Yes, it is still very early in the National Hockey League season. We’re hardly two weeks in, which means no team faces an insurmountable deficit. While the playoffs aren’t a realistic goal for every team, all of them are still in the race (yes, even the San Jose Sharks).
But all games count the same, and most teams have played enough to judge them on. Surprise, surprise, the league known for its parity and randomness isn’t going as scripted across the board so far. That’s a very good thing for some teams. For others, to quote the great Yogi Berra, “It gets late early.” Here’s who’s off to a surprising start, and a look at whether or not it’s sustainable.
Edmonton Oilers (1-4-1)
Let’s not bury the lede here. The Oilers are coming off of consecutive fairly deep playoff runs and boast two of the league’s biggest stars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Yes, McDavid is on the shelf right now with a minor injury. But the Oilers have looked flat ever since the puck dropped. They were throttled 8-1 in their season opener and allowed seven goals Tuesday.Struggling to keep the puck out of the net has been a constant theme of the McDavid era, and this year is no exception. Last year, big free agent signing Jack Campbell flopped, but youngster Stuart Skinner stepped in to pick up the slack. This year, Skinner is flopping himself, and Campbell hasn’t been able to right the ship. In fairness to them, the team’s new defensive scheme has led to a litany of dangerous chances. And with divisional rival Vegas off to a 7-0-0 start, the Oilers are losing ground in the Pacific Division by the minute.
Now, the odds are the Oilers will be fine. The Pacific is a fairly weak division (especially with the Calgary Flames also starting slow). But the bigger story is that things like this are still happening in Edmonton’s ninth attempt to build a contender around the best player in the world. The Oilers have to win, at least in the regular season.
Boston Bruins (6-0-0)
Normally it wouldn’t be a surprise for the reigning President’s Trophy winners to be one of the league’s last three undefeated teams. But the circumstances in Boston aren’t exactly normal. After last year’s soul-crushing first round exit to the Panthers, the Bruins said goodbye to four impact forwards, including their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí. While most still expected the Bruins to be a playoff team, it was fair to wonder if they would slip in the standings.So far, that hasn’t been the case at all. Boston’s defense didn’t take any hits in the offseason, and the team opted to keep both of its two starting-caliber goaltenders, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Both have save percentages above .950 through three games apiece. The two star forwards who are back, Brad Marchand and David Pastrňák, haven’t missed a beat. The Bruins would still be wise to add some talent around them at the trade deadline, but their grip on contention remains as tight as ever.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2-4-0)
After missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2006, the Penguins seemingly decided to have an offseason too good to fail. New general manager Kyle Dubas traded pennies for reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and made some other additions to shore up the middle of the lineup. The Penguins may still suffer long-term pain in the future, but their odds of returning to contention in the final years of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Kris Letang era definitely went up over the summer.Yet through six games, they still resemble last year’s frustrating squad. Their 5-on-5 play has been stellar. Only two other teams have a better expected goals-for percentage so far. But the one big shaky decision by Dubas — bringing back starting goaltender Tristan Jarry — has come back to bite the Penguins. Combine that with poor special teams and an injury to Letang and you have a clear path toward underwhelming play.
A team with as many new pieces as the Penguins deserves time to gel. But like the Oilers, they can’t afford to have an off year, especially given they just had one. New GMs often like to hire their own head coach, so keep an eye on Mike Sullivan if things don’t improve by Thanksgiving.
Detroit Red Wings (5-1-1)
Red Wings fans welcomed Steve Yzerman’s much-needed rebuilding strategy when he returned to Hockeytown in 2019. But they’ve grown a little impatient at how long it’s taken to bear fruit. This is a critical litmus-test-type season for the Red Wings, and so far, they’re thriving. Alex DeBrincat is playing like he’s back to his Chicago days, already at nine goals and on pace for a slightly unsustainable 105. He’s breathed new life into franchise center Dylan Larkin.The Red Wings’ depth is showing up as well, with 10 players already at four points. Goaltender Ville Husso isn’t playing his best hockey, notching just a .893 save percentage so far. But it’s almost scarier that the Red Wings are playing so well with their starting goalie struggling. If Husso returns to his 2021-22 form, Detroit could have the inside track to its first playoff appearance since 2016.
Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0)
The Carolina Hurricanes have established themselves as one of the league’s most well-rounded teams over the last half-decade. That makes it all the more surprising to see them dead last in the league with 4.71 goals against per game. The good news for Carolina is that their underlying defensive numbers still look great. Out of 67 goalies to play so far this year, Carolina’s three netminders rank 57th, 62nd and 65th in goals saved above expected, according to Moneypuck.com.That’s probably an area where Carolina can expect positive regression. They’ve also had to deal with injuries to star forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov (who is still making his way back from a torn ACL in March). Aho is already back in the lineup and Svechnikov isn’t far behind. Odds are the Hurricanes’ status as Cup contenders isn’t in serious jeopardy. But you never know — and that’s what makes the season so fun.
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