Taking the ice, NHL powerhouses have high expectations

By Abe

With the beginning of the 2009-2010 hockey season there were certain expectations for each team. However, there have been a lot of surprises so far this year, some for the better and some for worse. Due to last year’s performances, there were high expectations for the Red Wings, Sharks, Ducks and the young Blackhawks in the Western Conference. The Capitals, Penguins, Bruins, Flyers, and Rangers have high aspirations in the Eastern Conference. However, upon the start of the season, these are not the top teams, and some have fallen quiet far. Emerging in the Western Conference as three of the top teams are the Colorado Avalanche, L.A. Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes. After being towards the bottom of the pack last year, most people did not expect these teams to emerge as a top team. With the loss of Chris Pronger on the blue line, the Ducks look like they are struggling thus far and have fallen to the bottom of their division. The Red Wings are sitting just below the middle of the pack, however the Sharks and Blackhawks continue to live up to their expectations and are sitting near the top of the Conference.

After leading the Eastern Conference at the end of last season, the Boston Bruins are not living up to their expectations and are sitting just below the middle of the pack. The Flyers and the Rangers are sitting above the middle of the pack, and nothing less was expected, especially with their big offseason acquisitions. The Flyers traded for Chris Pronger, and the Rangers signed Marian Gaborik, the big scorer that the Rangers have been missing for a long time. With no surprise, the Penguins and the Capitals are tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference and feature 3 of the premier players in the league in Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. Among league leaders in points, there is no surprise to find Ovechkin, but there is a big surprise with Anze Kopitar of the Kings leading the league in both points and goals. With Rookie John Tavares leading the way, the Islanders are showing some life and are starting to win some games and I believe that they could turn out to be the big surprise of the league. The rest of the season should be an interesting battle, and I can’t wait to see if some of the teams can turn it around and make a run at the playoffs.