Struggling AHL franchises with winning NHL affiliates.
Last week we touched on thriving AHL teams and their struggling NHL counterparts. Today we flip the script, looking at NHL teams on a winning track with AHL affiliates in a less-than-desirable position.
AHL: Manitoba Moose (21-28-1-1, 44 points, 15th in Western Conference)
NHL: Winnipeg Jets (39-16-5, 83 points, 2nd in Western Conference)
The largest gap on this list between highest highs and lowest lows, the resurgence of the Winnipeg Jets this season can only be rivalled by the disappointing turn for their AHL affiliate.
The Manitoba Moose, near the west's basement, sit seven games below .500 with a dreadful 8-17-1-0 home record and a woeful -35 GF/GA average. All three of Manitoba's goaltenders currently ride save percentages below .900, with only Thomas Milic having a goals-against average under 3.00.
Conversely, the Jets are riding high sitting in second in the west and currently on an 8-2 clip in their past 10 games. In stark contrast to the Moose, the Jets are getting saves and saves often, with a stellar +43 GF/GA average.
AHL: Henderson Silver Knights (23-25-2-4, 52 points, 12th in Western Conference)
NHL: Vegas Golden Knights (33-22-7, 73 points, 6th in Western Conference)
Perhaps trading away your first overall draft pick damn near every season since your franchise began isn't the formula for long-term growth?
That's the trouble in the Vegas system, a franchise that has been dedicated to winning from Jump Street. And it's worked, at least in the NHL.
The recent Stanley Cup winners are clinging to a playoff spot amid an injury-ravaged second half, currently sitting sixth in the west and holding down third in the Pacific, with the Kings and Predators gaining ground. But, playoff aspirations are well within reach.
Things are different in the American League, where the Henderson Silver Knights currently find themselves with a sub .500 record and only 52 points, with a rough -30 differential.
The team likewise missed the playoffs in the 22-23 season in a year where the Golden Knights went on to win the Stanley Cup.
AHL: Lehigh Valley Phantoms (23-22-5-2, 53 points, 14th in Eastern Conference)
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers (32-23-8, 72 points, 8th in Eastern Conference)
The turnaround of the Philadelphia Flyers has been impressive, to say the least.
Pegged by many as a league bottom-feeder in the pre-season, the Tortorella-led Broad Street Bullies have proved the detractors wrong, currently sitting third in the Metropolitain division with 72 points and a +4 goal differential.
Down in the A, the Flyers affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms have battled inconsistency all season long in a tough eastern conference. They're admittedly one game above .500 but find themselves in 14th place in the east. A strong final push could propel them above the likes of Utica, Laval, Springfield and Toronto in the playoff hunt.
AHL: Springfield Thunderbirds (25-24-3-2, 55 points, 11th in Eastern Conference)
NHL St. Louis Blues (32-26-3, 67 points, 9th in Western Conference)
The case of the Blues and Thunderbirds is an interesting one. Neither club is quite out of their respective race, while neither can quite comfortably lay-claim to legitimate contender status.
The Blues, caught somewhere between darkhorse and rebuild and down one Stanley Cup-winning coach so far this season, are currently ninth in the Western Conference and just five points shy of the final wild-card slot. Whatever moves the team makes between now and Friday's trade deadline will go a long way toward determining their future trajectory.
Springfield, who holds the highest-scoring forward in the AHL in veteran Adam Gaudette, has shown flashes of brilliance marred by periods of obsolescence. The team currently sits 11th in the east, just one game above .500.
The Thunderbirds have been rock solid at home, but it's on the road where they've lost precious ground, putting up a sub-par 8-16-1-0 road record.
AHL: Bridgeport Islanders (18-29-6-1, 43 points, 15th in Eastern Conference)
NHL: New York Islanders (26-20-14), 66 points, 9th in Eastern Conference)
It's not quite feast or famine as it comes to the duelling Islanders, but it's close.
Lou Lamoriello's New York Islanders, under firey new head coach Patrick Roy, are still right in the eastern conference mix, sitting six points behind the Lightning for the final wild card slot.
Goaltending hasn't been near where it has been in recent years, certainly not on the stat sheet, where the Isles sit with a -21 goal differential, though they're currently riding a three-game win streak at a key point in the season.
In Bridgeport, meanwhile, things couldn't possibly be going worse. The B-Isles sit dead last in the National Hockey League with just 43 points and a rough 7-18-2-0 road record.
A silver lining? Prospects Matthew Maggio and Ruslan Iskhakov have begun to gel in the second half of the season, with Maggio netting seven points in his last seven games and Iskhakov leading the team with 39 points in 53 games.