March 1/2020 NHL Standings. Let’s take a look at the updated NHL standings and see who the pretenders and contenders are.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC

1 Boston Bruins are leading the overall standings with 94 points coming into today’s action. They hold a comfortable seven point lead over the hard charging Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins hope to continue their winning ways when they take on that same Lightning squad on Tuesday night in Tampa.

2 Tampa Bay Lightning after reeling off a dizzying 11 game win streak now must battle the substantial loss of of their captain Steven Stamkos. The prolific center will undergo surgery for a core muscle injury and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks and potentially the first round of the playoffs. Stamkos has 29 goals and 66 points this season, both second on the team only to Nikita Kucherov.

3 Toronto Maple Leafs are in a fight for their playoff hopes as they continue to push for a playoff birth. They have won four of their last five games and are beginning to get hot at the right time. Toronto hope’s to add to their win streak when they are guest’s to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

METROPOLITAN

1 Washington Capitals have cooled of late. They are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. They still lead the division by one point over the Flyers with a game in hand. The Caps need to elevate their game as they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. I’am looking for a bounce back from the caps after being blanked on the road (3-0) in their previous game with the Winnipeg Jets.

2 Philadelphia Flyers are white hot of late. They knocked off the New York Rangers (5-3) this afternoon to close to within one point of the division leading Caps. The Flyers will try to overtake the Caps on Wednesday when they invade the Capital One Arena. The Flyers have won six straight and 16 of their last 22.

3 Pittsburgh Penguins with #87 in the lineup are poised for a run at the cup. Unfortunately for the Pens his return hasn’t been paying dividends. The Pens are mired in a six game winless skid and have won only nine of their last nineteen games. Pittsburgh is looking to get back on track on Tuesday night as they play host to the Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh has dropped five straight on the road, all to non playoff teams, with the exception of their division rival Washington Capitals.

WILD CARD

1 New York Islanders are slipping badly as of late. They are struggling to score goals and have now lost three straight and seven of their last nine games. They return to action on Tuesday night when they take on the Bleu Blanc Rouge in a home game at Barclays Center. the Islanders are three points up on the Carolina Hurricanes in the wild card race.

2 Columbus Blue Jackets are in an epic losing skid. They have now lost eleven of their last twelve, mustering an overtime win against the equally hapless Ottawa Senators. The Jackets must find a way to hit the back of the net as they are 26th in the league in scoring with 175 goals to show for 67 games. Their are three teams threatening to overtake Columbus out of the last wild card spot . Of the three two have games in hand on the Jackets, while all three are within five points. At the time of this writing the jackets have just defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5-3.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL

1 St.Louis Blues are gearing up to defend their captivating cup title of last year. The Blues have ripped opponents for seven straight wins following a five game slide. The Blues next opponent will come on Tuesday when they try to make it eight in a row when they take on the blue shirts on broadway.

2 Colorado Avalanche are next in action when they collide with the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. The Avs are on a six game tear as they trail the champion Blues by three points with two games in hand. The boys from the mile high city are playing playoff style hockey as they continue to win the one goal games,five of them in a row.

3 Dallas Stars have seventeen games left to secure their playoff positioning. they are third in the central trailing Colorado by four points and ahead of the Predators by nine points. The Stars have dropped their last two decisions. The Stars are averaging 2.68 goals per game, with their struggles to score they will need to look to their Stars, pardon the pun, for more scoring. Next up for the Stars is a home date against the high scoring McDavid and the Oilers.

PACIFIC

1 Vegas Golden Knights are the hottest team in the NHL right now. The Knights have won eight straight and are looking to make it nine when they play host to the LA. Kings on Tuesday night. The Knights have outscored their opponents 33-20 in the eight game span including two shutouts.

2 Edmonton Oilers sit four points back of Vegas and are one up on Calgary for second in the Pacific. With the addition of Andreas Athanasiou from the Red Wings at the trade deadline, the Oilers now have one of the fastest top lines in hockey. Next up for the Oil is a trip to Nashville where the McDavid and the boys hope to cash in for two points against the Preds.

3 Calgary Flames are 5-4-1 in their last ten, and are on the bubble for a playoff spot. The Flames need to bolster their scoring production as they have a goals against of 3.11 and a goals for of 2.91. The power play is clicking at 20.4% but the PK needs shoring up at 81.9%. The Flamers are one up on the Injury plagued Canucks. Next up for Calgary is the slumping Blue Jackets on Wednesday night at Scotia Bank Saddledome.

WILD CARD

1 Vancouver Canucks are one point behind rival Calgary with two games in hand. the Canucks have their best opportunity to make the playoffs since their last appearance in 2015. the Nucks have 74 points with seventeen games left, they should be able surpass last years point total of 81 points. the Nucks have a potent PP at 24.3% and J.T miller has been a gem this year, contributing 25 goals and 40 helpers. Look for the boys to continue to impress and secure a playoff seed.

2 Nashville Predators are in a real dog fight to make the playoffs. They hold the last spot and have to fend off three teams that are all within two points or less of them. the good news for Nashville is that they have three games in hand on their adversaries. Nashville has won three of their last four and they are up against a resurgent Oilers squad in Nashville on Tuesday night. The Preds sport some unimpressive numbers on the PP 16.3% and the PK is 74.6%