Four Undefeated Teams Left: What’s Going Right And What Could Go Wrong?
There are four remaining undefeated teams in the NHL, one in each division.
The Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes have been the class of the league through the first two weeks of the season.
Should fans of these teams be planning Stanley Cup parades? Or is there anything they should be worrying about?
Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is averaging more points in the NHL than he did in his last year in juniors.
🤯🤯🤯@EdmontonOilers | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/rnQVqgfCjy
What’s Going Right?
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl finally have a supporting cast.
Jesse Puljujarvi has returned from his one-year stint in Finland and all of the talk about him being a bust has been thrown out the window. Zach Hyman, the team’s big splash from the offseason, has fit in with the club seamlessly.
The Oilers have scored 24 goals through five games and their power play looks completely unstoppable.
This team is going to score a lot of goals. McDavid averaging two points per game and reaching the 160-point plateau really isn’t out of the question.
What Could Go Wrong?
The biggest challenge the Oilers will face this season is keeping the puck out of the net.
So far, so good, through. Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen have both been excellent, as they own .920 and .943 save percentages, respectively.
As good as they’ve been early on, though, this is still the thing that could sink the Oilers as the season goes along. Smith is 39 years old and it’s valid to question whether he can last a full 82-game slate. Koskinen has looked good in the past in flashes, but he starts to struggle when his workload gets bigger.
Edmonton’s offense will give them quite a bit of room for error, but, as with pretty much everyone, the team will only go as far as their goaltending takes them.
St. Louis Blues
Stop what you're doing and watch this Vladimir Tarasenko (@tara9191) goal… NOW. pic.twitter.com/gvFMxfxeAS
— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2021What’s Going Right?
Vladimir Tarasenko is back.
Tarasenko played just 34 games over the past two seasons due to injury. He had shoulder surgery in 2018 and 2019 but he couldn’t get it healthy. Finally, in 2020, he saw a different doctor rather than following the guidance of the Blues’ physicians and he appears to be good as new.
Through five games, Tarasenko has three goals and six points, giving the Blues the dynamic talent they had been missing from their lineup since their Stanley Cup victory in 2019.
A lot of things are going well for St. Louis. They boast a deep offense with three lines that can score goals and they’ve been getting excellent goaltending out of Jordan Binnington. 12 different players on the Blues have scored a goal, seven players have at least two goals, and David Perron has exploded for six goals early on. Binnington’s .919 save percentage is the best we’ve seen from him since his amazing rookie season in 2018-19.
What Could Go Wrong?
There’s a little bit of skepticism about the validity of St. Louis’ success so far.
They’re 5-0-0 through five games but they haven’t really had many tough tests just yet. The only one would have been their season-opening win over the Colorado Avalanche, because, otherwise, the Blues have played the lowly Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings along with the Vegas Golden Knights, who didn’t have either Max Pacioretty or Mark Stone.
We’ll wait to say ‘The Blues Are Back’ once they’ve beaten some better teams.
Florida Panthers
The @FlaPanthers are 6-0 and have outscored opponents 27-12. They are off to the best start in the @NHL. Take note. #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/d5pxJsN8S3
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) October 26, 2021What’s Going Right?
The Panthers put together their best season in franchise history in 2021, going 37-14-5. Well, it was their best season in franchise history in terms of points percentage.
There was some skepticism that the Panthers’ success was due in part to the shortened 56-game schedule, so Florida came into 2021-22 with a point to prove. And, boy oh boy, they’ve proved that point early on.
Florida is 6-0-0 and everything is clicking for this team.
They rank at the top of the league with 27 goals, both of their goaltenders have been great, and the Panthers boast the second-best shot attempt differential in the league at even-strength.
The guys who had surprising breakout seasons in 2021, Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe, have combined for 11 goals early on, suggesting those performances weren’t a mirage. Perhaps most importantly, Sergei Bobrovsky is playing his best hockey since signing his $70 million deal in Florida, as he has a .942 save percentage through four starts.
What Could Go Wrong?
It’s difficult to see cracks on this Panthers team.
They have a tremendous amount of scoring depth with four lines that can all score goals. They also have two goaltenders who can steal the show. If Bobrovsky cools after his hot start, there shouldn’t be much of a worry about handing the net over the rookie Spencer Knight, who has a .921 save percentage through six games in his NHL career.
The biggest worry for Florida is probably its blue line. Aaron Ekblad, the team’s top defender, has dealt with injuries in the past, including a handful of concussions. If he gets hurt again, he would be tough to replace internally.
That’s the best disaster scenario I can come up with. The Panthers look legit.
Carolina Hurricanes
Jesperi Kotkaniemi's first goal as a Carolina Hurricane.
Against the Habs.
In Montreal. pic.twitter.com/h3jpFdBmxc
What’s Going Right?
No Dougie Hamilton? No problem.
After posting the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, there was some worry that the Hurricanes would take a step backward when Hamilton left the team in free agency, but they haven’t missed a beat.
The familiar faces on Carolina’s blue line, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin, have been excellent, and the team’s offseason additions of Ethan Bear and Ian Cole have fit in seamlessly.
Speaking of offseason additions, Freddy Andersen seems to have bounced back to his elite form. After a rough season in Toronto in which he lost the starter’s net to Jack Campbell, Andersen inked a two-year deal with the Hurricanes and it looks like a steal early on. Andersen has played in all five of Carolina’s games and he owns a sparkling .946 save percentage.
Oh yeah, and I haven’t even mentioned Andrei Svechnikov, who’s currently on pace for 82 goals.
What Could Go Wrong?
The Canes are a deep team, so they aren’t one whose season can get derailed by one injury.
They boast a strong offense with multiple lines that can score goals and they have a handful of quality defenders, including ones, such as Bear, who could likely handle a larger role if there was a need for him to do so.
If one thing is going to hold Carolina back, it’ll be goaltending. Frederik Andersen has struggled in the past due to shouldering such a massive load in Toronto for so long. But, fortunately for him, unlike the Leafs, the Canes have invested in a backup goalie.
Antti Raanta is a solid contingency plan, so there shouldn’t be too much worry about Carolina’s goaltending letting them down.
This is a very good, deep team.
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