The National Hockey League’s trade deadline has come and gone, and now clubs are concentrating on positioning for the Stanley Cup Playoffs or playing out the last few games of a disappointing season.
Here is a look at where things stand in the Atlantic Division:
Biggest Success Or Surprise
Tampa Bay Lightning (8-1-1 in March – 4th Place in the Atlantic)
If you thought they were dead…..you’re sadly mistaken. Lightning GM Julien Brisebois became the Eastern Conference version of the Vegas Golden Knights, manipulating the LTIR cap space created by the injury to Mikhail Sergachev and acquiring winger Anthony Duclair from San Jose and defenseman Matt Dumba from Arizona for well below market value. The Lightning tightening up defensively and getting Andrei Vasilevskiy back into top form were the main reasons for Tampa’s 8-1-1 record in March and pretty much locking up a wild card spot.
The Dennis Green “They Are Who We Thought They Were” Award
Buffalo Sabres (7-6-1 in March – 6th place in the Atlantic)
The Sabres were a major disappointment in the first half and only started to make progress when they went with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as their full-time starter in early January. Wins over Detroit and the NY Islanders in mid-March got them to within three points of a playoff spot, but then Buffalo began to display the inconsistency and flaws that dogged them early in the season. A trio of losses on a recent Western road swing pretty much ended their postseason aspirations, as the Sabres will miss the playoffs for the 13th straight season.
Biggest Disappointment
Florida Panther (6-6-1 in March – 2nd Place in the Atlantic)
The top three teams in the Atlantic all struggled in March. Boston, at 7-5-1, is holding onto first place in the division by their fingernails. Toronto has the same record, but has some excuse for playing without winger Mitch Marner most of the month. Florida had the worst record at 6-6-1 and trails the Bruins by two points, mostly due to blowing a lead late in the third period at home to Boston earlier this week. The Panthers play in Boston next Saturday and that game will go far in deciding who wins the division.
March MVP
Andrei Vasilevskiy(TB) (7-1-1, 2.55 GAA, .909 save % in March)
Vasilevskiy returned in late November from offseason back surgery and struggled until last month, but as you would expect from arguably the best goaltender in the league, he is returning to form with the playoffs approaching. After a rough February, the 29-year-old Russian started nine of Tampa’s 10 games in March and went 7-1-1, bringing the Lightning to within four points of Toronto for third place in the Atlantic.