Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Southeast Division: As wide-open as it is pathetic

Tomas Vokoun, Tomas Fleischmann, Marcus Johansson

Washington Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun (29) watches Florida Panthers’ Tomas Fleischmann (14) celebrate after scoring in the first period of an NHL hockey game as Capitals’ Marcus Johansson (90) watches in Sunrise, Fla., Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

AP

In the bigger picture, the Southeast Division-leading Florida Panthers are one of the most pleasant surprises of the season.

Yet after the Anaheim Ducks shut them down 2-0 to give them their third consecutive loss, the Panthers helped to paint a larger picture of a group so weak that they might make the sixth seed worth fighting for.

Portrait of putridity

If division titles didn’t guarantee a team one of the top three seeds, the Panthers would be the only playoff representative at seventh place, with the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning taking spots 9-11.

Anyway you break them down, these teams are underwhelming. No squad has a positive goal differential. The two teams that seemed like potential contenders have been somewhere between depressing (Capitals) and a disaster (the Lightning).

There’s one saving grace for the Southeast, though: the race to find a winner could be downright fascinating.

Handicapping the Southeast

The Carolina Hurricanes (55 points in 59 games played) have been hot lately, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll rule out the East’s bottom team. Here’s a real quick look at the rest of the division, as the streaking Lightning have a semi-reasonable chance now:

Dustin Byfuglien, Victor Hedman

Winnipeg Jets’ Dustin Byfuglien, left, skates past Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman, of Sweden, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. The Jets won 2-1. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

AP

1. Florida: 27 wins, 65 points (24 regulation-OT wins) in 58 games played; 12 home and 12 road games left
2. Washington: 29 wins, 63 points (28 regulation-OT wins) in 58 GP; 12 home and 12 road games left
3. Winnipeg: 28 wins, 62 points (24 regulation-OT wins) in 60 GP; 13 home and 9 road games left
4. Tampa Bay: 26 wins, 58 points (24 regulation-OT wins) in 58 GP; 13 home and 11 road games left

Honestly, all four teams have interesting prospects.


  • The Panthers have the division lead and for all their flaws, they’ve fought through some tough injuries.

  • With Mike Green seemingly circling a return, tiebreaker advantages in the “wins” categories and all that talent, the Capitals are still my best guess for the division champs.

  • Winnipeg’s Games Played gap worries me a bit, but they started a lengthy homestand that could very well catapult them into serious contention. The Jets aren’t going to be as insignificant as many assume.

  • Speaking of dark horse candidates, the Lightning could be in a remarkably similar situation to the one the Jets face - especially if they get the four points necessary to tie them up via shootouts on the road. Tampa Bay’s been dreadful, but that could be a blessing in disguise; if the Bolts get better in their own end, they might have that “everything’s coming together” feeling.

***

Kind of a fascinating situation, right? With a surprisingly intriguing race in mind, I cannot resist asking what you think. Who’s your choice for the division-winner? And could any of these teams actually do damage in the playoffs?

Note: despite the fact that they have basically zero chance, I included Carolina in the poll to be nice - and so people won’t yell at me.

[polldaddy poll=5959348]

Here are highlights of the Ducks’ blanking the Panthers: