traditional Stanley Cup hangover, with a 9-3-1 record since Thanksgiving, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are right behind at 8-3-0.
The Ottawa Senators are making a push to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Photo … [+]
And while the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals continue to assert themselves as true playoff contenders, the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins have each picked up the pace over the last month. All five teams have identical records of 8-3-1, which puts the first four squads into playoff spots. The Penguins were one point out of the Eastern Conference basement at Thanksgiving, but have now climbed to just a single point out of a wild-card spot.
Of course, for every team that moves up the standings, another must move down. The Buffalo Sabres have suffered the most precipitous drop, but finally ended their 0-10-3 losing streak on Monday with a 7-1 win over the New York Islanders.
The New York Rangers also continue to struggle, with a record of 4-9-0 since Thanksgiving. They’ve fallen five points out of a wild-card spot. And while the Carolina Hurricanes are still sitting comfortably third in the Metropolitan Division, they’ve lost some ground. Averaging just 2.50 goals a game, they’ve managed just a 5-7-0 record over their last 12 games.
The NHL schedule resumes Friday, December 27, with an eight-game slate. The next big event on the calendar is the latest instalment of the Winter Classic, featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues at historic Wrigley Field on Christmas Eve.
