As we near the end of hockey's first month, it's still too early to tell who will bring home the Stanley Cup next year. There are some teams that are emerging as clear leaders, at least so far. Let's take a closer look at the top five and bottom three NHL teams thus far this year.
1. Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche took the top spot this week from the Carolina Hurricanes, with a shooting percentage of 11.2 and a save percentage of 94.6. They're currently sitting at 7-0-1 for the season and have secured 15 out of 16 possible points in the standings. The thing about this team is that in spite of already sitting at the top of the charts, most experts think that they're not even playing their best games yet. It will be interesting to see where they go this season.
2. Buffalo Sabres
Right behind the Avalanche is the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently sitting at 7-1-1. Right now, things look good for the Sabers but experts are concerned that the team won't be able to keep up with their currently impressive numbers. As of right now, Carter Hutton is stopping 95% of the shots he faces. Likely the Sabres will drop soon, but credit needs to go where credit is due.
3. Boston Bruins
The Bruins are another team to watch this year. Last season, they made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before finally losing in an astonishing come-from-behind victory to the St. Louis Blues. It's interesting to see their strategy right now — only three of their players are actually scoring any goals. It seems like they're not too worried about the competition, so they'll be one to watch as the season progresses. They've also just got a little revenge on the Blues this weekend.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
The Avalanche might have knocked them from their top spot, but that doesn't mean you should stop watching the Carolina Hurricanes. This is another team that's starting slow, winning six out of their first nine games. Like the Bruins, it seems that their top trio are the only ones scoring so far this season.
5. Edmonton Oilers
This is another team that's really jumped into the season with both feet, but they might want to slow down before their shooter — James Neal — starts losing his edge. He's currently nailing 30% of his shots, but experts are concerned that he won't be able to maintain these numbers throughout the rest of the season.
Bottom Three
Not everyone can sit at the top of the pack, and for now, the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Ottawa Senators are hanging out at the bottom of our list. The Rangers aren't having the best season, in spite of an early-season win against the Sabers. The Wild have the lowest expected goals of any team in the league, and the Senators would have to pull some seriously amazing goaltending out of their hat to be competitive.
Wait and See
Of course, at this point, the season has barely started. We'll just have to wait and see who takes home the cup at the end of the season. Will it be one of the current favorites or will we see another underdog take home the prize? Who you think will end up on top?
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