At one point this season, the Flyers were 1-7. Captain Claude Giroux then guaranteed the team would make the playoffs. It seemed like a bold thing to say, especially after the team failed to make the playoffs last season and showed no signs of life, scoring just 11 goals through those eight games.
Fast forward to now: Philadelphia has a 22-17-4 record and is 8-2-0 in their past 10 games. True, they rank 19th in goals per game and 16th in goals against, but Giroux’s resurgence has led the charge up the standings. It took him 16 games to get his first goal, and he now leads the team with 39 points and ranks second with 13 goals.
Giroux wasn’t happy about being left off Team Canada’s Olympic roster, and he took it out Tuesday on the Devils, scoring a goal in a 3-2 Flyers overtime win. In less than two months, the Flyers have gone from the Metropolitan Division cellar to second place with 48 points, winning games they lost earlier in the season. It looks as if Giroux’s bold prediction might not have been so bold after all.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. Ducks (1): Almost halfway done with their home slate and the Ducks haven’t lost in regulation (18-0-2). Tuesday was a statement win – a 5-2 victory against the Bruins.
2. Penguins (4): True, this team is built to win in the playoffs, but the Penguins are 16-3 in 19 games despite having dealt with a rash of injuries.
3. Blues (3): They continue to roll and are the most balanced team in the league. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 in goals per game (second), goals against per game (third), power-play percentage (fourth) and penalty-killing percentage (eighth).
4. Blackhawks (2): Two games back from a lower body injury, Corey Crawford hasn’t had much luck, stopping 71 of 76 shots but losing once in overtime and once in a shootout.
5. Sharks (5): Tough blow for the Sharks as Logan Couture will be out a month with a hand injury. That puts two of the Sharks’ top five scorers on IR, with rookie Tomas Hertl out with a knee injury.
6. Bruins (6): Their 5-2 loss to the Ducks Tuesday was just their third all season by more than two goals.
7. Lightning (9): Martin St. Louis was inexcusably left off Canada’s Olympic roster, and took out his frustration on the Jets Tuesday with two third-period goals, including the game-winner.
8. Kings (8): The slumping Kings have lost six of seven. Maybe goalie Jonathan Quick’s return can spark a turnaround.
9. Avalanche (10): Colorado is back on track with a 3-1-1 record on its current seven-game homestand, in large part thanks to rookie Nathan MacKinnon, who has six goals in five games.
10. Canadiens (11): Don’t look now, but Montreal is just three points behind the Bruins for the Atlantic Division lead.
11. Canucks (7): The new year hasn’t been kind to the Canucks, who are still searching for their first victory of 2014 (0-2-2).
12. Wild (19): With Zach Parise on injured reserve, someone needed to step up on offense for the Wild. Who would have thought it would be defenseman Ryan Suter, who has all five of his goals this season in the past four games?
13. Flyers (14):Â Nothing fazing these Flyers now. Not even a skate blade to the stomach (yikes)…
14. Stars (12): Dallas has allowed six or more goals six times this season, including twice in three games. The Stars have lost three straight, getting outscored 18-8 in the process.
15. Capitals (15): The Caps has lost six of seven, which — not surprisingly — coincides with an Alex Ovechkin slump. He has two goals in seven games.
16. Coyotes (13): Three wins in 11 games isn’t going to cut it in the difficult Western Conference.
17. Rangers (17): Henrik Lundqvist certainly hasn’t been playing his best since singing a long-term contract. He has allowed three or more goals in 10 of his past 11 games.
18. Maple Leafs (16): Call it the Winter Classic hangover. After a 3-2 shootout win in the big game, Toronto has lost back-to-back games against the Rangers and Islanders, allowing 12 combined goals.
19. Red Wings (21): It was a tough loss to the Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic, but Detroit responded with a 5-1 win against the Stars on Saturday, which included a perfect 7-for-7 penalty kill.
20. Senators (22): Here come the Sens! They hadn’t won two games in a row in almost two months, but now have won four in a row, including wins against the Bruins and Canadiens.
21. Hurricanes (25): In his past five games, Jeff Skinner has six goals (including two game-winners) and 10 points, helping the Hurricanes move up the Metropolitan Division standings.
22. Devils (18): With a tough upcoming schedule, the Devils need all the points they can get. But the nine shootout and overtime losses – including Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Flyers – are points missed that could end up costing them a playoff spot come April.
23. Islanders (26): The Islanders are winners of five of six, including scoring 12 (!) goals in two games. John Tavares has figured in eight of those goals (three goals, five assists).
24. Predators (23): Nice win against the Sharks, 3-2, on Tuesday. Next up: the Western Conference-leading Ducks on Thursday.
25. Jets (20): This streaky club is at it again, this time having lost four straight. Monday was a low, a 4-2 home loss to the Lightning in which the Jets mustered only 14 shots.
26. Blue Jackets (24): It was a nice return to action for Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 40 of 43 Rangers shots in a 4-3 shootout win Monday in his first game back from a groin injury.
27. Panthers (27): With their 5-4 win against the Predators on Saturday, the Panthers earned their 16th win of the season, one more than they had during the 48-game lockout shortened season in 2013.
28. Flames (28): The Flames have been shut out in five of 10 games.
29. Sabres (30): Weather postponed their home game Tuesday with the Hurricanes, but a win Thursday versus the Panthers would extend their home winning streak to six games.
30. Oilers (29): So Ilya Bryzgalov hasn’t been the answer in net. He’s 3-5-2 with a 3.11 goals against average.