NHL Vibe Check: Are You Happy With Your Team?

Can you believe that the NHL playoffs are less than a month away? We've officially entered the so-called "dog days" of the season in between the trade deadline and the best time of the year.

This time around feels a bit more exciting than usual, though. The playoff battle in the Eastern Conference includes five or six teams that could end up missing or making it. The West is beastlier than ever, with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to potential playoff matchups.

We'll do a pre-playoff mailbag, no doubt. But I loved so many of the questions y'all had for me amid these dog days, so let's dive into where we're at right now.

Carolina Hurricanes fans are in the highest spirits of arguably any fanbase after the trade deadline, and for good reason. The Canes strayed from their usual aversion to big rentals and won the trade deadline by acquiring the target of the year in Jake Guentzel.

Not only did they give their group a vote of confidence and as much opportunity as possible to win, but they also added necessary center depth and a comeback story to root for in Evgeny Kuznetsov—and the impact of the moves and Frederik Andersen's return to net were immediately felt.

Guentzel has two goals and 14 points in 10 games since joining the Hurricanes. Andersen is 11-1-0 since his return. The Canes have gone 9-2-1 since the deadline, and they became the third NHL team to clinch a playoff berth Thursday, their sixth straight.

The vibes are not just hopeful anymore in Carolina—they're confident.

That said, there are plenty of fanbases with reason to be confident, and Vince here raises a good question: What could derail the top four teams? We'll just use Vince's top four because I'm not here to argue.

Canes: Goaltending. Now that we can't use the same lack-of-elite-scoring excuse we have for the past few years when it comes to the Canes drying up as the postseason goes on, it'll come down to goaltending. Andersen has been stellar in his return, but can he stay healthy? Can Pyotr Kochetkov harness his fiery nature for mostly good and stay focused?

Panthers: Defensive health. The Panthers are pretty much the most complete team in the NHL when the whole defense is healthy, but a handful of their most effective blue liners have dealt with significant injuries that have held them out for months at a time—sometimes multiple players at the same time. Can they toe that line of toughness and health to make it all the way to the finish line?

Avalanche: The field in the West. When I genuinely sit down and think of the potential issues with the Avalanche, it'll be the slate of high-caliber opponents coming out of the West, and then the resulting bangs and bruises if they make it to the Final.

Canucks: The nature of their season. This is one of those things that could end up being opposite. Remember when the Bruins dominated opponents all season and didn't face enough adversity, probably factoring into their first-round exit? Maybe the nature of the Canucks' come-from-behind wins and third-period comebacks will actually be good in this way. But maybe it's been an indication of issues that will be exposed in the playoffs.

I've been worried about the fickle nature of NHL fans when it comes to the Vegas Golden Knights and their aggressive approach. The nature of their dealings adds pressure—if they slip even further and somehow miss the playoffs, will other GMs pat themselves on the back for not being as aggressive?

Truth is, the Golden Knights had been sliding since January, and they actually needed all the help they could get at the deadline even if it doesn't pan out.

That said, the Golden Knights are hanging on, though they've started to stabilize. The anxiety wasn't without reason, though. The Western Conference has been a bear pit and there was a legitimate concern that Vegas could miss out.

At the very least, I hope this reminds the conspiracy theorists among us that Mark Stone is one of the most important players on the roster for a reason, and the team wouldn't put him on the shelf if it didn't have to.

I do love your last sentence, pork chop. Don't let anyone take away your enjoyment of the rest of the league's misery, and let's all remember that no matter what happens with the Golden Knights, there are bubble teams that barely did anything and will also miss the playoffs.

Oh, what a fantastic question.

First, we have to get more specific about our definition of "best." Is the best goalie tandem the best two individual goalie performances, or the overall best team output? How does deployment and shared workload factor in? What if one of the goalies is literally Igor Shesterkin?

Ultimately, we're left with three real questions. 1. Which combination of two goalies yields the best combined output? 2. Is it better to have two goalies who are better than the other team's two goalies or one goalie better than all the rest? 3. When is a goalie so good that he actually answers No. 2 clearly?

As of Thursday, Jeremy Swayman has logged 40 Bruins starts while Linus Ullmark is at 36. According to Money Puck, Swayman ranks No. 8 among all NHL goalies with 13.6 goals saved above expected, and ranks No. 6 among goalies with at least 30 starts. Ullmark's 13.1 goals saved above expected score ranks No. 10 among all goalies, and No. 7 among goalies with at least 30 starts.

Meanwhile, as of Thursday in New York, Shesterkin has logged 48 starts while Jonathan Quick has logged 24. Quick ranks No. 7 among all goalies with 13.8 goals saved above expected, but he hasn't logged 30 games. Shesterkin ranks No. 14 among all goalies with 11.6 goals saved above expected, and No. 10 among the 30-gamers.

Let's look at collective stats. The Rangers have played two fewer games than the Bruins, but they have the slight edge in goals against with 2.72 while the Bruins have 2.74. The Bruins rank No. 3 leaguewide with their collective .915 save percentage; meanwhile, the Rangers are No. 5 with .913.

Let's think about context and vibes. Quick has ample veteran experience and minimal pressure. Swayman has healthy competition as he's emerged as No. 1 and something to prove. Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders of the past few years, and Ullmark is one of the most consistent.

To me, a tandem is only as powerful as the coach is smart and gutsy. Which coach is better equipped to make the right decision ahead of an elimination game?

What baggage, I ask, as I take a sip of coffee and prepare to read my vintage copy of the June 16, 2011, edition of the Vancouver Sun for no reason at all.

What's the biggest reason to believe this year is different? The actual data, the product and the way the team has overcome adversity via late-game comebacks as opposed to crumbling in a Canucks fashion we've grown to know. The way the individual top players have performed the way we always wondered why they weren't. The new coach. The Petey extension.

What's the biggest reason you should prepare yourself to hurt again? It's the Vancouver Canucks. And maybe the penalty kill.

The West is such a beast this year, but even then the Dallas Stars have as good a chance as any of the big dogs to win it all. They've stayed so consistent throughout the season that they're now almost passively sitting at No. 1 in the West. What do they say, the cream rises to the top?

Dallas has the most scoring depth we've possibly ever seen in the contemporary NHL. Seven skaters have 20-plus goals. While this gives the Stars the unique ability to grind teams down and confuse them, a team like the Avalanche feels well-equipped to go line for line in defense.

The Stars have struggled on defense but have been self-aware about it, and have sustained injuries. The Chris Tanev acquisition was perfect as the rest nurse back to health. I do believe most of Jake Oettinger's struggles have come from the lack of defensive depth and injury woes. But now he's really gotta prove that was the case and gain confidence headed into the playoffs.

Are the Stars the team to beat? I hesitate to dub them that without one of the tried-and-true 50-goal scorer-types or the best goaltending consistency. But pound-for-pound, they might be the most honest, solid team in the league. We'll see what that amounts to.

No notes, just a solemn head nod and an "ope."

First of all, how dare you?

Just kidding, love the passion from Islanders nation, even when you were trying to convince me the team was good earlier this season despite the God-awful goal differential.

Anyways, what do I think about this Islanders team right now? I think they're the Islanders team they've always been: not good enough for the playoffs, no clear direction, and little to no blame should be placed on the players. If anything, some of the players outplaying their expectations are the reason we thought maybe the team could hang this year.

As much as Lane Lambert's philosophies weren't exactly panning out behind the bench, this situation was never going to be fixed with a coaching change. The situation may be fixed with a management change.

I don't want to be too harsh, because they have been making a push. The 3-2 win over the Panthers on Thursday gives me pause on my negativity. The emergence of Semyon Varlamov is even better.

It's just that, we live and die by games with this team and it always ends up coming back to their averages. Heading into play Thursday, the Islanders' 2.97 goals-per-game average was tied for 13th-worst in the league. Their goal differential was tied for eighth-worst. Their goals-against average was tied for 10th-worst in the league. Their Corsi percentage was tied for eighth worst.

Do you understand where I'm going with this?

The problem isn't something that can be solved with a feel-good win, or a simple addition on defense or offense (not that GM Lou Lamoriello has been enthusiastically willing to try either route). The problem is, and has been, an evenly distributed lack of firepower on both ends of the ice.

If I sound harsh, it's because it stinks to watch solid seasons from the likes of Noah Dobson, Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson go to waste. But no player on the team eclipsing the 30-goal mark at this point in the season just isn't going to cut it in this day and age.

Go through the goal leaderboard, and you'll notice almost every playoff team has at least one player with 30 goals (unless you're the Dallas Stars, who are reaching historic levels of scoring depth with this roster).

You simply can't be missing that while also having an unremarkable overall defense.

There's nothing quite like the freedom of your team being bad on purpose.

See, "I'm not sure that they made themselves better by adding Tarasenko and Okposo" is a great starting point when for the discussion around the Florida Panthers and how top teams should approach the trade deadline in general.

I'd counter your question with another question: How much better did they need to make themselves?

At full strength, Florida is among the most complete teams in the league, along with the Stars and Avalanche. I've also talked to a few Panthers players who've all expressed how close-knit the team is. When you're No. 1 at the deadline with no glaring flaws, and when everyone loves each other, you really don't want to fix something that ain't broke.

The one nitpick was rounding out the top six so a natural scorer could hang out on the wing and Nick Cousins could do his thing on the third line. Then there's likeable leadership and motivation, which you can't ever have enough of.

Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo are probably the top two people to fill these respective holes and roles without doing too much and altering a good dynamic.

OK, I've stayed out of the Philadelphia Flyers should-they-shouldn't-they rebuild discourse because I really don't know how I'd think about it if I were a fan. Any opinion either way feels valid to me so long as we're being kind to one another, which I'm sure Flyers fans are doing.

Anyway, which team should win the Cup based on best-dressed players?

It's not really fair—I'm partial to the Lightning, but they're able to flex their fits, and their social media manager is able to take easier arrival pictures because of the climate. After years of begging the Leafs' social team to step it up with arrival pictures, they have, and the additions of Ryan Reaves and Max Domi up the style points Auston Matthews, William Nylander and yes, Mitch Marner, already had.

The Winnipeg Jets are generally really well-dressed too. I want to make a joke about how there's nothing better to do in Winnipeg, but I had a pasta carbonara dish at Passero four years ago and I still think about it once a month.

The Bruins are absolutely cooking on multiple fronts, with Linus Ullmark styled by Gentleman's Playbook, and David Pastrnak styled by Pasta.

I'd love to know what the outfits look like in Vegas, but no one ever shows us.

Pound for pound, I might have to give it to the Montreal Canadiens. I'm never seeing anything revolutionary from individual players on the team, but almost every player is dressed better than most of the league every night. Of course, the league's main suit guy is based in Montreal, so they have no excuse not to look great, but altogether they might take the crown.

Goodness, Jameson, this really depends on some very important factors, like the team you root for, your level of petty, your desire to watch the world burn and/or how much you love to start pointless internet arguments about TV ratings.

Your idea gave me a story idea for when the 16 playoff teams are solidified, so be prepared for an extensive version of this when the time comes.

For now, let's mull over some potential front-runners:

Preliminary Playoff Bandwagon Power Rankings

5. Vancouver Canucks (Americans only)

No way you're a Canadian rooting for the Canucks, and I want to nip the "Canadian team needs to win" discourse right in the bud. If anything, shouldn't every Canadian hockey fan want their team to be the one to break Canada's Cup drought as opposed to rooting for anyone to do it?

Anyway, if you're anyone but a Bruins fan in America, the Canucks and their scrappy, come-from-behind attitude have been incredibly fun to watch. Coach Rick Tocchet is an interesting personality and easy to root for. The fanbase has been tortured and deserves a good run, but the overall vibe is significantly less exhausting than the Maple Leafs Experience.

4. Detroit Red Wings

As an objective NHL observer, the Red Wings have been my bandwagon to jump on all season. If they do it, you can feel good about being there all along—and you can feel good about them pushing out your favorite team.

If they don't do it, they weren't supposed to this year and that's OK.

The one factor that makes or breaks bandwagonability here is Patrick Kane. Chicago fans would never root for Detroit. Does Kane signing with the Wings make you double down on that, or make you root for Kane? Please sound off in the comments.

3. Philadelphia Flyers

You can't like drama and hate the Flyers. This team has had awesome vibes at times, the coach is John Tortorella, and thus the captain has been benched.

It's been a bit of a mess since they traded defensive anchor Sean Walker for a first-round pick, but that was the right move. Now, the Flyers are still holding the No. 3 Eastern Conference playoff spot. All I can say is, you're going to get the most emotion on this ride. If you hop on now, experiencing a Torts Cup might restore your will to live. Or it might break you.

2. Dallas Stars

Here's a team that doesn't have beef with most tanking or otherwise bad fanbases. You've got Matt Duchene raking in the game-winners after a long and winding journey though the league. You've got Joe Pavelski pushing 40 with 26 goals. You've got the most even, complete team in the league. You've got a will-he-won't-he-goalie we can all pull for.

1. Nashville Predators

The team is basically undefeated since head coach Andrew Brunette told them they couldn't go to a U2 concert. The ever-lovable Barry Trotz is in his first year as a GM, and made some low-stakes deals to get a few players for his guys as a vote of confidence. It's a Southern hockey team with some cute chants. And oh yeah, Roman Josi!