The Eastern Conference in the NHL has been very good thus far as we are almost a month into the season. There have been teams that have surprised and teams that have dissapointed. Let's take a look at some of the surprise teams and some of the dissapointing teams this season.
Surprise Teams
New York Islanders: The Islanders have jumped out to a great start this season as they are 6-3 and have second place in the Metropolitan division behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have been doing well because of the remergence of John Tavares who's one of the best players on the planet, Brock Nelson's surprising fast start, and Jaroslav Halak's good goaltending. The defense has also been great since New York acquired Nick Leddy from the Blackhawks and Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins. If the Islanders can keep this up, they will be a serious playoff contender and could surprise a lot of people this season.
Montreal Canadians: Montreal has also gotten out to a very fast start this year as they have gone 8-2 in their first ten games and are in first place in the Atlantic division. Tomas Plekanec has gotten off to a hot start this season with nine points and Carey Price is out to a 7-1 start as he looks for even bigger things in his NHL career. If he keeps up that pace, he could easily be a Vezina trophy candidate this season. Michel Therrien is slowly but surely becoming a Jack Adams trophy candidate for the best coach in the NHL because of this hot start but Montreal will have to keep this up in order for it to be in full effect.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Everyone thought that the Penguins would start out slowly and then adjust to Mike Johnston's system but it has been the complete opposite. They've adapted to Johnston's system and through nine games, the Penguins are 6-2-1 and stand atop the Metropolitan division with 13 points. They average just a bit over four goals a game which is a lot higher from last year. Sidney Crosby is already starting to tear up the league again and be the worlds best player which is what they will need come playoff time. Marc-Andre Fleury started a little shaky to the season but has rebounded nicely with two shutouts in his last three games. We'll see if the Penguins can stay atop the Metropolitan division for the rest of the season.
Dissapointing Teams
Boston Bruins: Boston has not been good at all to start the season. They sit in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic division and just haven't found their rhythym. Tuukka Rask has been solid but not his usual self but the Bruins are dealing with a knee injury to their top defenseman Zdeno Chara who will be out for 4-6 weeks. It's a devastating blow to their blue line but if they can stay in the hunt by the time he gets back(which they should be able to), Boston will be just fine. It isn't time to panic in Boston but concern is something most Bruins fans should be.
Toronto Maple Leafs: From bad goaltending to throwing jerseys onto the ice to wanting Randy Carlyle's head, it has not been a good start for the Leafs this season. They sit second to last in the Atlantic and just have not found their game. Jonathan Bernier has not been good enough to start the season as the number one goaltender and that has raised some question as to whether James Reimer can step up and be the number one goaltender again. Also will coach Randy Carlyle keep his job the whole season? If he keeps up this bad start, I don't think he will even make it past the all-star break.
Philadelphia Flyers: Philadelphia had a bad start to the season suffering four straight losses but it seems like they may be coming back. It still is concerning though that your number one goaltender Steve Mason is not playing the way he did last season but honestly, did anyone expect him to? I sure didn't. Claude Giroux is still playing great for the Flyers but their defense is severely damaged right now. Kimmo Timonen seems out for the season, and Andrew McDonald is on injured reserve along with Braydon Coburn. If they don't start to get healthy on defense, it could be a long year for the Flyers.