Entering the season many people - myself included - expected the New Jersey Devils to be among the worst teams in the league.
I figured they'd keep a lot of games close thanks to a solid defense core and Cory Schneider but their lack of goal scorers was a concern that I couldn't get past.
Unsurprisingly that was an immediate issue for the Devils as they scored just five goals in their first three games and lost all of them.
Since that point the Devils offense has been quite potent. They have scored 20 goals in their last seven games and have picked up 11 of a possible 14 points as a result.
While they're not going to score three goals every night the reason for their early success is not unsustainably good shooting percentages. Far from it, actually.
The Devils currently rank 28th in the league in 5 vs 5 shooting percentage as they're scoring at just a 4.1% clip. Last year Arizona (5.7%) and Carolina (6.2%) were the only teams to score on less than 7% of their 5 vs 5 shots so it's safe to say the Devils will get a bump in shooting percentage over time.
Factor in the Devils are a top-15 possession team and they have Cory Schneider between the pipes on a nightly basis and it seems likely they'll win more games than anyone expected.
I still doubt they'll seriously contend for a playoff spot but as each game passes it looks less likely they'll be a part of the Auston Matthews sweepstakes. It's not a fluke, either.
LINEUPS Cammalleri - Henrique - Stempniak Tlusty - Zajac - Palmieri Kalinin - Josefson - Tootoo ** - Gionta - O'Neill
Greene - Larsson Gelinas - Severson Moore - Schlemko Merrill - **
Schneider
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Bailey - Tavares - Lee Kulemin - Nielsen - Okposo Nelson - Grabovski - Bernier Martin - Cizikas - Clutterbuck
Leddy - Boychuk de Haan - Hamonic Strait - Zidlicky
Halak
WHAT TO WATCH 1) Ex-Devils. Players always seem to have extra jump in their step when they face their former team - especially for the first time - and it should be no different with Marek Zidlicky and Steve Bernier.
2) The Islanders average more than 30 shots per game and have a plethora of quality forwards so it's a good bet Cory Schneider will be tested early and often. He's coming off one of his best starts this season and will need to be good once again.
3) New York's PP is clicking at a 26.9% rate right now and New Jersey's is clicking at 25%. Whatever team's power play is better will probably win the game.