Which NHL teams will pull ahead in the Atlantic Division?
The NHL’s Atlantic Division is as tight as it gets right now.
The Florida Panthers are first with 13 points in 10 games, with Tampa Bay sitting three points behind with two fewer contests to their credit. But then, five teams are tied with nine points heading into Monday night’s action, with Ottawa sitting just one point behind in last.
Which teams will break away from the pack? Frank Seravalli and Colby Cohen discussed the topic during Daily Faceoff Live on Monday afternoon:
Frank Seravalli: “Colby, it’s amazing to look at the standings today and see where things stand. Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Boston – all 4-4-1. And then you’ve got the Ottawa Senators, technically in last place in the division at 4-4-0. It’s a jumbled mess, so who pulls away?”
Colby Cohen: “Well, look, I think the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning are kind of easy answers for me. I liked the way both of those teams are playing already. I really do. I think Tampa Bay looks a little rejuvenated. I think their power play is already figuring it out. Nikita Kucherov, I’d be hard-pressed to find a better power-play player in the National Hockey League in the last 15 years.
And then I would say the Toronto Maple Leafs. Watching them a little bit closer over the last couple of weeks, even though they haven’t won over the last couple of games. (Former NHLer) Brian Boyle talked about this on Morning Cuppa Hockey today, and I couldn’t agree more – you see the way Auston Matthews is playing his 200-foot game right now, and he might not be scoring like you’re used to seeing, but he’s so focused on those other areas of the ice under Craig Berube that I do think that ultimately long-term they do figure it out. The offense will come back. And then you add that element of that toughness in the D-zone, that good play down the middle. So, ultimately, I would throw the Toronto Maple Leafs up in that category. And I think they’re going to be a real difficult team to play against as the season moves on.
Frank Seravalli: “Yeah. But you’re not giving me anything special or new here. So you’ve got Tampa there. Florida has been the gold standard. Toronto has had a bunch of a 100-point regular seasons in a row. I need you to go out on a ledge. Who’s the fourth team?
Colby Cohen: “I watched the Detroit Red Wings last night, and you know what? Edmonton tried to give them that game, and they just couldn’t do it. I don’t like the way that they play. They don’t have the team speed. Buffalo, I have very little belief in. I really don’t feel good about Montreal. They turn the puck over. Is it Boston? They look slow to me. Will they figure it out? Probably.”
You can watch the full episode below: