Surprise Teams
- Thread starter Kin
- Start date
Corn Flake
New member
The Avs to me would be the team able to sustain.
offense looks good, with the exception of Dushene who will pick it up at some point... goaltending looks solid with the talented kid and Jiggy looking healthy and good to solidify things and mentor... defense has been better than expected - Eric Johnson might become the legit #1 this year which makes that trade look really really good.
offense looks good, with the exception of Dushene who will pick it up at some point... goaltending looks solid with the talented kid and Jiggy looking healthy and good to solidify things and mentor... defense has been better than expected - Eric Johnson might become the legit #1 this year which makes that trade look really really good.
hockeyfan1
New member
For sentimental reasons, I would choose the Islanders.
Realistically speaking, I would have to go with Colorado.
Realistically speaking, I would have to go with Colorado.
crazyperfectdevil
New member
I know the original post considers this without the leafs ..if we could ..let's bring them back for a moment ...I haven't watched the oilers at all so far this year...but they're on a 6 game winning streak ..and i don't know which teams those wins came against other than one was against the caps ..who hadn't lost a game at that point ...anyway ...if you had to choose which team is more "legit" out of the leafs and the oilers...which would it be?
dappleganger
Active member
crazyperfectdevil said:
Prolly the Leafs are more legit. The Oilers are more inexperienced and you'd have to think that their goaltending will come back to earth eventually.
Erndog said:
I felt that in spite of the loss of Vokoun that they would be improved and they were in it until the last part of last season.
I expected their scoring to improve and it did.
I expected their goaltending to suffer with Vokoun's departure. Statistically, it has not. So that (maybe with their team defence) is what has surprised me or the difference in my expectations.
I'm not entirely shocked they're in the hunt.
hockeyfan1
New member
Madferret said:
I had a notion that the Panthers would be an improved team this season, what with all the changes made to the team. But, to actually believe that they would be in the race for a playoff spot, no, didn't expect them to cone this far so soon. Stranger things have happened in the NHL this season, and the Panthers position in the standings can count as one.
maplesyrup
New member
Funny enough, the Isles still being in the basement surprises me - For a bunch of reasons including feeling that Streit was going to make a sizeable difference there.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Floyd said:
I dunno. I look at their goaltending and lack of depth and see a team that was destined for a top 5 pick since before the season started.
maplesyrup
New member
Busta Reims said:
Okposo back... Tavares maybe taking another step. All additional reasons I thought they'd be better than at least of couple of teams in the East.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Floyd said:
Even still, outside of their 1st line, all I saw was a bunch of journeymen, 3rd liners and guys at the end of their careers. Out of all the bottom tier teams in the East, I felt they improved the least. They really are a rag tag group of guys you're surprised are still in the NHL and guys you keep expecting to blossom and/or break out. I figured Grabner and Comeau would likely take a step back this season (though, I never though Comeau would be as ineffective as he has been), and that would pretty much cancel out any improvement from Tavares. Okposo was a bit of a wild card, but, I've always felt he's been over-rated and I figured he'd struggle a little coming off the injuries. Also, other than Streit, their blue line is frighteningly bad.
Corn Flake
New member
I'm still chuckling at all the media pundits who put the Isles in the playoffs and the Leafs at 14th or 15th in the conference.
Zee
Well-known member
Corn Flake said:
That's the thing about pre-season predictions, they're for the large part worthless. I remember telling someone I believed the Leafs were good enough to be top 8 this upcoming season and the reply was: "who will they be better than that made the playoffs last year? There's no way they finish ahead of Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston.." and proceeds to list all 8 playoff teams from last season as if they're a lock to make it again.
hockeyfan1
New member
Corn Flake said:
Ah, but the Isles were supposed to improve this year, not where they are currently sitting in the standings. It seems as though they can never get their goaltending correct -- injuries to Nabokov, and one of their back-ups, plus Di Pietro's on-off performance -- leaves a lot to be desired in that department, so to speak
Tavares, Moulson, Streit, Montoya, and a few others can be considered their better players, however, as a whole, the Islanders still reek 'failure'. It's frustrating enough for Islander fans to have to endure, what is beginning to resemble, yet another year of dismal performance.