HabsCast Hockey Blog

Uploaded on August 9, 2006 (flickr.com)
by ippssy_eggos

With only 6 points dividing first from last (as of Jan. 21st), there’s no doubt in saying that the Northwest Division is the tightest, and possibly most exciting, in the NHL. Just as the clever “New NHL” intended, the numerous and frequent division games have fuelled new rivalries and no game is set in stone until the final buzzer is heard. I think sometimes people don’t understand exactly how close the race for the title is in the NW. Look at it this way: last season, 3 teams qualified for post-season action and all 5 teams finished the regular season with over 80 points (lead by Calgary with 103pts, while last place Minnesota had 84pts). And this season, a week before Christmas, only two points divided first from last. I expect that it’s going to stay like this for the rest of the year and that no team will break away from the others to take a considerable lead, which is why every game against a divisional opponent in regulation is so crucial – they need the two points.

With the exception of Colorado and our good friend José Théodore, the NW Division is littered with outstanding goaltending talent; with Miikka Kiprusoff, Roberto Luongo, Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez, you just can’t go wrong; this season, it’s on – the masked men are making or breaking the game. The Avalanche is still in some goalie trouble as they’ve got nothing solid between Théo & Budaj, but they’re certainly underrated in terms of their defensive play – especially since big d-men names like Adam Foote and Rob Blake were replaced with low-profile names like Ken Klee or Patrice Brisebois. As far as defense goes for the rest of the division, there’s no denying that the Flames dominate on the blueline with the Phaneuf/Hamrlik and Regher/Warrener pairings. If only the same could be said of their offense. The Wild were most impressive at the beginning of the season with their offensive prowess, thanks to Marian Gaborik, Wes Walz, Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston but were banged up with big injuries up front later on in the season. The other team hosting a plethora of offensive talent is the Edmonton Oilers who are benefiting from the addition of Joffrey Lupul, Petr Sykora and Petr Nedved; who join the talented likes of Ales Hemsky, Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff and Fernando Pisani. The revamped Vancouver Canucks have taken on a new strategy this season with a Defense-First approach heavily enforced by ex-Habs coach Alain Vigneault. Winning with defense caused them to struggle with their goal-scoring earlier on in the season, but they’ve stepped up their game, learned to play the system and are now tied with Calgary for first.

A division with comparatively even teams, the Northwest leaves no room for mistakes. It’s been an thrilling battle so far and the rest of the season is sure to be just as exciting. In terms of our beloved team, the Canadiens got to host the NW division at home this season and went 4-1-0 (losing only to the Canucks), which is an obvious improvement from our 2005-2006 record versus the NW of 0-4-1.

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