Now that we’re almost a third of the way through the NHL betting season, let’s see how the 30 franchises are shaking out against one another.
The Canucks have dropped five in a row and 13 of their last 16. They swapped out veteran backstop Ryan Miller for Jacob Markstrom, but they still got drubbed by Boston, 4-0.
Veteran forward Scott Hartnell has been a force after he came off the healthy scratch list. Hopefully this will be his last stint in the doghouse.
The Avalanche are trying to find a way to win, but they keep mixing big wins (like the ones over New Jersey) with confounding losses (like the one to the Wild).
It looks like new coach Mike Babcock finally has forward Nazem Kadri on the same page, as Kadri tallied twice on Saturday in a big road win in St. Louis.
The Coyotes have lost four straight, including a 5-2 shellacking at the hands of Buffalo last Friday.
Things may be looking up for the ‘Canes, with strong wins over Montreal and Arizona.
The Sabres had won three of four before falling on Sunday to Edmonton. They have some work to do to contend in the East, though.
The Flames have won two straight, beating Dallas in a shootout and knocking off the B’s in overtime.
This team has been dreadful in the last two weeks, winning one out of five.
Edmonton has run off three straight wins (Boston, Dallas and Buffalo) for just the second time this season.
In December, the Ducks are 2-1-0 so far. Their win total needs to elevate to match their talent.
The Lightning still struggle to put together winning streaks, with just one three-game rally so far this season.
The Sharks dropped three straight last week, scoring only four goals in total — three of them in their loss to Tampa Bay.
The Pens earned a tough split on their road trip that ended in Colorado.
The Jets started December with a 2-1-0 record, including a 2-1 overtime win over the Caps on Saturday. Rookie netminder Connor Hellebuyck posted 37 saves, including six in the extra frame — in just his third NHL start.
St. Louis started December 0-2-1, including a 4-1 embarrassment at the hands of Toronto this past Saturday.
The first three December games went 1-1-1 for the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane has a 22-game scoring streak, but the rest of the team is struggling.
The Blueshirts had dropped five of six before they routed the Senators 4-1 on Sunday. Even so, they remain 2-4-1 in the last seven.
The Flyers have won four of five, rising out of the depths of the East.
The Devils are 2-1-1 so far in December, winning 4-2 on Sunday against Florida.
The Isles have gone 5-0-2 in their last seven, including a big shootout victory over the Blueshirts on Wednesday.
Roberto Luongo has been his old brick-wall self in goal lately, winning four of the five games in their recent streak.
The Red Wings have picked up 17 points in their last 10 contests, including a 3-0-0 start to December.
Erik Karlsson has been dynamite for the Senators, as they have gone 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. Karlsson has 20 points in his last 13 contests.
The B’s have gone 6-0-2 in the last 8 games, including a 1-0-2 jaunt through Western Canada.
Minnesota won three straight (Chicago, Toronto and Colorado) but are awaiting goalie Devan Dubnyk’s return from a groin injury.
The Canadiens just suffered their second two-game regulation losing streak of the season. They host Boston Wednesday in a big rivalry game.
The Kings have won four in a row and start a six-game road trip in Columbus on Tuesday.
The Caps had won six straight until falling in overtime to Winnipeg, but they remain a hot Cup contender.
The Stars had a 1-0-2 week with losses in overtime and on the shootout. However, their offense is still the class of the NHL.
# 30 Vancouver Canucks (11-11-8)
# 29 Columbus Blue Jackets (11-16-2)
# 28 Colorado Avalanche (12-16-1)
# 27 Toronto Maple Leafs (10-13-5)
# 26 Arizona Coyotes (13-14-1)
# 25 Carolina Hurricanes (10-14-4)
# 24 Buffalo Sabres (11-14-3)
# 23 Calgary Flames (11-14-2)
# 22 Nashville Predators (14-9-5)
# 21 Edmonton Oilers (12-15-2)
# 20 Anaheim Ducks (11-12-5)
# 19 Tampa Bay Lightning (13-12-3)
# 18 San Jose Sharks (14-13-1)
# 17 Pittsburgh Penguins (15-10-2)
# 16 Winnipeg Jets (13-13-2)
# 15 St. Louis Blues (16-8-4)
# 14 Chicago Blackhawks (15-9-4)
# 13 New York Rangers (18-8-3)
# 12 Philadelphia Flyers (11-11-6)
# 11 New Jersey Devils (14-10-4)
# 10 New York Islanders (16-8-5)
# 9 Florida Panthers (13-11-4)
# 8 Detroit Red Wings (15-8-5)
# 7 Ottawa Senators (15-8-5)
# 6 Boston Bruins (15-9-3)
# 5 Minnesota Wild (14-7-5)
# 4 Montreal Canadiens (19-7-3)
# 3 Los Angeles Kings (18-8-1)
# 2 Washington Capitals (19-5-2)
# 1 Dallas Stars (21-5-2)
