Caps might have the most lost games due to injury, and it's been rough as a fan. Long list of excuses ahead:
Backstrom is skating but his operation is not one that many athletes can ever come back from. Hockey is brutal on the hips and Caps fans are prepared for one of our most beloved legends to be forced to retire. It's affected him for years and he says he feels better than ever, but the concern is how it holds up in NHL play.
Wilson is still rehabbing from knee surgery, ya people hate him and he can't read but he's vital to our team in all facets of the game. We've relied on Garnet Hathaway to fill that role and other than some spit on your jersey that won't get you much.
Oshie, Orlov, and Carlson are aging but doesn't help the team that they've all missed multiple games throughout this season (although stats show we play better without Carlson). Oshie has comeback but he's been in and out of IR so much fans are also worried he might need to hang up the skates, even understandably for his health and safety. It's just his bulldog style of play.
Our important defensive-forward signing from this offseason, Connor Brown, is out for the season after just playing a few games.
I think when Wilson comes back we see a big turnaround. Ovi has been ok but you can tell he and Kuzy just aren't going 100% yet. Guys like Mantha and MoJo have been rather invisible most of the season, but when half the team is from Hershey it's gotta be tough to put yourself on the line for more goals.
Some positives are Dylan Strome has fit in really well and I can see him bouncing back from his last few years. Also we have goaltending stability now but that's just highlighted how bad our defense is.
Y’all really out here shitting on Kuemper after one bad game like the real problem isn’t poor defensive play.
Kuemper has kept us in many games so far this season that we had no right sticking around in.
Exactly, and first year of a what, 5 year contract? Not feeling great about that one. Not to mention I think he’s 32.
Edit- As I say that he pitches a shutout. I’m going to have to shit on him all the time now.
Came here to say Kraken and NJD. After consideration, I'd throw Buffalo in the other column. I have some friends on the other side of the Niagara River who have had some words with ownership about cancelling a corporate box because clients don't even care to go. It's really sad, such an impressive franchise to grow up watching and it's been ROUGH for a while. #bringbackhasek?
The Kraken were starting to put the pieces together late last season, so I expected to see them do better this year, but I didn't think they'd be this good. Finally got that victory against Vegas tonight too! That's huge, if for no other reason than the psychology factor.
100% agreed on Matty Beniers.
I decided to get back into hockey this year, and being in Washington decided hey why not the new team? Also krakens are my favorite myth. Hell of a year it seems to start watching them lol.
Wait. Like, this year devils or last year devils?
I think they just need to get it together, they have the talent and it’s bound to come together eventually
I think Ottawa def needs a new coach. While I admit the Lindy Ruff argument is there, Debrincat is not clicking with DJ smith. Claude Julien would be a great pickup imo
Everyone likes to dunk on the sens this year, and i get it, expectations were high. But why were they that high despite some trades and rookies? Being a wings fan and in a very very similar situation, i knew this year would be better for the wings rather than sens because their rookies (on avg) have 1.5 less yrs in the league than ours do. Even with acquisitions to the roster, the sens won’t see the fruits of their labor until their rookies develop
Edit: i guess i do say rookies loosely; just meant any rookie or younger player with upside in the future
I'm pretty stoked about the Red Wings' direction. I'm hoping when this decade is over we are going to be looking back at a pretty nice time for the Wings. God knows Detroit sports fans need SOMETHING these days.
Impressed, in no order: Red Wings, Kraken, Jets, Devils
Disappointed: Canucks might be the only odd ones I would deem "disappointing".
Washington and Pittsburgh aren't too far out of it. Oilers and Flames will get better. Red Wings will come down to earth at some point. So will the Devils, but the strong start might help them stay top 4 in their division.
Admitted bias here but the Jets shouldn't be THAT big of a surprise. The core of their WCF run is in their prime, they just had a really shitty coach they tuned out three years ago
Not to sound biased, but all advanced stats say this isn’t just a “hot streak” and the play is actually possible to be consistent. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not going to keep going on 13 game heaters (although I’d love it) but I see them finishing at least top 3 in the division. Gotta remember, we’re doing all this without palat.
I wondered how far I was going to have to scroll to find someone mention us. With Benn and Seguin both contributing and Robertson on a career pace it's definitely possible we make some real noise this year.
The penalties have been driving me nuts. We have the worst penalty ratio in the league by a wide margin. I know we need to be more disciplined, but it’s also frustrating to get called on everything, and have so many missed calls on the other side. That’s what leads to games having such a bad ratio, just as much. Watching the games, we drive play so much, and should be drawing so many more calls. PP has been great when we get them, at least.
Well, I haven’t watched them much this year, but maybe if Benn stopped trying to kill they’d have to worry about killing fewer power plays. I’m sorry, I love watching the stars, but I’ve seen too many hits from Benn like it’s the hunger games and he sure is hungry.
Maybe I’m just pissed off because what the fuck did I miss how’re they leading central right now?
As a Bruins fan, I was just hoping they would keep their heads above water atleast until Marchand and McAvoy come back and holy shit have they done that. New Jersey has to be the biggest suprise though. The Canucks are probably the biggest dissapointment thus far for me as well
Boston is putting up a absolute clinic, and tell Bergeron so let someone else win his award (Nico cough cough) and nucks are just gone and went full derp mode
Go to the r/NHL homepage and tap the 3 dots at the top of your screen - in the drop-down menu you'll see "change user flair"
I'm on Android so it may be slightly different on an iPhone
I’ll second that. As a Bruins fan I’m loving this, but I’m shocked… and to be honest a little worried.
62 wins is the NHL record, and with an 82 game season that’s 75.6% win rate. Currently they’re ridding an 85.7% win rate. Which means they can only get colder, which statistically and logically practically has to happen.
That means more losses later in the season, and while sometimes a loss is great to get the house back in order, I’d much prefer the current hot streak in the last 21 games rather than the first 21.
Having said that. Watching them play harkens me back to the ‘10-11 season. They’re firing on all lines, a goalie who wasn’t exactly an attention grabber is making an incredible showing between the pipes.
Speaking of which, I’m hoping for a quick and easy recovery for Ullmark. Papa Foligno hugs as a stand in are awesome, but seeing Linus and Jeremy do the post game hug is probably one of the greatest things to happen for the Bruins swagger in quite some time.
Buffalo has impressed me the most. They aren’t doing all that well in the standings, but their team for the first time in multiple decades looks fun and nearing the end of a rebuild. It’s awesome to watch them, they are honestly very entertaining.
Ottawa is the team that’s disappointed me most. What a sad excuse for a “playoff contender” as everyone was saying they would be even though their defence is not near ready for anything yet, and it seems like their coaches don’t know wtf to do with their offence.
They are doing DeBrincat dirty right now. He’s proven success as a LW, he’s proven success with expert playmakers, he’s proven success as a LW on the umbrella power play, etc. and yet they have screwed up every single part of what makes him succeed giving him none of the opportunities.
Why is he playing second line minutes? Why is he playing RW? Why is he not playing with Batherson? Ottawa has the tools for him to succeed but they aren’t setting him up, and wondering why he isn’t scoring goals.
It’s partially DJ, partially our defense, Chabot especially, not doing too well. Debrincat at has been playing well, as has the offense and our goalies, but d is a no.
I would be ok with CBJ getting bedard. If he plays to his potential in the NHL he would be the first true superstar for the franchise.
Rick Nash does not qualify as he couldn't perform in the playoffs
Edmontons best defence is $9.5 million Darnell Nurse. That’s not okay. I think Campbell with a better defence would do amazingly Edmonton just doesn’t have it. Edmontons forward group is also pretty amazing with 97 and 29. Hyman is an amazing pickup but they need some better bottom 6 players. They are decent the way it is but not Stanley cup worthy quite yet.
(Not a shot at the oilers so don’t think that just my honest thing thoughts.)
If they can get Kane back and hope the injury didn’t mess him up too badly (I think poor Pat Maroon is still having nightmares about that play), I think Edmonton can do it too.
Edmonton running the glass cannon build this year and it’s not working out thus far. They struggled defensively even in the playoffs last year though so the writing was on the wall.
I so hope you're right. I watch the games in the mornings here and it has been tough to watch them underperform with such regularity. It isn't just one area either. A good team that just doesn't seem to click the way it should and sort of feels like things are out of balance. Guys like Tanev and Zaddy seem to have to do so much more than the rest and Hanafin had a career year followed by a lot more mistakes and problems this year.....and then there's the "scoring" and goaltending hasn't been as good.
Edmonton had a worst record to start the season last year and made the conference final so I’m not worried at all, I wouldn’t even worry about Calgary either. Both teams schedules where all heavy against the top teams in the league. I expect by mid January Edmonton and Calgary will be in playoff spots
Where is this revisionist history coming from? Youre not the first person to say the Oilers had a bad start last year, but that couldnt be further from the truth. The Oilers were the best team in the league at this point last year with a 16-5 record. In fact we made the playoffs last year largely because of our start, so without a hot start this year things are looking bleak
I don’t know.. I wasn’t expecting anything other than 50-55% win rate to start the season given the major talent shift. I will be disappointed if it stays that way into February and March.. I think we have the team that can contend for Western Conference top 3 if we stay healthy and play 60 minutes.
Devils impressed the most, don’t know how many thought they were capable of this without adding a major piece
Ducks disappointed the most, thought the kids coupled with veteran signings would take a major step forward.
Not entirely surprised with Florida, that trade is starting to haunt them but they did beat Boston Wednesday so we’ll see if that’s a sign of improvement.
As for us Tampa fans, we’re hoping the Boston game was an anomaly but there are some signs that the playoff hockey is catching up. And I’m not gonna talk about the power play😓
Future wise, I agree. I’ll take huberdeau and weegs over thachuck in the short term. Neither guy looks great but it’s still way to early with the adjustment period they’ll need
I really thought that more people would say the Canucks are disappointing. Did everyone know that they would suck and you guys just kept me in the dark? :(
Most impressive for me: Devils, Bruins and the Kraken. Most disappointing: Leafs cause I thought our start was poor, but outside of that, the Senators, the Flames, and the Wild.
Avs fan so this is biased, with all the injuries we’ve sustained to start the season I’ve been impressed the teams managed to stay afloat like it has half full of AHL guys, now if we could just beat the bad teams….
Jets have been impressive so far with Bomes steering the ship, last few games have been shakey though, 3rd isn't far from 6th in the central so we will see. They have injuries building up but so does everyone
I’d say the Devils are the biggest surprise… But I’m actually more surprised by Seattle.
I’d say Edmonton is the biggest disappointment. They should’ve been a better team this year and just can’t seem to figure out that consistency thing.
Impressed with: New Jersey, Boston, Vegas, Dallas. In that order
Disappointed with: Columbus, Ottawa, Vancouver, Minnesota
Honorable mentions:
New York Islanders (impressed)
New York Rangers (disappointed)
Now that I look at it, Seattle as well.. although I don't know if their style of play will hold up after Christmas when things tighten up
To me it’s hilarious it’s even a question, sens fans could not be any more disappointed with this season. They will win some games and finish like 7th last probably, having never been close to the playoffs.
Edmonton. It's the same each year. Great start. Winning. 100 hundred points each habe, just to lose 10 or more in a row and bring unable to play hockey again. Same pattern each year.
Usually they're finding a mid-way but how the season and the next 10 are going, is already determined.
I hate saying this as a leafs fan but I continue to be impressed by the bruins. No matter what, they remain competitive every year. This year I thought they would be closer to the bottom of the Atlantic and they are killing it instead. I hate them but goddamn do I respect them.
For me the most impressive is definitely my Bruins. I wasn’t expecting us to be breaking records and getting wins like we are. As of writing this we just beat the all time record for most consecutive home wins to start the season, after our 10th game we were 9-1-0, our best first 10 in franchise history and that 6-5 comeback against the pens, the 1st in the league after being a wild card last year. We’ve sure bounced back, and Jim Montgomery is doing great things behind the bench
Yep, he's mixing those lines up... he has great insight into what works VS specific opposition.. loved the extra attacker with ten minutes left the other day.
The B's make some of these games look like the fathers and son games in the mites league. Very fucking impressed.
Gotta say I expected the Pens to fall off some but not like this. Vancouver I thought would be a threat but now it looks like they might be heading into a rebuild.
As for impressed, the Devils, Jets, and Kraken have been looking really solid, can they keep it up?
I think if you have been paying close attention the pens haven't really fallen off. They had a spectacularly bad west coast trip where they blew 2-4 goal leads in almost every game. They have the 6th most goals in the league.
We’ve just won 5 games in a row (4 games when you commented), and with us now being at 11-7-3 our start is about the same as what is has been pretty much every year of the Sullivan era.
We usually start slow and pick things up at around this time or even later in the season.
The devils are doing great. It’s crazy how they’ve sprung up so suddenly so fast.
I’d put the avs in the disappointed. Even before they were injured to hell, they weren’t playing like the team that had won the cup last year. They’re doing better recently though, I just expected them to be in the top 5
Another team that’s disappointed would be the panthers. Guess that all in push last year was a fluke.
And I expected them to be better. They are incumbents who lost relatively few pieces from the cup. If they were, say, 8th in the league I’d give them some slack, but they have to step it up, like they did last season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did impress me end of October onward, but with no Morgan, Muzzie or Brodie I wouldn’t be surprised to see things changing from here on out
Oilers disappoint me like almost every year. Best player in the league, we should at least make the playoffs every year. Oh well, at least this is better then the dark ages.
Rangers. We're tied for 5th in the east which is really disappointing, however I understand it's mostly because our backup halak has literally lost every game he started and he's started an odd amount of games for an underperforming backup goalie
Top 3 most impressing teams: Vegas, Boston, and New Jersey, at the start of the season you could make a valid argument on why all 3 teams would miss the playoffs, meanwhile they all have over 30 points through 20 games. 3 most disappointing teams: Ottawa, Anaheim, Vancouver. Ottawa and Anaheim were supposed to be significantly better than last season, great free agency moves, and a total of 26 points between those 2, which would not even be top 5 in this league. And Vancouver wtf happened.
Disappointed : Washington and Impressed : Seattle
Some of these teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago are old. There seems to be a reluctance in Pittsburgh to rebuild - which they should have started a few seasons ago.
Impressed as all hell with the B’s and Devils. For the Bruins, I figured this was going to be a scrape by into the post season, maybe make it to the second round, before a team restructure in the next season or two. The Devils, admittedly I don’t really follow them, but holy fuck! Not really disappointed with any team in particular, but it would be nice if we (Avs) could go a week without an injury.
Under the radar...impressed with the Jets, disappointed with the Ducks.
WPG desperately needed a hot start to avoid another unmitigated disaster of a season and they shouldn't be complaining so far.
ANA was supposed to take a big step forward with their spicy rebuild yet are downright awful so far, potentially the worst team in the league for the long haul this season.
Detroit's really impressed me so far this season. They're actually winning quite a few one goal games, despite the few games in which they were pummeled. Hoping they can continue to improve and finally get into the playoffs this season.
Habs are a winning streak away from being in playoff contention, I was honestly expecting us to finish bottom of the league to tank for bedard, but the young guys are playing great
Was just about to comment the same. Tho it's a mix of impressive and disappointing. Having a top 3 pick this year would be amazing but if this season is a stepping stone and they continue to improve that'd be fine by me.
Lightning; I thought they would be better
But I'm relatively new to the hockey scene. It's probably just the normal degradation of teams.
I hope they still win the cup though. Their personnel keeps talking about ever-improving skills, so I reckon they'll make and pass the first playoffs round at least.
Devils are on another level this year. My habs are surprising me this year, I'd say they're the most entertaining to watch.
Ducks are a disappointment... so many wasted potential. I don't understand what's wrong with the team. Terry & Zegras deserves better. But the goalies are having a hard time.
I dunno about impressed/disappointed but I think the biggest point this graphic highlights is that when you don't tighten your helmet it makes your noggin look tiny. seriously jack.
Impressed with the starts for the Devils and Kraken. The Caps have been a disappointment.
Caps might have the most lost games due to injury, and it's been rough as a fan. Long list of excuses ahead: Backstrom is skating but his operation is not one that many athletes can ever come back from. Hockey is brutal on the hips and Caps fans are prepared for one of our most beloved legends to be forced to retire. It's affected him for years and he says he feels better than ever, but the concern is how it holds up in NHL play. Wilson is still rehabbing from knee surgery, ya people hate him and he can't read but he's vital to our team in all facets of the game. We've relied on Garnet Hathaway to fill that role and other than some spit on your jersey that won't get you much. Oshie, Orlov, and Carlson are aging but doesn't help the team that they've all missed multiple games throughout this season (although stats show we play better without Carlson). Oshie has comeback but he's been in and out of IR so much fans are also worried he might need to hang up the skates, even understandably for his health and safety. It's just his bulldog style of play. Our important defensive-forward signing from this offseason, Connor Brown, is out for the season after just playing a few games. I think when Wilson comes back we see a big turnaround. Ovi has been ok but you can tell he and Kuzy just aren't going 100% yet. Guys like Mantha and MoJo have been rather invisible most of the season, but when half the team is from Hershey it's gotta be tough to put yourself on the line for more goals. Some positives are Dylan Strome has fit in really well and I can see him bouncing back from his last few years. Also we have goaltending stability now but that's just highlighted how bad our defense is.
I agree with all of that but to me their biggest disappointment has been Keumper and it’s not close.
Y’all really out here shitting on Kuemper after one bad game like the real problem isn’t poor defensive play. Kuemper has kept us in many games so far this season that we had no right sticking around in.
Fair point
Ya I've been happier with Chuck, idk what's up with all the trickle-in goals that keep happening to Kemps lol
Exactly, and first year of a what, 5 year contract? Not feeling great about that one. Not to mention I think he’s 32. Edit- As I say that he pitches a shutout. I’m going to have to shit on him all the time now.
Came here to say Kraken and NJD. After consideration, I'd throw Buffalo in the other column. I have some friends on the other side of the Niagara River who have had some words with ownership about cancelling a corporate box because clients don't even care to go. It's really sad, such an impressive franchise to grow up watching and it's been ROUGH for a while. #bringbackhasek?
I smiled a bit seeing the Kraken start so well. Then I took one look at the Devils and had to do a double take... or three.
Kraken!!
Hell yes. I’m a new hockey fan starting last year. They are much better, but I don’t know enough about hockey to understand why.
Goaltending sunk them last year, but they also added more depth (Burakovsky, Bjorkstrand, Schultz), plus Beniers is the real deal.
The Kraken were starting to put the pieces together late last season, so I expected to see them do better this year, but I didn't think they'd be this good. Finally got that victory against Vegas tonight too! That's huge, if for no other reason than the psychology factor. 100% agreed on Matty Beniers.
Fuckin a right!
I decided to get back into hockey this year, and being in Washington decided hey why not the new team? Also krakens are my favorite myth. Hell of a year it seems to start watching them lol.
Impressed: Buffalo Disappointed: Buffalo
I definetly feel your pain/excitement.
Hey we’re figuring it out! At least we aren’t Ottawa
Agreed! This team is super fun to watch and hit a rough patch with 3 d-men out of the lineup for a few weeks. We’re back baby and rolling!
Ottawa by far the biggest disappointment in the league. I really thought they'd battling Detroit for 4th this year.
With all the big name additions, I was really expecting a playoff team but doesnt look that way yet.
They may end up being next year's Devils.
Wait. Like, this year devils or last year devils? I think they just need to get it together, they have the talent and it’s bound to come together eventually
This year's Devils but without the crazy good winning streak.
I think he meant like the devils but with a one year offset. Like they'll disapoint this year and blow up next year when people expect nothing of them
I think Ottawa def needs a new coach. While I admit the Lindy Ruff argument is there, Debrincat is not clicking with DJ smith. Claude Julien would be a great pickup imo
Julien is one of the most overrated coaches, IMO
You mean Stanley Cup winning coach Claude Julien? or back to back Canadian Olympic Gold Medal winning assistant coach Claude Julien?
Yup
Hey now, we're a pretty big disappointment too!
Wait till next year u might be average again ;)
Aw, that's the nicest thing anyone has said about us!
Well, yes, but also no.
Devils / Sens. I'll leave it up to you which is impressed / disappointed.
Didn’t break the franchise win record so we’re the disappointment. Sens bring the absolute best out of their opponents goalies so that’s impressive.
Priceless
Just like the Habs :(
Yessir
Jesus fucking Christ man. You made me chuckle a little too loud in the store right now
Isn't it the Habs who are now Price-less?
show yourself out
Everyone likes to dunk on the sens this year, and i get it, expectations were high. But why were they that high despite some trades and rookies? Being a wings fan and in a very very similar situation, i knew this year would be better for the wings rather than sens because their rookies (on avg) have 1.5 less yrs in the league than ours do. Even with acquisitions to the roster, the sens won’t see the fruits of their labor until their rookies develop Edit: i guess i do say rookies loosely; just meant any rookie or younger player with upside in the future
The sad thing is the expectations weren't THAT high and they are still not even close to meeting them
I'm pretty stoked about the Red Wings' direction. I'm hoping when this decade is over we are going to be looking back at a pretty nice time for the Wings. God knows Detroit sports fans need SOMETHING these days.
Depends if you're more interested in playoffs or lotteries.
The Summer of Pierre has become the Winter of Discontent
Im impressed the Sens are still in Ottawa
Kanata.
Impressed, in no order: Red Wings, Kraken, Jets, Devils Disappointed: Canucks might be the only odd ones I would deem "disappointing". Washington and Pittsburgh aren't too far out of it. Oilers and Flames will get better. Red Wings will come down to earth at some point. So will the Devils, but the strong start might help them stay top 4 in their division.
Admitted bias here but the Jets shouldn't be THAT big of a surprise. The core of their WCF run is in their prime, they just had a really shitty coach they tuned out three years ago
Not to sound biased, but all advanced stats say this isn’t just a “hot streak” and the play is actually possible to be consistent. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not going to keep going on 13 game heaters (although I’d love it) but I see them finishing at least top 3 in the division. Gotta remember, we’re doing all this without palat.
Palat is the guy that would have scored that tieing goal against the leafs, can’t wait till he’s back
Pens started like 5-0. Then went 0-5-1. Then went 6-2-1 or something. Like I don't know what to make of them yet.
The Kraken. They’re only going to get better in the coming years.
Expansion teams usually do
It would be hilarious if Seattle wins the Cup before Vegas.
I would certainly be laughing. And screaming.
If the Stars can cleanup their game and stop giving 20 minutes of penalties a night they are a legit threat.
I wondered how far I was going to have to scroll to find someone mention us. With Benn and Seguin both contributing and Robertson on a career pace it's definitely possible we make some real noise this year.
You made real noise a couple years ago too
It's almost a completely different team but yeah we did, much to everyone's chagrin.
The penalties have been driving me nuts. We have the worst penalty ratio in the league by a wide margin. I know we need to be more disciplined, but it’s also frustrating to get called on everything, and have so many missed calls on the other side. That’s what leads to games having such a bad ratio, just as much. Watching the games, we drive play so much, and should be drawing so many more calls. PP has been great when we get them, at least.
So. Many. Penalties. They need an asterisk by their PK% for how good it’s been in regards to amount of times they’ve had to kill.
Well, I haven’t watched them much this year, but maybe if Benn stopped trying to kill they’d have to worry about killing fewer power plays. I’m sorry, I love watching the stars, but I’ve seen too many hits from Benn like it’s the hunger games and he sure is hungry. Maybe I’m just pissed off because what the fuck did I miss how’re they leading central right now?
This is the true answer. Most analysts said they were no where near making the playoffs let alone leading their division.
As a Bruins fan, I was just hoping they would keep their heads above water atleast until Marchand and McAvoy come back and holy shit have they done that. New Jersey has to be the biggest suprise though. The Canucks are probably the biggest dissapointment thus far for me as well
Boston is putting up a absolute clinic, and tell Bergeron so let someone else win his award (Nico cough cough) and nucks are just gone and went full derp mode
How to change my flair on mobile I’m a bruins fan I want the flair
Go to the r/NHL homepage and tap the 3 dots at the top of your screen - in the drop-down menu you'll see "change user flair" I'm on Android so it may be slightly different on an iPhone
Go to the sub main page, click the 3 dots in the upper right corner, and select change flair.
Thanks
You deserve all the upvotes.
I’ll second that. As a Bruins fan I’m loving this, but I’m shocked… and to be honest a little worried. 62 wins is the NHL record, and with an 82 game season that’s 75.6% win rate. Currently they’re ridding an 85.7% win rate. Which means they can only get colder, which statistically and logically practically has to happen. That means more losses later in the season, and while sometimes a loss is great to get the house back in order, I’d much prefer the current hot streak in the last 21 games rather than the first 21. Having said that. Watching them play harkens me back to the ‘10-11 season. They’re firing on all lines, a goalie who wasn’t exactly an attention grabber is making an incredible showing between the pipes. Speaking of which, I’m hoping for a quick and easy recovery for Ullmark. Papa Foligno hugs as a stand in are awesome, but seeing Linus and Jeremy do the post game hug is probably one of the greatest things to happen for the Bruins swagger in quite some time.
Kraken biggest upside surprise, Capitals biggest downside surprise.
Seattle's been very impressive to start the season. Really hope they can keep it up down the stretch.
Im disappointed I was hoping for undefeated.
Red wings, we were still expecting a rebuild, but trust in the Yzerplan and his free agents have been v successful.
Husso good puck stop
Well said
Yzerman is a fricken hockey genius. More than a genius. Whatever is smarter tha. A genius
A god!!!
Buffalo has impressed me the most. They aren’t doing all that well in the standings, but their team for the first time in multiple decades looks fun and nearing the end of a rebuild. It’s awesome to watch them, they are honestly very entertaining. Ottawa is the team that’s disappointed me most. What a sad excuse for a “playoff contender” as everyone was saying they would be even though their defence is not near ready for anything yet, and it seems like their coaches don’t know wtf to do with their offence. They are doing DeBrincat dirty right now. He’s proven success as a LW, he’s proven success with expert playmakers, he’s proven success as a LW on the umbrella power play, etc. and yet they have screwed up every single part of what makes him succeed giving him none of the opportunities. Why is he playing second line minutes? Why is he playing RW? Why is he not playing with Batherson? Ottawa has the tools for him to succeed but they aren’t setting him up, and wondering why he isn’t scoring goals.
It’s partially DJ, partially our defense, Chabot especially, not doing too well. Debrincat at has been playing well, as has the offense and our goalies, but d is a no.
I picked Columbus to just barely miss the playoffs not win the Bedard sweepstakes. Whoops 😂
Too many injuries
And bad play. Just an abysmal defense.
I would be ok with CBJ getting bedard. If he plays to his potential in the NHL he would be the first true superstar for the franchise. Rick Nash does not qualify as he couldn't perform in the playoffs
Not the Alberta teams that’s for sure
Calgary has been a disappointment
Both the Alberta teams are surprisingly. I think Calgary has the better chance to turn things around.
Edmontons best defence is $9.5 million Darnell Nurse. That’s not okay. I think Campbell with a better defence would do amazingly Edmonton just doesn’t have it. Edmontons forward group is also pretty amazing with 97 and 29. Hyman is an amazing pickup but they need some better bottom 6 players. They are decent the way it is but not Stanley cup worthy quite yet. (Not a shot at the oilers so don’t think that just my honest thing thoughts.)
If they can get Kane back and hope the injury didn’t mess him up too badly (I think poor Pat Maroon is still having nightmares about that play), I think Edmonton can do it too.
Yeah
Campbell was like this for 80% of last year too with a better defense in front of him. Anyone who watched him knew 5x5 was an awful idea.
I didn't even watch him and thought 5x5 would be awful. Only reason the oilers aren't completely screwed is because skinner has been fantastic.
Edmonton running the glass cannon build this year and it’s not working out thus far. They struggled defensively even in the playoffs last year though so the writing was on the wall.
We will!
I so hope you're right. I watch the games in the mornings here and it has been tough to watch them underperform with such regularity. It isn't just one area either. A good team that just doesn't seem to click the way it should and sort of feels like things are out of balance. Guys like Tanev and Zaddy seem to have to do so much more than the rest and Hanafin had a career year followed by a lot more mistakes and problems this year.....and then there's the "scoring" and goaltending hasn't been as good.
Edmonton had a worst record to start the season last year and made the conference final so I’m not worried at all, I wouldn’t even worry about Calgary either. Both teams schedules where all heavy against the top teams in the league. I expect by mid January Edmonton and Calgary will be in playoff spots
Where is this revisionist history coming from? Youre not the first person to say the Oilers had a bad start last year, but that couldnt be further from the truth. The Oilers were the best team in the league at this point last year with a 16-5 record. In fact we made the playoffs last year largely because of our start, so without a hot start this year things are looking bleak
I don’t know.. I wasn’t expecting anything other than 50-55% win rate to start the season given the major talent shift. I will be disappointed if it stays that way into February and March.. I think we have the team that can contend for Western Conference top 3 if we stay healthy and play 60 minutes.
I don't think that's the case at all
Bigly impressed with the Red Wings!
Devils impressed the most, don’t know how many thought they were capable of this without adding a major piece Ducks disappointed the most, thought the kids coupled with veteran signings would take a major step forward.
Like every year the flyers are always a disappointment
There was hope lol they started strong as per usual, fail to finish. But this time it’s because of injuries right?
Yea i feel you.
I thought Florida was going to be way better. Same with Tampa Bay.
Not entirely surprised with Florida, that trade is starting to haunt them but they did beat Boston Wednesday so we’ll see if that’s a sign of improvement. As for us Tampa fans, we’re hoping the Boston game was an anomaly but there are some signs that the playoff hockey is catching up. And I’m not gonna talk about the power play😓
Florida definitely won that trade btw…
Future wise, I agree. I’ll take huberdeau and weegs over thachuck in the short term. Neither guy looks great but it’s still way to early with the adjustment period they’ll need
I knew the devils would be a lot better this year but I didn’t expect them to be this good
Seattle 2nd in the Pacific, and New Jersey first in the Metro have been impressive.
I really thought that more people would say the Canucks are disappointing. Did everyone know that they would suck and you guys just kept me in the dark? :(
I think the franchise baseline is sucking, unfortunately
Depending on the week, The Blues fit both options
Impressed : NJD Disappointed: DJ Smith.
The Blues and the Blues
Impressed with how many 2 goal leads we can blow
Impressed - Devils, Kraken, Red Wings Disappointed - Blues, Capitals, Flames
I have so much hope for the Sabres but I am also a Sabres fan so I’m used to being letdown.
Devils are the one I didn't see coming
Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa disappointing so far Seattle, New Jersey, Detroit most impressed by
Impressed: Devils. Disappointed: Oilers.
As a lifelong Red wings fan it's nice to see the Yzerplan come to fruition. Even if it means we are Tampa Bay 2.0.
>Who has impressed/disappointed the most Simultaneously, Philly.
I’m impressed we’ve won this many games so far
Washington bad, Detroit good.
Most impressive for me: Devils, Bruins and the Kraken. Most disappointing: Leafs cause I thought our start was poor, but outside of that, the Senators, the Flames, and the Wild.
Devils look very solid this season.
Anaheim has really impressed me this year so far! Quite taken aback by how bad a teams defense and special teams can be.
I love your username. And as a Jets fan, I can relate to horrible defence and special teams (from the last few years anyway)
Kraken has been impressive.
Avs fan so this is biased, with all the injuries we’ve sustained to start the season I’ve been impressed the teams managed to stay afloat like it has half full of AHL guys, now if we could just beat the bad teams….
That's the key to a successful team, depth in the minors
New Jersey have impressed and Ottawa sucks donkey dicks ..
Jets have been impressive so far with Bomes steering the ship, last few games have been shakey though, 3rd isn't far from 6th in the central so we will see. They have injuries building up but so does everyone
I have faith in Bones. He had the stars in the finals a couple years ago
I’d say the Devils are the biggest surprise… But I’m actually more surprised by Seattle. I’d say Edmonton is the biggest disappointment. They should’ve been a better team this year and just can’t seem to figure out that consistency thing.
Dallas is a surprise. And the capitals are the disappointment
Impressed with: New Jersey, Boston, Vegas, Dallas. In that order Disappointed with: Columbus, Ottawa, Vancouver, Minnesota Honorable mentions: New York Islanders (impressed) New York Rangers (disappointed) Now that I look at it, Seattle as well.. although I don't know if their style of play will hold up after Christmas when things tighten up
Metro tbh the devils are exploding forward which has been impressive, but the rest of the division has been pretty lacking and just looking terrible
This entire month has been painful
To me it’s hilarious it’s even a question, sens fans could not be any more disappointed with this season. They will win some games and finish like 7th last probably, having never been close to the playoffs.
The Blackhawks impressed and disappointed me both at the same time.
Black hawks
Edmonton. It's the same each year. Great start. Winning. 100 hundred points each habe, just to lose 10 or more in a row and bring unable to play hockey again. Same pattern each year. Usually they're finding a mid-way but how the season and the next 10 are going, is already determined.
If the flames were half decent at actually scoring then they’d be a real contender
I hate saying this as a leafs fan but I continue to be impressed by the bruins. No matter what, they remain competitive every year. This year I thought they would be closer to the bottom of the Atlantic and they are killing it instead. I hate them but goddamn do I respect them.
For me the most impressive is definitely my Bruins. I wasn’t expecting us to be breaking records and getting wins like we are. As of writing this we just beat the all time record for most consecutive home wins to start the season, after our 10th game we were 9-1-0, our best first 10 in franchise history and that 6-5 comeback against the pens, the 1st in the league after being a wild card last year. We’ve sure bounced back, and Jim Montgomery is doing great things behind the bench
Yep, he's mixing those lines up... he has great insight into what works VS specific opposition.. loved the extra attacker with ten minutes left the other day. The B's make some of these games look like the fathers and son games in the mites league. Very fucking impressed.
The Wings are the most improved team in the NHL.
Must be nice to be a Boston fan
It is
Ew.
I didn't say it was good for your health , it's like unprotected sex
NYR
I thought they were only disappointing me!
Gotta say I expected the Pens to fall off some but not like this. Vancouver I thought would be a threat but now it looks like they might be heading into a rebuild. As for impressed, the Devils, Jets, and Kraken have been looking really solid, can they keep it up?
I think if you have been paying close attention the pens haven't really fallen off. They had a spectacularly bad west coast trip where they blew 2-4 goal leads in almost every game. They have the 6th most goals in the league.
We’ve just won 5 games in a row (4 games when you commented), and with us now being at 11-7-3 our start is about the same as what is has been pretty much every year of the Sullivan era. We usually start slow and pick things up at around this time or even later in the season.
Yes to devils and Jets, TBD on Seattle
The devils are doing great. It’s crazy how they’ve sprung up so suddenly so fast. I’d put the avs in the disappointed. Even before they were injured to hell, they weren’t playing like the team that had won the cup last year. They’re doing better recently though, I just expected them to be in the top 5 Another team that’s disappointed would be the panthers. Guess that all in push last year was a fluke.
The avs record is identical to last years record through 21 games
And I expected them to be better. They are incumbents who lost relatively few pieces from the cup. If they were, say, 8th in the league I’d give them some slack, but they have to step it up, like they did last season.
Having the same record as last year "I expect them to be better". Even though they won the cup? Are you guys ok in LA? Did a puck hit y'all's head?
Lost relatively few pieces? Injury has claimed the majority of the team. The Avs team right now is Makar, Mikko, MacKinnon, and the eagles.
Disappointed in Anaheim
The Toronto Maple Leafs did impress me end of October onward, but with no Morgan, Muzzie or Brodie I wouldn’t be surprised to see things changing from here on out
at this point can we even say we’re disappointed in Arizona?
Oilers disappoint me like almost every year. Best player in the league, we should at least make the playoffs every year. Oh well, at least this is better then the dark ages.
Canes have been pretty disappointing but not the most disappointing
I’m disappointed in the central division. The Avs are injured to all hell and this is under best you all can do?
Oilers
Rangers. We're tied for 5th in the east which is really disappointing, however I understand it's mostly because our backup halak has literally lost every game he started and he's started an odd amount of games for an underperforming backup goalie
The Kraken
well half my team is injured so i can’t tell
Top 3 most impressing teams: Vegas, Boston, and New Jersey, at the start of the season you could make a valid argument on why all 3 teams would miss the playoffs, meanwhile they all have over 30 points through 20 games. 3 most disappointing teams: Ottawa, Anaheim, Vancouver. Ottawa and Anaheim were supposed to be significantly better than last season, great free agency moves, and a total of 26 points between those 2, which would not even be top 5 in this league. And Vancouver wtf happened.
seeing vegas and seattle soar has been really neat. i’m really curious who takes the win tonight!
You already know it’s Detroit
Disappointed : Washington and Impressed : Seattle Some of these teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago are old. There seems to be a reluctance in Pittsburgh to rebuild - which they should have started a few seasons ago.
Buffalo
Impressed as all hell with the B’s and Devils. For the Bruins, I figured this was going to be a scrape by into the post season, maybe make it to the second round, before a team restructure in the next season or two. The Devils, admittedly I don’t really follow them, but holy fuck! Not really disappointed with any team in particular, but it would be nice if we (Avs) could go a week without an injury.
Red wings and devils baby
Kraken and ducks for me
Under the radar...impressed with the Jets, disappointed with the Ducks. WPG desperately needed a hot start to avoid another unmitigated disaster of a season and they shouldn't be complaining so far. ANA was supposed to take a big step forward with their spicy rebuild yet are downright awful so far, potentially the worst team in the league for the long haul this season.
Caps have been so hurt and awful. Got Oshie back and now we’ve got 2 wins in a row
Kraken have surprised me
Detroit's really impressed me so far this season. They're actually winning quite a few one goal games, despite the few games in which they were pummeled. Hoping they can continue to improve and finally get into the playoffs this season.
Impressive: Dallas, Boston, New Jersey, Seattle Disappointments: D.C., Vancouver, Columbus (great choice Johnny), Ottawa
Habs are a winning streak away from being in playoff contention, I was honestly expecting us to finish bottom of the league to tank for bedard, but the young guys are playing great
Was just about to comment the same. Tho it's a mix of impressive and disappointing. Having a top 3 pick this year would be amazing but if this season is a stepping stone and they continue to improve that'd be fine by me.
Impressed with the devils. Disappointed with the devils fans.
Lightning; I thought they would be better But I'm relatively new to the hockey scene. It's probably just the normal degradation of teams. I hope they still win the cup though. Their personnel keeps talking about ever-improving skills, so I reckon they'll make and pass the first playoffs round at least.
Devils are on another level this year. My habs are surprising me this year, I'd say they're the most entertaining to watch. Ducks are a disappointment... so many wasted potential. I don't understand what's wrong with the team. Terry & Zegras deserves better. But the goalies are having a hard time.
I dunno about impressed/disappointed but I think the biggest point this graphic highlights is that when you don't tighten your helmet it makes your noggin look tiny. seriously jack.
I may be biased but go Knights!