128 games have been played and what have we learned so far?
- The Almighty Atlantic Division isn't looking so almighty right about now….or maybe we're just seeing the effects of a shortened schedule heavy on divisional opponents. I'd say it's hard to watch such good teams beat each other up every night, but that'd be a huge lie. I find it highly entertaining...almost playoffesque.
- Capitals are visiting Struggle City as the only team without a win so far. Question is are they staying in a hotel or about to rent an apartment?
- The Blackhawks are storming out of the gate, but can they keep it up? The offense is most certainly making itself known and it's hard to argue with an undefeated record, but there have been some games that were a bit too close for comfort and could have gone either way. Five games is a small sample size to make any grand conclusions, but this strong start can't hurt!
- Teemu Selanne is an ageless wonder. I think we already knew that, but this week just reinforced that. Ditto Jaromir Jagr.
- Only four games into the season, but the Sharks are not only winning games but they are dominating and I'm completely impressed. That said, it's still hard to get too excited about this team because they've dominated the regular season before and fizzled in the playoffs so for now, just enjoy their awesomeness as long as you can. Sidenote: Wouldn't it be something if Gomez ended up winning a Cup with them this year?
- Vladimir Tarasenko, with 4 goals and 7 points in 5 games, is really good at hockey, but I thought the Calder Trophy was awarded to the Rookie of the YEAR…not the Rookie of the First Week of the Season. Did I miss the memo? That's not to say that I don't think he's capable of winning or that he isn't an early front runner, but…it's only been five games.
- Justin Schultz is as advertised…an offensive defenseman who is positionally sound and can be relied upon in any situation. Speaking of stud rookie defensemen, Dougie Hamilton has made quite the impression in Boston and it looks like he's played his last game for the Niagara Ice Dogs.
- There's something to be said about allowing a prospect time to develop in the AHL. Cory Conacher and his 2 goals and 5 assists in 4 games is Exhibit A. Yzerman took some heat last season for not calling him up at any point in the midst of his AHL Player of the Year campaign where he helped Norfolk win the Calder Cup, but after continuing that success this season, he's earned a chance and he's making the most of it.
- We all knew Nick Lidstrom was important to the success of the Detroit Red Wings, but did we know he was THIS important to them? The Wings have been in disarray this week as they try to get their feet under them. The good news is that they scored as many goals (5) in their last game against Minnesota as they had in their previous three. They face red hot Chicago today and a win would be good for their confidence and get them back in the middle of the standings.
- Craig Anderson's time just might be now. With Ben Bishop and Robin Lehner breathing down his neck, he's allowed just two goals in three games. He's waited patiently for this opportunity and it seems like all the stars have aligned for him. He deserves the early season accolades for his performance, but with those two waiting in the wings, he'll need to bring it every night.
- So much for the lockout helping Los Angeles avoid a Stanley Cup hangover. They earned their first win of the season last night and are averaging 2 goals a game in large part to scoring as many goals in that victory (4) as they have in the previous three games. While they didn't lose much in the off season in regards to trades or free agency, they are working through some injury issues that aren't helping matters.
- So far we're up to 200 trees that will be planted in a Brazilian forrest thanks to NHL Green's Hat Tricks for Trees project that will planting 50 trees for each hat trick scored this season. You can find out more about the project
here.
Julie
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