In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on which team we’ve been most impressed by thus far.
Todd Cordell
The Carolina Hurricanes.
They’re off to a strong 6-2-0 start and they’re full value for it. At 5v5, they’ve controlled 54.30% of the shot attempts (4th best) and 56.43% of the expected goals (2nd best). Those numbers aren’t just inflated by bad teams, either. They’ve beaten up on good ones. In their win over Tampa Bay, for example, shots were 44-13 and high-danger chances (aka Grade A looks) were 18-4 in favor of the Hurricanes. They’re showing last season was no fluke and that – with any sort of goaltending – they’re capable of hanging with some of the heavyweights.
Honorable mention goes to the Buffalo Sabres. Their top dogs have played excellent, Victor Olofsson has been a lethal sniper on the power play, and the team is playing a very fast and structured brand of hockey we haven’t seen from them in a long time.
James Tanner There have been several teams that have impressed me so far this season. The Hurricanes are an obvious choice, but I really like Vegas and Toronto. Both teams have so many weapons up front they are extremely hard to play against, and all their games are entertaining. This is also why I like watching Jets games - tons of goals - though they aren't really that impressive due to losing Trouba and Byfuglien and refusing to replace them.
The Coyotes have impressed me as well. Their record has been nearly spotless, and they've been in each and everyone of their games. The goaltending has been unreal.
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