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.