IN THE ZONE - Josi, Predators contend for Presidents trophy

Central Division

Colorado Avalanche

Patrick Roy openly stated his intention to start Semyon Varlamov in both legs of the Avs’ back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday. When the Avs got off to a terrible start on Wednesday in Edmonton, Roy pulled Varlamov less than ten minutes in after the third Oilers goal. Reto Berra went on to deliver a great performance, saving 26 of 27 shots on his goal on the way to tie game at three, before losing 3-4 in regulation after on a powerplay marker by Derek Roy. His performance earned him his first start in months, as Coach Roy decided to change his plans. Berra played the full sixty minutes and posted a .971 save percentage (one goal against on 34 shots) in a 4-1 victory. Colorado went 2-2-0 in four games and sits sixth in the wild card race in the west, eight points behind Winnipeg. While it’s mathematically still possible to clinch a spot, the Avs will most probably end up on the outside looking in.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild continue to write on one of the best storylines of the 2014-15 NHL season. When they acquired goaltender Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes, the Wild were sitting last in their division, seemingly out of playoff contention. Now, they have even passed the Chicago Blackhawks in the Central Division Standings and have left a wild-card spot. They won all four games this week, starting with a 2-1 win at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Nino Niederreiter had four shots on goal in 15:42 worth of time on ice. They followed up that victory with a shootout win on Long Island over the Islanders. Niederreiter had a shot on goal in fifteen minutes time on ice. Back home, they hosted the Calgary Flames and sent them home without any points, Niederreiter posted three shots in seventeen and a half minutes in action. Only twenty-four hours later, he was a main factor in a 4-1 win over Los Angeles as he contributed with two goals (one at even-strength, one on the powerplay) and was on the ice for the two other Wild goals. He had a plus-3 rating and two shots on goal in 15:34. The Minnesota Wild have accumulated 95 points in 76 games and can clinch a playoff spot next week.

Nashville Predators

Roman Josi’s Preds defeated the Canadiens on Monday in a close match. The swiss D collected an assist and was a minus-1 with two shots on goal in about 25 minutes of ice time. The most exciting fact about that game though was the debut of  one of the Preds’ most sought-after prospects: Kevin Fiala! The swiss winger was called up under emergency conditions earlier that day and made his debut on the second line with Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. Even though he had a good first game and created chances with his speed and vision, he was a minus-1 on the night with three shots on goal in 11:25 TOI in the 3-2 OT win. He was sent down shortly after the game, before getting called up and sent down once again prior to the matchup with the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Josi had another helper in a 3-2 win over Tampa on Thursday, along with a plus-1 rating and two penalty minutes in 26 minutes time on ice. He couldn’t follow up those two performances on Saturday against Washington and was held off the scoresheet in a 4-3 win. He was assessed a minor penalty and had one shot on goal in 26:34 time on ice. With that win, the Preds are now one of four teams to already have clinched a playoff spot along with the New York Rangers, the Anaheim Ducks and the Montréal Canadiens and contend for the Presidents Trophy (team with most points). They now stand at 102 points through 76 games, three points ahead of the St. Louis Blues. 

Pacific Division

Calgary Flames

Flames coach Bob Hartley followed his philosophy of strictly playing the goaltender riding a hot streak. Of the Flames’ goaltending duo, Karri Ramo has started eight of their last ten games, therefore limiting Jonas Hiller’s playing time. This past week, Hiller was limited to 6:44 of playing time, when he came in in relief of Ramo on Friday in Minnesota (one save on one shot against). Raphael Diaz meanwhile seems to be a regular on Calgary’s third pair and regularly plays between eleven and fifteen minutes per game. He was kept off the scoresheet in all games this week, playing a bit under eleven minutes in a 3-2 win over Colorado, before playing eleven and a half minutes in a 3-4 shootout loss to Dallas (one shot on goal, two penalty minutes). He played nearly fifteen minutes on Friday in Minnesota and was a plus-2 with two shots on goal. The Flames are the third-placed team in the wild card race, three points behind Winnipeg, but just one point back of the Los Angeles Kings, who sit third in the Pacific.

San Jose Sharks

Mirco Müller saw a lot of ice time in the Sharks’ first game of the week (2-5 loss to Ottawa), but didn’t deliver one of his finest performances of the season. He was a minus-2 in 18:37. He bounced back Thursday night in Detroit (twelve minutes of ice time), where he had an assist on San Jose’s 3-2 go-ahead goal late in the first period. Nonetheless he found himself scratched on Saturday night in Philadelphia. The Sharks still chase a playoff spot to keep their streak alive, but trail the Los Angeles Kings by six points. The Sharks have 82 points in 75 games.

Vancouver Canucks

Yannick Weber is playing his best hockey of the season right in time for the playoffs.  He opened the week with three consecutive games of scoring a goal. He had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Arizona on Sunday (plus-1, one shot on goal in 18 minutes TOI), before scoring a powerplay marker against Winnipeg two days later in a 5-2 win (two penalty minutes, one shot on goal in 19:35 TOI). He scored the lone Canucks goal in a 1-4 loss to Colorado on Thursday and was a minus-1 in the game with three shots on goal in an impressive 22:09 TOI. His streak ended Saturday in a 3-4 OT loss to Dallas, where he had two shots on goal in 21:05. Fellow D Luca Sbisa was held off the scoresheet in all contests and was a minus-1 in Arizona in 18:38, before going plus-1 with three shots on goal in about seventeen minutes of ice time against Winnipeg. He ended the week with consecutive negative ratings in the two losses to Colorado (minus-1, four shots on goal in seventeen minutes) and Dallas (minus-2, two shots on goal in 19:32). Ronalds Kenins ice time was limited this week after getting scratched in Arizona. He played thirteen minutes against Winnipeg and had one shot on goal, before playing only eleven minutes in the games against Colorado (minus-1, two penalty minutes) and Dallas(four shots on goal). Vancouver has 91 points in 75 games and is three points ahead of the LA Kings and four points ahead of the Calgary Flames, who fight for the last playoff spot in the Pacific division.

Metropolitan Division

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers bounced back from last week’s slump with an impressive 4-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks. Mark Streit could pick up any points, but was a plus-1 on the night with three shots in 25:11 TOI. Philadelphia didn’t play again until Saturday, when the Sharks came to Wells Fargo Center. Streit was one of three players dealing with the flu and not available for the game, prompting the Flyers to call up three AHL players under emergency conditions. The 2-3 shootout loss means that the Flyers now trail a wild card spot by ten points and are everything but out with only six games remaining.

AHL – Quick Look:

Sven Andrighetto (Hamilton Bulldogs – MTL) collected a goal and three helpers win four games this week. He was a plus-2 on the week and had eight shots on goal. Kevin Fiala (Milwaukee Admirals – NSH) was limited to one game in the AHL this week due to his NHL call-ups. He was a minus-1 with two shots on net and four penalty minutes. Tanner Richard (Syracuse Crunch – TBL) scored an assist in Springfield in his first game of the week, before getting held off the scoresheet in his second game of the week. He had an even rating through two games and had four shots on goal, along with seven penalty minutes. Teammate Joel Vermin (Syracuse Crunch) scored a goal and two assists in four games this week. He was a combined plus-2, had five shots on goal and two penalty minutes. Sven Bärtschi (Utica Comets – VAN) racked up a goal and an assist in three games in the past seven days. He had an even rating on the week and hit the net nine times.