Blue Line Buzz: D-Men of the Week

If you remember way back in the first week of the season, the Blue Line Buzz provided a comprehensive ranking of the league's 30 defenses based on six different metrics. Defense is an inexact science given the number of variables out there, so the rankings were meant to serve as a rough guide. Now that the season is drawing to a close with just two weeks remaining, it's a good time to look back at just how much has changed this year. As always, stats are courtesy of stats.hockeyanalysis.com, and all numbers reflect even-strength play.

The Kings were ranked No. 1 due to their excellence across the board, ranking in the top five in all five relevant categories even though their puck luck wasn't very good. It's the same story this year with the Kings ranking in the top five in SA60, GA60, CF% and DZFO%, except this season the difference was their inability to score goals and not having Jonathan Quick for most of the season. After finishing the season last year tied for sixth with a .930 save percentage, they've dropped down to 23rd with .921. Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin will both finish with a negative plus-minus this season despite being positive for most of their careers.

The Capitals currently rate as the league's best defense, and it's not surprising with potential Vezina-nominee Braden Holtby in net and probably the best six-man group on the blue line. In fact, their GA60 of 1.69 would've put them even further ahead of the Kings' 1.83 GA60 last year. For a team known for its offense, their defense is equally as good, if not better.

In retrospect, ranking the Panthers at No. 4 seemed far too generous, as they rode a third-ranked .933 save percentage to have the third-best GA60. That number dropped to .923 this season, and things were made worse with their leaky defense, allowing a fifth-worst 31.2 SA60. Not having key players for much of the year was certainly a key factor, as was a mid-season coaching change and an injury-riddled season from Aaron Ekblad. There's no doubt the promising Panthers took a step backwards this season.

The Flyers were another team that had a major regression on defense. After finishing tied seventh with 1.96 GA60, that number ballooned to 2.40 this season, no thanks to their turnover-prone blue line and a lack of consistent goaltending. Michal Neuvirth and Steve Mason combined to record the league's best save percentage at even strength last year, but saw that number plummet to the league's bottom five.

The Coyotes had a similar problem this year, seeing nearly all of their defensive metrics plummet due to poor goaltending. Last year, they were tied for sixth in save percentage, but ranked just 18th this year and had a lot of trouble preventing shots from getting through. They are currently ranked as the league's worst possession team and take more faceoffs in their own zone than anybody else, which is a bit of a head-scratcher considering how much emphasis the Coyotes placed on advanced metrics.

If you needed further proof that a team's defense is only as good as it's goaltending, look no further than the Habs' second-ranked GA60 and second-ranked save percentage, two metrics that ranked in the league's bottom 10 last year when Carey Price appeared in just 12 games. The same could be applied to the Flames and Oilers, who finished 29th and 30th in GA60 last year but are currently 11th and ninth thanks to better numbers across the board, so kudos to them for sticking with Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot.

And just how bad are the Avalanche? How about historically bad — not only is their 2.96 GA60 the worst in the league by significant margin, they would've ranked dead-last by a significant margin compared to last year's teams as well.

On another note, congratulations are in order for Nelson Nogier, who made his NHL debut with the Jets on Tuesday against the Flyers. A fourth-round pick from 2014, Nogier was pressed into action on a blue line decimated by injuries, and through four games is averaging 12:30 of ice time. At 6-foot-3 with limited offensive ability, he'll likely be little more than a third-pairing defenseman or a minor league journeyman, but at 20 years old there's still plenty of time to improve.

Studs of the Week:

Andrej Sekera, Oilers – Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I don't think much of Sekera, but his contributions this season have certainly exceeded expectations. The Oilers have won six of their past seven, and in his past three games Sekera has scored a goal and four assists, including two points on the power play. His 17 blocked shots were the second highest total this past week, surpassed only by teammate Kris Russell's 19.

Andrei Markov, Canadiens – He ended his 15-game goal drought in a big way with two goals against the Senators, their third straight win against their hated rival, and gave the Habs a three-point cushion as the division leader. Like fine wine, it seems as though Markov has gotten better with age, and he's currently the only defenseman age 35 or older who's scored at least 30 points. On a pro-rated basis, Markov, 38, is on pace to score 51 points.

Ryan Ellis, Predators – Arguably the team's top defenseman this year, Ellis scored three goals with a plus-7 rating in three games this past week. The Predators are on a roll with six wins in their past seven games, building some momentum as they head into the playoffs. If the playoffs started today, the Predators would draw the floundering Wild, a matchup that would undoubtedly be a popular pick for a potential upset.

Mark Borowiecki, Senators – He's scored just two points this season, but it would be wrong to write off Borowiecki for that reason alone. He's one of the league's most physically punishing defenseman, leading all players with 34 hits this past week, including 11 (!) against Pittsburgh and seven each against Montreal and Boston.

Josh Morrissey, Jets – Morrissey averaged close to 22 minutes per game this past week, much higher than his season average of 19, and played a season-high 25:41 in a win against the Islanders. He's scored two goals in his past four games, and the future is plenty bright for the 21-year-old first-round pick.

Duds of the Week:

Brent Burns, Sharks – He's been stuck on 27 goals for what seems like an eternity, and along with defensive partner Paul Martin, was a combined minus-13 this past week. In fact, Burns' play has fallen off the cliff so much that he should no longer be considered the favorite for the Norris Trophy. That award rightfully belongs to Erik Karlsson this season, who's been far more consistent and effective at both ends of the ice.

Aaron Ekblad, Panthers – I'm not sure what Tom Rowe is doing in Florida. He openly regretted rushing Ekblad back into the lineup, and despite his assertion that Ekblad's neck and headache issues have nothing to do with his concussion, Ekblad is sitting out for the next five games. If he doesn't play for the rest of the season, he'll have scored just 21 points in 68 games this season with a minus-23 rating. It's been pretty gloomy this season in the Sunshine State.

Frank Corrado, Penguins – After being acquired from Toronto in an effort to bolster a banged-up blue line, Corrado played just 9:11 in his Penguins debut and 5:54 in the following game before being demoted to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He's been outplayed by Cameron Gaunce, and it looks as though the lack of playing time has really hurt the 24-year-old's development.

Francois Beauchemin, Avalanche – The 36-year-old deserves a better end as his career comes to a close. He finished the week with a league-worst minus-7 rating, and after earning a fifth-place vote for the Norris Trophy last year, has just 15 points in 73 games this season. His numbers have declined across the board and has averaged 21:38 per game this season, which is the lowest total since 2005-06.

Recommended Pickup:

Ryan Ellis, Predators – He's still available in nearly half of Yahoo leagues despite scoring seven points in nine games this month and eight points in each of the two previous months. He's equally proficient at home and on the road, and has been one of head coach Peter Laviolette's most reliable guys all year. Ellis' value also gets a big boost when the Predators are scoring a lot of goals, which is exactly what they're doing right now with 13 in their past three games.

The Big Board:

^ = stock rising
˅ = stock dropping
* = league leader

Matt Niskanen, WSH
John Carlson, WSH
Ryan Ellis, NSH
P.K. Subban, NSH
Colton Parayko, STL