Welcome to Top-Shelf Takes, a weekly series from staff writer Mary Clarke all about the NHL. Lace up your skates as we dive deep into the epic highs and lows of this little sport called hockey.
American Thanksgiving is one of the most important dates in the NHL. Yes, really! The day that most of the country spends eating good food and watching bad football is one of great significance to the hockey world.
You see, dating back to the 2005-06 season, 76.3 percent of NHL teams in playoff spots on Thanksgiving make it to the postseason come spring. Of course, that statistic doesn’t count the COVID-shortened seasons and the lockout years, but for these 14 seasons, Thanksgiving has been a huge milestone in the NHL calendar.
We’ve seen a lot of surprises so far in the 2022-23 NHL season. The New Jersey Devils are one of hockey’s best teams. The Seattle Kraken are finally looking like a competent team and are in line for a playoff spot. But what about the teams we thought would have successful seasons yet have instead faltered out of the gate?
Here are six NHL teams that are out of a playoff spot on Thanksgiving and are in danger of missing the postseason unless things turn around.
Florida Panthers (One point out of a playoff spot)
Sure, the Panthers may have won the Matthew Tkachuk trade in our early returns, but it won’t mean much if the team can’t get back to the playoffs after being the NHL’s best offense last season. Florida’s been unable to get into a rhythm at all this season with a 10-8-2 record, winning two straight games just twice this season. An inconsistent start to the year may very well doom their chances at a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference given the tough competition ahead of them in the standings.
Buffalo Sabres (Five points out of a playoff spot)
For the first few weeks of the season, the Sabres were one of the NHL’s best teams. Buffalo started the year 7-3-0, with people throwing out the red carpet for Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin just 10 games into the season. Then, the Sabres went on an eight-game losing streak, one that may have foiled their playoff chances when all is said and done. Sure, the Sabres probably weren’t good enough to win 70 percent of their games the rest of the way, but failing to make the playoffs will feel like a bit of a let down after their hot start.
Washington Capitals (Four points out of a playoff spot)
If the Capitals miss the playoffs this season for the first time since 2013-14, blame it on their 3-6-3 record since October 31. After starting the season at a respectable 5-4-0, Washington petered out hard at the end of October and haven’t recovered since. The Capitals biggest problems are goaltending, which allowed 43 goals against during this span, alongside an anemic, aging defense. You know things are bad in Washington when even Alex Ovechkin is slumping hard.
Pittsburgh Penguins (One point out of a playoff spot)
Yes, the Penguins enter Thanksgiving on a four-game win streak, but there’s still some concern here. The Penguins also had a disastrous late October and early November with a winless streak of seven games and overall have been quite the Jekyll and Hyde team so far this season. You can never count out Sidney Crosby and crew, not when they’re continuing to pile on the goals as they have recently, but the cracks have certainly started to show in this Penguins team.
Edmonton Oilers (One point out of a playoff spot)
November has not been kind to the Oilers. First, they lose Evander Kane for at least three months after a terrifying skate cut injury. Then, the team goes 4-7-0 in November ahead of Thanksgiving, putting them outside the playoffs as a true .500 squad. Stuart Skinner should be the team’s full time goaltender from here on out, as the Jack Campbell experiment isn’t working either. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have their work cut out for them if the Oilers want to make it back to the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild (One point out of a playoff spot)
Turns out, Kirill Kaprizov can’t carry a hockey team no matter how good of a player he is. Right now, the Wild are desperate for goals and are the NHL’s fifth-worst team in terms of scoring with an average 2.67 goals per game. Even worse, Kaprizov is the team’s only double digit goal scorer! A toothless Wild offense will need to find another gear the rest of the way if they want to make it to the playoffs once more.
Three stars
3. Rick Bowness seems to have things figured out in Winnipeg
The Jets have quietly gone 11-6-1 this season to the tune of placing third in the Central Division. New head coach Bowness seems to have figured out a winning formula in Winnipeg after the team came into the season with leadership questions as Blake Wheeler lost his captaincy over the summer. Of course, having a bounce-back year from Connor Hellebuyck (.935 save percentage with an 8-4-1 record) helps too!
2. Jason Robertson already outperforming his new contract
There were fears Robertson would miss time this regular season since he remained unsigned as the Dallas Stars began training camp. Good news for Stars fans, Robertson re-signed to a four-year, $31 million deal on October 8 and has since lived up to his contract and more. Robertson has 30 points already on the season, with 20 of those coming in his last 11 games since November began. What a bargain for Dallas here.
1. Yes, Virginia, the Devils really are legit
It seems as if there is no catch to this Devils team after all. New Jersey pulled off a 13-game win streak ahead of the Thanksgiving break, putting on a stunning showcase of hockey dominance over the last month. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt are the young core Devils fans have dreamed of and Vitek Vanecek has been an incredible pickup for a New Jersey team that’s struggled with goaltending in recent years.
We’re seeing something truly special out of a Devils team that’s finally got its act together.
Overachiever of the week
St. Louis Blues
What is the truth here, St. Louis? Are you the powerhouse that won seven games in a row with Jordan Binnington posting a .940 save percentage over that time span? Or are you the team that lost eight in a row in late October and early November who was outscored 38-12? Because it can’t be both!
Yes, after losing eight in a row, the Blues then went on a seven-game winning streak to catapult them back into a playoff spot. Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle here with this St. Louis squad, so don’t expect the recent hype train to last much longer.
What to watch
Flyers vs. Penguins – Friday, November 25
Finally, the first Battle of Pennsylvania of the season! Sure, neither team may be at the top of their game anymore, but rivalry games are always a must-watch in my book.
Golden Knights vs. Kraken – Friday, November 25
The Golden Knights may be running away with the Pacific at the moment but the Kraken have been surprisingly good this year, with a near 90 percent chance to make the playoffs as of Thanksgiving. Not only is this a matchup between two of the Pacific’s best, it’s also a matchup between the NHL’s two most recent franchises.
Bruins vs. Lightning – Tuesday, November 29
The Bruins are the NHL’s best team this season and the Lightning are coming off their third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. This clash of hockey titans is a tried and true Atlantic Division staple at this point, as all the stars will come out to play in this one.
Quick hits
- Pray for the Maple Leafs defense, everyone, because injuries have turned a reliable blue line into… this.
The #leafs are now without their three highest-paid defencemen due to injury: Rielly, Muzzin and Brodie.
The remaining top six?
Giordano – Holl
Sandin – Liljegren
Mete – Benn— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 22, 2022
- Ryan Reaves was traded to the Wild on Wednesday in a bizarre pickup for Minnesota and it looks like he’ll have some cleaning up to do of his Instagram posts.
Reaves told me he’ll probably delete this off his Instagram 😀 pic.twitter.com/NBDJrHsqnW
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 23, 2022
