NHL Monthly Recap: The Real or Fake Issue
By Vincent Barlow 1h Ago
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The NHL season is a month and a half into the swing of things and already results are way different then what was expected. Some fans are ecstatic at how they're team is performing, while others are calling for their favourite teams heads. It's what happens every start to a sports season, whether its Baseball, Basketball or Football, you know fans are going to overreact to a hot or cold start.
So my job in this article is to pick apart what's real and what's a façade so far this season on a bunch of different topics, teams and players. Let's jump right in
Real or Fake? Evan Bouchard is a top three player in the NHL
Connor Mcdavid. Nathan MacKinnon. Evan Bouchard? The Oilers defenseman has really solidified himself as one of the best players in the NHL. Last season Bouchard won his first of what could be many Norris Trophies, leading the league in assists (83) and finishing with 106 points. He's still just 24 years old, which makes what he's doing that much more impressive.
In years prior, the argument many would use against the reigning Norris winner was that he was piggybacking off of the success of his two superstar forwards in McDavid and Draisaitl. No longer can that justification be used. Bouchard finished the month of October with the most points out of everyone in the league. At this point, it would be safe to say he has passed Draisaitl as being more valuable to this Oilers team. The real question is has he passed McDavid?
That take could be argued and shouldn't be scoffed at. He was every bit as good as the Edmonton Captain last year and has shown no signs of stopping through October. How I see it, MacKinnon and McDavid are one and two for best players in the world. You could make the case for either at one and I'd be fine with either. At third however is where I have to really make a firm push for Bouchard's name. He's just been that good.
Verdict: Real
Real or Fake? The Buffalo Sabres at the top of the Atlantic
Just four months ago, the Sabres were selecting fourth overall in the NHL Draft. If you would have told me 19 games into the season that they would be 1st in the Atlantic Division by 4 points, I would have told you to kick rocks. Alas, the young team finds themselves looking down on the rest of the division.
The bulk of their success has to be attributed to their stellar goaltending tandem of Ville Husso and Devon Levi. Husso through 12 games has a 7-2-3 record and a ridiculous .937 SV%. Levi meanwhile in 7 contests has a 6-1-0 record with a .927 SV%. To have that type of elite play from a guy who last year finished with a .907 SV%, and a rookie playing in his first NHL campaign, is absurd.
Also worth mentioning, the defense pairing of Dahlin and Jokiharju has been the best duo in the NHL so far this season. The Scandinavian's have found chemistry playing alongside each other and are another big reason for the Sabres success. After really making a big leap last season (60 points in 82 games) Rasmus Dahlin has been even better this year. He's got a +15 rating through 19 games, way better looking than the -3 he finished with last season. It seems he's found his rock in Jokiharju, who has also enjoyed the benefits of playing with the calibre of player that Dahlin is. The Fin has seen his plus/minus rating almost completely flip this season, going from -23 to +16 this year.
However we must get back to the original question. Are the Sabres the top team in the Atlantic? I have to say no. With the Maple Leafs looking to turn it around after coming out flat to start the year and the Lightning and Senators hot on Buffalo's tail, I can't see them finishing as the #1 seed in their division. What I can see though is this team making the playoffs. They just need their goaltending duo to continue their dominance and they'll be a lock for the postseason
Verdict: Fake
Real or Fake? The Bruins are no longer competitive
The Bruins through 17 games sit dead last in the Atlantic, 5 points back of the Red Wings. They've looked bad this season. Plain and simple. They score the 2nd least amount of goals and allow the 6th most. Their Power Play has scored just 3 goals, the least in the NHL. Talk about a rough start.
They were hoping the additions of Farabee and Pavelski could mitigate the loss of Pastrnak but so far it's been to no avail. Pavelski seems to have really taken a step back this season with just 5 points through 13 games. Freakin 40 year old Jason Spezza is third in team scoring for heavens sake!
This team is no longer the one teams feared throughout the regular season and playoffs. Gone are the days of the "Perfection Line", the lone remaining wolf being 35 year old Brad Marchand. It's looking more and more likely that Boston will end up being closer to the 1st overall pick than the playoffs after this season.
Verdict: Real
Real or Fake? Ovechkin will break Gretzky's goal record
It was thought to be one of those "unbreakable" Gretzky records. 50 in 39. 51-Game Point Scoring Streak. 894 Goals. Then came along Alex Ovechkin. The Russian Rocket has been a force to be reckoned with ever since entering the league a long 19 seasons ago. 834 goals later and Alex Ovechkin is closing in on the Great One
Ovie has had a slower than usual start to the season goal scoring wise, potting 5 goals through 17 games thus far. He still leads the Capitals in points with 15, tied with Nicklas Backstrom and Aliaksei Protas. Washington currently sits as the best team in the tough Metro division. Considering his shooting percentage has dropped considerably this season compared to last means we shouldn't worry about Ovechkin's goal scoring this year. His percentage will eventually move back to the mean.
At this point, the question isn't if Ovie will break the record. It's when. Let's say he finished the year off with a measly (for his standards) 30 goals. He would need just 31 goals next season to break the record. Knowing him, he will break the record sometime early in the 2024-25 season.
Verdict: Real
Real or Fake? The Dallas Stars special teams
Despite a very average season record, the Dallas Stars have the best special teams in the NHL. Their Powerplay has been clicking at a 37.2% rate. That's 16 goals on 43 attempts. The second best Powerplay, the Florida Panthers, are way behind with 28.8%. Then we move to the Penalty Kill, where the Stars are tied for first with the Islanders at 95.2%. They've allowed just 3 goals on 63 attempts.
So what's been their keys to success on the man advantage and shorthanded? For the Powerplay it's one name. Jason Robertson. His 13 points on the PP are the most in the NHL. He's the catalyst of their step, being the classic Umbrella setup, and he works it around like nobodies business. The second closest on the team in Power Play points is Vincent Trocheck with 6.
Similar to the Penalty Kill, the main man for shorthanded situations is their goalie. Oettinger is rocking a .926 SV% through 16 games and has come up clutch when down a man or two. The Finnish-Swedish connection of Hintz and Oskar Back are the main culprits of the 1st unit PK. They've done a great job so far this season.
Despite their success in these situations, it hasn't resulted in wins for Dallas. Oettinger is playing stellar in net but the lack of depth and their defensive play at even strength is killing them. I can see the Power Play success continuing but the Penalty Kill is likely to give at some point.
Verdict: Fake
Real or Fake? The Flyers will make the Playoffs
They made some really unexpected signings during free agency which led to major backlash from most of the hockey world. However the Flyers are laughing in those faces now as they sit in third place in the very competitive Metropolitan Division
Through 15 games they have a 10-5-0 record with 20 points. Bringing in Pacioretty and Drouin, as well as 6th overall pick Sergey Afinogenov, has done wonders for this Philly club that lost 42 games last year. Patches has started off on fire with 12 goals on the year, 3rd in the entire league. He's making the rest of the NHL look like fools for not giving him a contract this offseason. Afinogenov has had a decent start as a rookie with 7 points thus far. He's currently situated on the "Kid Line" alongside Sophomore Shane Wright and 22 year old Bobby Brink. They've been one of the best trios to watch.
As much as I just hyped them up, the Flyers seemingly lack the type of firepower that the rest of their division possesses. They sit in third in the Metro but the last placed Blue Jackets are just 5 points behind them (To be fair to Philly however they do have 3 games in hand on them). With how many good teams there are in the division, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers make the playoffs but I'm definitely not expecting it either
Verdict: Fake
Real or Fake? The Metropolitan Division is the toughest in the League
Piggybacking off of what I spoke about in the Flyers section, the Metro is a warzone. Featuring the Caps, Isles, Flyers, Rags, Devils, Pens, Canes and Jackets, the amount of talent and skill all those teams have has to make it the best out of the four divisions.
Outside of the Blue Jackets, every other team in the division could potentially be tops in the group. The Rangers were the best last year but the Capitals and Islanders look to be the frontrunners this time around. The Penguins loaded up with Pastrnak this offseason and while they've started off slow, you can expect them to heat up down the stretch. The Devils rebuild is paying off and the young kids are looking to get some playoff experience in. The Hurricanes can no longer be bad with how their roster looks. And of course the Flyers I touched on heavily earlier.
It's gonna be a tight race all the way to the end of the season and I have no clue who will be the best out of the rest. But I also don't really care. What I do care is how every game between those teams will be some of the best hockey to watch.
Verdict: Real
03-03-2023, 10:33 PM
