Before I get into the NHL and what has transpired early on, I want to touch on a topic that I bashed early on when I started this blog and that is the flashy uniforms in college football. To show that I am not biased towards my Alma mater, Ohio State. Let me say that they are just as guilty as anyone for displaying in my mind some horrific digs Saturday night vs Wisconsin. I don't get it, probably never will and now I have to put my own school in the that same pile as the other schools. Which is teams spending needless time and money on these 'specialty' get ups.
Ok so enough of that, lets talk some hockey. We are about 3 weeks into the NHL season and teams are starting to find their identities. There have been some pleasant surprises and some major disappointments in the early goings. When I look at the top of the standings in each conference, there is one key factor that has put most of these teams near the top and that is goaltending. Whether they are surprise teams or teams that were supposed to be there, goaltending has been the driving force behind their early successes.
Eastern Conference
At the top of the Eastern Conference is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Where do you begin when you talk about the job head coach Dan Bylsma has done for the Penguins? This team has had injuries to top players, has been missing the best player in the world all season and has not made an excuse about it. They just go on with their business and of course get great goaltending from Mark-Andre Fleury to lead them. The Washington Capitals are the other team off to a great start in the east. They ripped off wins in their first 7 games before taking their first loss. They have veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun in net who is off to a great start, but like I have said before, the real season for the Caps begins in April, but I like the way they are playing so far in this campaign.
Surprise Teams
While I sat here about to write this post I wasn't sure where I would put the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are one of the top teams in the east standings but if you are outside the city of Toronto my guess is that you would think of that as a surprise. So as of now until further proven in the season, the Leafs are stuck in this category. What can you say about the start that Phil Kessel is having? He scored his league leading 10th goal of the season last night and has been Toronto's best all round player. A guy playing at that type of level can only instill confidence in his teammates and that is exactly what he has done. The Leafs have also have gotten solid goaltending, which has been a weakness in their past short comings. They are still struggling defensively and in the long run that may catch up to them but as of now the Leafs are a team on the rise in the east.
I am glad I waited a while to give feedback on the early part of the season. Sometimes you can be to quick to judge a team and I would have been guilty of that in terms of the Ottawa Senators. After getting blasted a few times in the first couple of weeks I was ready to label them the worst team in the NHL. But now after ripping off 5 wins in a row and riding the stick of red hot Jason Spezza, that label has never seen the light of day. I am not calling Ottawa a play off team but they are surprising people with this streak after such a horrific start.
Disappointments
Well it seems as if the Stanley Cup hangover has caught up with another team in the Boston Bruins. The one alarming factor in this instance is that Boston has virtually the same team from last season. Last year you could argue that Chicago had to make so many changes and that lead to a slow start but aside from Tomas Kaberle, the Bruins roster looks the same.
Another disappointment is the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs started the season 1-5-2 and were letting goals in at an alarming rate. Carey Price has struggled and in one instance miss played a face off won back towards the net and let it slide through his legs. The Canadiens are small up front and have a lot of money spent on players that are not producing. They most recently are riding a 3 game winning streak as Price has shown signs of being better, but the people in Montreal have to be a little worried.
Western Conference
When I look at the Western Conference I see so many quality hockey teams and the battle for playoff spots are going to be so intense that the points these teams scrap for in October are looking like battles you would normaly see in March. Great stuff early on! With that said, there are a few teams that are off to good starts to set them selves up for the rest of the season. The L.A Kings are off to a hot start lead by Jonathan Quick, who recently recorded 3 straight shutouts. L.A has the the stingiest defense thus far. Another group that is at the top of the conference is the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford has been solid in the pipes and the depth of the Hawks line up is really showing thus far on the score sheet. And last but certainly not least is the San Jose Sharks. After a rough first week and a half, the Sharks have gone on a 5 game tear and look to regaining their touch.
The Surprises
I feel as if I am beating this point to death but once again the key behind some of these surprise starts is in the nets. The Dallas Stars have shot out of the starting gate behind the brilliant net minding of Kari Lehtonen. The former number one pick is taking on all comers and putting the Stars on his back and looks like he wants to carry them to a playoff spot. The other surprise is up in northern Alberta. The Edmonton Oilers have jumped out to a 6-2-2 start and are being lead by the kid line of Eberle, Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins. They have really energized a franchise that has been starving for a winner. They are also getting spectacular goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin. Is the Bulin Wall in a contract year? if so, lookout NHL!!!
The Disappointments
Probably the biggest let down in the league thus far has to be in Columbus. I was in the city when the Jackets began play 11 years ago and the people of Columbus really embraced the team. But after many years without a playoff win the people have shown their displeasure with a steady decline in attendance. It looked as if the Jackets were to turn the corner this year with their off season moves. But with the suspension of James Wisniewski and the offensive struggles early on. The Blue Jackets have only managed 1 win and now there are rumblings that the head coach and general manager may be fired. It is still early in the season but it will be hard for this team to overcome this start.
The other disappointment in the early stages of the season would have to be in Vancouver. Still loaded with tons of talent, it may be hard for the Canucks to fully put last years game 7 defeat behind them. They had a strong win against Washington the other night to give them a little boost. The biggest challenge for the players in Vancouver this year will be between their ears. Can they put the past behind them and move forward?
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