16 Thoughts, 2019 first quarter edition
Nov 5, 2019 4:07:16 GMT
Josh - Dallas, Dave - Calgary, and 3 more like this
Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2019 4:07:16 GMT
2019-20 DHL Season
First-quarter review
We are sort of almost one-quarter of the way through the season. There are some surprises (hello Buffalo), and some not so surprises (hello, Rangers), and for sure there are some things to say. So lets get to our 16 thoughts, early season edition, starting in the Atlantic, where…
1. Buffalo might be the surprise of the early season
The perennial okay but not good enough to even get the 8th seed team Buffalo Sabres have started off the season with a bang. They didn’t change anything up, it’s the same team as in years past, and yet the Sabres sit in 6th after dismantling Ottawa in week 4, 11-1. That makes it 3 wins out of 4 weeks, with the only loss a close battle with the Rangers in New York in week 2. Lou has gotten our hopes up before, but this feels like he might be sincere for once, unlike in ….
2. Minnesota, with no rebuild on the horizon
Peter spent the offseason telling everyone he was dismantling the team and starting a rebuild. He even offered to trade franchises and take on some other poor sucker’s mess. Neither of those things have happened, and the Wild just keep chugging along with its all-star team of superheroes. All that posturing, and the guy can’t even trade Ovechkin? Its enough to make you sick, which may be what Jets fans are feeling in….
3. Winnipeg, where the curtain has been pulled
The Jets won week 1, which is pretty amazing considering they didn’t win a week until the last quarter of last year. It was against New Jersey, sure, but just being in a position to win the first week was uplifting for Jets fans. Things were looking good on the praries. Then a pretty bad Leafs team beat them in week 2, and the Senators and Blues took turns pummelling them in weeks 3 and 4, and suddenly the Jets are right back at the bottom, along with …
4. Toronto, failing far behind the Atlantic
The Leafs have one win so far. It was against the Jets. After a 12-2 pasting by the Rangers and a 13-1 beatdown by Montreal, Toronto is so far down the cellar in the Atlantic as to be an afterthought. This is about the most disappointing start to the season that could have been imagined by the Leafs faithful, after Tyler took the team on a spending spree all summer cashing in futures for aging veterans in a hope of competing in a tough division, similar to …
5. The Senators, who are right in the hunt
Ottawa was looking like the team of the early season, after going three straight to catapult into top spot in the league. Then Buffalo spanked them in week 4, and now the Senators have their long-time nemesis Montreal in town, and just like that the Senators are in danger of joining the middle class of playoff chasers way too early in the season. Which is more than can be hoped in ….
6. Long Island, still winless after four
The Islanders also tried to make a splash in the summer. They were busy, they were bold, and in the end, they are still terrible. Granted, it has been a tough schedule to start the year, having to play three division winners in the first 4 weeks. But an 11-2 loss to the cross-town rivals in New York certainly wasn’t where the Islanders hoped to be during an optimistic summer, one that was only matched by the optimism in …
7. Colorado, where there are finally capable goalies
The Avalanche are off to an impressive start, sitting in top spot in the Pacific after four weeks and with a 3-1 record. For years the team with star players but the worst goaltending, the Avs went out and added Raanta and Kuemper over the offseason. They’ve already won more goaltending categories than the Avs had in the past decade. And finally, this has the making of a complete team that might be the Pacific favourite for years to come, unless
8. Vegas can rebound from a terrible start
The other Pacific favourite that many pundits picked to represent the west has not fared as well in the early going, with only one win and three losses. Of course, two of those losses came to Minnesota and Montreal, so the caveat is warranted, and the Knights did destroy the Flyers in week 2. But a 12-2 loss to Colorado in week 4 has alarm bells ringing and should have Josh 2.0 reaching for the phone to try and correct what ails his team, like they're doing in…
9. Los Angeles, where the rebuild is in full force
The Kings were the class of the league for a long time. Now the rebuild is on. Yet there is still enough talent on this roster to beat the Islanders and Devils in back to back weeks. Getting to the bottom is a long way down, especially with….
10. New Jersey looking like an AHL team
The Devils have had the easiest schedule of the whole league. After four weeks, they are 0-4 with losses to the Jets, Flyers and Kings, three teams picked by many to be the bottom of their respective divisions. All in all it has been a nightmare for the Devils, and one has to wonder what tricks Jon might have up his sleeve to turn this thing around. Unlike in…
11. New York, where the old men keep winning
The Rangers’ roster is the who’s who of 2013. Pavelski, Staal, Burns, Crawford, Carter, Statsny. This is old man hockey at its finest. Other than a tie to Dallas in week one, the Rangers are unblemished. They’ve beaten the Sabres, Leafs and Islanders, and their doing it with the savvy of a beer league veteran long past his prime. The only hope in Rangers land is to cap off this run with a championship before the inevitable decline happens, the same as in….
12. Montreal, where its championship or bust again
The Canadiens have been the best team to never win for a long time now. This year doesn’t seem to be any exception. Four straight wins have Montreal leading the Atlantic again, but who cares about the early part of the season. This team is built to win a championship, and a failure to win week 24 is going to make this year a failure, again, just like it surely will be in….
13. Philadelphia, where there’s little hope on the horizon
Philly got a win in week 4, but that is more a testament to the horribleness of the Devils than any Flyer prowess. This is a team sitting at 1-3, already pretty much out of the division race, without much hope for a quick turnaround. What a painful start to a painful year, just like in …
14. Dallas, where the team is failing its own expectations
The Stars have been a contender for years, and won 3rd last season. But after a tie to New York in week 1, Dallas has lost 3 straight to fall outside of the playoff picture. The league has been waiting for the star to fall, and this could be the time to watch this once proud franchise burn out. Of course, they still have 3 matchups against the Jets to pad some stats, so the season is not lost yet, just like in ….
15. St. Louis, where winning in Winnipeg has become a rite of fall
The Blues wont be taking anyone by surprise this year after being a playoff team last season, but even by the higher standard this has been a solid start to the season. After beating the Jets 12-1 in week 4, the Blues are sitting comfortably in 2nd in the Central and comfortably in the playoff picture of the league. This is a solid team, and if they had stayed in the Pacific we would be talking about the team to beat. They are thankful for the move in ….
16. Calgary, the team that never gets any respect
The Flames are one of a handful of franchises to win a championship, and yet every year they are written off as another bubble team. After 4 weeks they are 2-2, with a big loss to the Wild on the resume as well as a dismantling of LA. So, what were we saying? They are basically what everyone thought they would be – a bubble team. Of course, in Calgary just making the playoffs is enough to go all the way to the championship. Hope remains, however feeble….