Will the Presidents’ Trophy curse be raised?
In clinching the Presidents’ Trophy– granted to the group with the very best routine season record– the New York Rangers now intend to break menstruation that supposedly jinxes its holders to playoff failure. It’s been a years considering that a Presidents’ Trophy-winning group, the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, went on to win that year’s Stanley Cup. Are the Rangers that sort of group?
The Rangers have 5 gamers– Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Fox– with more than 60 points this season. They score a lot on the power play (26.4%) and work on the kill (84.5%). They’re excellent in the faceoff circle (52.3%) and excellent in overtime (win portion:.750). They’ll even beat you when you’ve got them beat– New York had 28 resurgence wins this year, the most in the league. New York can likewise be untidy. Early in 2024, the Rangers appeared like they ‘d lost their touch, dropping 7 of 10 video games through January, consisting of to groups such as San Jose and Montreal, before lastly striking a winning streak once again. Another sight: New York’s objective differential in five-on-five circumstances for the season was simply, uh … one. The Rangers are not frightened to trigger a commotion, and they might need to depend on power play objectives to get them through. A most likely face-off with the powerful Carolina Hurricanes might wait for the Rangers in the 2nd round– that is, unless they crash out in an upset to the Washington Capitals (who they lost to two times this season). Menstruation will not be simple to break.
Probably to emerge from the West
Groups such as Colorado, Vancouver, and Edmonton have actually had more attention this year, however the Dallas Stars are the real last employer in the West. Destiny had 8 forwards with 20 or more objectives, and 2 with 30 or more this season, the sort of depth that many groups– specifically those who technically score more, thanks to a couple of crucial gamers (see: the Leafs)– can just imagine. Integrated with strong goaltending from Jake Oettinger (.904 save portion), the fifth-best power play in the league, and the third-best goals-for-per-game (routing just Edmonton and Toronto), destiny are a severe competitor. Dallas begin where they ended last postseason, versus the Vegas Golden Knights in the preliminary. Disallowing a repeat, destiny would then deal with either Winnipeg or Colorado– neither of which would be simple– to get to the West last. All things thought about, Dallas are poised to go deep.
Canada’s finest possibility
Back in October, the Edmonton Oilers looked horrible. They won just 2 video games through the very first month of the season. Their once-great power play was going no place. Their goaltending was abysmal. And super star captain Connor McDavid was on a multi-game scoring dry spell. A training modification in November showed to be a turning point.