NHL teams skate their way to top
February 13, 2023
Halfway into the National Hockey League season, standings are not yet set and Stanley Cup contenders are changing constantly.
At the midpoint of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes lead the Metropolitan Division and the Boston Bruins take first place in the Atlantic Division, along with first overall in the league with 39 wins. The Vegas Golden Knights take first in the Pacific Division. The first in the Central Division are the Dallas Stars.
Connor McDavid, a center from the Oilers, leads the league in points with 93. Tampa Bay Lightning right-winger Nikita Kuckerov has 57 assists with McDavid coming in a close second with 55.
McDavid also leads the league in goals with 42 and Bruins right-winger David Pastrnak stays close behind with 38. Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson and New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes are tied for third overall with 35 goals.
Oilers center Leon Draisaitl has 18 power play goals, but McDavid is not far behind with 16. Reailly Smith, a rightwinger from the Vegas Golden Knights, has the most shorthanded goals with four.
Cale Maker from the Avalanche has the most time on ice per game with 27 minutes and three seconds. Chicago Blackhawks captain and center Jonathan Toews has the highest faceoff win percentage with 63.29%.
Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark has a .937 save percentage and leads goalies in wins with 26. New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin and Washing Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper are tied for leads in shutouts with five.
The Oilers have a 31.1% power play percentage and the Bruins have a 85.6% penalty kill percentage. The Blackhawks have a faceoff win percentage of 55.6
Although the Oilers have McDavid and his outrageous stats, the Oilers are only 11th overall and third in the Pacific Division.
The regular season will end Apr. 13 and the playoffs start Apr. 17. The first Stanley Cup game is expected to be played on June 8, but the location is not yet decided.