For the second straight year, the Central Division champion will either be the Nashville Predators or the Detroit Red Wings; the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and Chicago Blackhawks are hopelessly behind. Last season, 32 points separated the second place Predators from the third place Blue Jackets. This year, at the All-Star break, the second place Red Wings are 19 points ahead of the third place Blues. Although the current standings are not surprising, many expected the division race to be a little bit more competitive.

The Predators were expected to lead the way, and they are doing so. But the rest of the division has not lived up to expectations. Most figured the Detroit Red Wings to drop off this season after the departure of captain Steve Yzerman and assistant captain Brendan Shanahan. But that hasn’t transpired; they trail Nashville by just six points. Much of Detroit’s success thus far can be credited to the team defense; Nick Lidstrom has put together another Norris type season and the rest of the defense has been solid. The team has also gotten a lift from Dominik Hasek, who was a big question mark when the team signed him, but has proven once again that he is one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL. Also, with Datsyuk and Zetterberg playing on the same line again, the offense has improved.

The most disappointing team in the division is the Columbus Blue Jackets; they were expected to be the Cinderella story of the Western Conference this season, but they currently tied for last place and are tied for the third worst record in the league. The Blue Jackets have suffered both offensively and defensively. The offense has scored only 120 goals through 48 games, second from the bottom to only Chicago. Rick Nash has just 30 points and is a -8, while the team’s leading scorer, David Vyborny, is outside the top 50 in scoring.

The defense has not played up to their potential and their goaltending has also disappointed. Their young star, Pascal Leclaire (who they traded Marc Denis for) is 6-12-2 with a 2.97 GAA and a .900 save percentage. His play has been so shabby that he is no longer considered the definite number-one starter; he now splits time with Fredrik Norrena.

The second most disappointing team in the Central has to be the Chicago Blackhawks; many predicted they could finish in the top three, but they’re tied for last with the Jackets. The Blackhawks have performed poorly on both sides of the ice. They have the lowest totals for goals scored in the west and have given up the third most in the conference. Khabibulin has had a decent year with a 15-14-4 record, a .902 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against-average. The one bright spot on the team is Martin Havlat who, despite playing only 26 games, has 32 points and is the only player on the team with a plus/minus over five.

The Blues are where most expected them to be; they trail the top two by many points, but at least they’re not in last place. They are led offensively by veterans Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Martin Rucinsky, and Doug Weight, all of whom have over 30 points. The goaltending load has been carried by Manny Legace (16-12-5, 2.69 GAA, .907 SAV %), who has played solidly and is the only goaltender on the team with a winning record. The trio of Sanford, Schwarz, and Bacashihua have a combined record of 3-9-3 with an average goals-against of more than three and a save percentage around .890. The team is heading in the right direction and next season they will have Erik Johnson and perhaps another top five pick.

With slightly over 30 games left in the season, this year’s Central Division is playing out much the same as last year.