By Jacob Posik

It is no surprise who’s leading their respective divisions in the NHL this year.

The Boston Bruins are on top of the Atlantic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking down at the rest of the Metropolitan, the Chicago Blackhawks have a hold on the Central and the Anaheim Ducks have ridden their hot start to an early lead in the Pacific.

Anybody could have predicted these teams being on top of their divisions thus far, but are all of these teams real contenders for the 2014 Stanley Cup? In a word, no.

First, let’s point out the obvious. The Bruins and Blackhawks very well may meet again in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. The Bruins have arguably the best defense and special teams in hockey, and the Blackhawks have the deepest, most talented arsenal of offensive weapons in the NHL.

Out of the teams mentioned, there is no doubt both the Bruins and Blackhawks are capable of winning it all this year, but what about the Penguins and Ducks? Are they capable?

The easiest way to describe the Penguins’ chances of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup is to recall the teams’ playoff run last year. After a solid, consistent regular season for Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, he somehow managed to change from a brick wall to a cardboard cut-out come the postseason. Fleury is having a solid season thus far and is seventh in the NHL in goals against average, but what if he sinks come playoff time like he did last spring?

Last season, Fleury was replaced by veteran backstop Tomas Vokoun. Most teams would be thankful to have such a solid second-stringer in net like Vokoun, but he’s aging, and at 37 years old, he’s not as athletic as he once was. This was illustrated when the Bruins blasted Vokoun in a four-game sweep in last years’ conference final.

This is why the Penguins aren’t a serious contender. It doesn’t matter that you have “Sid the Kid.” You can’t win a Stanley Cup unless your goalie is playing the best hockey on your roster. Their recent postseason play has proved that their goalies have been the biggest inconsistency on their roster, and I don’t think they’re capable of winning the Cup with this tandem.

The same problem can be seen in Anaheim with the Ducks. The Ducks don’t have big names on their roster like Sidney Crosby, despite the fact that captain Ryan Getzlaf doesn’t get nearly as much attention as he deserves, but their lack of big names isn’t the problem with their team.

Jonas Hiller plays in net for the Ducks, and even though the Ducks are on top of the Pacific, it hasn’t been because of their goaltending. Hiller is tied for fourth worst in the NHL amongst starting goalies in goals allowed per game with 2.53, and the fact that they are still winning games can be attributed to their offensive firepower.

Giving up this many goals a game will not lead to victory in a Stanley Cup Finals against a goaltender like Tuukka Rask and a Bruins squad that gives up only 1.62 goals a game. The Ducks are worse off with the unproven Frederick Anderson backing Hiller up, and this will be a problem for Anaheim down the stretch.

The fact of the matter is that without incredible play from your goaltender, it’s not possible to win the Stanley Cup. There are several teams in the NHL built like the Bruins, with strong defense and goaltending. You can’t win a title with the best offense, because you need a stout presence in net. Until Pittsburgh and Anaheim address this weakness and tighten up their play defensively, they can’t be taken seriously as a contender for the 2014 Stanley Cup.