The National Hockey League is closing out the opening month of the regular season with the usual amount of clubs that have gotten off to great starts and others who have been sluggish out of the gate. Teams that are outside of the eight playoff spots at the end of October have more than an 80% chance of missing the postseason, so this first picture of the standings in each division is a good first indicator.
Here is a look at where things stand in the Atlantic Division:
Biggest Surprise
Boston Bruins (7-0-1 – 1st Place)
Nearly every prognosticator believed that last year’s President’s Trophy winner would be battling for a wild card spot with future Hall-of-Famer Patrice Bergeron and center David Krejci retiring, but the unexpected ascendance of 19-year-old Matthew Poitras, the consistent production of David Pastrnak, and a defense that has allowed only 12 goals against has the Bruins thus far frustrating those who thought their era of being a contender was over with.
The Dennis Green “They Are Who We Thought They Were” Award
Toronto Maple Leafs (5-2-1 – 2nd Place)
Despite going through more than half a dozen roster changes from the club that snapped their 19-year playoff drought, the Leafs brought back all of their core group, who account for more than three-quarters of Toronto’s goal-scoring. Rookie Joseph Woll has provided the Leafs with excellent goaltending, but Toronto’s inconsistency on defense makes them too reliant on their scoring most nights.
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Biggest Disappointment
Buffalo Sabres (3-5-0)
The Sabres hoped that getting a year older and wiser, along with adding veterans Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson on defense would help Buffalo cut down their goals against. Early on, the Sabres were better defensively but came at the cost of their offense and they lost a number of close games. At the end of the month, their offense appeared to get on track, but they once again became undisciplined defensively.
October MVP
Alex DeBrincat (DET) (13 points – 9 goals, 4 assists)
The former 40-goal scorer clearly did not like his stay in Ottawa and after being traded by the Sens to the division rival Wings last summer, he has partnered with center Dylan Larkin to become one of the most lethal combos in the NHL to start the season.