It’s been hard to keep up with all the late-night, quality hockey that’s been going on thus far this season. Here is a brief summary to bring you up to speed on all you need to know about the wild, wild Western Conference.
As it stands, the defending Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, stand atop the conference and the league with 34 points. St. Louis has gotten off to a phenomenal start, right on the heels of the Hawks’. This is hugely thanks to the fiercely good play of forwards Alexander Steen and David Backes, but the play of D Alex Pietrangelo and goaltending of Jaroslav Halak (12 wins to date) are certainly not to be overlooked. Overall, the Blues have really come into their own as a team. Expect them to continue their winning ways down the line—the real test will be the playoffs, as they will likely face teams with recent playoff experience.
San Jose and Anaheim are right behind the Blues. The Sharks have had a strong team throughout the past several seasons. In spite of their excellent season records, San Jose has generally become significantly weaker come playoff time. If they can get through to the playoffs, don’t rule them out of going deep in the postseason. Anaheim suffers from much the same problem, having been narrowly beaten by the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the first round last year. Though they won’t face the Wings this time around, rest assured that equally dangerous competition will be readily available, as will some seriously exciting hockey!
Colorado, Phoenix, Minnesota and LA are knotted up at 32 points apiece. Colorado has certainly been a pleasant surprise this season and LA is certainly always dangerous. Phoenix and Minnesota have several talented players each and could just easily appear in the playoff picture. It’s all going to depend on how the teams cope with the long road ahead.
With competition this tight, even a short losing streak could kill a team’s playoff hopes—and reawaken those of another. If you’re not on a school term or if your favourite team is in a hole, take advantage of the excellent Western late-night hockey!
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