If the NHL’s Eastern Conference is thought to be an arms race with six powers loading up on weapons that could seismically disrupt the balance of the league, the Western Conference is often viewed as a zany mess of teams that could knock over an exhausted opponent in the Stanley Cup final.
Here’s an assessment of the threat each Western Conference playoff hopeful poses, ranked and broken into tiers.
*All stats current as of March 23
One last hurrah
Nashville perhaps realized too late that its core wouldn’t be good enough to win consistently in the Western Conference. The final 13 games of the season may be best spent remembering the peak of the Roman Josi years, as the Predators would be wise to begin a rebuild this summer. Juuse Saros has been downright incredible for the Predators and Josi is having another stellar season but unless a miracle happens, the season is quickly approaching an end.
Calgary has been arguably the most disappointing team in the NHL this season after retooling its lineup through the Matthew Tkachuk-Jonathan Huberdeau trade. Tkachuk once again looks like one of the NHL’s best players and though MacKenzie Weegar has been one of the league’s premier defensive defensemen, it looks like the Panthers clearly won that deal, as Huberdeau simply hasn’t come close to matching his all-world production last year.
All about the goaltending
We’ve grouped these teams together because they’re both relying on the same formula: elite goaltending is their calling card and should offset subpar offensive play. Let’s start with the Jets.
Winnipeg’s method of operation hasn’t changed at all. Connor Hellebuyck is a down-ballot Vezina contender and ranks fourth in goals saved above average, per MoneyPuck. Once again, Hellebuyck is carrying a Jets team that is anemic offensively and though Josh Morrissey should also be a down-ballot Norris candidate, the core of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois won’t scare anyone.
Hellebuyck will need a career-best performance if the Jets are going to make a meaningful dent in the West, given that they’ve been the sixth-worst team in the NHL since Feb. 1.
If you thought Winnipeg’s offense was tepid, at least it’s not cold like Minnesota. The Wild…