Were people a little hasty in closing the window on the
Chicago Blackhawks before the season? It sure looks like it at the moment. Are the
New Jersey Devils the quietest 8-3-3 team in NHL history? Man, are they ever flying under the radar.
The
Hawks head off on their annual circus trip having padded their record
nicely. Sunday's win over Montreal was an entertaining affair. Now come
stops in Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim and
Los Angeles. Chicago's next home game isn't until Nov. 29 against
Florida.
It sure looks like
Matt Murray has reclaimed the No. 1 job in net, right? Now the question is: How long does
Marc-Andre Fleury
stay put? It might not be a bad idea to keep him around for the season,
given the compressed schedule, and deal with that situation after the
season. As they say, we shall see.
The
Blueshirts made the Alberta sweep this past weekend and now have a
chance to make it a perfect road trip with wins in Vancouver and
Columbus this week. New York's high PDO suggests a market correction at
some point, but I still like the way this team plays.
The
Canadiens had impressive wins over Los Angeles and Detroit before a
tough 3-2 loss at Chicago. The Blackhawks were fortunate not to have to
face
Carey Price, he of the .957 save percentage and 1.40 (!) goals-against average. Are you kidding me?
Losses
to San Jose and Carolina were sandwiched around a nice win in Chicago
last week. But, ooh baby, the Penguins come to town on Wednesday.
The
Sharks have three wins in three games on their six-game trek so far,
including noteworthy decisions over Washington, Florida and Tampa Bay.
Brent Burns is on pace for 76 points right now -- just saying.
Are
these the throwback Devils? New Jersey is third in the league in goals
against per game (2.14) while playing structured, disciplined hockey.
The
Sens have gone nine consecutive games without scoring more than two
goals and yet have gone 5-3-1 during that stretch. Is Guy Boucher's
system kicking in?
I'll be curious to see how long it takes top defenseman
Hampus Lindholm
-- who has played three games so far -- to find his groove. It's
really hard to miss camp, the preseason and the start of the season and
not blink an eye.
So far, so good for reclamation project
Eric Staal in Minnesota. He has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 games and leads the Wild in scoring.
The
Bolts begin a five-game road trip on Monday night at Brooklyn searching
for more consistency in their game. Other stops on the trip include
Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Nashville.
Has
Tuukka Rask
changed his number to 31? He's been Price-like this season, sporting a
.945 save percentage and 1.54 GAA. It's been an amazing year so far for
Rask.
Don't
look now, but the Oilers -- after their wonderful start to the season
-- have dropped six of their past eight games. The search for
consistency continues.
We should all be cheering for
Mark Scheifele
to win the NHL scoring title. He's among the best interviews in the
entire league and a terrific young man. And, boy, has he come into his
own over the past year.
The
Jackets have scored 18 of their 45 goals on the season in two games.
Overall, they're averaging 3.46 goals per game (second in the NHL). But
take away those two magical games, and they're averaging just 2.45 goals
in the others.
The
Blues are on a three-game losing streak, including an 8-4 massacre in
Columbus on Saturday. St. Louis is last in the league in PDO, so one
would assume that some puck luck should be coming its way at some point.
Three consecutive losses for the Kings since that 7-0 romp in Toronto. Sure, they miss
Jonathan Quick -- but they're also just 24th in the league in team scoring.
Well,
well, well -- have the preseason darlings woken up? The Preds have won
three in a row, including a 5-0 shutout of Anaheim on Saturday.
It's
been mostly win one, lose one for the Cats, as they search to find some
cohesion. A four-game road trek starts Tuesday in Montreal.
The
Wings got smoked 5-0 in Montreal on Saturday, and it doesn't get any
easier this week with Tampa Bay and Washington on the docket.
Tyler Seguin
took a while to get going after missing camp because of a World Cup
injury, but he's roaring now. He's tied for the NHL lead in scoring,
with 20 points (7-13) in 16 games.
The
young Buds have given up 40-plus shots in four of their past six games,
including 49 in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Coach Mike Babcock has to
keep convincing his kids there are two sides to a puck.
The
win over Minnesota on Saturday snapped a three-game skid. The Flyers
need few more saves and better defensive play to get things going again.
Here's hoping
Matt Duchene (concussion) isn't out long. The Avs are last in the NHL in goals per game (1.93) as it is.
The
slumping Isles have one win in six games this month, and things won't
get any easier with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh on tap this week --
followed next week by a three-game trek to California.
Can the impressive 5-1 win over Washington spur Carolina? The 'Canes get San Jose and Montreal next, so we'll find out.
The inconsistent Sabres have dropped five of their past six games. The power play has gone 1-for-11 during those six games.
The Flames are tied for 30th overall in goals against per game (3.63). They are way better than this. Something has to give.
The Canucks are 27th in PDO if you're looking for something that suggests they deserve better luck.
We're
not used to seeing a Dave Tippett team rank 27th in the league in goals
against per game. Such are the perils of having young players who are
learning on the job.
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