NHL Midseason Reports
With the two-week-long regular season break, the 2024-2025 NHL season has just passed the halfway mark, and playoff races are intensifying.
Teams that have been the most consistent in the rankings are likely to make the playoffs and be in the running for the Stanley Cup. The Winnipeg Jets have been in the league's top three for the entirety of the season thus far and currently sit at the top spot in the league and the Western Conference, which suggests that the Jets will be a favorite come playoff time.
The Washington Capitals sit at first in the Eastern Conference and have been following behind the Jets closely, their chances for a stellar playoff run looking good. But the chatter around the Capitals also involves their captain, Alex Ovechkin, who is just a mere 13 goals away from beating Wayne Gretzty’s record of all-time goals scored in an NHL career as of February 25. For the Capitals, each game provides both a chance to extend their playoff hopes and opportunities for Ovechkin to beat the record set by “The Great One”.
The league's top teams don't come as a surprise, as all of them made the playoffs last year, with the exception of the Devils. The New Jersey Devils have been one of the greatest shocks of the season. Last season, they were regarded as relatively disappointing and failed to make the playoffs, but a few vital trades have turned their team around entirely.
The Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Vegas Golden Knights are the league's current top five teams. The Jets have maintained their top spot for the majority of the season, but they historically have trouble making it to the finals. The Capitals were first-round exits last season after being completely shut out by the Rangers.
Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers have taken a nosedive this season. Needless to say, if they want even a shot at making the playoffs, they need to turn their team around completely. Just like the Rangers, the Canucks are on the footsteps of the playoffs and need to perform much better to have a chance to make a run for the Stanley Cup. The Boston Bruins are another team in that category who need to finish strong
The playoff push for all contending teams will begin once the Four Nations Faceoff break concludes. The 2024-2025 NHL season has proved thus far to be thrilling and entertaining, and in just a few months, the fight for one of the biggest awards in sports history will begin.
