The National Hockey League has had a few surprises as it nears the halfway point of the 2014-15 campaign, but not all of them have been good.
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While there are several bottom dwellers that have found their way to the top of the standings this season, there have also been some teams that were projected to be successful that have flamed out in the 2014-15 campaign or are on the bubble when it comes to making the postseason.
Sports World News will look at three teams that have been disappointing as the All-Star Weekend looms from Jan. 23-25 at the Nationwide Arena, home rink of the Blue Jackets.
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Honorable Mention--Colorado Avalanche: The Avs went from first place in the Central Division to sitting in sixth place in 2014-15, a rapid and disappointing fall from grace.
3) Columbus Blue Jackets: While the Blue Jackets will host the All-Star Game and send All-Star captain Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen and Sergei Bobrovsky to the big matchup, they haven't quite lived up to expectations this season.
Early injuries decimated the Blue Jackets and they are still continuing to play catch up as they sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with an 18-20-3 record and 39 points. Columbus is 13 points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
While the Blue Jackets did deal with injuries, every NHL team has to and Columbus hasn't found a way to navigate around its myriad ailments.
There were high expectations for the Blue Jackets entering this season after the team won 43 games last season and ended a four-year playoff drought. Columbus put up a fight against the Pittsburgh Penguins before losing in the opening round in six games.
The Blue Jackets haven't sustained that success this season, ranking 24th in the NHL in goals per game (2.49) and 26th in goals allowed (3.24).
Columbus has lost three straight games in the midst of what has been a disappointing season.
2) Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs have been very inconsistent and streaky this season and have struggled mightily during various points. Though it is in the mix, Toronto could be on its way to missing the postseason for the second straight year and for the ninth time in 10 years.
Though the Maple Leafs are only five points out of the final wild-card spot, their inconsistent play provides no real reason for anyone to believe they'll be a serious threat should they make the playoffs.
Toronto has shown a penchant for going on losing streaks this season and their up-and-down play led to the dismissal of coach Randy Carlyle earlier this month.
The Maple Leafs are on a two-match skid and have lost five of their last six overall with points at a premium inside the Eastern Conference. The team currently sits in sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
Toronto is 25th in the league at goals allowed per game with a 3.07 mark and will send just one All-Star to Columbus in leading scorer Phil Kessel (19-24--43).
3) Minnesota Wild: After a 2013-14 campaign that saw the team fall just two wins shy of a trip to the Western Conference Final, the Wild are off to a very disappointing first half of the 2014-15 campaign.
Minnesota finished fourth in the Central Division last season, but was able to nab a highly sought after wild-card spot. The Wild then topped the division rival Avalanche in a heated and exciting seven-game series in the opening round of the playoffs.
The team then lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks, but there were high hopes heading into 2014-15.
Minnesota has stumbled to a 16-22-4 start to place it dead last in the Central Division and is eight points shy of the final wild-card position in the Western Conference with plenty of teams to jump.
The Wild have one of the worst power plays in the NHL, converting at a lowly 14.2 percent clip and the team ranks 24th in the league by yielding 3.2 goals per game.
It has been quite the fall from grace for the Wild this season as last year seemed to be a building block, but it hasn't quite transferred over.
The Wild will send Ryan Suter to the All-Star game as the team's lone representative.
These teams have plenty of time to turn things around, but the second half would have to be a lot better for these clubs to surge into the postseason.
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