NHL Bi-Weekly Recap: Oct 2-15

Colorado dominates and Carolina keeps coming back; The Devils and Stars fall flat to start the season; Edmonton and Buffalo are surprising second’s

The Winners:

The Colorado Avalanche have started off the season with an undefeated 5-0 record. The Avs have been firing on all cylinders particularly in their own zone – frustrating teams with active sticks and sound, positional defense. Combined with the steady play of Philip Grubauer in net – barring any significant injuries – the Avs could finish as a top-5 team in the goals against department. That will also depend on how well backup goalie Pavel Francouz can assimilate to the NHL. The Czech netminder had some sparkling numbers in the KHL, and just won his first career start with a 34-save performance.

Their biggest assets are, of course, the horses up front. The top line of Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabe Landeskog are each averaging over a point per game. They’ve built a lovely chemistry together in a short period and are a threat to score on every shift. The offseason additions of Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri are paying immediate dividends. Burakovsky already has two game-winning goals and Kadri is providing excellent two-way play at the second line center position, with four points in five games. Even Pierre Edouard-Bellemare, a 34-year-old, fourth-line defensive winger has chipped in two goals.

When a team deploys an aggressive, attacking, transition-style offense a la the Pittsburgh Penguins of recent years, combined with the talent and speed to execute, it can be the most difficult thing to consistently stop in hockey. It can also trickle down to the rest of the roster that may not be as offensively inclined/skilled, but as part of the overall scheme, are able to produce at above career-average rates. We may be seeing that effect with the Avs this season.

Similarly, the Carolina Hurricanes are all in on Rod Brind’amour’s system, as they also began with a 5-0 record before falling to Columbus. The Canes have shown an incredible resiliency going back to last season’s playoff series against the Capitals, where they came back from two goals down to win in double-overtime of Game 7. They’ve come back in multiple games this season to win in a similar fashion. There is something about this group – the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the “Surge”… They play hard and fight for each other. Combined with the skill of their top-end players, it’s a challenge for any team to match night in and night out.

The Losers:

The New Jersey Devils came into this season with a ton of hype and expectations on their shoulders. Taylor Hall is back from injury, #1 overall pick Jack Hughes looks legit, and they added P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds in the offseason. Things have begun horribly for the Devs, particularly on defense and in the net, where they’re surrendering 4.50 goals per game. Starting goaltender Cory Schneider has been shotty, while promising backup Mackenzie Blackwood has been dreadful with a .821 save percentage. The Devils dropped to 0-4-2 after surrendering a three-goal lead against the Panthers, who came back to score five consecutive goals on New Jersey.

The Dallas Stars have had similar struggles, but it’s a bit more surprising considering where they were just months ago. Ben Bishop was playing like the best goalie in the playoffs, and the Stars were one win away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals. For whatever reason, Bishop is a different animal in the postseason but in the regular season, he gets exposed quite often. The Stars’ big guns have been disappointing thus far, other than Roope Hintz who’s stellar play in the postseason has carried over with four goals in seven games.

The Surprisers:

The Oilers and Sabres have each started off with a bang; Edmonton is 5-0 and the Sabres are 5-0-1 – not many people would have predicted that for either club. We knew these teams could score with some of the best young forwards in the league including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Jack Eichel. What has been surprising is the play of their defenses, as well as the goaltending that was pretty bad for both teams just a season ago. Playing together, McDavid and Draisaitl have a legitimate chance to take home multiple awards at the end of the season, including the Hart, the Art Ross, and the Richard. If they continue to get support from their defense and goaltending, Edmonton will see playoff hockey again.

The Sabres will have a tough time competing in the Eastern Conference, but a start like this goes a long way to making the final tally come playoff time. They’re going to need every win they can get in the ultra-competitive Atlantic division that features multiple Cup contenders. The Sabres’ Victor Olofsson has five goals in six games, all coming on the power-play. Olofsson is the best example of the great secondary scoring the Sabre’s are getting, but there are others like the newly acquired Marcus Johanson contributing at a high level as well. Goaltender Carter Hutton has bounced around in his in 7 years in the league, but is looking about as good as he’s ever looked, which is great timing for the Sabres.