six to eight more weeks<\/a>, but they\u2019ve done that in the past.<\/p>\nBefore Eriksson Ek\u2019s return, and with Brodin, Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson out of the lineup, too, Minnesota smoked the Maple Leafs 6-3. Imagine what they\u2019d look like at full strength.<\/p>\n
6. Vegas Golden Knights, 24-13-12<\/p>\n
Last week: 6
Sean: 7
Dom: 5<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights are among the league\u2019s most-injured teams every season, so where they find themselves is no surprise. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin have all missed extended time, and Adin Hill has been held to just seven games. The Golden Knights would be a lot higher in the standings with a healthy team; then again, we say that about them every year.<\/p>\n
7. Detroit Red Wings, 31-16-5<\/p>\n
Last week: 8
Sean: 6
Dom: 7<\/p>\n
Some might view the Red Wings as one of the league\u2019s healthiest teams. They might say that Detroit has been fortunate compared to the rest of the league. Those people would be wrong. Anytime a team misses the literal top two picks of a draft for 10 games or more, it makes an impact, and that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s held back the Red Wings from making a run for No. 1 in the East. So what if that draft was 19 years ago? The point stands.<\/p>\n
8. Dallas Stars, 28-14-9<\/p>\n
Last week: 5
Sean: 8
Dom: 8<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tough not to feel bad for Tyler Seguin, who tore his ACL in December and seems set to finish another regular season on long-term injured reserve. His team is another story, though; we\u2019re assuming that they\u2019ll use that cap space to trade for Artemi Panarin or whatever.<\/p>\n
While we\u2019re here, let\u2019s do a quick check-in with Thomas Harley. Since Dec. 9, after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, he\u2019s put up eight points and a Net Rating of about minus-1. They\u2019re going to need more from him.<\/p>\n
9. Montreal Canadiens, 28-16-7<\/p>\n
Last week: 9
Sean: 9
Dom: 9<\/p>\n
With Patrik Laine missing all but five games this season, the Canadiens\u2019 power play has \u2026 scored more goals per 60 minutes than 25 other NHL teams. Imagine how good that unit would be if he were healthy! Pay no attention to how things went during the playoffs!<\/p>\n
The actual loss was Kaiden Guhle, a legit second-pair guy who helped Lane Hutson big time in Hutson\u2019s rookie season. Guhle\u2019s underlying numbers in his first five games back have been promising enough.<\/p>\n
10. Pittsburgh Penguins, 25-14-11<\/p>\n
Last week: 10
Sean: 10
Dom: 10<\/p>\n
There was a point a couple of weeks ago where it felt like the wheels were finally about to come off for a Penguins team many (us included) expected to be bad this season. That point, a nine-game losing streak, immediately coincided with Evgeni Malkin leaving the lineup. That\u2019s not a coincidence, and while things are back on track with Malkin back in the lineup, it\u2019s fair to wonder where the Penguins would be had he never left. Would that nine-game losing streak have been a nine-game winning streak instead? Maybe \u2014 and those extra 18 points would push the Penguins to first in the league.<\/p>\n
11. Boston Bruins, 29-20-2<\/p>\n
Last week: 18
Sean: 11
Dom: 11<\/p>\n
Boston\u2019s two most-used defensemen on a nightly basis are Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, both of whom have missed 12 or more games this season. Has it mattered? Not really. The Bruins have still found a way to get wins even in their absence.<\/p>\n
The real loss: Henri Jokiharju, whose midseason absence coincided with a 7-7-2 swoon that felt like the end for the Bruins\u2019 playoff chances. Then he came back and said, \u201cNot so fast,\u201d and the Bruins have been on a tear since. With a healthy Jokiharju, the Bruins might have challenged the Lightning for the Atlantic Division lead, just like the good ol\u2019 days.<\/p>\n
12. Utah Mammoth, 26-20-4<\/p>\n
Last week: 13
Sean: 12
Dom: 12<\/p>\n
Utah has stayed afloat without Logan Cooley, going 12-8-1 since he left the lineup with a lower-body injury in early December and winning eight of 10. Still, the Mammoth will be a lot easier to treat as a serious Western Conference contender once their most gifted center is back in the mix. Cooley was scoring at a nearly 40-goal pace.<\/p>\n
13. New York Islanders, 27-18-5<\/p>\n
Last week: 11
Sean: 13
Dom: 13<\/p>\n
In 10 games since Bo Horvat was named to the Canadian Olympic team and left their lineup with a lower-body injury, the Islanders have gone 5-4-1 with losses to a bunch of middling-to-worse Western Conference teams. With their best forward in the lineup, they\u2019re solidly in second place in the Metropolitan Division, right?<\/p>\n
14. Florida Panthers, 26-20-3<\/p>\n
Last week: 16
Sean: 14
Dom: 14<\/p>\n
No excuses. Play like a defending two-time Stanley Cup champion.<\/p>\n
The Lightning played at a 109-point pace without Nikita Kucherov during the 2020-21 season. The Avalanche were one of the league\u2019s best teams without Gabriel Landeskog for multiple seasons. Great teams find a way. It\u2019s time for the Panthers to prove they\u2019re great.<\/p>\n
Sorry, Florida, we\u2019re just not buying your \u201cWe\u2019ve had to play without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk all season\u201d excuse!<\/p>\n
15. Toronto Maple Leafs, 24-17-9<\/p>\n
Last week: 12
Sean: 15
Dom: 15<\/p>\n
The Leafs have had their share of injury issues in the Auston Matthews era, mostly to Matthews himself. But it\u2019s safe to say it\u2019s never been this bad in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Every game, a new player seems to succumb to the injury bug, with lengthy absences for William Nylander, Chris Tanev and Anthony Stolarz having the largest impacts. Oliver Ekman-Larsson getting injured Wednesday is another hit that the Leafs can\u2019t afford to take. Just how bad is it? Assuming Ekman-Larsson misses Friday\u2019s game, John Tavares will be the only player to suit up for every game this season.<\/p>\n
The sky is the limit for a healthy Leafs team. We\u2019re talking second in the Atlantic behind an extremely unhealthy Lightning team, that\u2019s how good.<\/p>\n
16. Edmonton Oilers, 25-19-8<\/p>\n
Last week: 14
Sean: 17
Dom: 16<\/p>\n
The Oilers are always awful to start the season, for whatever reason. But things would have probably been different had Zach Hyman not missed the first 19 games. He\u2019s been incredible, playing close to point-per-game hockey and driving the Oilers to a 17-11-4 record after the team started 8-7-4. The Oilers are two points back of Vegas with four extra games played, and it\u2019s easy to imagine that they\u2019d be leading if they\u2019d had a healthy Hyman to start.<\/p>\n
17. San Jose Sharks, 25-21-3<\/p>\n
Last week: 15
Sean: 16
Dom: 17<\/p>\n
Will Smith is the Sharks\u2019 second-most-talented forward. In 13 games without him, they have gone 8-5-0. With him, they\u2019re juuuust barely above fake-.500 (17-16-3). Kinda helps Macklin Celebrini\u2019s Hart candidacy, if you think about it.<\/p>\n
18. Anaheim Ducks, 26-21-3<\/p>\n
Last week: 29
Sean: 18
Dom: 18<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fair to wonder whether Leo Carlsson was dealing with his thigh issue before it necessitated surgery, going from a breakout star (38 points in his first 29 games) to a tough watch (six in his last 15). Anaheim has won its past five, but it feels like the damage is done.<\/p>\n
19. New Jersey Devils, 26-22-2<\/p>\n
Last week: 21
Sean: 19
Dom: 19<\/p>\n
Before Jack Hughes\u2019 fateful dining incident, the Devils were 12-4-1. When he was on the shelf, they went 8-10-0. Since his return, they\u2019ve gone 6-8-1, and he\u2019s scored exactly one goal. Doesn\u2019t get more impactful than that.<\/p>\n
20. Columbus Blue Jackets, 23-20-7<\/p>\n
Last week: 24
Sean: 20
Dom: 20<\/p>\n
Erik Gudbranson played just 16 games last season and suited up for four in the first few months of this season. That\u2019s a lot of time missed and a lot of time to think of what could\u2019ve been. Since his return, the Blue Jackets are 3-1-0 \u2014 a perfectly sustainable 123-point pace that perfectly explains Gudbranson\u2019s value to the lineup. He makes the big bucks for a reason!<\/p>\n
21. Seattle Kraken, 22-18-9<\/p>\n
Last week: 20
Sean: 21
Dom: 21<\/p>\n
The Kraken remain in a playoff spot, a fact made even more impressive by some of the absences from their top players. For a team lacking star talent, any games missed by actually good players are a big deal. Seattle is barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and an 20 extra games from Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Montour probably would\u2019ve been enough to put the Kraken on more solid ground.<\/p>\n
22. Philadelphia Flyers, 23-17-9<\/p>\n
Last week: 19
Sean: 23
Dom: 22<\/p>\n
The Flyers\u2019 early-season run was fun for a few reasons. Tyson Foerster was certainly one of them, going from a defense-first fancy-stats darling to a seemingly legit scoring winger. Philadelphia was 14-7-3 before Foerster injured his arm; they\u2019re 9-10-6 since.<\/p>\n
Dan Vladar was a big part of all that, too. He\u2019s been legitimately good, putting up a .905 save percentage and saving nearly 16 goals above expected. The issue for Philadelphia, though, is that backup Samuel Ersson remains a mess, including a blown 3-0 lead against Utah on Wednesday with Vladar out of the lineup.<\/p>\n
23. Washington Capitals, 24-21-6<\/p>\n
Last week: 17
Sean: 22
Dom: 23<\/p>\n
Has it been a bad season for the Capitals? Not entirely. Has it been uneven and a little odd? For sure \u2014 and their latest mini-skid, not coincidentally, came after Tom Wilson fell awkwardly on his leg and missed eight games.<\/p>\n
He returned on Wednesday against Vancouver, but the Caps went 3-5-0 without him and fell five points out of a playoff spot. Wilson still leads Washington in goals (22) and points (43), and he\u2019s 10th in the NHL among forwards in Game Score.<\/p>\n
24. Nashville Predators, 24-22-4<\/p>\n
Last week: 23
Sean: 24
Dom: 24<\/p>\n
When Roman Josi returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury, the Predators were 6-10-4. Since that moment, they\u2019ve been weirdly competent (18-12-0), thanks in part to his 24 assists and blue-line-leading 50-percent goal share. Seriously, Nashville is a point outside of playoff position. Who knows where they\u2019d be if they\u2019d had Josi at full strength for the entire season?<\/p>\n
25. Los Angeles Kings, 20-16-13<\/p>\n
Last week: 22
Sean: 25
Dom: 26<\/p>\n
The Kings have lost six of eight games without Anze Kopitar. On the one hand, it\u2019s pushed them out of a playoff spot, and it\u2019s likely they would\u2019ve been firmly in a spot with their captain in the lineup. On the other hand, some Kings faithful might view the absence as heroic if the losing stretch pushes the team to make some much-needed changes.<\/p>\n
26. Ottawa Senators, 23-20-7<\/p>\n
Last week: 25
Sean: 27
Dom: 25<\/p>\n
With Linus Ullmark out on personal leave, the spotlight turned to Leevi Merilainen. He did not handle it well. In Ullmark\u2019s absence, Merilainen threw up an .847 percentage and allowed nearly nine goals more than expected. It was hard not to feel bad for him \u2014 and hard not to wonder why Ottawa didn\u2019t start the season with a more legitimate backup plan in place. James Reimer, one game in, does not appear to be the solution. There are currently seven points and five teams separating the Sens from a playoff spot. Whoops.<\/p>\n
27. Chicago Blackhawks, 21-22-7<\/p>\n
Last week: 26
Sean: 26
Dom: 27<\/p>\n
Chicago\u2019s season effectively ended on Dec. 12, Connor Bedard\u2019s last game before injury \u2014 a loss that pushed the team\u2019s record to 13-12-6. Were the Blackhawks going to make the playoffs before his injury? Doubtful. But maybe, just maybe, they could\u2019ve hung around to make things interesting with a healthy Bedard. Instead, they immediately dropped seven of their next eight.<\/p>\n
28. Winnipeg Jets, 20-23-7<\/p>\n
Last week: 27
Sean: 28
Dom: 28<\/p>\n
To watch the Jets has always been to get a sinking sensation that they\u2019re a one-man team. This is not news. Still, their season thus far has been proof of concept. Winnipeg has been basically healthy in every spot but one: In 11 games with Connor Hellebuyck on the shelf, they went 3-8-1 and were outscored 45-32, and they haven\u2019t recovered.<\/p>\n
29. Calgary Flames, 21-24-5<\/p>\n
Last week: 30
Sean: 29
Dom: 29<\/p>\n
Just like every team on this list, injuries have really hurt Calgary\u2019s chances this season \u2014 just not the ones you might think. Wonder why the Flames aren\u2019t the league\u2019s worst team? None of their decent players have missed time this year. Mystery solved!<\/p>\n
30. New York Rangers, 21-24-6<\/p>\n
Last week: 31
Sean: 31
Dom: 30<\/p>\n
Starting with a Jan. 8 loss to Buffalo, the Rangers have gone 1-6-0, allowed a mind-boggling 5.59 goals against per 60 minutes and publicly released their second \u201csorry for being bad\u201d letter in eight years<\/a>. Such is life when you lose your two best players in the same game.<\/p>\n31. St. Louis Blues, 19-23-8<\/p>\n
Last week: 28
Sean: 30
Dom: 31<\/p>\n
The Blues have a superpower: Their ability to dominate the second half of a lost season to somehow salvage a playoff spot against all odds.<\/p>\n
The problem with that plan this season is a whole mess of injuries to start that second-half push. Right now, that means no Robert Thomas or Dylan Holloway, the two primary engines of last season\u2019s charge. Injuries are robbing us of St. Louis\u2019 usual March magic.<\/p>\n
32. Vancouver Canucks, 17-28-5<\/p>\n
Last week: 32
Sean: 32
Dom: 32<\/p>\n
Wonder where it all went wrong for the Canucks? Look no further than Filip \u201cThe Catalyst\u201d Chytil, whose absence was the first domino to fall this season. On Oct. 19, Chytil\u2019s last game, the Canucks were riding high at 4-2-0 and Chytil was arguably their most impactful forward, leading the way with a 61 percent expected-goals share. Then he missed the next 44 games, and the rest is history.<\/p>\n
The fact that we can earnestly wonder whether Quinn Hughes is still a member of the Canucks with a healthy Chytil makes his injury the most impactful of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over an 82-game season, injuries are always a story. It\u2019s a fact of life in this league that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4830,1785,1809,4047,4821,4824,1223,392,4825,1786,1792,4820,393,4828,1787,4826,4822,394,4823,385,1319,1789,1790,835,4831,99,1610,4819,1788,4829,1320,1793,1791,4827],"class_list":{"0":"post-425333","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-boston-bruins","10":"tag-buffalo-sabres","11":"tag-calgary-flames","12":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","13":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","14":"tag-colorado-avalanche","15":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","16":"tag-dallas-stars","17":"tag-detroit-red-wings","18":"tag-edmonton-oilers","19":"tag-florida-panthers","20":"tag-los-angeles-kings","21":"tag-minnesota-wild","22":"tag-montreal-canadiens","23":"tag-nashville-predators","24":"tag-new-jersey-devils","25":"tag-new-york-islanders","26":"tag-new-york-rangers","27":"tag-nhl","28":"tag-ottawa-senators","29":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","30":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","31":"tag-san-jose-sharks","32":"tag-seattle-kraken","33":"tag-sports","34":"tag-st-louis-blues","35":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","36":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","37":"tag-utah-mammoth","38":"tag-vancouver-canucks","39":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","40":"tag-washington-capitals","41":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}