McKenna’s Musings: Sorry, Toronto, but the Tampa Bay Lightning are peaking at the right time
The Carolina Hurricanes just woke up from their afternoon nap.
Early in April, I started to question where the Carolina Hurricanes were at. They were plodding along, losing games to poor teams, and generally looking disjointed. The power play hit a roadblock. An injury to goaltender Freddie Andersen was a cause for concern – especially when his partner, Antti Raanta, was forced to leave a game recently due to cramping.
But things have turned around: the Hurricanes have won five straight games. And I think there are two big reasons. One, Carolina got smoked 7-4 by the Colorado Avalanche on April 16. To me, that game was a wakeup call. And two, 22-year old Pyotr Kochetkov has given the Hurricanes quality minutes in goal. His numbers may not be staggering – Kochetkov owns a .902 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average in three appearances – but the young Russian netminder has looked the part.
That’s important for head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Goaltending depth can be a critical piece of the puzzle for teams chasing the Stanley Cup. And I think Kochetkov’s play provides a nice security blanket should Raanta or Andersen not be available in the postseason.
I think Carolina is easily one of the most structured teams in the NHL. The Canes suffocate opponents in the neutral zone with tight pressure. They forecheck hard. But what they lack is star power. I love Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, but I can’t help but wonder if they have what it takes to put Carolina over the top.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are rolling – and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in trouble.
I’m not one for bold predictions, but with the way Tampa Bay is playing, I think the Maple Leafs are facing a monumental challenge when the two teams meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In their last five wins, the Lightning have scored four, eight, six, eight, and seven goals.
Those eight-spots? One came against the NHL-best Florida Panthers. And another came against the Maple Leafs less than a week ago. Backup goaltender Erik Kallgren played for Toronto that night, but I have a hard time believing starter Jack Campbell would have fared much better.
Tampa Bay’s power play is humming along at nearly 30 percent over the past two months. Nikita Kucherov is ripping seam passes at will. Steven Stamkos is having the best year of his career. He’s already eclipsed the 100-point mark and is on the verge of scoring 40 goals for the sixth time. And I haven’t even mentioned the talents of Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, or Andrei Vasilevskiy.
There was a stretch where some people were pondering if Tampa Bay was tired, physically or mentally. It was a valid question – they have played a lot of hockey over the past several years en route to winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.
I’m not saying the Leafs are incapable of beating the Lightning. Toronto has played well lately and has plenty of star power. Auston Matthews is a frontrunner to win the Hart trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. And Mitch Marner is in the midst of a career year.
But can Toronto finally vanquish the first-round demons? That’s what I’m not sure of. And against a powerhouse like Tampa Bay, it’s going to be tough.
Who is hurt, and who is injured?
Several big-name players have recently been sidelined, and I can’t help but wonder which ones will be available when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin on May 2.
I think about the New York Rangers, who now have Tyler Motte, Andrew Copp, and Artemi Panarin on the sidelines. I love the Rangers. They’re fun to watch. They have the NHL’s best goaltender in Igor Shesterkin. And New York has something special going on with head coach Gerard Gallant.
But the Rangers are not the same team without Copp or Panarin. So how hurt are they? Would they be able to play if the Stanley Cup playoffs started tomorrow? I suspect they would be in the lineup.
Kind of like Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin, who took an awkward tumble into the boards on April 24 against the Maple Leafs. He’s missed one game with an upper-body injury but is listed as day-to-day. Knowing how tough Ovechkin is – he’s only missed 24 games in his 17-year career due to injury – I can’t see any way he’s not in the Capitals lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The aforementioned players all seem like a good bet to be back soon. But it’s not as sunny in Nashville, where Predators goaltender Juuse Saros was forced to leave Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
Saros is a critical piece in Nashville. He leads the NHL with 67 games played. He’s won 38 times and posted a .918 save percentage. Backup David Rittich has been an afterthought in Music City, starting only 11 games. His 3.56 goals against average and .883 save percentage are far from glowing.
With the Predators set to face the Colorado Avalanche or the Calgary Flames, they will need impeccable goaltending to get past the first round. If Saros is out for an extended period of time, it becomes a daunting task.
It’s talked about often in hockey how there’s a difference between being hurt and injured. You can play hurt. But trying to play while injured isn’t good for the team or the player.
When May 2 comes around, we’ll have a better idea of where teams are at in terms of health. Until then, let the guessing game continue.
The pressure is off in Edmonton – for now.
Midway through the 2021-22 season, the Oilers were in crisis mode. Every facet of the organization was under scrutiny. But credit to Ken Holland, who believed in his team enough to avoid any drastic personnel moves within the locker room, aside from the signing of Evander Kane.
I didn’t like the move at the time. I didn’t think Kane was deserving of yet another chance. But I can’t deny that Kane has been outstanding for the Oilers, chipping in 22 goals in 41 games since coming to Edmonton.
The acquisition of Kane was good, but Holland’s best move came later. For the first time in his storied career as an NHL general manager, Holland made a coaching change mid-season, relieving Dave Tippett of his duties and promoting Jay Woodcroft from the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, CA.
The Oilers were outside the playoff picture on Feb. 9, having earned just 49 points in 44 games. Woodcroft took over the next day. Under his leadership, Edmonton has earned 51 points in 33 games. They’ve clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs and sit second in the Pacific division.
For the time being, that makes life easier for the Oilers. They’re in. And they’re playing the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs – with home ice advantage.
But I have to wonder how quickly the temperature will rise if and when the Oilers are hit by adversity. There are question marks. Will the depth scoring show up? Can the Oilers lock down defensively? Will goaltender Mike Smith, who’s been excellent of late, remain healthy?
I was critical of Ken Holland on multiple occasions this year, but I have a lot of respect for how he trusted the players in the Oilers locker room to right the ship. Maybe they did just need a new voice behind the bench, after all.
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