So, since this my first full season, it's interesting to look at what's going on in this season. There is quite a stark difference in the East and the West. In the East, the highest positive goal differential is 11 (Toronto and Carolina), whereas the worst is -13 (Florida).
Washington is currently the only team holding down a playoff spot while holding down a negative goal differential (-6). Both Detroit (2) and Ottawa (1) are currently on the outside looking in with a (minimal) positive goal differential.
The West, on the other hand, sees the Avs lead the league with an astounding +33 goal differential, led by Marner, Barkov, and Karlsson all with over 20 points on the season, while they have 9 players who have hit at least 10 points, and would have easily increase their numbers if Werenski hadn't been held to just 5 games thus far, with 9 points in those 5 games.
Anaheim (+19) and Calgary (+16) are also outscoring their opponents well, while on the flip side, Dallas (-16), Utah (-15), Minnesota (-13), and the Kings (-12) are all particularly leaky.
There are no teams in the West outside the playoffs with a positive goal differential, and 3 in playoff spots with a negative one. Two are minor (Edmonton and Chicago at a -2 each), while LA is the huge outlier, sitting in 7th currently.
Best team in the league so far? The high-flying Colorado Avalance, who lead in both points (tied with the Ducks) and points-per-game. The worst? The Dallas Stars, already 4 points behind everyone else. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the best home team, at 8-3, while the Stars are an abysmal 1-8-1 in Texas.
The Avs are also tied with the Philadelphia Flyers with an 8-2 road record, and road teams seem to have the advantage early; only 3 teams are below .500 on the road, and all are in the West (Utah at 4-6, and Vancouver and Minnesota both at 5-6).
The hottest team in the league right now? Both the Leafs and Penguins at 7-2-1 in their last 10. The Leafs have won 6 in a row. The coldest? The Canucks are 2-7-1 in their last 10, having just snapped a 4-game losing streak. The Caps, Lightning, Panthers, and Sharks are all on a current 3-game losing streak.
Cale Makar leads the league in points with 35, trailed by Mitch Marner, teammate Joel Eriksson Ek, and David Pastrnak who have all hit 30 points. Suprisingly, Eriksson Ek is tied for the league lead in goals with Nathan MacKinnon, with Marner, Leon Draisatl, and Jason Robertson keeping pace.
Fredrik Andersen and Connor Ingram lead the league in wins with 10, while both Semyon Varlamov and Alex Georgiev have a SPCT of .930 or better.
In the meantime, surprises among the scoring leaders include Brandon Hagel, Elias Lindholm, Travis Sanheim, and Jake Walman (
). 61 players have yet to record a point, including Corey Perry, Phil Tomasino, Sam Steel, and Cam Atkinson.
Your early plus/minus leader is Boone Jenner at +14, and 9 more players have double-digits. The league's worst player at this point is Derek Forbort at -19, with 4 more players in double-digits (including Noah Hanifin).
Josh Manson, Zach Bogosian, and Jeremy Lauzon are your early PIM leaders. 3 of the top 5 in hits are forwards, including Andrei Svechnikov who leads the league, Marcus Foligno, and Brady Tkachuk.
7 players have recorded 100 or more shots so far, including Auston Matthews who leads the league at 119. Your most proficient shooter (minimum 20 shots) is Drake Batherson, with a 26.83. Your most snakebit shooter at this junction is Nick Foligno, who has yet to score on 41 shots.
MacKinnon and Sanheim lead the leagues in PPG with 7, while Makar leads in PPP with 18, including 13 assists. Anthony Duclair already has 2 SHG, while 10 other players also have two SHP.
Trends A Quarter Way In
