We just passed over the quarter mark in this 2014-15 NHL campaign, and it was a section of the year that brought about a number of questions about which teams we should take seriously as potential contenders, and which are clearly pretenders that are the beneficiaries of a hot start. These questions are present for both conferences, but are particularly prevalent in the Western Conference. Regardless of the situation, they’ve certainly added some intrigue to the early part of the new campaign, as we prepare to head into the dead of winter.
In the Eastern Conference, the two teams we have making up the list of surprises, as far as genuine surprises are concerned, are the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers. In the case of the Islanders, this looks like a team that is a legitimate contender. Their offense is absolutely electric, buoyed by such players as John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, as well as the upstart Brock Nelson. This in addition to excellent blue line additions in Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy, the latter of which leads the team with his plus-9 rating for the season. With an offense that ranks sixth in the league in goals per game and quality goaltending from Jaroslav Halak, this is the version of the Islanders that we thought we were getting last year.
While they’re not in contender right now, the Florida Panthers have been a surprise in their own right. They’re ninth in the Eastern Conference right now, and have shown some signs of life that have made them a very fun team to watch. Roberto Luongo is probably the most notable player on the roster, and he’s played lights out for much of the year, with a .927 save percentage that ranks sixth in the league among starting goaltenders. No player has stuck out in particular for the Cats, but Nick Bjugstad could be on the brink of a breakout campaign, as he already has eight goals on the year. Their goal differential and lack of premier talent certainly raises a question of how long they’ll be in the race, but their ability to keep the puck out of the net, thanks to an improved blue line and Luongo could indicate they’ll hang around at least for a little bit.
Then we move to the Western Conference, where one team in particular is taking the league by storm. The Nashville Predators currently maintain a grip on the top spot in the Western Conference, although it isn’t quite a runaway at this point. Nonetheless, they’ve played exceptionally well, anchored by their elite goaltender Pekka Rinne. They already had a strong blue line in place, led by Shea Weber and Roman Josi, but the addition of some scoring up front (James Neal, Mike Rebeiro) and a breakout campaign from Filip Forsberg, as well as the addition of a new system from Peter Laviolette behind the bench, have this team rolling to start the year. Especially at home, where they’re 10-1-1 on the year. Their hot start doesn’t come as a surprise to too many, as they were a favorite to at least grab a lower seed out of the West prior to the season getting underway.
If it’s a true surprise you seek in the Western Conference, then look no further than the Calgary Flames, who find themselves right in the thick of things after the first quarter of the season, currently ranking fifth in the Western Conference. The Flames were a team with some intriguing young talent coming into the year, but nothing that really indicated they’d be anything other than a bottom feeder again this year. But they currently rank seventh in the league in goals per game, are 12th in the league in goals against, and have the league’s tenth ranked power play unit. This is a situation similar to that of Florida, where there isn’t an extremely marketable individual standing out, but the team as a whole is playing exceptionally well, and that has led to some early season success. It’s unlikely they’ll maintain this pace, but it certainly raises hopes for the future.
There are others around the league as well. The Vancouver Canucks are off to an excellent start, although there were already some obvious pieces in place before they unloaded the likes of Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo. The Winnipeg Jets are eighth in the Western Conference right now, quietly playing some very good hockey. But nothing about their recent history indicates that’ll carry over beyond even the New Year.
It’s still extremely early in the year, as we’ve just barely crossed into December. But a league that prides itself on parity is doing a damn good job of having some scattered throughout the league in the early part of 2014-15, and it’s been fun to watch.
