December Outlook

The next 20-30 games will tell us a lot about most teams around the league. Pretenders will fade back to reality, while playoff contenders will start to separate themselves.

Last season, the Coyotes went 18-7-4 in the months of December and January, propelling them near the top of the West. In that same span, Edmonton posted a 6-18-2 record en route from playoff bubble team to cellar-dweller.

Here are a few teams you’ll need to keep an eye on this month…
- Dallas Stars

Can the upstart Stars keep up their winning ways? They’ve certainly surprised me this season as they currently look down on the rest of the Pacific Division. Marc Crawford’s gang has won four straight and is 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Goaltender Kari Lehtonen has been a stalwart in net lately, compiling a 2.11 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in his last seven starts. They’ll need him to keep that success if they wish to keep pace in the West.

The offense has also been there for Dallas this season. Free agent-to-be Brad Richards is on pace for 99 points, which would be a career high. He’s scoring a lot more goals than in the past as he usually racks up assists like they are going out of style. His linemates – James Neal and Loui Eriksson – are also producing at a high rate.

This month the Stars will be busy with 16 games on the slate. They’ll play the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Sharks twice each, games that could go a long way in showing if they can keep up at this current pace. Throw in contests against the talented Caps, ‘Hawks and Canucks, and you’ve got yourself a pretty big month ahead.

- Atlanta Thrashers
Craig Ramsay’s Thrashers are truly developing into one of the best (if not the best) stories of this young season. Gone are the days of the team centering around Ilya Kovalchuk and relying on him to provide most of the offense. Between new additions like Dustin Byfuglien and youngsters like Ondrej Pavelec, the revamped Thrashers appear to be a playoff contender this season.

Ever since they named Andrew Ladd captain, the team has gone on an impressive six-game winning streak; they blasted the Caps, Wings, and Bruins at home, then rallied to win in Colorado on Tuesday. Byfuglien and Pavelec are important pieces to the recent success, but it has really been a team effort.

Ramsay’s bunch will definitely be put to the test here in December. They have a hectic schedule that features two trips to Pittsburgh and key divisional tilts against the Caps and Bolts. If they can keep their heads above water and get to January – where the schedule isn’t as daunting – it will put them in prime position to push for a playoff spot.

- Nashville Predators

One team in need of a spark is the Predators. Coming into the year they were assumed by many to be a playoff team in the West. However, they find themselves in a position where they’ll have to come from back in the pack to get return to the top eight. The fact that they are only two points out of a playoff spot after the injuries and various inconsistencies – and knowing their best hockey should be ahead – has to be considered a positive in my opinion.

The offense has been the big bugaboo with the Preds of late. Before Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Phoenix, the Preds had scored just five goals in its last five games and lost four games in a row. Barry Trotz tinkered with the lines against the Coyotes and it seemed to have helped. The power play has struggled, too, but a healthy Ryan Suter makes a difference.

With the Western Conference being so tough from top to bottom, the Preds have to get the offense going and put themselves back in playoff position; they do not want to be fighting back into the mix in the second half, having to climb over numerous teams.

The Preds will play each of their Central foes once in December. In a tight division, those will be crucial points on the table.

Here are a few players to watch in December, as well…

- Ryan Miller

The Sabres have started to play better since their rough start, but will need to get hot if they wish to get back into the playoff hunt. They are just five points out of eighth, but have zero games in hand on the teams around them. Buffalo’s success, like always, rides on the shoulders of 2010 Vezina winner Ryan Miller.

Miller has looked like himself after sitting out a couple weeks with an injury. He has a 2.28 GAA in his last six starts, winning four times. Buffalo only has 12 games this month, so expect to see a lot of Miller here in December. If he can keep up his current play, the Sabres may inch back towards the top eight in the East.

- Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin the goal scorer has turned into Ovechkin the playmaker through the first quarter of the season. Surprisingly, Ovie has scored just 10 goals – on pace for a career-low 33 goals. He scored just three times in November. However, he is getting a boat-load of assists; he has 22 helpers and is on pace for 73, which would easily be a career-high.

Ovie’s shooting percentage is as low as I’ve ever seen it (.092), and defenses are keying on him more. Will he be able to bust loose this month? Washington’s schedule in December isn’t exactly murderer’s row, which will give Ovie plenty of opportunities to pick up the goal-scoring pace.

- Milan Hejduk
Northwest-leading Colorado will have big shoes to fill in December if they wish to remain atop the division. Chris Stewart is expected to miss four-to-six weeks; so the Avs shouldn’t expect him back until after New Year’s. Despite acquiring Tomas Fleischmann to help soften the blow, they need their big guns to keep producing in Stewart’s absence.

One player that has (very) quietly stood out this year is Hejduk. His 27 points lead the Avalanche, and he’s been extremely consistent in the process. It’d be a big boost if Hejduk (more known for his goal-scoring touch) started putting more pucks in the back of the net. Look for the 34-year-old Czech to continue to make an impact for Colorado.

Photos credit: Getty Images