With a shot at the President’s Trophy, it’s safe to say Washington’s success has been a big surprise this season.
Winnipeg Jets
Like Washington, the league-leading Jets have greatly outplayed their preseason predictions. In a tough Central division featuring Dallas, Colorado and Minnesota, many thought Winnipeg would be in a battle for the third division spot or a wild card position.
After starting the season on a 10-game win streak, the Jets haven’t looked back. Last season’s Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck has once again been excellent in net and is sure to win this year’s award as best goaltender. Head coach Scott Arniel, who took over following Rick Bowness’ retirement, has put Winnipeg in a position to win the President’s Trophy, something very few would’ve predicted at the start of the season.
Ottawa Senators
Last season, the Senators finished 26th in the league en route to a seventh straight year outside of the playoffs. This season, after a 13-7-2 record following the 4 Nations break, they find themselves firmly solidified in the first wild card spot.
Although not completely unexpected as a wild card team, it was uncertain if the Senators could make the jump after yet another disappointing season. The biggest reason for their success? Goaltender Linus Ullmark, whose .911 save percentage is a major improvement from Joonas Korpisalo, who was ranked as the second-worst goalie in the NHL last season by MoneyPuck.
St. Louis Blues
Another team expected to be in the mix for the wild card, the Blues’ surprise comes not from their current season standing (first wild card), but how they got there. After a below-average 25-26-5 record going into the break, they’ve been the best team in the league since, with 18 wins in 24 games, including a 12-game win streak.
When the Bruins fired head coach Jim Montgomery, St. Louis was quick to scoop him up. The former coach of the NHL’s best regular season team, Montgomery has the Blues as the hottest in the league. They’ll be a tough out come playoff time.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal was expected to be a bottom-10 team in the league and was until the trade deadline approached. Since March, they’ve gone 11-4-4, which is the seventh-best record in the league. Now, with just four games left to play, they’ve all but secured their postseason berth.
Prior to March, they were the 23rd-ranked team, although just five points out of the playoffs. As the deadline drew nearer, captain Nick Suzuki, who’s third in the NHL in points since the break, implored his team’s general manager, Kent Hughes, to keep the group together. Hughes kept his word, and now the Canadiens will be back in the postseason for the first time since their 2021 Stanley Cup Finals run.
