The Canadiens have been very consistent with nine wins at home and on the road. The team is leading the league in goals scored with 88 and have a 10-point lead in the Atlantic Division over Ottawa. They’re well on the way to having home ice advantage when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin next spring.
Dallas is clearly the top team in the Western Conference with a 19-5-0 mark and 38 points on the year. The Stars are holding a five point lead over St Louis in the Central Division and tied for a league-leading 10 games won away from home.
Washington and the NY Rangers are next on the list with 35 and 34 points respectively. These two squads will likely battle it out all year for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. These two squads have the talent to challenge Montreal for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and best overall record in the NHL, but will need a hot streak to earn that number one rankings.
Its been tough in the Western Conference with teams having more travel time, but one squad that has rebounded from a poor start is Los Angeles. The Kings are now 14-8-1 and leading the Pacific Division by one point over San Jose and two points over Arizona.
The NY Islanders and Boston Bruins are currently the bottom two teams in the playoff race, but with 19 points, even Toronto, who is last in the East, still have hopes of making a second half run to challenge for a spot to play for the cup.
Nashville and Minnesota sit in the bottom two spots out West, but like their east counterparts, nearly every team could still make a push with a good winning streak.
