Well, collectively not even ten games in, we have some genuine surprises in the West so far. We'll see over time what the longer-term trend is, but let's start in the Central Division.
Ladies and gentlemen, in first place and undefeated in regulation, I give you your Nashville Predators. They had a three-game stretch of overtime losses to Montreal, Washington, and Pittsburgh, but then righted the ship against Dallas and Pittsburgh on the road. They appear to have improved in net with the addition of Anders Lindback, and they're giving up a sterling average of 2 goals per game.
Detroit, St. Louis, and Chicago all check in with at least four wins... a 1-0 overtime win for St. Louis over Pittsburgh was particularly noteworthy, and Detroit somehow just keeps cooking along. Chicago does not appear to have corrected their goaltending woes with Marty Turco... much like in Dallas, he seems to be solid in net until the waning minutes, and then fails to make that one key save.
Finally, Columbus is showing some interesting sparks with a pair of victories over Chicago. They're still wildly inconsistent, but if the season ended today, all five Central Division teams would be in.
Over in the Pacific, Marc Crawford has the Stars up and humming... a couple of key victories over Detroit and St. Louis, along with what is currently the 6th-rated offense in the league have them off to an impressive start. I'm not convinced that their blue line is deep enough to sustain a run, but they're rocking so far.
Los Angeles is right there with the Stars, as key wins over Vancouver and Colorado have them rolling. They recently lost G Erick Ersberg to the KHL, but he wasn't exactly a favorite of the coaching staff. D Drew Doughty has a hand injury that will keep him out for a week.
San Jose, Anaheim, and Phoenix are kind of a mess right now... the Sharks have beaten up on some weaker sisters, Anaheim can't keep the puck out of its own net, and the Coyotes are just kind of all over the place. The Coyotes looked strong in their opener against Boston, then didn't win another game except for a strong win over the Kings.
Finally, the Northwest is pretty much the weakest division in hockey right now, more so than the Southeast. Calgary is on top of the division playing .500 hockey, followed closely by Colorado. Both are entertaining teams to watch, but have had some nightmarish games defensively. Vancouver, who should be running away with things, is also playing .500 hockey despite massive upgrades along the blue line.
Careful followers of the discussion here and at Ace of Spades HQ will know that I'm not much of a believer in Roberto Luongo, and I think that will play itself out this year as well. Much like the San Jose teams of recent years, goaltending is what stands between Vancouver and the Cup.
Finally, Minnesota and Edmonton are in rebuilding mode, though Edmonton's Jordan Eberle is exciting to watch. That said, the Oilers have dropped four straight as of this posting...
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see who can sustain the pace in the West. Any thoughts?
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