After Tuesday’s games, six teams have hit the 10 game mark on the 21/22 season and we’re starting to get a better picture of which teams early success is sustainable. Let’s take a look at the updated full season projections by division.
Pacific Division
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames continued to roll this week. The Oilers picked up their first loss of the season, but posted a 2-1-0 record this week. With their win over the Kraken on the weekend, they moved into top spot in the Pacific in the full season projections. The Flames put up a 2-0-1 record this week, seeing their 6 game win streak snapped by the Predators. The Flames early season play has been impressive and the have quickly moved their full season projection into the mix with the other top teams in the division.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Seattle Kraken continue to struggle in their inaugural season. They were 1-2-0 this week and we continue to see their full season projection drop, now down to third in the Pacific. The other five teams in the division saw their records stabilize over the past week, without much movement in the full season projections.
Central Division
In the Central Division, the Predators, Avalanche and Jets were the upward movers in the full season projections this week. The Predators seems to have found their game, going 2-0-0 this week as part of a larger four game win streak that has their actual results approaching their projected strength. The Avalanche also seemed to have turned a corner, posting a 2-0-0 record this week despite still missing some key skaters. The Jets made the biggest upward move with a 2-0-1 record this week.
The Minnesota Wild had a tough week, with a 1-2-0 record. With the Predators success this week, the gap between the top two teams in the full season projections shrunk significantly. The Blues also cooled off after their hot start, picking up their first loss with a 1-1-0 record this week dropping them back below the Avs in the full season projections. The Coyotes continue to tank admirable, with a 0-4-0 record this week bringing them to the 10 game mark with just a single standings point to show for it.
Atlantic Division
The Panthers hot start continued this week. While they picked up their first loss, it was an overtime result and they remain undefeated in regulation. Their 2-0-1 record this week helped their full season projection continue to climb and they are clearly the frontrunner in the Atlantic Division. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning both found their games this week, posting 3-0-0 and 2-0-0 record respectively. Their success this week sees their full season projections get a slight boost and them battling for second in the division.
The Montreal Canadiens put up a 2-2-0 record this week, stabilizing their full season projection. They have some work to do to get themselves back in the playoff race, but they may be able to use this week as a building block. With Carey Price reportedly set to return to the team in the near future, the Habs will get a needed boost their lineup as well. Montreal’s success came at the expense of the Detroit Red Wings, with both their wins coming against the Wings. Detroit only a managed a 1-2-1 record this week and their full season projection took a hit as a result.
Metropolitan Division
The Metropolitan Division looks like the toughest division in the early season. With the historical cutoff for the playoffs in recent season roughly a 0.570 P%, there are currently 7 or 8 teams that look like they could be in the mix. The Hurricanes remain the leagues only undefeated team after a 3-0-0 record this week, which has vaulted their full season projection into the middle of the pack. The New York Rangers have also been rolling, putting up a 2-0-1 record this week to bring their full season projection into contention for the top spot in the division.
The Pittsburgh Penguins stumbled this week, posting a 0-2-0 record, and dropping their full season projection below the Hurricanes. The Pens seemed to finally be getting healthy, but there are reports today that Sidney Crosby has tested positive for Covid and will be out the lineup again. Pittsburgh will look to turn it around with a depleted lineup to keep pace in the Metropolitan.
