Central Division standings and star award surges
Colorado leads the Central Division with 12 points while Cale Makar secures his second Norris Trophy. Connor Hellebuyck earned the Vezina Trophy after recording 31 wins for the Winnipeg Jets before his trade to New Jersey.
The tightrope in the Central Division
Colorado leads the Central Division with 12 points from a 5-0-2 record through October 22. Winnipeg and Utah both hold 10 points. Winnipeg has scored 23 goals and allowed 13, while Utah has 21 goals scored and 16 against. Chicago has 8 points from a 3-2-2 record, scoring 22 goals and allowing 18. Chicago also signed Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to help Connor Bedard. Minnesota has 7 points after 8 games, with 21 goals scored and 27 against. Minnesota relies on Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber. Dallas and Nashville both sit at 6 points. Dallas scored 20 goals and allowed 23, whereas Nashville scored 17 and allowed 24. The division remains unpredictable because the remaining six teams could finish anywhere. I see that Colorado has a goal differential of +10, which matches Winnipeg’s +10. Chicago relies on Bedard, while Utah relies on Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley. Dallas has Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston. Nashville relies on Juuse Saros and Roman Josi.
Makar and Hellebuyck dominate awards
Cale Makar won his second Norris Trophy with 30 goals and 92 points. He finished ninth in the league in scoring, one point ahead of Sidney Crosby. Makar’s 30-goal season was the first from a defenseman since Mike Green in 2008-09. Makar is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained during the second-round win over the Minnesota Wild. Colorado has won two games in the Western Conference Final, but Vegas won the first game 4-2 in Denver. Makar led the league in goals, assists, points, power-play goals, power-play points, and shorthanded goals. He finished second in even-strength goals, shorthanded points, and shots on goal. Makar also finished third in time on ice and first in points per game. Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy after recording 31 wins in 56 starts for the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck posted a 2.57 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage before his trade to the New Jersey Devils. He received 19 first-place votes and 123 voting points to secure the award. Hellebuyck also faced 37 shots or more in 13 of his starts, recording a 2.08 goals-against average in those games. Hellebuyck was second in the league in wins and minutes.
The impact of major roster moves
The trade that sent franchise goalie Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils ended the soap opera that consumed the Jets and brought Dawson Mercer into the lineup for his first game with the club. Mercer played his first game with the team, where Isak Rosen scored a one-timer goal off a pass from Gabriel Vilardi with 4:36 left in the third period. Winnipeg is 5-1-0. Colorado must find a way to compensate for Makar’s absence, as his partner Devon Toews and Josh Manson are forced into heavier workloads. Makar’s partner Devon Toews nabbed fourth and fifth-place votes in the Norris voting. Colorado has scored 24 goals and allowed 14. You should watch how the Avalanche manage their thin blue line without their star defenseman. Makar is 26 years old and has won the Norris Trophy twice, a Calder Trophy, a Conn Smythe, and a Stanley Cup. Hellebuyck’s record for the Jets was 31-21-5. Hellebuyck’s 31 wins accounted for the second-highest percentage among goaltenders on the 24 teams that resumed play for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Will Colorado find the offensive production they need to overcome the Golden Knights?
