NHL Recap - 10/30/13

Pittsburgh 3, Boston 2
BOS (7-4-0) PIT (9-4-0)

Boston:
G - Bergeron (3), Iginla (3)
A - Bergeron (3), Lucic (6), Marchand (3), Seidenberg (4)

Pittsburgh:
G - Jokinen (6), Kunitz (6), Sutter (1)
A - Crosby (13), Dupuis (8), Letang (1), Orpik (5)

Toronto 4, Calgary 2
TOR (10-4-0) CGY (5-5-2)

Toronto:
G - Lupul (7), Ranger (1), Raymond (5), van Riemsdyk (7)
A - Clarkson (1), Gardiner (3), McClement (1), Kadri (8)

Calgary:
G - Jones (3), Stajan (1)
A - Brodie (3), Glencross (3), Russell (5), Wideman (7)

Detroit 2, Vancouver 1
DET (7-4-2) VAN (9-5-1)

Detroit:
G - Alfredsson (3), Tatar (1)
A - DeKeyser (3), Kronwall (7), Quincey (2), Smith (1)

Vancouver:
G - D. Sedin (6)
A - H. Sedin (15), Stanton (5)

Los Angeles 4, San Jose 3 (OT)
SJ (10-1-2) LA (9-5-0)

San Jose:
G - Couture (7), Pavelski (5), Vlasic (3)
A - Couture (9), Demers (7), Kennedy (4), Marleau (7), Wingels (6)

Los Angeles:
G - Doughty (4), Kopitar (2), Stoll (2), Williams (5)
A - Brown (4), Doughty (3), Kopitar (11), Richards 2 (8), Voynov (2), Williams (5)

NHL Recap - 10/29/13

NY Rangers 3, NY Islanders 2
NYR (4-7-0) NYI (4-5-3)

NY Rangers:
G - Kreider (1), McDonagh (2), Pouliot (2)
A - Del Zotto (1), Hagelin (1), Richards (4), Stepan 2 (7), Zuccarello (1)

NY Islanders:
G - Clutterbuck (1), Hamonic (1)
A - Carkner (1), MacDonald (3), Nelson (2)

Anaheim 3, Philadelphia 2
ANA (10-3-0) PHI (3-8-0)

Anaheim:
G - Cogliano (2), Pamieri 2 (3)
A - Bonino (4), Getzlaf (8), Vatanen (4)

Philadelphia:
G - Lecavalier (5), Read (3)
A - Giroux (6), Grossmann (4), Simmonds 2 (3)

Montreal 2, Dallas 1
DAL (5-6-1) MTL (8-5-0)

Dallas:
G - Eakin (3)
A - Dillon (3)

Montreal:
G - Bournival (3), Bourque (4)
A - Diaz 2 (6), Plekanec (5)

New Jersey 2, Tampa Bay 1
TB (8-4-0) NJ (3-5-4)

Tampa Bay:
G - Stamkos (9)
A - Malone (6), Purcell (5)

New Jersey:
G - Henrique (4), Jagr (3)
A - Elias (4)

Chicago 6, Ottawa 5
OTT (4-6-2) CHI (8-2-3)

Ottawa:
G - Corvo (1), Michalek (3), Smith (3), Turris (2), Zibanejad (2)
A - Karlsson (8), MacArthur 2 (7), Michalek (5), Ryan (4), Spezza (5), Turris (9)

Chicago:
G - Hossa (5), Shaw 2 (3), Toews 3 (7)
A - Hjalmarsson (7), Hossa 2 (5), Keith (8), Morin (1), Oduya (2), Seabrook (6), Sharp 2 (6), Toews (6)

St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 2
WPG (5-7-2) STL (7-1-2)

Winnipeg:
G - Little (7), Wheeler (5)
A - Byfuglien (9), Ladd 2 (7)

St. Louis:
G - Morrow (2), Pietrangelo (2), Steen (11)
A - Bouwmeester (8), Oshie (8), Pietrangelo (8), Reaves (1), Shattenkirk (7)

Toronto 4, Edmonton 0
TOR (9-4-0) EDM (3-9-2)

Toronto:
G - Kadri (5), Kessel 2 (9), van Riemsdyk (6)
A - Kadri 2 (7), Kessel 2 (9), Phaneuf (5), Raymond (6), Rielly (5)

Edmonton:
NONE

Phoenix 3, Los Angeles 1
LA (8-5-0) PHX (8-3-2)

Los Angeles:
G - Stoll (1)
A - NONE

Phoenix:
G - Chipchura (2), Doan (3), Morris (3)
A - Chipchura (1), Ekman-Larsson (7), Miele 2 (2), Moss (4), Yandle (8)

NHL Recap - 10/28/13

Dallas 4, Buffalo 3
DAL (5-5-1) BUF (2-11-1)

Dallas:
G - Ja. Benn (4), Fiddler (1), Goligoski (1), Seguin (5)
A - Jo. Benn (2), Cole 2 (4), MacDermid (2), Nichushkin (2), Roussel (2), Seguin (7)

Buffalo:
G - Moulson 2 (8), Ott (2)
A - Ehrhoff (4), Ennis 2 (2), Grigorenko (1), Hodgson (6), Myers (3)

Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 1
PIT (8-4-0) CAR (4-5-3)

Pittsburgh:
G - Glass (2), Kunitz (5), Megna (1)
A - Crosby 2 (12), Megna (1), Orpik 3 (4)

Carolina:
G - Gerbe (4)
A - Lindholm (1), Semin (4)

Montreal 2, NY Rangers 0
MTL (7-5-0) NYR (3-7-0)

Montreal:
G - Galchenyuk (2), Plekanec (6)
A - Bournival (4), Eller (4), Gallagher (3), Gionta (4)

NY Rangers:
NONE

Chicago 5, Minnesota 1
CHI (7-2-3) MIN (6-4-3)

Chicago:
G - Brookbank (1), Kane (7), Leddy (1), Saad (3), Sharp (2)
A - Hossa (3), Kane (4), Keith (7), Oduya (1), Pirri 2 (3), Saad (5), Seabrook (5), Toews (5)

Minnesota:
G - Pominville (7)
A - Granlund (8), Stoner (3)

Vancouver 3, Washington 2
WSH (5-7-0) VAN (9-4-1)

Washington:
G - Chimera (4), Grabovski (5)
A - Chimera (3), Green (7), Schmidt (2), Ward (4)

Vancouver:
G - Kassian (2), Kesler (8), D. Sedin (5)
A - Bieksa (6), Higgins (3), Stanton (4), D. Sedin (9), H. Sedin (14), Tanev (6)

NHL Recap - 10/27/13

San Jose 5, Ottawa 2
SJ (10-1-1) OTT (4-5-2)

San Jose:
G - Desjardins (1), Hertl (8), Pavelski (4), Sheppard (1), Wingels (3)
A - Braun (1), Couture (8), Demers (6), Sheppard (3), Stuart (2), Thornton (12), Vlasic (7), Wingels (5)

Ottawa:
G - Karlsson (3), Methot (1)
A - Conacher (1), Karlsson (7), Spezza (4), Turris (8)

Tampa Bay 4, Florida 3 (SO)
TB (8-3-0) FLA (3-7-2)

Tampa Bay:
G - Gudas (1), St. Louis (7), Stamkos (8)
A - Carle (7), Killorn (5), Malone 2 (5), Panik (5), Stamkos (9)

Florida:
G - Bjugstad (1), Boyes (5), Matthias (1)
A - Goc (1), Kulikov (1), Upshall (2), Winchester (2)

Anaheim 4, Columbus 3
ANA (9-3-0) CBJ (5-6-0)

Anaheim:
G - Etem (2), Getzlaf (5), Holland (1), Perry (6)
A - Allen (4), Bonino (3), Palmieri (2), Perry (7), Selanne (4), Smith-Pelly (2)

Columbus:
G - Anisimov 2 (4), Comeau (1)
A - Dubinsky (5), Foligno (2), Johansen (4), Savard (4), Wisniewski (8)

Colorado 3, Winnipeg 2
WPG (5-6-2) COL (10-1-0)

Winnipeg:
G - Little (6), Wheeler (4)
A - Clitsome (1), Little (4), Pardy (1), Wheeler (4)

Colorado:
G - Duchene (9), Hejda (2), Stastny (2)
A - Downie (6), Landeskog 2 (5), Stastny (6), Tanguay (5), Wilson (3)

Los Angeles 2, Edmonton 1 (SO)
EDM (3-8-2) LA (8-4-0)

Edmonton:
G - Yakupov (1)
A - Belov (3), Petry (3)

Los Angeles:
G - Richards (2)
A - Carter (4), Muzzin (4)

NHL Recap - 10/26/13

Phoenix 5, Edmonton 4
EDM (3-8-1) PHX (7-3-2)

Edmonton:
G - Acton (2), Jones (2), Perron (2), Pitlick (1)
A - Eager (1), Gadzic (1), Nugent-Hopkins 2 (6), J. Schultz (6), Yakupov (2)

Phoenix:
G - Ekman-Larsson (3), Hanzal (5), Schlemko (1), Stone (2), Yandle (1)
A - Doan (3), Ekman-Larsson 2 (6), Kennedy (3), Vrbata 3 (7), Yandle (7)

New Jersey 4, Boston 3
NJ (2-5-4) BOS (7-3-0)

New Jersey:
G - Brunner (4), Greene (1), Henrique (3), Zidlicky (1)
A - Bernier (1), Brunner (3), Elias (3), Gelinas (1), Greene (2), Jagr 2 (7), Ryder (1)

Boston:
G - Iginla (2), Krug (4), Lucic (6)
A - Hamilton (1), Iginla 2 (6), Krejci 2 (10), Rask (1)

Toronto 4, Pittsburgh 1
PIT (7-4-0) TOR (8-4-0)

Pittsburgh:
G - Letang (1)
A - Malkin (7), Martin (3)

Toronto:
G - Bolland 2 (6), Kadri (4), Kessel (7)
A - Franson (9), Kessel (7), Phaneuf (4), van Riemsdyk 2 (6)

San Jose 2, Montreal 0
SJ (9-1-1) MTL (6-5-0)

San Jose:
G - Couture 2 (6)
A - Kennedy (3), Marleau 2 (6), Thornton (11)

Montreal:
NONE

NY Rangers 3, Detroit 2 (OT)
NYR (3-6-0) DET (6-4-2)

NY Rangers:
G - Brassard (1), Pouliot (1), Zuccarello (1)
A - Boyle (3), McDonagh (2), Moore (1), Pouliot (1), Staal (1)

Detroit:
G - Alfredsson (2), Miller (1)
A - Andersson (2), Datsyuk (7), DeKeyser (2)

Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 2
BUF (2-10-1) TB (7-3-0)

Buffalo:
G - Flynn (2), Vanek (4)
A - Foligno (4), Girgensons (2), Leino (1), McCormick (2)

Tampa Bay:
G - Johnson (3), Palat (3), St. Louis (6)
A - Carle (6), Filppula (5), Gudas (3), Johnson (3), Stamkos (8)

Philadelphia 5, NY Islanders 2
PHI (3-7-0) NYI (4-4-3)

Philadelphia:
G - Lecavalier 3 (4), Read (2), Voracek (1)
A - Couturier (3), Giroux 2 (5), Grossmann (3), Gustafsson (2), Raffl (1), B. Schenn (4), Streit 2 (4), Talbot (1)

NY Islanders:
G - Nielsen (7), Okposo (4)
A - Hickey (2), Regin (3), Tavares (9)

Winnipeg 2, Dallas 1 (SO)
WPG (5-5-2) DAL (4-5-1)

Winnipeg:
G - Kane (6)
A - Byfuglien (8), Stuart (2)

Dallas:
G - Robidas (1)
A - Fiddler (3), MacDermid (1)

Minnesota 5, Chicago 3
MIN (6-3-3) CHI (6-2-3)

Minnesota:
G - Brodziak (2), Fontaine (3), Parise (6), Pominville 2 (6)
A - Cooke (5), Granlund 2 (7), Koivu (7), Prosser (2), Scandella (1), Suter 2 (7)

Chicago:
G - Bickell (4), Kane (6), Kruger (1)
A - Bollig (1), Leddy 2 (5), Rozsival (2), Seabrook (4), Toews (4)

St. Louis 6, Nashville 1
STL (6-1-2) NSH (6-5-1)

St. Louis:
G - Oshie (2), Pietrangelo (1), Roy (3), Schwartz (2), Steen 2 (10)
A - Backes 2 (5), Bouwmeester 2 (7), Oshie (7), Pietrangelo (7), Schwartz (4), Shattenkirk (6), Sobotka (4), Tarasenko 2 (3)

Nashville:
G - Spaling (1)
A - Ekholm (1)

Calgary 5, Washington 2
WSH (5-6-0) CGY (5-4-2)

Washington:
G - Chimera (3), Volpatti (1)
A - Fehr (2), Grabovski (5), Green (6), Schmidt (1)

Calgary:
G - Cammalleri 2 (3), Glencross (3), Hudler (5), Russell (1)
A - Baertschi (4), Cammalleri (2), Colborne (2), Galiardi (4), Monahan (4), Russell (4), Stajan (2), Wideman 2 (6)

NHL Recap - 10/25/13

NY Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 3
NYI (4-3-3) PIT (7-3-0)

NY Islanders:
G - Bailey (4), Bouchard (1), Moulson (6), Nielsen (6)
A - Hickey (1), Martinek 2 (2), Nielsen 2 (8), Okposo (8), Tavares (8)

Pittsburgh:
G - Crosby (8), Engelland (1), Jokinen (5)
A - Kunitz (7), Niskanen 2 (7), Sutter (4), Vitale (3)

Columbus 5, Toronto 2
TOR (7-4-0) CBJ (5-5-0)

Toronto:
G - Bolland (4), Kessel (6)
A - Bozak (3), Ranger (3), Raymond (5), van Riemsdyk (4)

Columbus:
G - Dubinsky (3), Foligno (3), Gaborik (5), Johansen (3), Murray (1)
A - Anisimov (3), Dubinsky (4), Foligno (1), Letestu (2), Tyutin 2 (3), Umberger (5), Wisniewski (7)

Anaheim 2, Ottawa 1
ANA (8-3-0) OTT (4-4-2)

Anaheim:
G - Getzlaf (4), Maroon (2)
A - Getzlaf (7), Perry 2 (6)

Ottawa:
G - Zibanejad (1)
A - Michalek (4), Phillips (4)

Buffalo 3, Florida 1
BUF (2-9-1) FLA (3-7-1)

Buffalo:
G - Hodgson (4), Ott (1), Ristolainen (1)
A - Ehrhoff (3), Foligno (3), McBain (2), McCormick (1), Vanek (5)

Florida:
G - Winchester (2)
A - Bergenheim (1), Gudbranson (1)

Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2 (OT)
VAN (8-4-1) STL (5-1-2)

Vancouver:
G - Higgins (4), Kesler 2 (7)
A - Richardson (2), Santorelli 2 (5), D. Sedin (8), H. Sedin (13)

St. Louis:
G - Sobotka (2), Steen (8)
A - Oshie (6), Shattenkirk 2 (5), Steen (5)

Colorado 4, Carolina 2
CAR (4-4-3) COL (9-1-0)

Carolina:
G - Bowman (1), Sekera (1)
A - J. Staal (2), Sekera (5), Semin (3), Tlusty (1)

Colorado:
G - Duchene 2 (8), Johnson (2), Tanguay (3)
A - Benoit (5), Downie (5), Duchene (4), O'Reilly (4), Stastny (5), Tanguay (4)

NHL Recap - 10/24/13

Boston 2, San Jose 1
SJ (8-1-1) BOS (7-2-0)

San Jose:
G - Marleau (8)
A - Vlasic (6)

Boston:
G - Iginla (1), Krejci (2)
A - Krejci (8), Lucic (5), McQuaid (2), Seidenberg (3)

Vancouver 3, New Jersey 2 (SO)
VAN (7-4-1) NJ (1-5-4)

Vancouver:
G - Kesler (5), D. Sedin (4)
A - Kesler (3), H. Sedin 2 (12)

New Jersey:
G - Elias (3), Gelinas (1)
A - Loktionov (2), Jagr (5), Zajac (3), Zidlicky (8)

Philadelphia 2, NY Rangers 1
NYR (2-6-0) PHI (2-7-0)

NY Rangers:
G - Richards (5)
A - Kreider (1), J. Moore (1)

Philadelphia:
G - Coburn (2), Read (1)
A - Grossmann (2), Read (1)

Montreal 4, Anaheim 1
ANA (7-3-0) MTL (6-4-0)

Anaheim:
G - Maroon (1)
A - Bonino (2), Smith-Pelly (1)

Montreal:
G - Bournival (2), Bourque (3), Gionta (3), Plekanec (5)
A - Beaulieu (1), Bournival (3), Galchenyuk (7), Gionta (3), Gorges (3), Plekanec 2 (4)

Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 5 (OT)
CHI (6-1-3) TB (6-3-0)

Chicago:
G - Bickell (3), Hossa (4), Kane (5), Shaw (1), Toews (4)
A - Kane (3), Keith (6), Kruger (3), Seabrook (3), Sharp (4), Toews (3)

Tampa Bay:
G - Carle (1), Hedman (1), St. Louis (5), Stamkos 2 (7), Thompson (1)
A - Crombeen (1), Filppula 2 (4), Gudas (2), Hedman (4), Panik (4), St. Louis (7), Stamkos 2 (7), Sustr (2)

Nashville 3, Winnipeg 2 (OT)
WPG (4-5-2) NSH (6-4-1)

Winnipeg:
G - Peluso (1), Wheeler (3)
A - Bogosian (3), Frolik (4), Jokinen (4), Ladd (5)

Nashville:
G - Hornqvist (4), Smith (2), Weber (3)
A - Fisher (4), Forsberg (3), Jones (3), Legwand 2 (6)

Minnesota 3, Carolina 1
CAR (4-3-3) MIN (5-3-3)

Carolina:
G - Semin (3)
A - Sekera (4), E. Staal (5)

Minnesota:
G - Heatley (1), Niederreiter (2), Parise (5)
A - Cooke (4), Dumba (1), Granlund (5), Prosser (1), Spurgeon (4), Suter (5)

Dallas 5, Calgary 1
CGY (4-4-2) DAL (4-5-0)

Calgary:
G - Stempniak (4)
A - Stajan (1), Wideman (4)

Dallas:
G - Ja. Benn 2 (3), Chiasson 2 (5), Dillon (3)
A - Chiasson (4), Eakin (3), Horcoff (2), Lehtonen (1), Peverley (3), Whitney 2 (6)

Washington 4, Edmonton 1
WSH (5-5-0) EDM (3-7-1)

Washington:
G - Backstrom (2), Chimera (2), Ovechkin (10), Ward (3)
A - Backstrom (10), Carlson (2), Chimera (2), Grabovski (4), Johansson 2 (10), Ovechkin (5)

Edmonton:
G - J. Schultz (3)
A - Belov (2), Perron (7)

Los Angeles 7, Phoenix 4
PHX (6-3-2) LA (7-4-0)

Phoenix:
G - Doan (2), Halpern (1), Hanzal 2 (4)
A - Bissonnette (3), Boedker (7), Michalek (3), Morris (5), Vrbata 2 (4), Yandle 2 (6)

Los Angeles:
G - Frattin (1), King 3 (4), Kopitar (1), Nolan (2), Richards (1)
A - Brown 2 (3), Carter (3), Doughty (2), Fraser (1), Kopitar 2 (10), Regehr (2), Williams 2 (4)

NHL Recap - 10/23/13

Ottawa 6, Detroit 1
OTT (4-3-2) DET (6-4-1)

Ottawa:
G - Cowen (2), Gryba (1), Ryan 2 (6), Spezza 2 (7)
A - Condra (3), Corvo (4), Karlsson 2 (6), MacArthur (5), Methot (2), Phillips (3), Smith (1), Turris 2 (7), Zibanejad (1)

Detroit:
G - Bertuzzi (3)
A - Kronwall (6), Zetterberg (6)

Boston 5, Buffalo 2
BOS (6-2-0) BUF (1-9-1)

Boston:
G - Hamilton (2), Krug 2 (3), Lucic 2 (5)
A - Iginla 2 (4), Krejeci 2 (7), Lucic (4), Marchand (2), Smith (5), Soderberg 2 (3)

Buffalo:
G - Hodgson (3), Zadorov (1)
A - Foligno 2 (2), Ott (2), Vanek (4)

NHL Recap - 10/22/13

Toronto 4, Anaheim 2
ANA (7-2-0) TOR (7-3-0)

Anaheim:
G - Bonino (4), Perreault (4)
A - Etem (2), Maroon (2), Silfverberg (3), Vatanen (3)

Toronto:
G - Kessel 3 (5), Phaneuf (2)
A - Bolland (4), Franson (8), Leivo (1), Ranger (2), van Riemsdyk 2 (3)

Vancouver 5, NY Islanders 4 (OT)
VAN (6-4-1) NYI (3-3-3)

Vancouver:
G - Higgins (3), Kesler (4), Richardson (4), D. Sedin (3), H. Sedin (3)
A - Bieksa (5), Edler (3), Hamhuis (2), Hansen (2), Kesler (2), Santorelli (3), D. Sedin (7), Tanev 2 (5), Weise (2)

NY Islanders:
G - Moulson 2 (5), Nelson (1), Nielsen (5)
A - Clutterbuck (1), MacDonald (2), Nielsen 2 (6), Okposo 2 (7), Regin (2), Tavares (7)

Columbus 4, New Jersey 1
NJ (1-5-3) CBJ (4-5-0)

New Jersey:
G - Ryder (4)
A - Jagr (4), Olesz (2)

Columbus:
G - Atkinson (3), Dubinsky (2), Gaborik (4), Wisniewski (1)
A - Dubinsky (3), Umberger (4), Wisniewski 2 (6)

Edmonton 4, Montreal 3
EDM (3-6-1) MTL (5-4-0)

Edmonton:
G - Hemsky (3), Jones (1), Petry (2), Smid (1)
A - Arcobello 2 (10), Eberle 2 (7), Nugent-Hopkins 2 (4), Perron (6)

Montreal:
G - Gallagher (5), Gionta (2), Plekanec (4)
A - Bournival (2), Markov (4), Plekanec (2), Subban (9)

Chicago 3, Florida 2 (SO)
CHI (6-1-2) FLA (3-6-1)

Chicago:
G - Bickell (2), Toews (3)
A - Hjalmarsson (6), Kane (2), Keith (5), Shaw (4)

Florida:
G - Fleischmann (2), Kulikov (1)
A - Barkov (4), Versteeg (3)

Minnesota 2, Nashville 0
NSH (5-4-1) MIN (4-3-3)

Nashville:
NONE

Minnesota:
G - Fontaine (2), Pominville (4)
A - Koivu (6), Parise 2 (3), Stoner (2)

Washington 5, Winnipeg 4 (SO)
WSH (4-5-0) WPG (4-5-1)

Washington:
G - Brouwer (3), Grabovski (4), Ovechkin 2 (9)
A - Backstrom (9), Erskine (1), Johansson 2 (8), Ovechkin (4), Ward (3)

Winnipeg:
G - Clitsome (1), Little 2 (5), Wheeler (2)
A - Bogosian (2), Kane (3), Ladd 3 (4), Schiefele (2), Setoguchi (3)

Phoenix 4, Calgary 2
CGY (4-3-2) PHX (6-2-2)

Calgary:
G - Colborne (1), Stempniak (3)
A - Galiardi (3), Hudler (8), Russell (3)

Phoenix:
G - Klinkhammer (4), Ribeiro 2 (5), Vrbata (5)
A - Boedker (6), Ekman-Larsson (4), Moss (3), Yandle 2 (4)

Parting Shots - Week 3

- Make that seven in a row for Anaheim, closing the week with a resounding 6-3 win over Dallas at the Honda Center. They've been clicking on offense, defense, and in net lately, making up for their 28th-ranked power play (9.4%) and tied for 22nd penalty kill (78.6%). Obviously the special teams are an issue here, so something has to give; either the even strength play falters or the PP/PK jumps up and the Ducks become even scarier. We'll have a great chance to see what happens in the next couple of weeks, as the Ducks open their season-long eight game road trip tonight in Toronto.

- It's looking like a lost season already for a few Eastern Conference teams. With one win each, Buffalo, New Jersey, and Philadelphia are hurting. Thing is, I don't know that any of these teams have a bounce back in them. None are playing well defensively, surrendering at least three goals per game each, while only New Jersey has averaged more than two goals per outing on offense.

- What a statement win last night for the Colorado Avalanche. They took it on the chin from Pittsburgh all game long, got badly outshot, took too many penalties, yet still rope-a-doped their way to a 1-0 win at the Consol Energy Center. The victory moves them to 8-1-0, which is their best start in franchise history. They also now have a four-point cushion on second-place Chicago in the Central Division.

- How about Sean Monahan? The Flames' rookie notched his sixth goal of the season last night in a last-minute win at Los Angeles, and is now tied for second on the team in points with nine. He plays big minutes for Calgary and has been a key cog in their surprising 4-2-2 start, which still only has them ahead of archrival Edmonton in the Pacific because the usual suspects are playing so well. Calgary is at Phoenix tonight in what is an early marquee matchup in the NHL's version of Murderer's Row.

- Already starved for goals and general high-level play, the Rangers have now lost Rick Nash to a concussion and there is no timetable for his return yet. Ryan Callahan is out for 3-4 weeks with a broken thumb. Carl Hagelin still isn't ready yet, though he has been cleared for contact in practice. Backup goalie Martin Biron retired over the weekend after being sent down to Hartford. Yikes. A 2-5-0 start with two more roadies to go before the home opener is not what this team needed to open the season.

NHL Recap - 10/21/13

San Jose 1, Detroit 0 (SO)
SJ (8-0-1) DET (6-3-1)

San Jose:
NONE

Detroit:
NONE

Colorado 1, Pittsburgh 0
COL (8-1-0) PIT (7-2-0)

Colorado:
G - Landeskog (3)
A - Sarich (1), Wilson (2)

Pittbsurgh:
NONE

Calgary 3, Los Angeles 2
CGY (4-2-2) LA (6-4-0)

Calgary:
G - Brodie (1), Cammalleri (1), Monahan (6)
A - Cammalleri (1), Giordano 2 (7), Hudler 2 (7), Stempniak (5)

Los Angeles:
G - Carter (5), Doughty (3)
A - Brown (1), Richards (6), Williams (2)

NHL Recap - 10/20/13

Columbus 3, Vancouver 1
VAN (5-4-1) CBJ (3-5-0)

Vancouver:
G - H. Sedin (2)
A - Garrison (7), Kesler (1)

Columbus:
G - Gaborik (3), Johansen (2), Umberger (1)
A - Anisimov (2), Johansen (3), Prout (1), Umberger (3), Wisniewski (4)

Nashville 3, Winnipeg 1
NSH (5-3-1) WPG (4-5-0)

Nashville:
G - Cullen (2), Hornqvist (3), Nystrom (2)
A - Smith (5), Wilson (4)

Winnipeg:
G - Kane (5)
A - Jokinen (3), Setoguchi (2)

Anaheim 6, Dallas 3
DAL (3-5-0) ANA (7-1-0)

Dallas:
G - Dillon (2), Garbutt (1), Horcoff (1)
A - Ja. Benn (8), Cole (2), Fiddler (2), Horcoff (1), Nichushkin (1)

Anaheim:
G - Etem (1), Getzlaf (3), Perreault (3), Perry 2 (5), Selanne (3)
A - Allen (3), Cogliano (3), Etem (1), Fowler 2 (3), Getzlaf 3 (6), Palmieri (1), Perry (4), Vatanen (2), Winnik (3)

NHL Recap - 10/19/13

Pittsburgh 4, Vancouver 3 (SO)
VAN (5-3-1) PIT (7-1-0)

Vancouver:
G - Edler (2), Kassian (1), Richardson (3)
A - Bieksa 3 (4), Booth (2), H. Sedin (10), Weise (1)

Pittsburgh:
G - Crosby (7), Kunitz (4), Maatta (1)
A - Crosby 2 (10), Dupuis (7), Kunitz 2 (6), Malkin (6)

Edmonton 3, Ottawa 1
EDM (2-6-1) OTT (3-3-2)

Edmonton:
G - Eberle (3), Nugent-Hopkins 2 (4)
A - Eberle (5), Nugent-Hopkins (2), Yakupov (1)

Ottawa:
G - Neil (1)
A - MacArthur (4), Wiercioch (5)

Colorado 4, Buffalo 2
COL (7-1-0) BUF (1-8-1)

Colorado:
G - Duchene (6), Landeskog (2), O'Reilly (3), Stastny (1)
A - Benoit (4), Downie (4), Duchene (3), Johnson (2), Landeskog (3), O'Reilly (3), Wilson (1)

Buffalo:
G - Foligno (2), Hodgson (2)
A - Myers (2), Stafford (2), Tallinder (1), Vanek (3)

Nashville 2, Montreal 1
NSH (4-3-1) MTL (5-3-0)

Nashville:
G - Jones (2), Weber (2)
A - Forsberg (2), Legwand 2 (4), Wilson (3)

Montreal:
G - Gallagher (4)
A - Bournival (1), Eller (3)

Boston 5, Tampa Bay 0
BOS (5-2-0) TB (5-3-0)

Boston:
G - Bergeron (2), Kelly (3), Krejci (1), McQuaid (1), Thornton (1)
A - Eriksson (1), Iginla (2), Lucic (3), Marchand (1), Paille (1), Smith (4), Soderberg (1)

Tampa Bay:
NONE

Florida 2, Minnesota 1 (SO)
MIN (3-3-3) FLA (3-6-0)

Minnesota:
G - Brodin (3)
A - Heatley (2), Granlund (4)

Florida:
G - Barkov (3)
A - Campbell (5), Fleischmann (7)

New Jersey 4, NY Rangers 0
NYR (2-5-0) NJ (1-4-3)

NY Rangers:
NONE

New Jersey:
G - Henrique (2), Loktionov (1), Ryder (3), Zubrus (2)
A - Jagr 2 (3), Olesz (1), Salvador (2), Volchenkov (3), Zidlicky 2 (7)

Carolina 4, NY Islanders 3
CAR (4-2-3) NYI (3-3-2)

Carolina:
G - Skinner (3), J. Staal (1), Tlusty 2 (2)
A - Gerbe (3), Murphy (4), Nash (1), Ruutu (2), Semin 2 (2), E. Staal 2 (4)

NY Islanders:
G - Moulson (3), Nielsen (4), Okposo (3)
A - Bouchard (3), MacDonald (1), Moulson 2 (3), Okposo (5), Tavares (6)

Washington 4, Columbus 1
CBJ (2-5-0) WSH (3-5-0)

Columbus:
G - Anisimov (2)
A - Gaborik (5)

Washington:
G - Brouwer (2), Laich (2), Ovechkin (7), Ward (2)
A - Backstrom (8), Erat 3 (3), Green (5), Johansson (6), Oleksy (3)

Chicago 3, Toronto 1
TOR (6-3-0) CHI (5-1-2)

Toronto:
G - Kadri (3)
A - Franson (7), Lupul (4)

Chicago:
G - Bickell (1), Kostka (1), Pirri (2)
A - Kruger (2), Leddy 2 (3), Pirri (1), Saad (4), Shaw (3)

Phoenix 5, Detroit 2
DET (6-3-0) PHX (5-2-2)

Detroit:
G - Bertuzzi (2), Datsyuk (5)
A - Ericsson (2), Zetterberg (5)

Phoenix:
G - Hanzal (2), Ribeiro 2 (3), Smith (1), Vermette (3)
A - Boedker 2 (5), Ekman-Larsson (3), Klinkhammer (2), Korpikoski (1), Morris (4), Moss (2)

San Jose 6, Calgary 3
CGY (3-2-2) SJ (7-0-1)

Calgary:
G - Backlund (2), Hudler (4), Monahan (5)
A - Baertschi (3), Giordano (5), Monahan (3), Russell (2), Stempniak (4), Wideman (3)

San Jose:
G - Burns (4), Couture (4), Hannan (2), Marleau (7), Pavelski 2 (3)
A - Couture (7), Demers (5), Hertl (3), Irwin (3), Marleau (4), Pavelski 2 (9), Stuart (1), Thornton 2 (10), Vlasic (5), Wingels (4)

Los Angeles 5, Dallas 2
DAL (3-4-0) LA (6-3-0)

Dallas:
G - Peverley (2), Seguin (4)
A - Ja. Benn 2 (7), Peverley (2), Seguin (6)

Los Angeles:
G - Clifford (1), Doughty (2), Greene (2), Williams 2 (4)
A - Doughty (1), Greene (1), Kopitar 3 (8), Muzzin 2 (3), Williams (1)

NHL Recap - 10/18/13

Winnipeg 4, St. Louis 3 (SO)
STL (5-1-1) WPG (4-4-0)

St. Louis:
G - Backes (6), Steen 2 (7)
A - Backes (3), Bouwmeester (5), Oshie (5)

Winnipeg:
G - Enstrom (1), Jokinen (2), Kane (4)
A - Byfuglien (7), Halischuk (1), Little (3), Wheeler (3)

Anaheim 3, Phoenix 2 (SO)
PHX (4-2-2) ANA (6-1-0)

Phoenix:
G - Klesla (1), Vermette (2)
A - Doan (2), Hanzal (6), Ribeiro (4), Yandle (2)

Anaheim:
G - Bonino (3), Selanne (2)
A - Perreault (4)

NHL Recap - 10/17/13

Vancouver 3, Buffalo 0
VAN (5-3-0) BUF (1-7-1)

Vancouver:
G - Higgins (2), Richardson (2), Stanton (1)
A - Garrison (6), Santorelli 2 (2), D. Sedin (6), H. Sedin (9)

Buffalo:
NONE

Carolina 3, Toronto 2
CAR (3-2-3) TOR (6-2-0)

Carolina:
G - Hainsey (2), Murphy (1), E. Staal (3)
A - Faulk (5), Skinner (6), Ward (1)

Toronto:
G - Leivo (1), Lupul (6)
A - Bolland (3), Ranger (1), Rielly (4)

NY Islanders 3, Edmonton 2
EDM (1-6-1) NYI (3-2-2)

Edmonton:
G - Hall 2 (3)
A - Arcobello 2 (8), Eberle (4), J. Schultz (5)

NY Islanders:
G - Bailey (3), Okposo (2), Tavares (4)
A - Bouchard (2), Grabner (6), Hamonic (3), Moulson (1), Okposo (4), Tavares (5)

Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 1
PIT (6-1-0) PHI (1-7-0)

Pittsburgh:
G - Crosby (6), Jokinen (4), Kunitz (3), Malkin (3)
A - Adams (1), Crosby (8), Dupuis 2 (6), Malkin (5), Niskanen (5)

Philadelphia:
G - Simmonds (1)
A - Giroux (3), B. Schenn (3)

Montreal 5, Columbus 3
CBJ (2-4-0) MTL (5-2-0)

Columbus:
G - Jenner 2 (2), Johansen (1)
A - Anisimov (1), Johansen (2), Letestu (1), Savard (3), Tyutin (1)

Montreal:
G - Bournival (1), Bourque (2), Markov (1), Plekanec 2 (3)
A - Diaz (4), Gionta (2), Gorges (2), Markov (3), Prust (1), Subban 2 (8)

Ottawa 5, New Jersey 2
NJ (0-4-3) OTT (3-2-2)

New Jersey:
G - Bernier (1), Zajac (1)
A - Elias (2), Gionta (1), Zidlicky (5)

Ottawa:
G - Karlsson (2), Michalek (2), Ryan (4), Smith (2), Spezza (5)
A - Condra (2), Karlsson 2 (4), MacArthur (3), Ryan (2), Spezza 2 (3), Turris (5)

Tampa Bay 3, Minnesota 1
MIN (3-3-2) TB (5-2-0)

Minnesota:
G - Koivu (1)
A - Niederreiter (3), Suter (4)

Tampa Bay:
G - Johnson (2), Salo (1), Stamkos (5)
A - Carle (5), Filppula (2), Gudas (1), Panik (3)

Boston 3, Florida 2
BOS (4-2-0) FLA (2-6-0)

Boston:
G - Hamilton (1), Paille (1), Smith (1)
A - Bartkowski (1), Bergeron (2), Chara (2), Krejci (5), Krug (2), Seidenberg (2)

Florida:
G - Versteeg (2), Winchester (1)
A - Bjugstad (1), Gilbert (2), Huberdeau (2)

St. Louis 3, Chicago 2 (SO)
STL (5-1-0) CHI (4-1-2)

St. Louis:
G - Backes (5), Steen (5)
A - Bouwmeester 2 (6), Oshie (4), Pietrangelo (6)

Chicago:
G - Hossa (3), Pirri (1)
A - Hjalmarsson (5), Hossa (2)

Los Angeles 2, Nashville 1 (SO)
LA (5-3-0) NSH (3-3-1)

Los Angeles:
G - Voynov (2)
A - Carter (2), Richards (5)

Nahsville:
G - Cullen (1)
A - Bourque (2), Smith (4)

Dallas 4, San Jose 3 (SO)
SJ (6-0-1) DAL (3-3-0)

San Jose:
G - Kennedy (1), Marleau (6), Nieto (2)
A - Niemi (2), Pavelski (7), Vlasic (4), Wingels (3)

Dallas:
G - Daley (1), Eakin (2), Seguin (3)
A - Ja. Benn (5), Chiasson (3), Eakin (2), Robidas (1), Whitney 2 (4)

Detroit 4, Colorado 2
DET (6-2-0) COL (6-1-0)

Detroit:
G - Datsyuk 2 (4), Franzen 2 (2)
A - Abdelkader (2), Alfredsson 3 (8), DeKeyser (1), Kindl (2), Zetterberg (5)

Colorado:
G - Johnson (1), Landeskog (1)
A - Stastny (4), Varlamov (1)

NHL Recap - 10/16/13

NY Rangers 2, Washington 0
NYR (2-4-0) WSH (2-5-0)

NY Rangers:
G - Callahan (3), J. Moore (1)
A - Brassard (4), McDonagh (1), Richards 2 (3)

Washington:
NONE

Anaheim 3, Calgary 2
CGY (3-1-2) ANA (5-1-0)

Calgary:
G - Hudler (3), Stempniak (2)
A - Colborne (1), Russell (1)

Anaheim:
G - Palmieri (1), Penner (2), Selanne (1)
A - Allen (2), Getzlaf (3), Silfverberg (2)

NHL Recap - 10/15/13

Toronto 4, Minnesota 1
MIN (3-2-2) TOR (6-1-0)

Minnesota:
G - Pominville (3)
A - Koivu (5), Parise (1)

Toronto:
G - Bozak (3), Raymond 2 (4), Smith (1)
A - Bolland (2), Franson 2 (6), Kadri (5), Kessel (6), Rielly 2 (3)

Buffalo 4, NY Islanders 3 (SO)
BUF (1-6-1) NYI (2-2-2)

Buffalo:
G - Ennis (1), Foligno (1), Vanek (3)
A - Ehrhoff 2 (2), Hodgson (5), Myers (1), Stafford (1)

NY Islanders:
G - Nielsen (3), Martin (1), Moulson (2)
A - Bailey (4), Bouchard (1), Boulton (1), Cizikas (1), Tavares (4), Visnovsky (2)

Vancouver 3, Philadelphia 2
VAN (4-3-0) PHI (1-6-0)

Vancouver:
G - Higgins (1), Kesler 2 (3)
A - Garrison (5), Hansen (1), Higgins (2), H. Sedin 2 (8), Tanev (3)

Philadelphia:
G - McGinn 2 (3)
A - Giroux (2), Grossmann (1), Gustafsson (1), Voracek (3)

Pittsburgh 3, Edmonton 2
EDM (1-5-1) PIT (5-1-0)

Edmonton:
G - Eberle (2), Hemsky (2)
A - Arcobello (6), Hall (5), Perron (5), Petry (2)

Pittsburgh:
G - Dupuis (2), Kunitz (2), Malkin (2)
A - Crosby 3 (7), Dupuis (4), Kunitz (4), Martin (2)

Chicago 3, Carolina 2 (SO)
CHI (4-1-1) CAR (2-2-3)

Chicago:
G - Hossa (2), Sharp (1)
A - Handzus (2), Saad (3), Shaw (2)

Carolina:
G - Hainsey (1), Semin (2)
A - Ruutu (1), E. Staal (2)

Tampa Bay 5, Los Angeles 1
LA (4-3-0) TB (4-2-0)

Los Angeles:
G - Voynov (1)
A - Frattin (3), Stoll (2)

Tampa Bay:
G - Malone (1), Palat (2), Purcell (4), St. Louis 2 (4)
A - Carle (4), Johnson (2), Malone (3), Palat (2), Purcell (4), Salo (4), St. Louis (6) Stamkos 2 (5), Sustr (1)

Detroit 2, Columbus 1
CBJ (2-3-0) DET (5-2-0)

Columbus:
G - Atkinson (2)
A - NONE

Detroit:
G - Alfredsson (1), Bertuzzi (2)
A - Datsyuk (5), Kronwall (5), Zetterberg 2 (4)

San Jose 6, St. Louis 2
SJ (6-0-0) STL (4-1-0)

San Jose:
G - Couture (3), Hannan (1), Marleau (5), Pavelski (1), Wingels (2), Thornton (1)
A - Burns (4), Couture (6), Demers (4), Desjardins (3), Hertl (2), Marleau 2 (3), Sheppard (2), Thornton 3 (8)

St. Louis:
G - Polak (1), Tarasenko (4)
A - Berglund (3), Roy (4), Schwartz (3), Sobotka (3)

Nashville 4, Florida 3
FLA (2-5-0) NSH (3-3-0)

Florida:
G - Gilroy (1), Goc (3), Huberdeau (3)
A - Boyes (2), Fleischmann (6), Gomez (3), Matthias (2), Weaver (1), Winchester (1)

Nashville:
G - Fisher (2), Hornqvist (2), Smith (1), Weber (1)
A - Bourque (1), Fisher (3), Forsberg (1), Jones (2), Legwand (2), Smith (3), Weber (2), Wilson (2)

Montreal 3, Winnipeg 0
MTL (4-2-0) WPG (3-4-0)

Montreal:
G - Briere (1), Prust (2), Subban (2)
A - Bouillion (2), Briere (2), Desharnais (1), Gorges (1)

Winnipeg:
NONE

Colorado 3, Dallas 2
DAL (2-3-0) COL (6-0-0)

Dallas:
G - Eakin (1), Peverley (1)
A - Ja. Benn (4), Cole (1), Seguin (5), Whitney (2)

Colorado:
G - Duchene 2 (5), Hejda (1)
A - Johnson (1), MacKinnon (6), Parenteau 2 (4)

Ottawa 4, Phoenix 3 (OT)
OTT (2-2-2) PHX (4-2-1)

Ottawa:
G - Conacher (2), Spezza 3 (4)
A - Greening 2 (3), Karlsson (2), Methot (1), Michalek 2 (3), Wiercioch (4)

Phoenix:
G - Klinkhammer (3), Ribeiro (1), Vrbata (4)
A - Boedker (3), Ekman-Larsson (2), Hanzal (5), Vermette 2 (4)

NHL Recap - 10/14/13

Detroit 3, Boston 2
DET (4-2-0) BOS (3-2-0)

Detroit:
G - Cleary (1), Weiss (2), Zetterberg (5)
A - Alfredsson (5), Andersson (1), Datsyuk (4), Franzen (3), Lashoff (1)

Boston:
G - Eriksson (2), Lucic (3)
A - Boychuk (3), Krejci (4), Seidenberg (1), Smith (3)

Washington 4, Edmonton 2
EDM (1-4-1) WSH (2-4-0)

Edmonton:
G - Acton (1), Gordon (4)
A - Perron (4), Petry (1), J. Schultz (4)

Washington:
G - Brouwer (1), Laich (1), Ovechkin (6), Ward (1)
A - Backstrom 3 (7), Grabovski (3), Johansson (5), Oleksy (2), Ovechkin (3)

Minnesota 2, Buffalo 1
MIN (3-1-2) BUF (0-6-1)

Minnesota:
G - Brodziak (1), Pominville (2)
A - Brodin (3), Cooke (3), Koivu (4), Spurgeon (3)

Buffalo:
G - Flynn (1)
A - Girgensons (1)

Power Rankings Week 2

With the season well underway, its time to do power rankings for each team. I will be doing them every 2 weeks and will have a description of the teams play for the past 2 weeks.

1.   San Jose: This is the best team in the NHL right now. The sharks are three teams that are still undefeated and they have played great hockey in their 5 games. The sharks have not allowed more than 2 goals in any of their games and in their last 4 games; they have scored 4 or more and scored 9 against the Rangers on October 8^th.

2.   Penguins: With Sidney Crosby leading the Penguins and Marc-Andre Fluery back in form, the Penguins are a team that could play great defense and put the puck in the net. They have scored more than 3 goals in all 5 games and lost only 1 game. This has happened without one of their best goal scorers, James Neal. Once Neal returns, this team will be very dangerous. 

3.   Colorado: Who would of thought that the Colorado Avalanche being 1 of the 3 teams still undefeated. The team with the 1^st overall pick in the 2013 Entry Level draft, and new youth, this team has played extremely well. They have beaten the Ducks 6-1, shutout my Stanley Cup champions, Boston 2-0 and beat the Capitals 5-1.

4.   St. Louis: The Blues are the 3^rd team that is still undefeated (Sharks and Aves). The difference is that the Blues have only played 4 games compared to 5. That still doesn’t change the fact that the Blues are one of the top teams in the league so far. They have defeated the Blackhawks in a very close playoff type game and then beat the Rangers a few days later. They have yet to play on the road but with the defensive depth they have, that shouldn’t be a problem.

5.  Calgary: Another surprising team in the early part of the season, the Flames have yet to have a regulation lost. All their games have been 1 goal decisions and they have scored more goals than thought. Sean Monahan, the flames 1^st round pick in the 2013 draft has played well and proved that he belongs in the NHL.

6.   Boston: The Bruins has played well in the past few weeks. They have defeated Tampa, Detroit and Columbus. Most of the top 6 has produced but the line of Bergeron, Marchand and Eriksson still has to produce and started to do so against the Blue Jackets. One that line gets going, the Bruins will be a very difficult team to contain and play against.

7.   Toronto: Toronto is tied for the most points in the NHL and the addition of Jonathan Bernier has been huge for the team. He has solidified his position as the starting goalie and has Joffrey Lupul and James Van Riemsdyk leading the team in goals scored (5). The addition of Mason Raymond, who was on a PTO, has added some depth scoring and the defensive unit has played well to start the season.

8.   Ducks: Since losing to the Avalanche in the 1^st game of the season, the Ducks have won 4 straight games. The play of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry has been good and the team’s depth has helped in the scoring. They shutout the Rangers in a 6-0 rout and the also beat one of the better eastern conference teams, the Senators yesterday 4-1.

9.   Chicago: The defending champs haven’t had a “Stanley Cup Hangover” as they have won 3 of their first 5 games and have gotten points in 4 of 5 games. The Hawks lost to the Blues in regulation and to Tampa in a shootout but has been able to score more than 3 in almost all their games. The Hawks will continue to win games and should be one of the favorites by season end.

10. Los Angeles: The Kings are 4-2 in their 6 games but they haven’t really played any good teams yet. They lost to Winnipeg and to the Rangers in their home opener due to a fluke goal allowed. After their loss to the Rangers, the Kings have won 3 straight and their play will improve and so should the wins.

11. Phoenix: The Coyotes have started the season on a very strong note. They lost 2 of their first 3 but have won 3 straight and against some good teams. Radim Vrbata has started well and recorded a hat trick in the Coyotes first game of the season and Mike Smith has played very well. If this play continues, the Coyotes might surprise teams and make the playoffs.

12. Winnipeg: After six games, the Jets are a .500 team and they will probably stay around this number for the rest of the season. They will be a bubble team for most of the season and will have trouble making the playoffs. They started the season well beating the struggling Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings but since then, they have lost 3 of 4.

13. Vancouver: With John Tortorella as the new head coach for the Canucks, the start of their season has been a mixture of ups and downs. They started well, winning 4 of their 1^st 5 games but since then, they have lost 4-1 to both San Jose and Montreal. The loss to Montreal was even worse as they scored on themselves on the power play.

14. Detroit: The Red Wings are in the same situation as the Canucks as the start of their season has had some mix results. They started well, winning their 1^st two games but lost against the Bruins and Phoenix. They beat the flyers on Saturday and their play has to improve if they wish to make the playoffs for another season. 

15. Montreal: Some shaky goaltending at the start of the season but after going 1-2, the Montreal Canadiens have played better and have won 2 in a row. The play of Carey Price has improved and he has allowed only 1 in the last 40 shots. Price is the back-bone for this team and if he can continue this strong play, they will be in the playoffs once again.

16. Minnesota: Minnesota has started slowly losing their first 2 games but have won 3 straight with the strong play of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. The Wild’s goaltending has been shaky and with the injury to Nicklas Backstrom, Josh Harding will be the starter for the time being. This team should be in the playoffs as they have a very good top 6 forwards and a young but good defensive group.

17. Columbus: The Blue Jackets have only played 4 games and they start the season at .500. Bobrovsky has played well enough to keep his team in the games so far but there has been no offensive support by the Blue Jackets. They have scored 11 goals and allowed 10. If the Blue Jackets want to make the playoffs, they will need more from players such as Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov.

18. Carolina: The Hurricanes might have the most difficult start of the season as they have played against the Red Wings, Penguins, Capitals and Kings in 4 of their first 6 games. They have won 2 games against the struggling Flyers and Capitals but have lost against teams that will be in the playoffs. This trend might continue due to other teams just being better than them.

19. Ottawa: The Senators started the season with a 1-0 win over Buffalo but since then, they have lost 4 straight. Goaltending has been the issue for the Senators as Craig Anderson has started the season a bit shaky after his amazing season last year. The Senators have too many options at forward to be unable to score and this bad start will end soon.

20. New York Islanders: The Islanders have started well this season going 2-2-1 but they have lost 2 straight. This team will go as far as Jonny Tavares will take them and right now he hasn’t really produced. If he can regain is MVP nominated form, the Islanders can be a playoff team come April.

21. Dallas: With only four games played, the Stars have been a .500 team. The addition of Seguin paid off during the Winnipeg game as he had 2 goals and 2 assist that game. The others on that team need to step up if they wish to return to the playoffs in April.

22. Florida: Still in a rebuilding phase, the Panthers will have to live with the “growing pains” of a young team. The Panthers were able to start off well with a win against Dallas but lost 3 straight. They were able to defeat the Penguins 6-3 but were then shutout by the kings two days later. The young team will probably be in the same position as last year with a high draft pick.

23. Tampa: With Steven Stamkos leading the offense, the Lightning will be able to score plenty of goals. This was the case last Thursday when the Lightning defeated the Panthers 7-2 and Stamkos had a hat trick. The Lightning will need Stamkos and St. Louis to continue their offensive surge if they wish to return to the playoffs. The defense and goaltending of the Lightning will struggle and because of that, they will be at the bottom of the pack.

24. Nashville: Nashville has played well during the first 5 games but has little to show for it. They won 2 games but most of the games have been close (both 3-2 wins). This is another team that will have trouble scoring as they don’t have a pure offensive player. Forsberg is still young and has the potential to be that type of player. The Predators will need to rely on Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber to keep them in games.

25. Edmonton: The Oilers have struggled to start the season and it’s because of their goaltending. Devin Dubnyk has been a different player from last year. Through four games played, Dubnyk has a .829 SV% and a 5.43 GAA. The office talent is there with RNH, Hall, Eberle and others but the defensive unit is weak and the bad start by Dubnyk had the Oilers struggling.

26. New Jersey: The only team in the NHL without a regulation wins; the Devils still have more points than most teams in the NHL. With the loss of Kovalchuk and Parise, the Devils will have a hard time scoring goals. Cory Schneider and Martin Broduer will have to play outstanding to keep the Devils in games.

27. Capitals: The Capitals have struggled and it has to do with goaltending and defense. Braden Holtby has struggled and the Capitals defense hasn’t played their best. Alexander Ovechkin will continue to score but the Capitals will only go as far as their goalies. That said, they had been able to get some points but only has 1 point in 5 games played. In the tough Metropolitan division, points will be hard to come by.

28. New York Rangers: The Rangers were a team who could contend for the Stanley Cup but their start of the season is one to forget. With new coach, Alian Vigneault, the Rangers have to learn a new system and that could be a reason for the slow start. The Rangers have been horrible the first 5 games with a 9-2 loss to the Sharks and a 6-0 loss to the Ducks. The loss of Rick Nash to a concussion doesn’t help but the defensive unit has been horrible and needs to improve.

29. Buffalo: The Sabres are a team that is in a rebuild phase. The start of the season has been bad for the team and they have yet to win a game in regulation. This team is still young and will make mistakes but the goaltending has also been shaky to start the season.

30. Philadelphia: The Flyers started the season without a win until their 4^th game. After the firing of Peter Laviolette, the Flyers beat the Panthers but have lost 2 games since then. They have not played well this season and with the talent they have, they should have more points. 

Parting Shots - Week 2

We've got some things to discuss this week, so let's get right to it.

- What the hell is wrong with the Rangers? A 1-4-0 start to the season has seen them allow the most goals per game (5, and yes, you're reading that right) in the NHL while only scoring nine total. There have been injuries, namely Carl Hagelin missing all action thus far and Rick Nash's recent concussion, but this is still a mess. The new coach and system aren't getting through to the team just yet, as there are players constantly out of position and failing to execute. GM Glen Sather tried to shake things up today by placing Arron Asham and Martin Biron on waivers, but I'm not sure that's the answer and either way, those aren't the guys who should be buried in the minors. Brian Boyle and Taylor Pyatt are much more deserving of that fate. With four games still to go on the Rangers' nine-game road trip, they'll do well to finish strong and open up the home slate on a win streak.

- Suspensions abound this week. Brad Stuart got three games for concussing Nash, Alex Edler got three games for a high hit on Tomas Hertl (the crown jewel of my fantasy team), and Patrick Kaleta picked up two games (and potentially more) for his high hit on Jack Johnson. In my estimation, the punishments fit the crimes, but at some point we need to find a better way to legislate these headshots out of the game. If an official feels that the head was targeted in a hit, I think there should be no less than a ten-minute misconduct, in addition to whatever Shanahan and the league office want to do about it.

- Another week in the books, and we're down to four teams that are either undefeated or have no regulation losses, all of them in the Western Conference. Colorado and San Jose (each 5-0-0) lead the way in their respective divisions, with St. Louis (4-0-0) and Calgary (3-0-2) not far behind. I don't think anyone's surprised that the Sharks and Blues are on hot streaks to start the year, but the Avs and Flames are a different story. I picked them to finish in last place in their divisions, yet here they are two weeks in and playing great hockey. If you can believe it, Colorado has been winning with defense. They have yet to allow multiple goals in a game and have conceded just four so far this season. Calgary, a team I thought would have trouble scoring, has been playing very well offensively. They've tallied at least three goals in each of their five outings this season, and have scored 18 total.

- Can we all agree now that the Flyers aren't a good team and injuries were not the sole reason for their playoff miss last year? They're 1-5-0 through six games and have scored eight goals. They have all their top players in the lineup, and they're healthy, yet the production still isn't there. The team defense has been below average as well. An average of 31.3 shots against per game (20th in the NHL) is not going to get it done when the offense isn't scoring. Their 7.4% power play (28th) isn't helping matters, either. They've already fired their head coach, but they should've fired the GM. Maybe now that wheel will start turning in the front office.

- Obligatory mention that the Sharks are outshooting their opponents by nearly 20 shots per game. I'll let that sink in for you readers and leave it there.

- And now for the fantasy league update. The hometown teams are both 2-0, with my team still leading the league in scoring and George in 2nd. Four other teams are unbeaten, with no guarantees that the number will shrink as none of the 2-0 teams face each other this week. Should be an interesting week of hockey, looking forward to enjoying it!

NHL Recap - 10/13/13

Phoenix 5, Carolina 3
PHX (4-2-0) CAR (2-2-2)

Phoenix:
G - Boedker (2), Doan (1), Klinkhammer 2 (2), Korpikoski (1)
A - Bissonnette (2), Doan (1), Kennedy (2), Michalek (2), Morris (3), Moss (1), Ribeiro (3), Schlemko (1), Smith (1), Vrbata (2)

Carolina:
G - Nash (1), Skinner (2), E. Staal (2)
A - Gerbe (2), Harrison (2), Murphy (3)

Los Angeles 3, Florida 0
LA (4-2-0) FLA (2-4-0)

Los Angeles:
G - Carcillo (1), Nolan (1), Williams (2)
A - Carcillo (1), Kopitar (5), Nolan (1), Richards (4), Stoll (1)

Florida:
NONE

Winnipeg 3, New Jersey 0
NJ (0-3-3) WPG (3-3-0)

New Jersey:
NONE

Winnipeg:
G - Kane 2 (3), Ladd (3)
A - Frolik 2 (3), Jokinen (2), Little (2), Slater (1), Stuart (1)

Anaheim 4, Ottawa 1
OTT (1-2-2) ANA (4-1-0)

Ottawa:
G - Ryan (3)
A - Corvo (3), Turris (4)

Anaheim:
G - Bonino (2), Getzlaf (2), Perry 2 (3)
A - Getzlaf (2), Lindholm 2 (2), Maroon (1), Selanne (3)

NHL Recap - 10/12/13

Boston 3, Columbus 1
BOS (3-1-0) CBJ (2-2-0)

Boston:
G - Eriksson (1), Kelly (2), Lucic (2)
A - Bergeron (1), Boychuk (2), Chara (1), Iginla (1), Krejci (3), Smith (2)

Columbus:
G - Johnson (2)
A - Gaborik (4), Wisniewski (3)

Toronto 6, Edmonton 5 (OT)
EDM (1-3-1) TOR (5-1-0)

Edmonton:
G - Eberle (1), Gordon (3), Nugent-Hopkins (2), Smyth 2 (3)
A - Arcobello 3 (5), Belov (1), Eberle (3), Hall 2 (4), Perron (3), J. Schultz (3)

Toronto:
G - Bolland (3), Kadri (2), Lupul 2 (5), van Rimesdyk 2 (5)
A - Bozak (2), Broll (1), Franson 2 (4), Gardiner (2), Kadri (4), Kessel (5), Phaneuf 2 (3), Raymond 2 (4)

Detroit 5, Philadelphia 2
PHI (1-5-0) DET (3-2-0)

Philadelphia:
G - Gustafsson (1), McGinn (1)
A - Giroux (1), B. Schenn (2), Simmonds (1), Voracek (2)

Detroit:
G - Bertuzzi (1), Datsyuk (2), Kronwall (1), Zetterberg 2 (4)
A - Alfredsson 3 (4), Cleary (1), Datsyuk 2 (3), Kronwall 2 (4), Quincey (1), Zetterberg (2)

Pittsburgh 5, Tampa Bay 4
PIT (4-1-0) TB (3-2-0)

Pittsburgh:
G - Crosby 3 (5), Niskanen (1), Orpik (1)
A - Crosby (4), Dupuis (3), Jokinen 2 (2), Kunitz 2 (3), Malkin 2 (4), Niskanen (4), Scuderi (1)

Tampa Bay:
G - Filppula (4), Killorn (2), Purcell (3), Stamkos (4)
A - Hedman (3), Johnson (1), Killorn (4), Panik 2 (2), Salo (3), St. Louis 2 (5)

Colorado 5, Washington 1
COL (5-0-0) WSH (1-4-0)

Colorado:
G - Duchene (3), MacKinnon (1), McGinn (3), Tanguay 2 (2)
A - Benoit 2 (3), Landeskog 2 (2), MacKinnon (5), O'Reilly (2), Parenteau (2), Stastny 2 (3)

Washington:
G - Fehr (1)
A - Chimera (1), Ward (2)

Chicago 2, Buffalo 1
BUF (0-5-1) CHI (3-1-1)

Buffalo:
G - Stafford (1)
A - Hodgson (4), Pysyk (1)

Chicago:
G - Kane (4), Smith (1)
A - Keith (4), Seabrook (2), Sharp (3), Shaw (1)

St. Louis 5, NY Rangers 3
NYR (1-4-0) STL (4-0-0)

NY Rangers:
G - Callahan 2 (2), Richards (4)
A - Brassard 2 (3), Richards (1), Stepan 2 (5)

St. Louis:
G - Backes 2 (4), Roy (2), Steen (4), Tarasenko (3)
A - Backes (2), Oshie 2 (3), Roy (2), Shattenkirk 2 (3), Steen 3 (4)

Nashville 3, NY Islanders 2
NYI (2-2-1) NSH (2-3-0)

NY Islanders:
G - Nielsen (2), Tavares (3)
A - Hamonic (2), Okposo 2 (3), Strait (1)

Nashville:
G - Ellis (1), Hornqvist (1), Jones (1)
A - Cullen (2), Ellis (1), Legwand (1), Smith (2), Weber (1), Wilson (1)

Minnesota 5, Dallas 1
DAL (2-2-0) MIN (2-1-2)

Dallas:
G - Jo. Benn (1)
A - Chiasson (2), Seguin (4)

Minnesota:
G - Cooke (3), Dumba (1), Fontaine (1), Niederreiter (1), Parise (4)
A - Brodin (2), Cooke (2), Heatley (1), Koivu (3), Spurgeon 2 (2), Suter (3)

Montreal 4, Vancouver 1
MTL (3-2-0) VAN (3-3-0)

Montreal:
G - Eller (5), Gorges (1), Pacioretty (2), Plekanec (1)
A - Bouillon (1), Diaz 2 (3), Markov (2), Moen (2), Subban (6)

Vancouver:
G - H. Sedin (1)
A - Garrison (4), D. Sedin (5)

San Jose 3, Ottawa 2
OTT (1-1-2) SJ (5-0-0)

Ottawa:
G - Ryan (2), Smith (1)
A - Greening (1), Phillips (2), Spezza (1), Wiercioch (3)

San Jose:
G - Burns (3), Hertl (7), Marleau (4)
A - Boyle (1), Burns (3), Irwin (3), Nieto (3), Pavelski (6), Thornton (5)

NHL Recap - 10/11/13

Phoenix 2, Philadelphia 1
PHX (3-2-0) PHI (1-4-0)

Phoenix:
G - Ekman-Larsson (2), Klinkhammer (1)
A - Hanzal (4), Kennedy (1), Morris (3), Ribeiro (2)

Philadelphia:
G - Talbot (1)
A - Couturier (2), Rinaldo (1)

Los Angeles 2, Carolina 1 (SO)
LA (3-2-0) CAR (2-1-2)

Los Angeles:
G - King (1)
A - NONE

Carolina:
G - Skinner (1)
A - Gerbe (1), Sekera (3)

Florida 6, Pittsburgh 3
PIT (3-1-0) FLA (2-3-0)

Pittsburgh:
G - Adams (3), Dupuis (1), Malkin (1)
A - Bennett (2), Crosby (3), Glass (2), Vitale (2)

Florida:
G - Barkov (2), Boyes 2 (4), Fleischmann (1), Huberdeau (2), Versteeg (1)
A - Barkov 2 (3), Boyes (1), Fleischmann 3 (5), Gomez (2), Matthias (1), Versteeg (2)

Chicago 3, NY Islanders 2
NYI (2-1-1) CHI (2-1-1)

NY Islanders:
G - Bailey (2), Okposo (1)
A - Grabner (5), Tavares (3)

Chicago:
G - Handzus (1), Nordstrom (1), Toews (2)
A - Hjalmarsson (4), Keith 2 (3), Seabrook (1), Smith (1)

Dallas 4, Winnipeg 1
DAL (2-1-0) WPG (2-3-0)

Dallas:
G - Ja. Benn (1), Chiasson (3), Seguin 2 (2)
A - Ja. Benn 2 (3), Chiasson (1), Dillon (2), Gonchar (1), Peverley (1), Seguin 2 (3)

Winnipeg:
G - Wheeler (1)
A - Byfuglien (6), Enstrom (6)

Calgary 3, New Jersey 2
NJ (0-2-3) CGY (3-0-2)

New Jersey:
G - Henrique (1), Zubrus (1)
A - Brunner (2), Greene (1), Zajac (2)

Calgary:
G - Giordano (2), Monahan (4), Wideman (1)
A - Baertschi (2), Giordano (4), Glencross (2), Hudler 2 (5), Wideman (2)

NHL Recap - 10/10/13

Colorado 2, Boston 0
COL (4-0-0) BOS (2-1-0)

Colorado:
G - Duchene (2), O'Reilly (2)
A - Benoit (1), Duchene (2)

Boston:
NONE

Columbus 4, Buffalo 1
CBJ (2-1-0) BUF (0-4-1)

Columbus:
G - Atkinson (1), Dubinsky (1), Foligno (2), Gaborik (2)
A - Atkinson (2), Gaborik 2 (3), Johansen (1), Murray (1), Savard (2), Umberger (2), Wisniewski (2)

Buffalo:
G - Vanek (2)
A - Hodgson (3), Ott (1)

Carolina 3, Washington 2
CAR (2-1-1) WSH (1-3-0)

Carolina:
G - Gerbe (3), Lindholm (1), Semin (1)
A - Faulk (4), Murphy (2), Skinner 2 (5), E. Staal (1), J. Staal (1)

Washington:
G - Chimera (1), Ovechkin (5)
A - Backstrom (4), Carlson (1), Fehr (1), Oleksy (1)

Phoenix 4, Detroit 2
PHX (2-2-0) DET (2-2-0)

Phoenix:
G - Boedker (1), Morris (1), Stone (1), Vermette (1)
A - Boedker (2), Hanzal (3), Morris (2), Ribeiro (1), Vermette (2)

Detroit:
G - Andersson (1), Ericsson (1)
A - Bertuzzi (1), Kindl (1)

Tampa Bay 7, Florida 2
FLA (1-3-0) TB (3-1-0)

Florida:
G - Boyes (2), Huberdeau (1)
A - Campbell (4), Fleischmann (2), Gomez (1), Versteeg (1)

Tampa Bay:
G - Filppula 2 (3), Palat (1), St. Louis (2), Stamkos 3 (3)
A - Bishop (1), Carle 2 (3), Hedman (2), Killorn 2 (3), Malone (2), Purcell 3 (3), Salo 2 (2), St. Louis (3), Stamkos (3)

Toronto 4, Nashville 0
TOR (4-1-0) NSH (1-3-0)

Toronto:
G - Bozak (2), Kessel (2), Lupul (3), van Riemsdyk (3)
A - Gardiner (1), Gunnarsson (1), Kadri (3), Kessel 2 (4), Rielly (1), van Riemsdyk (1)

Nashville:
NONE

Minnesota 2, Winnipeg 1
WPG (2-2-0) MIN (1-1-2)

Winnipeg:
G - Little (3)
A - Byfuglien (5), Enstrom (5)

Minnesota:
G - Brodin (2), Cooke (2)
A - Brodziak (2), Cooke (1), Mitchell (1), Stoner (1)

Montreal 4, Edmonton 1
MTL (2-2-0) EDM (1-3-0)

Montreal:
G - Galchenyuk (1), Gallagher (1), Pacioretty (1), Prust (1)
A - Briere (1), Galchenyuk (6), Gallagher (2), Moen (1), Subban 2 (5)

Edmonton:
G - Smyth (1)
A - Hall (2), Nugent-Hopkins (1)

San Jose 4, Vancouver 1
SJ (4-0-0) VAN (3-2-0)

San Jose:
G - Burns (2), Marleau (3), Pelech (1), Vlasic (2)
A - Burns (2), Couture 2 (4), Kennedy (2), Sheppard (1), Thornton 2 (4)

Vancouver:
G - Santorelli (4)
A - Stanton (3), Tanev (2)

Anaheim 6, NY Rangers 0
NYR (1-3-0) ANA (3-1-0)

NY Rangers:
NONE

Anaheim:
G - Getzlaf (1), Koviu (2), Penner (1), Silfverberg 2 (4), Winnik (1)
A - Allen (1), Cogliano (2), Penner (2), Perreault 2 (3), Perry 2 (3), Selanne 2 (2), Vatanen (1), Winnik (2)

NHL Recap - 10/9/13

St. Louis 3, Chicago 2
CHI (1-1-1) STL (3-0-0)

Chicago:
G - Kane (3), Toews (1)
A - Kane (1), Sharp 2 (2), Toews (2)

St. Louis:
G - Backes (2), Steen (3), Tarasenko (2)
A - Berglund (2), Bouwmeester (2), Oshie (1), Pietrangelo 2 (5)

Calgary 3, Montreal 2
MTL (1-2-0) CGY (2-0-2)

Montreal:
G - Eller (4), Subban (1)
A - Galchenyuk (5), Markov (1), Pacioretty (1), Subban (2)

Calgary:
G - Baertschi (1), Glencross (2), Monahan (3)
A - Hudler (3), Monahan (2), Stempniak (3), Wideman (1)

Los Angeles 4, Ottawa 3 (OT)
OTT (1-0-2) LA (2-2-0)

Ottawa:
G - Michalek (1), Pageau (1), Ryan (1)
A - Condra (1), Corvo 2 (2), Karlsson (1), Phillips (1), Ryan (2)

Los Angeles:
G - Brown 2 (2), Carter 2 (4)
A - Carter (1), Kopitar 2 (4), Richards 2 (3)

NHL Recap - 10/8/13

Colorado 2, Toronto 1
COL (3-0-0) TOR (3-1-0)

Colorado:
G - Parenteau (3), Sarich (1)
A - Downie (2), Duchene (1), MacKinnon (4), McGinn (2)

Toronto:
G - Lupul (2)
A - Ashton (1)

NY Islanders 6, Phoenix 1
PHX (1-2-0) NYI (2-0-1)

Phoenix:
G - Hanzal (1)
A - Boedker (1), Vrbata (1)

NY Islanders:
G - Bailey (1), Donovan (1), McDonald (1), Regin (1), Tavares 2 (2)
A - Bailey 2 (3), Grabner 3 (4), Nelson (1), Nielsen 3 (4), Okposo (1), Regin (1)

Philadelphia 2, Florida 1
FLA (1-2-0) PHI (1-3-0)

Florida:
G - Boyes (1)
A - Barkov (1), Campbell (3)

Philadelphia:
G - Coburn (1), B. Schenn (2)
A - Couturier (1), Lecavalier (2), Voracek (1)

Pittsburgh 5, Carolina 2
CAR (1-1-1), PIT (3-0-0)

Carolina:
G - Gerbe (2), E. Staal (1)
A - Dwyer (1), Faulk (3), Sekera 2 (2)

Pittsburgh:
G - Glass (1), Jokinen 3 (3), Martin (1)
A - Crosby 2 (2), Kunitz (1), Maatta 2 (2), Malkin (2), Orpik (1), Sutter (3), Vitale (1)

Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)
TB (2-1-0) BUF (0-3-1)

Tampa Bay:
G - Johnson (1), Killorn (1), Purcell (2)
A - Brewer (2), Filppula (1), Hedman (1), Malone (1), Palat (1), St. Louis (2)

Buffalo:
G - Hodgson (1), McBain (1)
A - Hodgson (2), McBain (1), Vanek 2 (2)

Nashville 3, Minnesota 2
MIN (0-1-2) NSH (1-2-0)

Minnnesota:
G - Parise (3), Spurgeon (1)
A - Granlund (3), Koivu (2), Niederreiter (2), Suter (2)

Nashville:
G - Forsberg (1), Nystrom (1), Wilson (1)
A - Cullen (1), Fisher (2), Hornqvist (2), Jones (1)

Vancouver 3, New Jersey 2 (OT)
NJ (0-1-3) VAN (3-1-0)

New Jersey:
G - Elias (2), Jagr (2)
A - Elias (1), Jagr (1), Volchenkov (2), Zidlicky (4)

Vancouver:
G - Edler (1), Santorelli (3), D. Sedin (2)
A - Booth (1), Garrison (3), D. Sedin (4), H. Sedin (6), Stanton (2), Tanev (1)

San Jose 9, NY Rangers 2
NYR (1-2-0) SJ (3-0-0)

NY Rangers:
G - Dorsett (1), Richards (3)
A - Boyle (2), Brassard (1), Stepan (3), Stralman (1)

San Jose:
G - Boyle (1), Braun (2), Couture (2), Hertl 4 (6), Nieto (1), Vlasic (1)
A - Demers 2 (2), Desjardins (1), Irwin (2), Kennedy (1), Marleau (1), Nieto 2 (2), Pavelski 3 (5), Thornton (2), Wingels 2 (2)

NHL Recap - 10/7/13

Edmonton 5, New Jersey 4 (SO)
NJ (0-1-2) EDM (1-2-0)

New Jersey:
G - Brunner (3), Elias (1), Jagr (1), Ryder (2)
A - Brunner (1), Henrique (1), Zajac (1), Zidlicky 2 (2)

Edmonton:
G - Ference (1), Hall (1), Perron (1), Nugent-Hopkins (1)
A - Arcobello (2), Eberle (2), Gordon (1), Hemsky (3), Perron (2), J. Schultz (2)

NY Rangers 3, Los Angeles 1
NYR (1-1-0) LA (1-2-0)

NY Rangers:
G - McDonagh (1), Richards 2 (2)
A - Boyle (1), Nash 2 (3), Stepan (2)

Los Angeles:
G - Muzzin (1)
A - Richards (1)

Parting Shots - Week 1

Every week, I'm going to bring you my thoughts and observations from the NHL action. I can't commit to a set number per week (though I'm going to aim for at least five), but I will say that quality over quantity will be the order of the day.

Without further ado, here's what I noticed this week:

- Going to start off with the big story today, the Flyers firing head coach Peter Laviolette and replacing him, at least on the interim, with assistant coach Craig Berube. The Flyers have stumbled out of the gate to an 0-3-0 start and have played poorly in doing so. They dropped their home opener to Toronto, then getting shelled at Montreal and last night losing to a rebuilding Carolina team. They have been outscored 9-3 in their outings this season and have been unable to sustain offensive pressure. The Flyers did hold the Hurricanes to two goals last night, but Carolina pretty much did whatever they wanted, outshooting Philadelphia 34-18 in the win. Neither Steve Mason nor Ray Emery has impressed in net so far, though there are still 79 games to go for the Flyers. Perhaps the coaching change is what they need to get fired up, we'll see tomorrow night when they host Florida.

- Two surprises in the Western Conference in the first week, with Colorado and Calgary getting through without a regulation loss. The Avs have looked impressive so far, spanking Anaheim and then playing a sound fundamental game in their win against Nashville. Both tilts were at home, so I can't be too sure until I've seen them play a good team on the road. The Flames are arguably the bigger surprise, picking up four points and sitting in a four-way tie for first in the Pacific Division. They went on the road and beat Columbus in a good game, and their two losses have come against Washington and Vancouver by way of shootout and overtime, respectively. The troubling situation with the Flames, however, is that they have not been able to hold leads. They blew a 3-0 lead against the Caps and a 3-1 lead against the Canucks, but luckily were still able to salvage a point from each.

- I know that Toronto's 3-0-0 start probably isn't what everyone expected considering the teams they beat (Montreal, Philadelphia, Ottawa), but I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't be surprised; this is a good hockey team. They've had the right mixture of scoring, toughness, and timely goaltending thus far and I have to think that it'll only improve once David Clarkson returns from his suspension. Mark Fraser is going to be out for a while with a knee injury and now we should see the NHL debut of Morgan Rielly. I'm interested to see how he fits into the dynamic of this team and what skills he brings to the table.

- I feel like I'm the only one who looks at the Oilers' 0-2-0 start, in which they've allowed 11 goals, and says "par for the course." I didn't jump on the bandwagon before the season started, and I haven't been given a reason to change my mind yet. Quick, who leads Edmonton in goals? If you guessed Boyd Gordon, you're correct, and you've either watched their first two games or you're a hell of a guesser. Gordon's a good player, don't get me wrong, but he isn't a goal scorer. He's a third or fourth line center who provides tough minutes, excellent faceoff skills, and shot blocking. Having him lead your team in goals is not a sustainable system. It's also a problem when your fourth line is the only one with a +/- above zero. Edmonton has continued to be terrible defensively (against Winnipeg and the John Tortorella-led Canucks, no less) and they're going to make their home at the bottom of the standings until that changes.

- Has any team looked more impressive than the St. Louis Blues so far? I say no. They chased Pekka Rinne in the opener against Nashville with three first period goals en route to a 4-2 win, and then shellacked the Panthers 7-0. Everyone is doing their part for the Blues. The forwards are driving possession, they're getting contributions from the backend on the scoresheet, and Jaroslav Halak has been solid in net. I think the key for St. Louis is that no one player is carrying the group; this is a team effort, through and through. Just look at the stats that the Blues' players have put up in their first two games. They're also 3-for-8 on the man advantage so far and their penalty kill has been perfect.

- I'd be remiss if I didn't include some notes from the Pucks for Schmucks fantasy league. We here at PfS are proud to say that the two writers on this blog won this past week, and we went 1-2 in points as well. I wasn't very happy with the team I got at the draft (which I missed because I was at work), but thanks to strong play on the waiver wire I've constructed a roster that I feel much more confident in. George's team got a big week from Marc-Andre Fleury, who has allowed only one goal so far for the Penguins. You can view our league here.

NHL Recap - 10/6/13

Carolina 2, Philadelphia 1
PHI (0-3-0) CAR (1-0-1)

Philadelphia:
G - L. Schenn (1)
A - Newbury (1)

Carolina:
G - Dvorak (2), Harrison (1)
A - Murphy (1), Skinner 2 (3)

Anaheim 3, Winnipeg 2
ANA (2-1-0) WPG (2-1-0)

Anaheim:
G - Cogliano (1), Perreault (2), Perry (1)
A - Koivu (1), Lovejoy (1), Silfverberg (1), Winnik (1)

Winnipeg:
G - Ladd 2 (2)
A - Enstrom (4), Little (1), Wheeler 2 (2)

Vancouver 5, Calgary 4 (OT)
VAN (2-1-0) CGY (1-0-2)

Vancouver:
G - Booth (1), Hansen (2), Santorelli 2 (2), Weise (1)
A - Bieksa (1), Edler (2), Garrison (2), Hamhuis (1), Higgins (1), Richardson (1), H. Sedin (5), D. Sedin (3), Stanton (1)

Flyers Fire Peter Laviolette

The NHL hockey season is still very young as most teams have played between one to three games. A report from NHL.com states that Peter Laviolette have been fired and they have replaced by the assistant coach Craig Berube. This is a bit shocking in that the Flyers have only player three games. Yes, they haven't won a game yet this year but the season is still young. The Flyers struggled last season with injuries to main players during the season. Laviolette did lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in the 2010 playoffs but since then, they have not made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Craig Berube will take over as the head coach. He has been the assistant coach of the Flyers for the past six season. He does not have any NHL head coaching experience but he was the head coach of the Flyers AHL affilitate in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 season.

NHL Recap - 10/5/13

Boston 4, Detroit 1

DET (2-1-0) BOS (2-0-0)

Detroit:

G - Zetterberg (2)

A - Abdelkader (1), Datsyuk (1)

Boston:
G - Caron (1), Chara (1), Krug (1), Marchand (1)

A - Boychuk (1), Krejci (2), Krug (1), Lucic 2 (2), McQuaid (1), Smith (1)

Toronto 5, Ottawa 4 (SO)

OTT (1-0-1) TOR (3-0-0)

Ottawa:

G - Conacher (1), Cowen (1), Spezza (1), Turris (1)

A - Cowen (1), MacArthur (2), Michalek (1), Ryan (1), Turris 2 (3), Wiercioch 2 (2)

Toronto:

G - Kadri (1), Lupul (1), Raymond (2), van Riemsdyk (2)

A - Bodie (2), Bolland (1), Bozak (1), Kadri (2), Kessel (2), Lupul (3), Raymond 2 (2)

Montreal 4, Philadelphia 1

PHI (0-2-0) MTL (1-1-0)

Philadelphia:

G - Lecavalier (1)

A - B. Schenn (1), Streit (2)

Montreal:

G - Bourque (1), Eller (3), Gallagher (2), Gionta (1)

A - Bourque (1), Eller (2), Galchenyuk 2 (4), Gallagher (1), Gionta (1), Plekanec (1), Subban (1)

Columbus 3, NY Islanders 2 (SO)

CBJ (1-1-0) NYI (1-0-1)

Columbus:

G - Foligno (1), Letestu (1)

A - Atkinson (1), Dubinsky (1), Nikitin (1), Umberger (1)

NY Islanders:

G - Moulson (1), Visnovsky (1)

A - Nielsen (1), Tavares 2 (2), Visnovsky (1)

Pittsburgh 4, Buffalo 1

BUF (0-3-0) PIT (2-0-0)

Buffalo:

G - Vanek (1)

A - Hodgson (1)

Pittsburgh:

G - Adams (2), Crosby (2), Kobasew (2), Kunitz (1)

A - Dupuis (2), Martin (1), Niskanen 2 (3), Sutter (2)

Tampa Bay 3, Chicago 2 (SO)

TB (1-1-0) CHI (1-0-1)

Tampa Bay:

G - Purcell (1), St. Louis (1)

A - Carle (1), St. Louis (1), Stamkos 2 (2)

Chicago:

G - Kane (2), Saad (2)

A - Bickell (1), Crawford (1), Hjalmarsson (3), Leddy (1)

St. Louis 7, Florida 0

FLA (1-1-0) STL (2-0-0)

Florida:

NONE

St. Louis:

G - Berglund (1), Morrow (1), Reaves (1), Roy (1), Schwartz (1), Steen (2), Tarasenko (1)

A - Morrow (1), Pietrangelo (3), Roy (2), Schwartz 2 (2), Sobotka 2 (2), Stewart 2 (2), Tarasenko (1)

Dallas 2, Washington 1

WSH (1-2-0) DAL (1-1-0)

Washington:

G - Ovechkin (4)

A - Green (4), Johansson (4)

Dallas:

G - Chiasson (2), Cole (1)

A - Ja. Benn (1), Jo. Benn (1), Eakin (1), Seguin (1)

Anaheim 4, Minnesota 3 (OT)

ANA (1-1-0) MIN (0-0-2)

Anaheim:

G - Bonino (1), Koivu (1), Perreault (1), Silfverberg (2)

A - Beauchemin 2 (2), Cogliano (1), Fowler (1), Getzlaf (1), Penner (1), Perreault (1), Perry (1)

Minnesota:

G - Parise 2 (2), Pominville (1)

A - Ballard (1), Brodin (1), Koivu (1), Suter (1)

Vancouver 6, Edmonton 2

EDM (0-2-0) VAN (1-1-0)

Edmonton:

G - Gordon (2), Petry (1)

A - Hemsky (2), Perron (1), Smid (1)

Vancouver:

G - Garrison (2), Hamhuis (1), Hansen (1), Kesler (1), Richardson (1), D. Sedin (1)

A - Edler (1), Garrison (1), D. Sedin (2), H. Sedin 3 (4)

San Jose 4, Phoenix 1

PHX (1-1-0) SJ (2-0-0)

Phoenix:

G - Ekman-Larsson (1)

A - Michalek (1)

San Jose:

G - Couture (1), Hertl 2 (2), Marleau (2)

A - Burns (1), Irwin (1), Pavelski 2 (2), Vlasic 2 (3)

NHL Recap - 10/4/13

Ottawa 1, Buffalo 0

OTT (1-0-0), BUF (0-2-0)

Ottawa:

G - Karlsson (1)

A - MacArthur (1), Turris (1)

Buffalo:

NONE

NY Islanders 4, New Jersey 3 (SO)

NYI (1-0-0) NJ (0-1-1)

NY Islanders:

G - Grabner 2 (2), Nielsen (1)

A - Bailey (1), Donovan (1), Grabner (1), Hamonic (1)

New Jersey:

G - Brunner 2 (2), Ryder (1)

A - Clowe (1), Loktionov (1), Salvador (1), Volchenkov (1), Zidlicky (1), Zubrus (1)

Detroit 3, Carolina 2 (OT)

DET (2-0-0) CAR (0-0-1)

Detroit:

G - Abdelkader (1), Weiss (1), Zetterberg (1)

A - Alfredsson (1), Ericsson (1), Franzen 2 (2), Kronwall (2), Zetterberg (1)

Carolina:

G - Dvorak (1), Gerbe (1)

A - Faulk 2 (2), Harrison (1), Skinner (1)

Calgary 4, Columbus 3

CGY (1-0-1), CBJ (0-1-0)

Calgary:

G - Hudler (2), Galiardi (1), Glencross (1), Monahan (1)

A - Backlund (2), Baertschi (1), Galiardi (1), Giordano (3), Jones (1). Stempniak (1)

Columbus:

G - Anisimov (1), Gaborik (1), Johnson (1)

A - Comeau (1), Dubinsky (1), Gaborik (1), Johnson (1), Savard (1), Wisniewski (1)

Winnipeg 5, Los Angeles 3

LA (1-1-0) WPG (2-0-0)

Los Angeles:

G - Carter (2), Greene (1), Williams (1)

A - Frattin (2), Kopitar (2), Mitchell (1), Muzzin (1)

Winnipeg:

G - Jokinen (1), Kane (1), Little (2), Setoguchi 2 (2)

A - Byfuglien (4), Enstrom (3), Frolik (1), Jokinen (1), Kane 2 (2), Ladd (1), Schiefele (1), Setoguchi (1)

Colorado 3, Nashville 1

NSH (0-2-0) COL (2-0-0)

Nashville:

G - Gaustad (1)

A - Fisher (1), Smith (1)

Colorado:

G - Bordeleau (1), Parenteau 2 (2)

A - Cliche (1), Guenin (1), MacKinnon (3), McGinn (1), Mitchell (1), Stastny (1)