NHL Set To Begin Second Half Of Season

By ESPN

As the NHL gets set to begin the second half of its season, there are a number of key questions that will dominate talk. Can the Washington Capitals finally win a Cup? Can a team end Canada's championship drought? Will Bruce Boudreau finally find postseason success? These questions and more will be discussed in the lines below.

Will this year’s Stanley Cup champion be a first-time winner?

Of the top three teams in points percentage at the All-Star Break, none have won a Stanley Cup championship in their franchise history. The Capitals, Wild and Blue Jackets have combined for just one Stanley Cup Final appearance (Capitals -- 1997-98 season).

Since 2008-09, only four different franchises have won the Stanley Cup (Penguins, Blackhawks, Kings and Bruins). The Penguins may be the biggest threat to the chances of the three teams ahead of them in the standings. Sidney Crosby leads the NHL with 28 goals despite having played just 42 games. Crosby is on pace to finish with 47 goals, which would the second-most in a season in his career.

Can young superstars end Canada’s drought?

No team from Canada has won a Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1992-93. Last season, none of Canada’s NHL teams made the playoffs for just the second time ever. The Canadiens may provide the best chance to end Canada’s drought, but if they can’t, the last two No. 1 picks in the NHL draft may be Canada’s best hope for redemption.

Montreal Canadiens

-- The Canadiens lead the Atlantic Division with 65 points, seven more than the second-place Senators. Montreal sits atop the division despite getting just 37 games from goalie Carey Price in the first half. Captain Max Pacioretty leads the team with 21 goals and 39 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs

-- Despite having 13 NHL championships, second in the NHL only to the Canadiens (25), the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1966-67 and have made just one playoff appearance (2012-13) since the 2004 lockout. This summer, Toronto selected Auston Matthews with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. Matthews is the favorite for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), leading the Leafs with 23 goals while being tied for the team lead in points (39).

If he does win the Calder Trophy, Matthews would be the first Maple Leafs player awarded the honor since Brit Selby in 1965-66. Matthews is tied for second among rookies in points and leads all rookies with 23 goals.

Edmonton Oilers

-- Second-year center Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 59 points. The Oilers are on pace for 102 points, which would be their most since the 1986-87 season, when they were led by Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson and won the third of their five Stanley Cups. Edmonton has not made the playoffs since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in the 2005-06 season.

Can Bruce Boudreau finally win a Cup?

The Minnesota Wild sit atop the Western Conference, leading the conference in points (69) and points percentage (.719). The Elias Sports Bureau notes that this is the first time in franchise history Minnesota has the best record in its conference at the All-Star/Olympic break.

The Wild are coached by Bruce Boudreau, who is in his first season with the club. Despite leading his teams to a first-place finish in eight of his ten seasons as a head coach entering this season, Boudreau has never won a Stanley Cup. This season may give him a great shot to finally win a cup, mainly thanks to goalie Devan Dubnyk, who leads the NHL in save percentage (.936), goals-against average (1.88), is second in wins (27) and tied for second in shutouts (5).

Is the reign of the Red Wings going to end?

The Detroit Red Wings are tied with the Sabres, Hurricanes and Devils for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference (49). Detroit has made the playoffs in each of the past 25 seasons, winning four Stanley Cup championships in that time.

The Red Wings are the only team in NHL history with a 25-year postseason streak in which the team won three or more Stanley Cup titles. Their active streak of postseason appearances is longer than the next three teams on the list combined (24) as noted in the chart on the right.

Do the Blackhawks have enough to win another Cup?

The Chicago Blackhawks are second in points (65) to the Wild in the race for the No. 1 seed in the West and the Central Division title. Chicago will have a great chance to catch Minnesota, as the teams will meet three times after the All-Star break. The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cup championships since the 2009-10 season and have reached at least the Western Conference Finals in three of the past four seasons.

Chicago won’t have much flexibility to make deals at the trade deadline, as they have less than $3 million in salary-cap space. Of particular concern to Chicago is that their two highest paid players, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, have combined for just 24 goals. While the Blackhawks are just four points back of Minnesota, Chicago has played three more games and owns a goal differential 41 goals lower than the Wild.

Tuesday, January 31 Schedule (All Times Central)

Washington at New York Islanders, 6 p.m.

Columbus at New York Rangers, 6 p.m.

Nashville at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Buffalo at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.

New Jersey at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.

Boston at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m.

Ottawa at Florida, 6:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Edmonton, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles at Arizona, 8 p.m.

Colorado at Anaheim, 9 p.m.

Chicago at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.