Swimming With The Sharks
by Nick Parsons
Let's take a quick look at what some of the top teams in the NHL have been doing thus far and catch everyone up on what the rest of the league is doing.
The top team in the Pacific Division, and the top team in the league is the juggernaut San Jose Sharks. As of writing, San Jose sits with a 24-3-2-0 mark, 16-0-2 at home and 8-3 away from the Tank. Right behind them are the Anaheim Ducks, who started the season 2-6, but are now 17-11-0-3.
Although they are still without the services of their star goaltender and captain, Roberto Luongo, the Vancouver Canucks are still clinging to the top spot in the Northwest Division, with the Flames right on their heels with a 16-11-2-1 mark. If Calgary could ever start to win some games on the road, they'd be top dog in the Northwest for sure.
Detroit dominates the Central Division with a 20-6-4-0 mark and has seen the total go over the posted number in 17 of 30 games they've played. We knew the Blackhawks would be better, but I'm not sure anyone would have predicted they'd be 15-6-2-5 right now. And Chicago is another team that's been scoring a lot, having seen the total go over the number in 18 of 27 games!
Moving over to the Eastern Conference and in the Southeast Division the Washington Capitals are 18-10-1-2 to start the year and are an awesome 12-1 at home behind superstar Alexander Ovechkin. The rest of the division is pretty close, with Florida and Carolina within a point of each other.
Boston is another team that's been playing well, leading the Northeast with a 21-5-0-4 mark. They are 11-1 at home and 10-4 on the road. Montreal got off to a fast start and are holding strong with a 16-8-1-4 record.
The Rangers lead the Atlantic with a 20-11-1-1 record while Philly is right behind them with a 16-7-4-2 mark.
A couple of interesting notes on a couple of the bottom feeders. The Isles are a horrible 10-18-1-1, but have seen the total go over the posted number in 20 of 29 games!
The Blues are sitting with a 12-14 mark but have also seen the total go over the number in 20 of 29 games!