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.

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!

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.