As the NHL reaches a quarter of its season, all seven of the league's Canadian clubs face serious questions. Here are the questions each team hopes to answer in the near future:
Andersson, a pending unrestricted free agent, one of two defenders (the second is Anaheim's Jackson LaCombe), who averages at least 18 minutes at even strength, three minutes on the penalty kill and two minutes on the power play per game. He's not afraid to let the ball rip (and watch the fans), ranking third on defense in one-shot attempts and 14th in total shot attempts.
And then there's forward Blake Coleman, a two-time Stanley Cup winner who can contribute in a variety of ways. More than half of Coleman's goals (48 of 86) in five seasons in Calgary have come from inside positions, so he's willing to take the punishment for the foul. He is also an excellent penalty killer, ranking third among forwards in shorthanded defense this season. (His nine shorthanded goals since joining the Flames are tied for eighth in the league.)
Edmonton's 7-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday capped the season. The Oilers have allowed at least four goals 11 times, tied for the league lead with the Buffalo Sabres.
Defense Corps, considered the team's strengthis far behind. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, who helped the Oilers score 60.7 percent of their expected goals at five-on-five last season, have dropped to 52.8 percent in that metric. Coach Chris Knoblauch split them up against the Capitals. Darnell Nurse, meanwhile, committed a league-worst seven turnovers that resulted in goals within 10 seconds.
It takes a team effort to fix one of the worst defenses in the league, but helping right the ship largely falls on the shoulders of the defensive corps.
Injuries have decimated the Canadiens, who have returned to earth (1-3-3 since Nov. 4) after a strong start. Forwards Alex Newhook (broken ankle) and Kirby Dach (fractured foot) and defenseman Kayden Goulet (torn adductor) are out for extended periods. (Gule has been out since mid-October but recently underwent surgery.)
On Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, forward Zach Bolduc moved up to Montreal's top line along with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens scored 41.6% of their expected goals at even strength in nearly 13 minutes of playing time. (Bolduc scored one goal in his final 16 games after the season opener, having scored in each of his first three games.)
Rookie center Oliver Kapanen also received a season-high 17:30 of playing time on Monday – nearly five minutes more than his season average entering the game (12:38 per game). He scored his seventh goal, tying New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer for the rookie lead.
The Senators earned points in 12 of 16 games (8-4-4) without injured captain Brady Tkachuk, who could return to the lineup during the team's upcoming seven-game road trip.
Linus Ullmark started 12 of those games, and his traditional numbers have been underwhelming (2.84 goals-against average, .882 save percentage), which is inferior to one of the league's best defenses based on the quality of shots against them. (Ottawa ranks ninth in expected goals per game overall and sixth over the last 16 games.)
After finishing 10th last season with 17.9 goals saved above expected (0.44 per 60 minutes), Ullmark has been decidedly average (0.05 GSAE per 60 minutes). While Ullmark has made quality starts in nine of his 15 starts (60 percent), the Senators need more from him to keep pace in the tough Atlantic Division.
“(I'm) the first to say that I'm not happy with many of the results,” Ullmark said Athletic earlier this month. “And why should I? If I was happy about this, about what I achieved this season, I don't think I would be sitting here today.”
Toronto in particular has struggled to defend its offense, giving up the second-most scoring chances in the league.
The league began tracking penalty percentage in the 1977–78 season; Vancouver rate 67.1 percent will be the worst in history.
That's a significant drop from the Canucks' 82.6% success rate last season. The Canucks dropped from fifth to 30th in expected goals per two minutes. Opponents completed 61.7% of their passes against the Canucks' penalties, compared to a league-low 53.7% last season. Vancouver's goaltenders can hardly be faulted, despite the fact that they totaled more than four goals above expected while shorthanded.
The Canucks are without many of last season's best penalty killers, such as center Pius Suter (now in St. Louis) and Teddy Blueger, who has played just two games this season due to injury. Despite this, the team's defensive structure is destroyed.
Winnipeg Jets: Will another forward line emerge as a goal threat?
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are off to a great start, combining for 22 goals and 51 points in 19 games. Led by Gabe Vilardi (14 points), the Jets' top forward line outscored their opponents 16-11 at five-on-five. That's second behind Colorado's top players Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas (21 five-on-five goals).
The problem, however, is that the Jets only have one forward (Nino Niederreiter) with double-digit scoring. No other line combination has been on the ice for more than three Jets goals at five-on-five all season. Since captain Adam Lowry returned to the lineup earlier this month, his line with Niederreiter and Alex Iafallo has performed well, outscoring their opponents 3-0 and scoring 58.3% of their expected goals.
In Winnipeg's President's Trophy-winning season, 11 forwards scored at least 10 points, including nine who scored at least 30 points (second most in the league). Secondary results are critical to the success of any team.
