It is always nice to count on certain things. Pavel Datsyuk will take your breath away at least once a night, Sidney Crosby always finds a way to be clutch, and Henrik Lundqvist is perpetually handsome. You can take each of those to the bank.

There is always room in life for surprises though. Of course we all prefer the good kind of surprises that make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but often times we are left with the less desirable scenarios. For example, when your dog decides to eat an entire case of Pepsi. And the cans. Side bar: It happened with my dog Griffey, and miraculously he (and I) avoided a major veterinarian bill. He also ate a sparkly Christmas candle, an apple pie (no tin), and two sticks of butter. All on separate occasions. Surprise!

The NHL certainly has its share of predictable activity. As with any sports league, the stars typically shine during the prime of their careers, but new faces always seem to emerge to capture their own share of the spotlight. As we creep to the mid-point of the 2013-14 season, here are the biggest surprises (good and bad) in the NHL.

New York Islanders-Bad surprise here, but the Islanders are terrible. Their collective shortcomings are being exposed nightly which makes us wonder if their playoff appearance last year was a fluke. Poor John Tavares is trapped on a sinking, burning turd as the season slips away on Long Island.

Chicago Blackhawks-With a cast of characters that looked poised to celebrate the 2013 Stanley Cup straight through New Year’s Day, the Blackhawks have been incredibly focused. They are arguably the best team in the NHL right now. In fact, the current standings say that they are.

Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals-Millions of dollars and a smoking-hot Russian tennis player fiancé are supposed to be Kryptonite for most Russian snipers. Someone forgot to tell that to the captain of the Washington Capitals, because he is treading in rarified air with his 27 goals in 33 games. He’s still a long shot to get to 50 goals in 50 games, but he looks every bit the MVP he was when he took over the goal scoring race last season.

Los Angeles Kings-They might have as much talent as any team in the NHL, but no one saw the Kings catching fire after stud goalie Jonathan Quick went down with injury. Enter Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones, and Los Angeles has been the hottest team in hockey, going 13-3-4 over their last 20 games with the NHL’s stingiest defense.

Alexander Steen, LW, St. Louis Blues-The Blues play the style of hockey that doesn’t typically lend itself to individual achievement. That is what makes the red-hot start from Steen so impressive. With 22 goals to date, Steen is only two shy of his career high with 50 games to play. He has cooled off lately, but there is no question that Steen has emerged as the star of the Blues.

Tampa Bay Lightning/Ben Bishop, G-Though both are deserving of mention, the play of Bishop has made the Lightning relevant even after Steven Stamkos broke his leg. After putting faith in the goaltenders that were on the roster, Steve Yzerman looks like a genius with Bishop emerging as a legitimate Vezina Trophy contender. The overall team defense is much improved and Tampa is still a viable team in the Eastern Conference. If they can hold on to a playoff position until February, they’ll get the ultimate boost to their lineup when Stamkos returns.

Josh Harding, G, Minnesota Wild-There has been no better goaltender in the NHL than Minnesota’s “backup”. It’s hard to believe that he was second on the depth chart at any point this season, but he has made the most of his opportunities by putting up ridiculous numbers so far.

Philadelphia Flyers-Not that they were expected to dominate their division, but they were expected to be good, not average. The biggest surprise comes from the success that they have had. They have been outstanding in goal  courtesy of Steve Mason and Ray Emery, an area that has traditionally been an abyss of despair for the Flyers. If they can get some offense, they could be dangerous.

Tyler Seguin, C/RW, Dallas Stars-After what felt like a semi-messy divorce from the Boston Bruins, Seguin and Rich Peverley were dealt to the Stars for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith and others. While Eriksson has battled injury and struggled to find his groove, Seguin has been re-born, developing a lethal chemistry with captain Jamie Benn.

Colorado Avalanche-Not much was expected (realistically) from rookie head coach Patrick Roy and the Avs this season. With approximately zero NHL games coached before this year, Roy has been a driving force behind the Colorado bench. The biggest revelation has been in goal where veteran J.S. Giguere and Semyon Varlamov have been spectacular between the Avalanche pipes. Perhaps it is the daily audition in front of a Hall of Fame goaltender, or the fiery temperament that has the underachieving Avs playing to their potential. Whatever the formula, Colorado is still holding strong in the Central Division after a white-hot start.