The first month of the NHL regular season has seen its fair share of highs and lows for various teams. The Athletic’s NHL staff recently identified the biggest concerns for each team at this point. For the Anaheim Ducks, scoring has been a significant problem with only one or two goals in six out of 10 games. Goaltending from Lukas Dostal has been a saving grace. The Boston Bruins are nearly on the same boat, having scored only 16 five-on-five goals through 11 games. Their high-end goaltenders from the past three seasons are sorely missed.
Meanwhile, Buffalo Sabres are struggling with secondary scoring. They’ve had only two power-play goals this season and a single goal from second-liners Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. Tage Thompson has scored nearly half of the team’s 24 five-on-five goals, but this needs to change if the team wants more consistent offense. The Calgary Flames’ greatest worry should be the progress of their young players, such as Connor Zary, who is performing well, but others like Dustin Wolf and Martin Pospisil are losing their lustre.
The Carolina Hurricanes seem to be in a good place, ranking second in the fewest goals conceded per game. However, there are concerns as Frederik Andersen was announced week to week with a lower-body injury. Andersen’s stats outshine the team’s other goalies, which puts pressure on them. The Chicago Blackhawks are also concerned about their offensive depth. Scoring from players like Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, and Ilya Mikheyev is sorely needed.
In Colorado, the .858 save percentage is the worst in the NHL, suggesting that this disappointing start is due to underperforming goalies such as Alexandar Georgiev. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ solid start to the season has been offset by the loss of key players to injuries. In Dallas, the lack of scoring from Wyatt Johnston has raised eyebrows. Detroit Red Wings are spending too little time in their opponents’ end, a major factor in their 4-5-1 start.
The Edmonton Oilers have a good start, even without McDavid who’s out for two to three weeks, but they have the pressure of maintaining this success. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers are wrestling with the challenge of improving their bottom defensive pairing. Los Angeles Kings are struggling to get started, with Quinton Byfield yet to score this season. Minnesota Wild are confident about a better season but are worried about the ongoing discomfort of Jared Spurgeon after surgeries.
Montreal Canadiens’ lack of maturity shows as various defensive problems have arisen this season. Nashville Predators struggle to find a clear answer for No. 2 center, forcing Andrew Brunette to shuffle his top two lines. Struggling for the New Jersey Devils is Ondřej Palát with the worst expected-goals-for percentage among Devils forwards. In contrast, the New York Islanders find it troubling not to score goals, having been shut out four times in their first 10 games.
In New York, Rangers’ concern is the lackluster performance of Mika Zibanejad. So far, the Rangers have only 41 percent of the expected goals share with Zibanejad on the ice at five-on-five. Similarly, the Ottawa Senators who, despite having a few good games, have generally allowed three goals or more in most of their games. Philadelphia Flyers, on the other hand, have scored only 16 five-on-five goals in their first 11 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins are not pleased with Erik Karlsson’s low offensive production, partly why the team started 3-7-1 this season. San Jose Sharks welcomed Will Smith’s recovery from an eight-game no-point period. In Seattle, the Kraken’s depth goaltending performances in October have been poor, holding the team back from an auspicious start to the season. St. Louis Blues are worried about the shoulder, hip, and back injuries of Robert Thomas that have limited the player’s performance this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning’s bottom six and third pair are struggling due to a lack of depth caused by cap casualties. Toronto Maple Leaves are concerned about their power play which, despite having one of the top regular-season power plays for years, is struggling to get set up and generate shot attempts. Utah, despite the initial success, has scored only 27-20 at five-on-five causing concern. In Vancouver, the top concern is their struggling power play which is barely passing the eye test.
In Las Vegas, Golden Knights are struggling on the road. Despite a perfect 7-0-0 at home, they have yet to win four contests as the visitor. In Washington, while the Capitals are doing well overall, their power play, ranked 30th in percentage, needs improvement. Lastly, while the Winnipeg Jets began the season strong the 10-1-0 start has seen them slacking on five-on-five starts. The Jets are now looking to improve on that to maintain their contender status.
