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Grading the East after one-third of the season

The Canadiens have maintained their position atop the Atlantic division, even while starting Dustin Tokarski (No. 35) and Mike Condon in place of Carey Price. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

One week ago, Montreal Canadiens goalie Mike Condon, who is sharing time in net with Dustin Tokarski while Carey Price recovers, faced the Bruins for the second time this season. After beating them once, Boston got the upper hand in game two. At the end of November, he played the Devils twice. He won the first game, lost the second. Same result for his two games against the Senators.

Condon, one of the great stories of the first third of the NHL season, is now adjusting as teams make adjustments to him the second time through. He’s seen a slightly different approach taken when teams see him again.

“A little bit, some guys are shooting a lot more,” Condon said when we chatted last week.

The reason?

“They saw my rebounds might have been an issue,” he said. “I’ve corrected that ... it’s a feeling-out process once they’ve played you. I’m getting more comfortable every day just as I’m sure they’re getting more comfortable with me.”

Partly because of Condon’s early success following Price’s injury, the Canadiens were one of the most successful teams in the first portion of the NHL season and, in handing out grades at the NHL’s first intermission, earn a rock-solid A for their ability to stay on top of the Atlantic without the league’s best goalie. They’re proving they’re more than just a team that relies on Price to bail them out even though another loss on Tuesday makes fans miss Price a little more each day.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Eastern Conference first intermission grades, sorted by division standings (standings points are as of Dec. 16):


Atlantic Division

Detroit Red Wings: A

Standings points: 38

The Red Wings battled through early-season injuries to Pavel Datsyuk, Kyle Quincey, Mike Green and Brad Richards to challenge the Canadiens at the top of the Atlantic. Dylan Larkin forced his way onto the team to start the season and hasn’t looked back, vaulting into Calder Trophy consideration with 22 points in 31 games. He leads the league in plus/minus, with a plus-19.

Jeff Blashill has proven to be a fantastic follow-up to Mike Babcock, rewarding GM Ken Holland’s faith in him. The questions surrounding the Detroit goaltending have completely disappeared, and it’s become a position of strength for the Red Wings, with Petr Mrazek sporting a .925 save percentage in 17 starts and Jimmy Howard right behind him at .921 in 14 starts.

Ottawa Senators: B

Standings points: 37

With Price injured, Erik Karlsson has moved to the top of the list of most indispensable superstars for their teams. There has been a lot of Hart Trophy discussion surrounding Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn, but it’s time Karlsson gets added to that conversation. It may be a more fitting award for him than the Norris Trophy.

Karlsson has 34 points in 31 games so far this season, and if it weren’t for him, the Senators' possession numbers would be ugly. Even with him, the Senators control only 46.1 percent of the even-strength shot attempts, which raises the question whether or not Ottawa can maintain their early-season success.

Boston Bruins: B+

Standings points: 36

This grade is a little higher than others because of the train-wreck potential that surrounded the Bruins heading into this season. The defense was thin, GM Don Sweeney made necessary moves to infuse young talent, and it looked like this season had the making of an awkward transition campaign. It’s a credit to the leadership group and coach Claude Julien that the Bruins currently sit in a playoff spot.

Zdeno Chara is back playing more than 24 minutes per game against the toughest competition, and he’s showing that concerns with his decline might have been a little premature. Patrice Bergeron plays the toughest competition on the team, and is at a point-per-game pace. He’s having an incredible season.

Tampa Bay Lightning: C

Standings points: 35

The first portion of the season after advancing to the Stanley Cup finals is always the toughest. Factor in the injuries the Lightning have dealt with -- including star center Tyler Johnson -- and it’s understandable that they have underachieved. That they currently sit outside a playoff position isn’t understandable.

There’s too much talent on this roster for the Lightning not to figure it out, but if they continue to flounder as the trade deadline closes in and Steven Stamkos remains unsigned, the distractions are going to get louder and louder.

The one overlooked portion of the first part of the Lightning season has been the outstanding play of Ben Bishop. He has a .931 save percentage and deserves better than his 13-9-2 record. The Lightning have the league’s best even-strength save percentage (.923), so there’s a real concern if that comes down a bit and the Lightning continue to struggle scoring.

Florida Panthers: B

Standings points: 34

As long as Roberto Luongo is healthy, the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt. He had a strong first third of the season, posting a .922 save percentage in his first 22 starts. It’s slightly higher than his career average of .919.

Jaromir Jagr is an international treasure, and has 21 points in 28 games, but this team still needs more firepower up front. Jonathan Huberdeau has just three goals. The contract signed by Dave Bolland has ended up being the disaster the analytics community predicted. There are quality players on this team, but they may need an aggressive move from GM Dale Tallon at the deadline to get into the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres: C+

Standings points: 29

Buffalo is light years better than last season’s version, but the defense was so thin and the goaltending questionable enough that it was hard to imagine them making a serious playoff push. One-third of the way through the season, the Sabres find themselves just five points outside a playoff spot, in large part to the stability and culture that Dan Bylsma brings to the table.

Jack Eichel is still finding his way during his rookie season, but this season may end up being the breakout campaign for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has emerged as a legitimate top-pair defenseman.

One interesting thing to note for the Sabres is that they have a PDO -- a shooting and save percentage metric that serves as a proxy for luck -- of 97.8, which suggests they may have some breaks coming as the season progresses. Both their shooting percentage and save percentage at even strength are near the bottom. According to war-on-ice.com, the Sabres have had 654 even-strength scoring chances this season, a total topped only by the Islanders in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto Maple Leafs: C+

Standings points: 26

This isn’t a good team. It’s a roster that’s built to rebuild. The best young players are being properly developed in the lower levels rather than rushed, and the goaltending carousel has been spinning at a healthy pace.

That said, Mike Babcock has the Leafs competing every night and winning more than their fair share of games, or at least playing good teams tough like the Leafs did Tuesday against the Lightning. A trade deadline sell-off is possible, so it could get ugly from here on out, but Toronto isn’t an easy W this season. There’s more structure, and they are a middle-of-the-road possession team after spending last season near the bottom.

If nothing else comes out of this season but a top-three pick and the continued development of Morgan Rielly into a legitimate top-pair defenseman, this season was a success.


Metropolitan Division

Washington Capitals: A

Standings points: 44

The Capitals were predicted as the Stanley Cup winner in this space before the season, and have played like a team worthy of those expectations. Evgeny Kuznetsov has emerged as a legitimate star, and gives the Capitals the No. 2 center they’ve longed for during most of Nicklas Backstrom's career.

During a time in which scoring is down, the Capitals have three players -- in Kuznetsov, Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin -- scoring at or near a point-per-game pace. John Carlson has been productive on defense for the Caps, who haven’t missed Mike Green as much as I would have thought. Braden Holtby is in the Vezina Trophy conversation, with 19 wins and a .933 save percentage. This is a good team.

New York Rangers: B

Standings points: 42

The Rangers' win Tuesday against the Oilers was a nice one, ending a three-game losing streak. It improved New York to 13-4-1 at home. This team has been overly reliant on Henrik Lundqvist at times, but that’s the advantage the Rangers have against every other team in the league. Lundqvist bypassed his typical slow start, and posted a .933 save percentage in the first third of the season.

The concern with the Rangers will be if Lundqvist slows at all. Even if he finishes with a save percentage near his career average of .921, a strong season, that means he’s going to hit a stretch that isn’t nearly as impressive as he’s been so far this season. As a team, the Rangers have a .942 even-strength save percentage, and that number will be difficult to maintain.

New York Islanders: B+

Standings points: 41

There are a few things that stand out about the Islanders' start this season. One, they’ve posted a 10-2-1 record against the Western Conference, a sign that they can compete with a heavier game. Nobody in the East has as many wins against the West as the Islanders. The other impressive development with the Islanders is the penalty kill. It’s at No. 4 in the league after finishing last season No. 26. Maintaining that success is critical to the Islanders being considered a playoff contender.

The Islanders are a top possession team, controlling 52.7 percent of the shot attempts, and if they can get their save percentage out of the bottom third of the league (.915 at even strength) they look even better. Don’t be surprised to see the Islanders emerge as the Metropolitan team that challenges the Capitals the most for first place in the division.

New Jersey Devils: A

Standings points: 36

New Jersey wasn’t supposed to be good this season, let alone sit in a playoff spot in mid-December. There are a couple of things at play here. The veterans on the team, led by Andy Greene, immediately supported new coach John Hynes and the Devils give an honest effort every time out. If the Devils make the playoffs, Hynes has to be a Jack Adams finalist.

It also helps having a consistent goalie in Cory Schneider who keeps the Devils in every game. He’s like a machine. His save percentages since joining the Devils look like this: .921, .925, .924. Lou Lamoriello left behind a culture of class and winning, but maybe more importantly, he left behind one of the best goalies in the game. At this point, Schneider would be the guy I’d pick to start for Team USA in the 2016 World Cup.

Pittsburgh Penguins: C-

Standings points: 33

This grade is lower because any team anchored by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin shouldn’t be in the middle of the pack. The Penguins, with all of their talent, have struggled to score goals, and are now without Marc-Andre Fleury, who's out with a concussion. That’s a tough world for new head coach Mike Sullivan to enter.

The defense just doesn’t have enough depth and puck-moving ability, so give GM Jim Rutherford credit for addressing that with the Trevor Daley trade. Daley can provide offense from the back end, but expecting him to be the savior for that defense is expecting too much. Keep in mind that the general managers of the team with the most points in the NHL (Dallas) and the reigning Stanley Cup champions (Chicago) have both traded him in the past year, during a time when it’s all but impossible to acquire quality defense. He fills a need in Pittsburgh, but it’s going to take more than Daley to get things going.

Philadelphia Flyers: C

Standings points: 32

This is another team in the middle of a transition, so the fact that the Flyers are still scraping together wins is a credit to the job being done by first-year coach Dave Hakstol.

The most important development in Philadelphia during the first portion of the season is the emergence of Michal Neuvirth. His .937 save percentage leads the NHL, and he has meshed with goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh, brought over from the Kings' organization. Neuvirth won’t continue stopping pucks at this pace but he may be showing enough as a goalie to make Steve Mason expendable. Mason has another year left on a deal that pays him $4.1 million.

Carolina Hurricanes: C

Standings points: 29

Bill Peters has done a nice job in Carolina without a lot to show for it, as the Hurricanes struggle to string together wins. Carolina is a top-10 possession team, controlling 52.5 percent of the even-strength shot attempts, but goaltending has been a major disappointment for the Hurricanes.

Cam Ward, a UFA after this season, would like to stay in Carolina, but has posted an .893 save percentage. Eddie Lack has been even worse (.876). At some point, one of those two goalies will get it together and help Carolina win, but it may be too late at that point to make a real push. Justin Faulk is a star on defense, and leads NHL defensemen with 12 goals, all on the power play.

Columbus Blue Jackets: D-

Standings points: 25

Columbus is the biggest disappointment in the Eastern Conference. This was a team ready to return to the playoffs after battling a slew of injuries last season, and they’ve failed miserably in that attempt.

The firing of Todd Richards hasn’t solved anything, as the Blue Jackets are 2-5-3 in their past 10 games under John Tortorella. The Blue Jackets need another defenseman, but at this point, there may not be a lot of sense in giving up any future assets to acquire one -- especially with talented prospect Zach Werenski on the way.

We’ve seen the Blue Jackets make second-half charges before to make the playoffs, but this group has shown few signs that they are capable of repeating that.