Written By: Ryan Humphrey
Edited By: Cameron Schoffro
This COVID plagued season has created a unique dynamic around the league thus far. The realigned divisions have developed new and stronger rivalries between teams, blossoming into exciting games each night. Adding to the excitement is the increased success of unusual teams, which have grown into some of the NHL’s dark horses as legit Stanley Cup playoff contenders. Not only have these teams exceeded expectations, but they have also done so consistently across the halfway point of the season, proving their legitimacy. Three teams come to mind when discussing the dark horses, with the first being the red-hot team from down south, the Florida Panthers.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers have made a huge splash this year in the Central Division, playing against top teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. Constantly rumoured to have revenue problems, the Panthers seemed to be setting themselves up for another disappointing season. The team, unfortunately, let go of some of their big-name players, Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman and traded away Vincent Trochek to the Hurricanes last season. These moves made many fans scratch their heads, but the Panthers went ahead and had a busy offseason signing Patric Hornqvist, Alex Wennberg, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Radko Gudas, to name a few. Although it may seem questionable making these moves, the Panthers addressed the defensive flaws of the players they let go and brought in two-way players that could produce and drive possession in both ends of the ice. These moves have definitely paid off for the team, as they sit in second place in the Central Division with 44 points, only 4 points back from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their consistent team statistics are responsible for this surprising success, being 5th in the league in goals for with 104, 13th in goals against at 86, 10th in powerplay percentage at 25.5%, and a penalty kill percentage of 81.1%, good for 12th in the league. Leading this production charge is the Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov, who's known as one of the most underrated superstars in the NHL. Barkov has been playing against competition in the 92nd percentile, which means he is facing every team's top line and defensive pairing. Given that he is in the 96th percentile of even-strength offence, there is no wonder this offensive skill has resulted in leading the team with 37 points in 31 games. Followed closely behind him is the Panthers’ other star forward Jonathan Huberdeau at 35 points. Huberdeau took a while to develop into the incredible offensive presence he is today; since being drafted 3rd overall in 2011, he is now one of the NHL’s most elite point producers. He continues to prove that he does not just rely on Barkov to produce, he has performed exceptionally well on the second line with Patric Hornqvist and Alex Wennberg. This team is built on all four lines and has seen 10+ goals from six of their players this season. Finishing it off has been the steady goalie tandem of Bobrovsky and Driedger, posting save percentages of .903 and .924, respectively. When matching up against the Stanley Cup favourite Tampa Bay Lightning, consistently is no small task, but the Panthers are continually showing that they have some big-name stars of their own and are the real deal in this year's battle of Florida.
Minnesota Wild
Now let’s talk about a team that we can all confidently agree that no one had on their radar to be successful this year. As their core of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter is ageing, the Wild seemed destined for a rebuild. The team lost Eric Staal to the Buffalo Sabres and Mikko Koivu to retirement, which added even more fuel to the fire. What the rest of the league failed to predict was that a 23-year-old Russian, Kirill Kaprizov, would come in and start running the show. Kaprizov has put up 25 points in just 29 games in his rookie year after being drafted in the fifth round in 2015. He currently is destroying every rookie in almost every single statistic leading in points, goals, and assists, just showing how dominant his rookie campaign has been this year. Kaprizov has slotted himself into the top line and has formed amazing chemistry with Victor Risk and Mats Zuccarello, who has 20 points in 18 games this season. Bringing some youth into the Wild’s goaltender position has been the Finnish goalie Kaapo Kahkonen. Kahkonen has exceptional numbers in his rookie campaign, as well, being 1st in shutouts with 2, 3rd in save percentage at a .921, and 2nd in wins with 12 amongst rookies. Both Kaprizov and Kahkonen represent the promising future for the Wild, but veteran pieces like Spurgeon and Suter are still playing well for Minnesota's defensive core. Playing against some of the league’s most dominant teams like the Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Blues is no easy task, but one thing Minnesota has found they are efficient at is keeping the puck out of the back of the net. They currently sit 6th in the league in goals-against at only 75 and are ranked 5th in penalty kill percentage. The Wild's nightly gameplan is their outstanding defence, and for a team who's 12th in penalty minutes taken, they needed a good penalty kill to back them up against these high-scoring powerhouses. Unfortunately, one area the team lacks is their powerplay, as they sit at the bottom of the league at just 8.5%. Eventually, the Wild should evolve and grow into an effective powerplay, most likely run by Kaprizov and their future draft picks.
Carolina Hurricanes:
The last team on the dark horse list is the Carolina Hurricanes, who always seem to fly under the radar even though they made it to the first round in 2020. Currently, the Hurricanes are going toe-to-toe with the Panthers in the Central Division, at third with 43 points. Starting from the top, the Hurricanes possess the demanding and respected coach, a potential future hall of famer, Rod Brind’Amour. Brind’Armour, as we know, a long-time franchise player of the Hurricanes himself, has created an environment where he expects his players to push hard; but he gives them the opportunity to play freely. This freedom is demonstrated by their young core players' creativity and talent shown in each game, most notably by Andrei Svechnikov’s “Michigan” lacrosse-style goal a couple of years ago. Carolina has seen production throughout their line-up, having seven players over 20 points this season, led by Sebastian Aho. Aho has grown into the franchise player he is today because of his consistent offensive production, as shown by his 28 points in 30 games so far. Carolina acquired the 27-year-old centreman Vincent Trocheck last year from the Panthers, which has greatly benefited them. Trocheck has 24 points in 24 games this year but has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury. Adding to the injury list are the two key pieces to the franchise, Teuvo Teravainen, who has been out seven games with a concussion, and Petr Mrazek, who has missed the last 25 games due to a right thumb injury. Despite the loss of Mrazek, James Reimer has stepped up to the plate and has 12 wins this year, posting a .909 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.68. Brind’Amour has made the Hurricanes consistent on both ends of the ice, being 9th in goals for with 97, 8th in fewest goals against, and most creditably just out powering teams on the man advantage being first in powerplay percentage at 31.1%. Carolina has consistently been underrated as a potential cup contender and has a fantastic and stable young core, led by Dougie Hamilton on the backend. Once the Canes get their star forward and franchise goalie back from injuries, the team has a legitimate shot at making a deep playoff run this year.
This year has been a roller coaster of emotions for every team, the true passion of the game has been sparked because of the mini-series of games each team plays within their divisions. This season has seen some teams emerge as serious contenders that have previously never been talked about and have made a name for themselves. It's best to keep some of the dark horses in mind when the playoffs roll around because they have the potential to knock off one of the established powerhouses, if they are not prepared.
References
- NHL. (n.d.). Carolina Hurricanes Stats: 2020-2021. Carolina Hurricanes. https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/stats/regular-season/skaters/p.
- NHL. (n.d.). Florida Panthers Stats: 2020-2021. Florida Panthers. https://www.nhl.com/panthers/stats/regular-season/skaters/g.
- NHL. (n.d.). Minnesota Wild Stats: 2020-2021. Minnesota Wild. https://www.nhl.com/wild/stats.
- NHL. (n.d.). Rookie Stats. Official Site of the National Hockey League. http://www.nhl.com/ice/rookies.htm.
- TSN. (n.d.). NHL Statistics - Stats of the National Hockey League. TSN. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/statistics.
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