Quick starts can be nothing more than an illusion in the NHL as there is still a long way to go to determine which teams contend for playoff spots and more in their respective conferences. That said, there have been a few early season surprises that are worth looking in to with an eye on whether or not those teams can build on their success out of the gate. Here is a look at the most surprising NHL teams after one week of action.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were expected to be among the worst teams in the Western Conference this NHL season and while there is still a long way to go for that to happen they have certainly surprised out of the gate. Vancouver has won three straight but a closer look at the numbers reveals why it could be a mirage. Each of the Canucks’ wins has come in either overtime or the shootout with all three of those victories coming on home ice. Vancouver has outscored its opponents 7-5 and it will only get tougher from here on.
Anyway you look at it, though, the Canucks have been quite impressive at the defensive end. They’ve allowed just six goals so far this NHL season. Looking at the rest of the Western Conference, no other team has allowed less than double-digits. The Canucks are tied for the fewest goals allowed in the NHL. We’ll see if it lasts.
Canucks fans should be thrilled with their team’s starts but they should also be cautiously optimistic about their potential to be a playoff team this season despite the excellent start.
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis opened the season with three straight regulation wins before dropping a 2-1 overtime loss to Vancouver on Tuesday night. It wouldn’t have surprised anybody if the Blues struggled out of the gate after losing David Backes and Brian Elliott in the offseason while rising star Jaden Schwartz was out of the lineup but they dominated the Chicago Blackhawks in their opener and then knocked off both the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers before finally stumbling in the extra frame against the Canucks. St. Louis has excelled at both ends of the ice during its fast start with Jake Allen in particular really impressing as the starting goaltender. The Blues will only go as far as Allen can take them so they have to be optimistic after a solid start.
Florida Panthers
Expectations were tempered for the Panthers following last year’s success with question marks about whether they can build on what they did a year ago. An injury to star forward Jonathan Huberdeau complicated matters even further but Florida didn’t miss a beat out of the gate with a 2-0-1 mark to start the season. They had allowed just six goals through those first three contests, which is a solid number.
The Panthers outscored the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings 6-1 before dropping a shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in James Reimer’s debut in goal. Florida is getting scoring from three of its four lines while Roberto Luongo has looked solid early on. Nobody will be overlooking the Panthers following their fast start and they’ll be even better once Huberdeau is back.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens were projected to contend for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a healthy Carey Price back in net this season. Montreal has been without Price for its first three games because of the flu, but they are 2-0-1 out of the gate thanks to the fact that they have averaged over 3.0 goals per game while getting some steady play in net out of the recently signed Al Montoya. Montoya is a clear upgrade over what the Canadiens had behind Price over the last couple of years and even when they get their No. 1 back they will likely lean on Montoya to keep Price rested and healthy. Montreal looks like a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference and the only surprise so far is that they have enjoyed their success out of the gate without the top netminder in the world.
