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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
In this edition of the hotstove we share our thoughts on the biggest early season surprises of 2018-19.
Todd Cordell
I expected a lot more from the St. Louis Blues than they've shown so far. They certainly have the talent to turn it around but it's hard to be overly optimistic right now – and not just because they've only won one game.
I figured their new-found depth up front would help them out-play teams – sometimes significantly – on a nightly basis. That hasn't been close to the case. At 5v5, the Blues are controlling 46.5% of the shot attempts, 46.9% of the chances, and they have been out-scored 16-7. Only Detroit (-12) has a worse differential in that game state.
Jake Allen and Chad Johnson are not nearly good enough to get the job done when the play in front of them is questionable and it's showing.
James Tanner
The biggest surprise in the NHL so far this year is Kyle Palmieri with seven goals and eight points in five games. The Devils are off to a great and unexpected start. The other thing that surprises me is that the Blackhawks, Panthers, Canadiens, and Coyotes have all put up great team numbers, which is more shocking than just an unexpected random winning streak by a bad team. It will be interesting to see if any of them are for real.
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