The NHL is about a quarter of the way into the season and things are starting to settle down and even out. Teams are starting to fall into the placing they were expected to be before the season began. San Jose is atop the Western Conference standings and the Colorado Avalanche, although still high in the standings, are beginning to descend. This article will take a look at some early season trends that will likely continue throughout the season, rather than go back to what they were expected to be.
Ottawa Senators Success
The Senators were expected to be a bubble team this year, with the majority of experts slotting them in the 8 – 10 range. Currently they are 3rd in the Easter Conference, because they are leading the Northeast division in points. I expect this to continue for many reasons. The first reason is because the Northeast division is currently the worst division in hockey. Toronto and Montreal are horrible, Boston is average and the Sabres are coming down after a great start. The fact that the Senators get to play the Maple Leafs and Habs 6 games each this season will surely help their record. The second reason is that the scoring is spread out. With Heatley out and Michalek and Kovalev in the Senators have added much more depth and have spread their scoring away from the Heatley – Spezza – Alfredsson trio. Spezza’s production has gone down because of this, but the team’s production as a whole has increased.
Gaborik’s Scoring Prowess
Gaborik has 18 goals and 32 points in 21 games so far for the New York Rangers. Everyone knew he was capable of numbers like this, but his injury problems the last few years have kept him from achieving this success. If Gaborik can stay healthy, he is so dynamic and powerful that his output of 1.5 points per game should continue throughout the season.
Phoenix Coyotes Moderate Success
Phoenix was on everyones list to be in the bottom 3 in the league this season, but so far they have 27 points in 24 games and are battling for a playoff spot in the West. Bryzgalov has played quite well and you can expect this to continue because he is a solid number one goalie in this league. The team is meshing quite well and the absence of Wayne Gretzky for the presence of a real coach might be exactly what this team needed to get on track. I expect the Coyotes to continue to push and be on the bubble after 82 games, possibly snagging one of the final playoff positions in the West.
Dany Heatley
Heatley was enemy number one in Ottawa, but he is now a goal scoring hero in San Jose. Heatley has 18 goals in 25 games and is on pace for 59 this season. Playing with Joe Thornton has sparked both of them to a great start and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Heatley continue this pace and at least break 50 goals this year, if not 60.
There are some trends that I feel will continue this year in the NHL. I guess we can check back when the season has been completed to see if I’m correct.
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