It’s officially the best time of the year. It’s the middle of the NFL season, college football is at its most tumultuous, playoff baseball is in full swing and we have NHL games on top of that. My ESPN app simply can’t keep up. If you’ve been too focused on baseball and football to catch the first handful of games in the NHL, don’t fret; that’s what this article is for. Let’s take a look both in the East and West at which teams have started out with a bang.
West
Prior to this season, the biggest question coming out of the Western Conference was that of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and how their sophomore season would go. So far, it seems to be a sophomore slump. After eight games, the Golden Knights were sitting at 4-4 and in fifth place in the Pacific Division, definitely not what they were hoping for. In the Pacific, the Anaheim Ducks got off to a roaring start, going 5-2-1 in their first eight games played. The Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks were close in pursuit, with 10 and nine points respectively through eight games.
In the Central Division,the Nashville Predators led the division with a league-high of 14 points. The Colorado Avalanche weren’t far behind, with 12 points through eight games, going 5-1-2 in their opening stretch. As always, this is a conference to watch this year.
East
In an exciting moment for the Carolinas, the Carolina Hurricanes over in Raleigh are leading the Metropolitan Division with nine points through eight games, going 4-3-1 in their opening stretch. A retooled team seems to be working for them so far this year. Their lead is on-edge with the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers all tied behind them with eight points each.
In the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs are living up to expectations of success so far. Through nine games, they held twelve points, with a record of 6-3-0. Based on their play so far this season, this will be a team to watch throughout the whole year and into the playoff season. On the heels of the Leafs are the Montreal Canadians and Boston Bruins, who both hold 10 points through the first games of the season.
In all of the divisions, conferences and the league as a whole it looks to be a great year of hockey. This is obviously a very small sample size that no one will look to come May and June, but it will be interesting to see which teams continue to rise and which teams fall short after starting well. Good thing my Athletic subscription covers MLB, NHL, NFL and college football, because there is so much going on right now. There’s nothing better!
