We’re two weeks into the season. Are you aware what to imagine?
Most likely not, except you’re delusional. A typical NHL season doesn’t tip its hand this early, and can even toss a couple of decoys our option to throw us off the scent of what’s actually happening. No one must be fairly positive what they imagine, except it’s you guys having zero faith in Sam Reinhart — who leads the league in scoring, by the way in which.
So no, I’m not fairly positive what I’m shopping for into but. However I’m beginning to slim down the record, which is the place we’ll begin with this week’s bonus 5.
Bonus 5: Early tales that I’m not shopping for, not less than not but
5. The Flames are good! — The Flames are already shaping up as one of many nice “no person believed in us” tales lately (though only for the document, Flames followers, you didn’t believe in them either). You may’t complain a few .900 factors share, however that doesn’t imply it’s a must to assume Calgary is a playoff workforce. It’s not. Until it’s, however test again in a month.
4. The Avalanche are unhealthy! — Whereas they do drop out of this week’s high 5, that has extra to do with different groups making a case for consideration than the Avalanche dropping out of rivalry; if the record had been a high 10, they’d nonetheless be solidly on it. The goaltending is a priority, completely. However there’s an excessive amount of expertise right here for me to even consider writing them off, and even reducing my expectations all that a lot.
3. The Canucks are meh! — Wait, can you utilize an exclamation level with “meh”? I’m undecided you possibly can. However whereas I’m not anticipating the Canucks to have the form of everything-goes-in begin to the season they did final yr, I feel they’ve been positive given Thatcher Demko is out of the lineup and Elias Pettersson is taking part in like he’s. Certain, you’d desire a bit greater than positive, but it surely’s early and I’m not involved.
2. Filip Gustavsson has as many objectives as Connor Bedard, Jake Guentzel, Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin — I predict this is not going to be the case on the finish of the yr. Should credit score me if I’m right. Additionally, this was simply an excuse to remind you goalie objectives are the good.
1. The Wild being within the Central combine — Gustavsson’s workforce is one in all 4 left and not using a regulation loss, and there’s motive to imagine this year may be different. However whereas 3-0-2 is spectacular, two of these wins got here in opposition to the Blue Jackets. They did beat the Blues, and bought some extent in opposition to the unbeatable Jets, however I’m not offered but. Perhaps this week will do it, as a protracted highway journey continues with stops in Dawn and Tampa Bay.
A number of stuff you’ll discover I didn’t point out, as a result of I’m already beginning to discover myself nodding alongside: The Jets being one of many league’s higher groups, Nikita Kucherov trying like a Rocket Richard winner, Utah being the league’s most entertaining watch, Evgeni Malkin going late-career beast mode, and the Flyers and Sabres being unhealthy. However I’ll take one other week on these.
For now, let’s get to this week’s rankings.
Street to the Cup
The 5 groups with the very best probabilities of profitable the Stanley Cup.
Fairly clear-cut spotlight of the weekend proper right here:
Goalies, man. pic.twitter.com/s9gyhAbLP5
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 20, 2024
Goaltenders: Being bizarre and surprisingly uncoordinated since 1873.
5. New Jersey Devils (5-2-1, +7 true objectives differential*) — The Avalanche aren’t being banished; think about this extra of a timeout. This spot got here all the way down to the Jets and the Devils, and I made a decision to go together with New Jersey after enthusiastic about it for 10 seconds. For those who assume that’s not sufficient time, Nico Hischier disagrees.
4. Edmonton Oilers (2-4-0, -12) — We’re holding our preseason favourite within the high 5, and if that appears unconscionable to you then please revisit final week’s reminder about taking the long-term view. Nonetheless, there are all kinds of causes for fear right here, particularly round goaltending and particular groups. Their numbers in these classes are so unhealthy they fairly actually can’t proceed, however there’s authentic concern right here and we will’t preserve the Oilers round perpetually. Carolina shall be a very good take a look at tomorrow.
3. New York Rangers (4-0-1, +14) — Notice to self: Don’t quit on No. 1 picks simply because they don’t mild it up of their first yr or two.
Lafrenière is the actual deal. Simply continues to construct of final yr's success pic.twitter.com/F2MtBsSa4m
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) October 19, 2024
(No probability I really be taught this lesson. Macklin Celebrini is a bum, I barely seen him all week.)
2. Florida Panthers (4-2-1, -1) — Beating a very good Golden Knights workforce with out Matthew Tkachuk or Aleksander Barkov is a pleasant signal the Panthers are again after an uneven opening week.
1. Dallas Stars (5-1-0, +8) — Even with the Oilers’ sluggish begin, Saturday’s win was a flex. Oh, they usually bought the franchise goaltender signed to an extension. Stable week.
*Targets differential with out counting shootout choices just like the NHL does for some motive.
Not ranked: Maintain that thought — We’re mixing it up this week. We’re nonetheless going to have two “not ranked” groups price carving out a while to have a look at in additional depth. However this week, we’re posting them each within the backside part, for causes that may change into obvious.
The underside 5
The 5 groups headed towards lifeless final and the very best lottery odds for James Hagen, or maybe someone else.
I’ll by no means flip down a clip of glad dad and mom.
Objective by: Joseph
Assisted by: Joseph
Watched by: Joseph and Joseph😊 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/bjbVG9LJnd
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 20, 2024
5. Montreal Canadiens (2-3-1, -4) — To this point they’ve been positive, however there’s nonetheless loads of room to get higher, as Arpon covers here.
4. Anaheim Ducks (2-2-1, -3) — We love us some good early-season trade speculation, don’t we people? Within the meantime, the Geese have been fairly strong early on, trying like a workforce able to take the subsequent step in a rebuild by not less than being aggressive.
3. Chicago Blackhawks (2-3-1, -3) — Laz has an attention-grabbing tackle Lukas Reichel, the tough path to growing younger expertise and whether or not the Hawks are screwing it all up.
2. Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3-0, 0) — In a season that was at all times more likely to be extra about growing the longer term than profitable within the current, this form of harm information is particularly powerful:
#CBJ coach Dean Evason gained’t present a timeline on injured Kent Johnson, however would say this: “It’s not brief time period.”
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 19, 2024
1. San Jose Sharks (0-4-2, -13) — Whereas there hasn’t been a ton of excellent information on the big-league roster, Yaroslav Askarov has looked great in the AHL. You work it might probably’t be lengthy till we see him because the starter in San Jose. And as soon as we do, it may be some time earlier than we see anybody else in that function.
Not ranked: Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings — Yearly, not less than a few groups get off to the form of disappointing begins that may torpedo what was alleged to be a breakout season. However solely occasionally, once we’re very fortunate, the schedule-makers serve up an early showdown between these two groups. Name it the Panic Bowl. Or simply name it a must-win. However for those who’re fortunate sufficient to not be a fan of both workforce, you seize your popcorn and watch it play out.
We bought that matchup this yr, when the 1-3-0 Crimson Wings headed to Nashville to face the 0-4-0 Predators on Saturday afternoon in a recreation so large Luke Schenn invited his whole family. For these preserving monitor, that’s two groups that each got here into the season with excessive hopes and entered the sport with one win between them. I ran by means of the numbers by means of Dom’s mannequin and it got here again with one win being not good.
The enjoyable half is that whereas each groups got here into the season with comparable expectations of enchancment, they landed there in very alternative ways. In Nashville, it was all about aggressive ambition — taking a workforce that had already made the playoffs and spending the summer time making it considerably higher. If which means stealing away different workforce’s franchise gamers on the open market, so be it. For Barry Trotz, being first-round fodder wasn’t adequate anymore in Nashville.
In Detroit? Effectively, it will be a step up for a workforce that hasn’t been within the postseason since 2016. However Steve Yzerman has been taking a decidedly totally different strategy, following a slow-and-steady constructing blueprint that’s made the Crimson Wings a bit bit higher every year since he arrived in 2019. That’s been a blended blessing, and currently, it appears like an increasingly impatient fan base is beginning to focus much less on the “higher” a part of that equation and extra on the “little bit.” This needed to be the yr they lastly made the playoffs, whether or not the GM was a franchise icon or not.
I… don’t assume the Crimson Wings are any higher.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) October 18, 2024
And but we went into the weekend with the Crimson Wings struggling and the Predators looking even worse. One workforce would get a desperately wanted win, the opposite can be plunged even additional into disaster.
And, effectively … congratulations to the Crimson Wings. They had been badly outshot however performed effectively sufficient to ice a 5-2 highway win. Full-blown disaster averted, for a couple of extra days not less than.
As for Nashville, it’s exhausting to think about a extra disastrous begin. Even trying past the ugly 0-5-0 document, this workforce is a large number. They’ve scored three or fewer in each recreation and given up three or extra in each recreation, and that doesn’t add as much as a profitable combine. Newly prolonged Juuse Saros is off to a sluggish begin. Steven Stamkos has one level. Roman Josi is minus-5. It’s unhealthy.
is there a u2 live performance that may be cancelled
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) October 19, 2024
What now? It’s the sort of begin that will get coaches fired, though with Andrew Brunette having only one season underneath his belt, that might really feel like a panic transfer. However the factor about panic strikes is usually the panic is justified. Perhaps the Predators aren’t fairly there but, however they’ve bought a tricky one in opposition to the Bruins tomorrow after which matchups in opposition to the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets during which they’ll be favorites. If it turns into one other misplaced week, issues may be trying very ugly certainly by subsequent week’s rankings.
(Picture of Justin Kirkland scoring his first NHL purpose: Leila Devlin / Getty Photographs)
