4. The Central Division Race Will Be A Thriller
There’s no division in hockey quite like the Central Division. Since the NHL realigned in 2013, the Central seems to have been leaps and bounds ahead of the other three divisions.
In the five years since, a Central Division team has finished atop the Western Conference in four of them. In addition, it’s the only division in the NHL that has sent each of its teams to the postseason at least twice.
On January 19 of this past season, the Metropolitan (-9), Pacific (-43), and Atlantic (-55) all boasted negative combined goal differentials. The Central owned a +107 at the time.
Blackhawk Up
In short, the Central Division always seems stocked with high-quality teams, most of which not only have a chance of competing for a playoff spot, but also contending for the Cup. And it doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon.
Last season, the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets owned the two best records in the NHL at the end of the regular season. Due to a somewhat inefficient playoff format, the two eventually had to duke it out in a seven-game slugfest in round two instead of round three. Both teams look stocked and ready to once again compete for the title next season.
In addition, the Minnesota Wild are arguably the most consistent team in the Central. They are the only team in the division to make the postseason in each of the five seasons since realignment. Minnesota has some valuable core pieces and always finds a way into the postseason picture.
The St. Louis Blues are looking to restock with their already talented group and punch back into the playoffs after missing by just one point last season. Colorado rallied from a terrible 2016-17 and put together an impressive 2017-18 campaign to pick up a ticket to the show. They just might make it back next year.
And while the Chicago Blackhawks endured a tough road this past year, they always have a chance to push back into the picture.
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That leaves the Dallas Stars with a sizably tough road to navigate. There is very little breathing room between the top and bottom of the Central when it comes down to it, and just about every team has an argument to be in the top three going into this season.
The Stars know that it’s a grind within the division. Their 21-29-5 record over the past two seasons within the division attests to that.
But if anything is going to be exciting next year, it will be the race within the division. Each divisional game will mean a great deal to the team and their overall success in the standings. It will also be interesting not only to see who comes out near the top, but which team sinks to the bottom.
The Dallas Stars have a long and exciting fight ahead, so they better dig in.