Happy start of the NHL season to hockey fans everywhere. With games now in full swing on a nightly basis, the quest for all 32 teams to capture the Stanley Cup has begun. Offering no shortage of storylines through the first ten days of the season, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is off to yet another hot start. He leads the league in both goals and points after capturing the Hart Trophy a year ago. Along with this, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar has enjoyed a solid first few games. Entering his age 34 season, the former first-round pick has scored five goals in three games. Taking a look at the landscape across the league, here is our weekly NHL stock up, stock down article.
Stock Up: Buffalo Sabres
The shock of the year to date, the Sabres are off to a 3-0 start. They sit in second place in the loaded Atlantic Division. Fresh off a dominating 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, the team is currently in a tie for eighth with 3.67 goals averaged through three games. In addition to this, they have also averaged 37.3 shots on goal per night while converting on 36.4 percent of their power-play attempts. Receiving production up and down their lineup, eight different players have added a tally.
Rock-solid in net during his first two starts of the year, veteran Craig Anderson has racked up a .954 save percentage and a 1.5 goals-against average. They are likely to begin to fall towards the bottom of the standings as the season progresses. However, this team remains a fun young team with the pieces in place to be a contender down the road.
Stock Down: Montreal Canadiens
On the flip side to Buffalo, Montreal remains winless in the young season. Losers of five straight games to kick off their 2021-2022 campaign, the team is off to its worst start in over 20 years. They have scored just four goals while converting just one of their power-play opportunities. Hampered by their penalty killing, the Canadiens have also killed off just 55.8 percent of their shorthanded opportunities. Often looking disorganized in their own end, they have given up 3.8 goals per game.
Struggling to fill the void left in goal by star netminder Carey Price, backup Jake Allen has allowed 12 goals against, leading to just a .891 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average. Needing to turn the ship around in a hurry, all signs point to a long season for Dominique Ducharme’s group.
Stock Up: Edmonton Oilers
Perfect through four games, the Oilers have once again been led by the superstar tandem of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The former is pacing the team with six goals in four games. The latter is also leading the group with six assists. Seeing an improvement in their bottom-six after making it a point of emphasis, offseason acquisition Warren Foegele has chipped in three points while Zack Kassian has added two goals and two assists.
They have continued to rely on their outstanding special teams units. Edmonton has remained home to the best power-play group in hockey early. This is after converting 50 percent of their opportunities to open up the year. Without Mike Smith, after he was placed on the injured reserve list following a lower-body injury, Mikko Koskinen has shined in two starts. He made 27 saves in the Oiler’s win over the Arizona Coyotes.
Stock Down: Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks home fans booed them off the ice. This was following a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday Night. They have opened the season 0-4-1 to sit at the bottom of the Central Division. Chicago is still yet to hold the lead all season long. The group remains one of the worst teams in the league at keeping the puck out of their own net. They have yet to keep pace in five on five play, being outscored 15-2. In addition to this, their high-powered forward group is off to a slow start out of the gate.
Center Jonathan Toews has yet to record a point through five games after making his return, while winger Dominik Kubalik has racked up just 2 points. On the back of head coach Jeremy Colliton‘s effort to get the mess cleaned up, Toews could find himself out before the year’s end if the franchise enjoys another down season.
Stock Up: New York Rangers
Riding the tails of their young stars, the Rangers have opened the year with points of four of five games. They are in the midst of a four-game road trip. The team defeated the Toronto Leafs before knocking off the Nashville Predators on Thursday Night. One of the leaders of the pack for the league’s Vezina Trophy, Igor Shesterkin, has gotten off to a brilliant start. In a tie for 6th with a .953 save percentage, the 25-year-old goaltender has also racked up just a 1.48 goals-against average.
This is while facing the fourth most shots against across the NHL. Suddenly, one of the most dangerous groups across the league, Mika Zibanejad, leads the way with six points in five games, while last year’s Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox has chipped in a goal and three assists while playing over 25 minutes per night.
Stock Down: Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are suddenly desperate for a win as they look to get back on track. They were lauded as a potential Stanley Cup favorite by many heading into the year. However, the team has started out 1-3 in their first four games. Recently reuniting their top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen on Thursday Night against the Florida Panthers, the trio has combined to rack up just seven points.
Looking to get their superstar center going, MacKinnon has yet to look like the Hart Trophy finalist from last season after having a bout with Covid-19. The team is also searching for answers on the power play. After ranking eighth in 2020 with a 22.7 percent conversion rate, they have been brutal to open their 2021 campaign after converting just one of their 14 opportunities.
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