NHL Season so far
When it comes to the beginning of the NHL season many people make predictions about what will happen, specifically about the standings. However, every year the predictions community is shocked by at least one, sometimes multiple teams in the NHL. Some teams come out of the gate on fire while others hit the breaks. Here are both of those types of teams so far.
Overachievers
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks lost Robin Lehner, Corey Crawford, and Jonathan Toews and they got better! That’s absolutely insane as those are some great names to have. The play the Blackhawks have put in without their captain has been exceptional considering most had them toward the bottom of the pack. The Blackhawks deserve some serious respect after this and if they do end up making the playoffs that is a significant win considering they weren’t supposed to be a threat.
Minnesota Wild
Cam Talbot is making a statement in Minnesota Wild. With a .926% save percentage Talbot is helping his team win games. To put into perspective how well they are doing as a team though, they currently sit second in a division that contains the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues. The Wild are proving the doubters wrong but the question is how long can they keep it up?
Montreal Canadiens
At the beginning of the season, the Montreal Canadiens pretty much blew expectations out of the water. Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli are turning out to be outstanding off-season pickups and overall the Canadiens offense has played well. They are allowing more goals than one would desire but it’s not atrocious. Carey Price is having struggles though, as his save percentage is in the toilet at a .888%. They were on top of their division for an early portion of the season but have recently stalled out as they have lost their last four games and are (3-5-2) in their last ten games. They showed serious potential though and that is the hope that Canadien fans have been waiting for.
Florida Panthers
Talk bout changing gears because the Florida Panthers just took it up a notch. From being mediocre last year to being one of the best teams in the NHL this year is a pretty good leap. Their offense is performing adequately for the talent they have and the backend as a whole is also performing at an acceptable pace. As for Sergei Bobrovsky, he has still been struggling in the NHL to find success from a statistical standpoint in net. He really hasn’t been the same goalie since leaving the Columbus Bluejackets.
Underachiever
Dallas Stars
Well, that’s a great way to follow a Stanley Cup appearance, or not. The Dallas Stars started the NHL season very well but have preceded to lose their last two games and in their last ten games, they are (2-5-3) which of course is awful. Their power play is up to snuff right now yet as for winning games they are struggling.
Conclusion
These teams have shown us that expectations don’t always turn into reality. People have to give some credit to these teams for doing as well as they have. The fan bases must be pleased as well because of their turmoil in recent years. Except for the Stars of course. Don’t be too down on them yet though, remember the Stars didn’t have a solid start to last season either and they ended up making the Stanley Cup later that year. In addition, the Blues proved that anything is possible as they went from dead last to winning the Stanley Cup. So as long as a team has some level of telnet don’t count them out too quickly, they could surprise.
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