Hey, it’s the end of the 21st week of the NHL regular season. And it feels like it’s time for some existential crises. Are the Toronto Maple Leafs all set in goal? Maybe not! Is there anything wrong with the Pittsburgh Penguins? Almost certainly not! Can the Vegas Golden Knights hold it together with a tricky injury situation? Most likely, but also we’ll just have to wait and see.

It’s that uncomfortable portion of the season where even if you’re secure in a playoff spot — and most teams in such a spot are very much secure — you still have to poke and prod every aspect of your roster, asking, “Can we really compete in the division/for the Stanley Cup?” Every extra round you advance is so important for your team, mostly because every single one in the entire league will be desperate to make up lost gate revenues for years. So everyone is going to want to be extra sure that their group is good to go.

This thought process is affecting every outcome, and is affected by it. 

Let’s go: