A Snapshot of the Top of the Western Conference

With the conclusion of the 2010 Winter Olympics it’s time for the world’s best hockey players to return to the NHL and head down the home stretch to the playoffs. As of now the top eight Western Conference teams are the Sharks, Blackhawks, Canucks, Coyotes, Kings, Avalanche, Predators, and the Redwings. While these teams are by no means locked into their position and shake ups in the best of West are inevitable, here’s a few strengths and weaknesses of the elite eight.

Sharks

· The Sharks are (and have been for the majority of the season) leading the West anchored by arguably the best offensive line in the NHL with Thorton, Heatley, and Marleau. The only worry plaguing shark fans is an embarrassing first round play off loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the 08-09 season bringing a seemingly premature end to their once promising season.

Blackhawks

· This skilled young team anchored by their six Olympians has shined all season and is a shoe in for a 1 or 2 seed in the west. Also the return top enforcer and former badger Adam Burish adds some much needed grit and energy to the squad. However, their goaltending tandem of Cristobal Huet and newcomer Anti Niemi leave the Chicago hopeful skeptical that the hawks will win their first Stanley Cup since 1961

Canucks

· This gritty and strong Canadian squad leads the Northwest division winning six of their last eight. They’ll head into the playoffs lead by their gold medal netminder Roberto Luongo. Despite their strong finishes the fraternal duo of Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been uncharacteristically quiet as of late tickling the twine only once in their last 11 games on an empty net.

Coyotes

· The coyotes are a solid team, there’s no question about it, but with red hot Ilya Bryzgalov tending the twine who wouldn’t be? He’s set a franchise record with 34 wins this season for the hungry coyotes. Without much depth elsewhere, Phoenix may find problems down the stretch having no real stars and only one skater with 50 points or more.

Kings

· The Kings are a skilled young team with an average age of 23. They play a fast paced style of hockey and goal tender Jonathon Quick boasts a league high 37 wins. In order to make a run late into the season the Kings will need to step up their 22^nd ranked penalty kill.

Avalanche

· While Avalanche haven’t exactly shined since their return from the Olympic break with a 2-2 record the Avs have shocked haters and established themselves as a powerful team in 2010. A major key for this former NHL super power is just getting pucks to the net. Averaging only 27.1 shots per game, the Avs are worst in the league.

Predators

· The predators are a team with good depth and skill throughout. They also have decent support in the net between Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis, but, much like the Coyotes they lack a star player to lead the team deep into season. They also struggle on the penalty kill with only the lowly Maple Leaves acting as a buffer between them and the worst PK in the league

Red Wings

· The Red Wings are on track to loose their division for the first time in almost a decade to the mighty Blackhawks due to a plague of injuries to key players. While they may be on the playoff bubble in the West if they can maintain their position they’ll be sure to give the top seed a very difficult first round.