• Tweet

• Tweet

I understand this is a highly subjective piece, and I also understand that we are less then four games in to the 2010-11 NHL season. However, a few teams have rose to the top, and sunk to the bottom in the early goings of the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Its hard to argue with the type of hockey that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing. Currently undefeated, Two of the three teams they have played made it deep into the 2009-10 playoffs, and they have looked good doing it. Clarke MacArthur has 5 points, and Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Phil Kessel have 3 points a piece. They have They have outscored there opponents 12-5 so far this season, on the back of solid goal tending by both goalies, including the 5-1 shellacking they put on the Ottawa Senators. While we are talking about Goal tending its important to mention that Jean-Sebastien Giguere has a 93% save average, and Jonas Gustavsson has a 88% save average. On Offense they have been spreading out the defenses, and on Defense they have held all their opponents to 72 shots on goal. For the first time since 1999-2000, the Leafs have started the season with three straight wins. That season they won the Northeast Division and lost to the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the playoffs. Coach Wilson is keeping a tight reign on his players, and does not want the wins to go to their players heads. “I’m sure they’ve already planned the Stanley Cup parade” Wilson jokingly said of his players.

Anaheim Ducks

The wheels have seemed to come off in Anaheim. The Ducks were no ones pick at the beginning of the season to win the Stanley Cup, but no one expected them to have one of the worst starts in their 17 year history. I think what says it all, is how the Ducks yahoo stats page has goalie Curtis McElhinney as their team stats leader with 95%. Thats a decent number, and when you add in that his save percentage is the mid nineties, it makes sense. However, make sure you look at the man behind the curtain, and by man I mean the fact he has only played 24 minutes. He has only been shot on 19 times! This isn’t their main problem, but it is a symptom. The fact the team had allowed 186 shots on goal in 4 games, more then twice what the Leafs allowed, makes you wonder why they don’t start all forwards. On the offensive side they have only scored six goals, and compared to the 16 goals they allowed, its no wonder they have only one win. Coach Randy Carlyle commented on rebounding “The task is not insurmountable for our group. We just haven’t played anywhere near the level that we’re capable of playing.” The Ducks obviously need to make some changes.

It will be interesting to see how these two teams fare for the rest of the season. The scary thing is that they are BOTH capable of better hockey.

More recent news

• Patrick Sharp Signs 5 Year Deal With Backhawks
• Evgeni Malkin Focused On Rehabing And Improving
• Brent Burns Makes it Official With The Sharks And Signs 4 Year Extension

NHL Home