NHL Insights: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers

Welcome to another edition of NHL Insights as we look at some teams that need consistency to maintain playoff positions and get back into playoff contention. Those teams include the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers

After a couple of weeks off for the holidays and the World Junior Championships, NHL Insights have returned. The second half of the season is here as most teams have hit the 40 to 41-game mark on the schedule. The playoff races are heating up as we inch closer to the NHL All-Star Break only with the March 3rd trade deadline. However, consistency is a big part of keeping your spot in the playoffs or eventually making them. In this edition of NHL Insights, we look at four teams the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers that could use more consistency in their game.

Time to dive into some NHL Insights for the past week.

NHL Insights: Flames, Oilers, Avalanche, and Panthers

Calgary Flames

There were expectations coming into the season for the Calgary Flames. Even with all the changes in the offseason most expected the Flames to be at the top of the Pacific Division. That is not the case. The Flames are holding the first wild card spot in the West. This team should be better than their record shows. But maybe they are what their record says they are. Then again it takes time for players to adjust to new surroundings like Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. Not to mention Nazem Kadri is a new piece there as well.

The Flames are playing more of a grinding style this year than a run and gun that we saw last year. Kadri has fit in well under head coach Darryl Sutter. However, this team could be so much more if they found consistency in their game. Especially on defence and goaltending. Jacob Markstrom has to be better for the Flames to make any type of run. Dan Vladar has filled in nicely, but the Flames are paying a lot of Markstrom to be their number-one guy. Let’s see if they can string some wins together to maintain their position in the West.

Edmonton Oilers

Staying in Alberta for a minute, on to the Edmonton Oilers. Here is another team looking for consistency. We know what Connor McDavid is doing. Each time he touches the puck or scores a goal he is breaking some sort of record. Currently, he has 83 points, which leads the NHL and is on pace to go over 130 points. Not to mention he is leading the Rocket Richard race for most goals in the NHL with 37. He could easily win the Hart Trophy even if the Oilers do not make the playoffs. However, the Oilers sit in the second wild-card position. But like the Flames they need help on the backend and in between the pipes.

The Oilers offence can only carry them so far. It will be great when Evander Kane comes back, but the Oilers are lacking a piece on defence to put them over the top. They are in the market for a defenceman and the rest of the NHL knows it. Not to mention Stuart Skinner and the five-million-dollar man Jack Campbell have to be better if the Oilers want to climb in the standings and maintain their lead over Colorado in the wild-card race.

Around Full Press Coverage

NHL: 2023 Will Be A Huge Year For Maple Leafs – One Way Or Another

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings

NHL: NHL Power Rankings: Boston Bruins On Another Level

NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 38: NHL Season Preview: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Johnny Gaudreau

Colorado Avalanche

Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, they are a team that needs to find consistency in their game. Look it does not help they have been hit by the injury ninja for most of the season, but this team should have been able to survive some of those injuries. Unfortunately, they did not and there is a realistic possibility the Avalanche can miss the playoffs if they do not find consistency in their game. Too many fundamental mistakes have cost this team valuable points in the standings.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Arturri Lehkonen have done their part. Valeri Nichushkin is still trying to find his game as he dealt with that ankle injury from the Stanley Cup Final. Cale Makar continues to play well on the back end, but they need more from Devon Toews. The big thing for Colorado is a second-line center. They just do not have one since Kadri left. Alex Newhook is not that. They will look to find something in the trade market.

Follow Brennan Vogt for more on the Avalanche at fullpresshockey.com.

Florida Panthers

A team in a similar boat to the Avalanche is the Florida Panthers. Again like the Avalanche they are on the outside looking in on the playoffs. But like the Flames, the Panthers have gone through a lot of changes in the offseason. The Panthers brought in head coach Paul Maurice and are playing a different style. Regardless of what you think of Maurice, something is definitely missing from the Panthers this year. Weegar was such a big loss on defence for Florida. However, Matthew Tkachuk has fit in nicely for the Panthers this year.

Florida has so many teams to climb over just to get into a wild-card spot, that they need to put wins together. It is just not the Metro teams of the Islanders and Capitals, but Buffalo is in front of them and so is Pittsburgh. Florida needs to go on a heater now or else it might be too late. Look nobody said it was going to be easy for the Panthers this year, but this is where they need to dig deep and find a way to get the job done to climb back into playoff contention.

Follow Alex Slemp for all Panthers coverage on fullpresshockey.com.

That does it for this edition of NHL Insights, stay tuned for another edition next week.