How Good Are The Hot Teams

There are some seriously hot teams in the NHL (and no, were not just saying that because these teams have lookers like Pascal Dupuis). From the Habs, to the Thrashers, to the Stars, the league is filled with teams that have dominated as of late despite what some would consider less than premier rosters. Obviously teams like the Penguins have also been successful as of late- however- who wasn't expecting that anyway? Hell, they were my pre-season Cup pick, and I'm sticking with it. Nevertheless, here's a breakdown of the sustainability of every team with six or more wins in their last ten games.

PIttsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are only going to get better as the season goes on, much to the chagrin of, well, everyone outside of the NHL front office and Pittsburgh. Jordan Staal has been missing all season, and Evgeni Malkin has missed his last 3 games. Nevertheless, they're on an 11-game win streak, in which Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a .940 save percentage and a GAA in the 1.7's. They're defensive pick ups are starting to look like very wise investments also, as the corps, which now boasts the likes of Zbynek Michalek, Paul Martin, Kris Letang, and Alex Goligoski. Though they lack depth at forward, their supporting cast is still strong enough to win a Cup, especially while Crosby is putting up points at the pace that Gretzky did. In his 17 game point streak, he has 35 points, and is 26-24-50 on the season in 30 GP. So much for Stamkos being the new best player.

New York Rangers

I'm a Rangers fan, and unfortunately, this success is not sustainable. Henrik Lundqvist has been far from consistent, they lack firepower at forward, and they've been riddled with injuries and line changes. What will hurt them most though, will be the lack of first line center. The rise of Brian Boyle (11 goals) and Derek Stepan have given the team a wealth of second line quality pivots. Yet there is no one to really help Marian Gaborik put the puck in the net. The line of Avery-Christensen-Gabby was effective, however, who knows how long that will last. Until the offense improves, they can't hope to sustain a 6-4 record in their last 10. Still, there are some bright spots. They lead the NHL in hits, and rank amongst the tops in terms of PK and blocked shots.

Montreal Canadiens

They could actually keep it up. Carey Price is playing out of his mind, and though they may not have the best players at every position, they are even and deep. They have a first line center in Tomas Plekanec, and a second line in Scott Gomez. They have snipers in Andrei Kostitsyn and Mike Cammalleri. They have checkers in Maxim Lapierre, and Tom Pyatt, and they have versatile forwards that can be floated all over the roster in Lars Eller and Benoit Pouliot. With Brian Gionta as their Captain, they have a solid forward corps. Their defensive corps, on the other hand, is old. Roman Hamrlik is old, as is Jaroslav Spacek, and Hal Gill. P.K. Subban has shown signs of brilliance, yet he's been a healthy scratch recently due to his attitude and recklessness. Josh Gorges is a solid stay at home guy though, and really anchors the corps. All in all, they probably won't win the division, yet they will most likely rank in the top five seeds.

Tampa Bay Lightning

No. They have Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, and a fairly deep forward corps when healthy. Additionally, they have a more evened out blue line with Victor Hedman and Pavel Kubina. Yet the goaltending is so putrid, that their offense and coaching cannot overcome it. They will still make the playoffs because the bottom half of the standings is full of terrible teams, but don't expect anything to happen in the playoffs as long as their two headed tandem in goal has a collective save percentage below .900 and a GAA over 3.00.


Atlanta Thrashers

Yes. Great goaltending tandem, and a young franchise goalie who will become a star in a market that needs one. Dustin Byfuglien has proven to be a viable offensive defenseman, which makes sense when you're a former forward with an outstanding goalie. I'm still not convinced he should be back there- however his stats say otherwise. Andrew Ladd has continued to be a great captain and a point per game player, and the team is third in the league in blocked shots, has an excellent PK, and has one of the best powerplays in the NHL. Will they continue to win 8 out of every 10? No. But they will continue to be competitive and will make the playoffs this year. This team is well balanced and well coached.

Chicago Blackhawks

Possibly. They're riddled by injuries, they are weak in goal, and sometimes don't show up to games. However, winning without Campbell, Hossa, and Kane is impressive. Toews is really starting to step up to be one of the best centers in the league statistically (he always was premier in terms of intangibles). Winning in the face of adversity is key to success in the playoffs, and the 'Hawks are doing just that. Also, Corey Crawford is beginning to have some believe he's the next Antti Niemi.


Edmonton Oilers

Is it sustainable? Probably not. But don't expect them to be as bad as they were at the beginning. Martin Gerber and Devan Dubnyk are playing well, and Khabibulin has been acceptable. Their blue line has Kurtis Foster, Jim Vandermeer, Ryan Whitney, Theo Peckham, Tom Gilbert, and Ladislav Smid. It isn't a group of all-stars, but it's more competent than plenty of other defensive corps in the league. At forward they have some firepower between Horcoff, Hemsky, Penner, Eberle, Pajaarvi, Hall, Gagner, and Cogliano. As of now they're all second or third liners on other teams. Nevertheless, as an ensemble they have a chance to score some goals. They won't make the playoffs, but don't expect them to be the league's basement team again.


Dallas Stars

Maybe. Great forwards between Benn, Neal, Eriksson, Richards, Ribeiro, and Morrow, and Kari Lehtonen has become a competent goaltender. Nevertheless, I'm not entirely convinced. Their defensive corps is weaker than weak, and they may ship Richards away due to ownership issues. They could make the playoffs if Lehtonen stays healthy and the forwards continue to score, yet they may be betrayed by their goalie's groin issues and their lack of competency in front of the crease.


Phoenix Coyotes

Anyone who doubts Dave Tippett's ability to use a system to make a seemingly subpar roster play extraordinarily either wasn't a fan last season, or was a total idiot. Trust defensive play, trust good goaltending, trust team play, and trust absolutely fantastic coaching.