NHL Storylines

The second installment looking at the "Circle The Date" landmarks laid out in my NHL Predictions.

Buffalo - Oct 22/25 away and home vs Tampa. The team starts off with a 5 of their first 7 on the road which ends with a series against last year's "surprise". Come out of that in good shape and it could be the confidence boost that sends the team all the way to the finals.

Tampa won both of these contests but Buffalo has gone 6-2 in their other contests to send a pretty clear message that they will be in the thick of the race throughout the season. With Boston and Montreal struggling in the early going, Buffalo has a very good chance of capturing the division title.

Carolina - Oct 25 vs Ottawa - Canes return home after playing 6 of their first 8 on the road. They cannot afford a poor start again.

Carolina survives the early road trip but could be in much better position had they managed to avoid a couple overtime and shutout losses. For a team on the edge, every single point counts.

Colorado - Oct 26 at Calgary - End of 8 of 10 road games to start the season, tough for a young squad. If they can weather the storm, it'll build confidence the team could desperately use.

Colorado really couldn't have asked for a better start. The challenge now is to find a way to get Duchesne back to form and maintain the early success. This team has started strong before only to fade during the winter months.

New York Rangers - Oct 27 vs Toronto. After starting the season with 7 straight road games, they return to a remodeled Madison Square Garden. A slow start is not acceptable for a team with high expectations.

Normally a .500 record on such a road-trip would be decent but the Rangers are continuing to show signs of the team that had trouble making the playoffs the last couple years, not a team improving. 3 losses after regulation have really hurt their confidence. Dropping the first game back at Madison Square Garden didn't exactly make the fans feel comfortable. Not to worry, today's word is the Rangers have called Sean "The Savior" Avery back to the big club. Oh Boy!

Montreal - Oct 27/29 vs Boston - After a home heavy schedule to start the season, the Habs play two against arch-rival and Stanley Cup Champion Boston. Perform well in these contests or the season will be a long one.

Things were looking extremely bleak for the Canadiens until they strung together 3 straight wins against Philly and Boston. We'll see over the next couple weeks if they can maintain some success.

Washington - Oct 29 at Vancouver - This team can only measure itself against the best.

If this was the only game of importance, Washington failed the test. Fortunately, they have passed just about every other one including decisive victories against Philly and Detroit. But following those with losses to Edmonton and Vancouver, there are still questions about consistency. To get where the Capitals want to be, they cannot afford to mail in any games.

Florida - Oct 29 at Buffalo - The last of a 7 of 10 road trip to start the season. A good time to gauge how well the team is playing together.


Florida has had it's share of good and bad to start the season, somewhat expected from a roster with so much turnover. The next month will be critical as the team tries to settle into a rhythm and stay in the hunt.

Elsewhere around the league

Boston - What has started bad has only gotten worse. The latest was 2 losses to arch rival Montreal. There is too much talent on this team to stay down but the team is quickly realizing that being on top means every opponent comes in focused and ready to play. Boston needs to learn that anything less than 100% isn't going to get it done.

Philadelphia - A great start to the season has hit a minor slide. This isn't surprising considering the amount of turnover on the roster. What is surprising is that the defense has struggled so much. Pronger's absence hurts but good teams need to overcome this kind of loss. Bryzgolov needs to earn his pay in every start.

Detroit - Another great start has gone by the wayside as the team has struggled in recent contests. The Washington loss was the most troubling but the lack of offense is a concern. Babcock will look to shake it up before long.

Edmonton - The early surprise of the season is the young guys in Alberta. Most, including myself, questioned the teams goaltending but it has been marvelous so far. I don't think the success can last but the confidence it is building on the young talented team shouldn't be understated.

Toronto - Another early success story that has the puck crazed town in a frenzy. I think it is a little early to get excited though as Toronto has had a very favorable early schedule. Let's see how they do against the better teams. But with Boston and Montreal struggling, Toronto could be the beneficiary.

NHL Storylines

After a couple weeks of play, "Circle The Date" landmarks laid out in my NHL Predictions have passed. As promised, I'm here to evaluate them.

Vancouver - Oct 12/13 at Philly/Detroit. An early chance for the Canucks to show their team is ready to play and not experiencing a funk from their failure.

Vancouver lost both of these contests despite playing good for portions of each game. The problem is the team can't seem to stay focussed for a full 60 minutes. Even in the games they won, they were seriously challenged by their opponents. It's more than a little obvious the team is rusty. You could call it a "Cup Hangover" except they didn't win it. You'd think they would have come back more determined. Instead it looks like they are feeling sorry for themselves. The good news is the team has plenty of time to sober up.

Tampa Bay - Oct 17 vs Florida - Schedule makers weren't friendly and have Tampa playing its first 5 games on the road. Come out of this trip with some success and it'll build confidence they are ready to repeat last season.

After 6 games, Tampa is 1-3-2 and they are not playing the style of hockey that got them to the Conference Finals just a few months ago. The poor start is going to be a challenge for a young coaching staff. Many teams make a big splash only to fall back a bit the next season. If Tampa can't get the defense under control, they'll find themselves fighting for a playoff spot.

Elsewhere around the league

The real story of the early season isn't at the top of the standings but at the bottom.

Boston - Early struggles mimic the Canucks. Carrying the Cup around all offseason takes its toll. Somehow I doubt Bruin fans are too worried.

San Jose - Another team that should be focussed has come out anything but. How long until the fans start pointing fingers at the usual scapegoats?

Calgary - A slow start is not what this bubble team needed. Keep it up much longer and I fully expect to see a firesale.

Columbus - No team could ill afford a poor start less than Columbus. They did a lot in the offseason to garner some good will with their fans but it has all gone to hell. Wiesnewski's suspension certainly isn't helping. Now with Carter injured, things could unravel.

New York Rangers - They haven't won yet, but they have only played 3 games. But they've got 4 more on the road in Western Canada before returning home. First up Vancouver. The Madison Square Garden fans aren't going to be so welcoming if they come home with only a couple of points.

Nobody wins a championship in October but plenty of teams lose their chance to compete for one. Just last year, the difference between the #2 seed and out of the playoffs was a meager 10 points in the West and only 15 points in the East. That equates to roughly 1 win a month. A team the stuggles early will be fighting all season to make that up.

I'll be checking in again at the end of the month. At that point, I'll have a few more "Circle The Dates" to evaluate plus a better feel on who the surprise teams might be.