Deuces Wild: 2 Teams Still Undefeated, Until Tonight
As we finish the second week of play in the NHL, two teams have separated themselves from the pack and remain undefeated, atop their respective conferences. When a team wins their first few games in a row, that might be expected if there are high expectations that year; however, when two teams have gone undefeated in their first five and six games, that’s something that’s turning heads in the NHL.
While I wrote about the Red Wings hot start last week, they clearly haven’t slowed down. Even though they haven’t played as many games as their division/conference counterparts, a 5-0 start is nothing to scoff at. Mike Babcock has his boys jumping, with their most recent victim being the win-less Columbus Blue Jackets (who have yet to win a game). While their power play started out cold (0-18), the Wings broke out last night against the Blue Jackets, scoring 3 PP goals, 2 of which were scored by Johan Franzen, who also added an assist in the team’s 5-2 thumping of their division rival to the south. Jimmy Howard has continued to look sharp for the Wings, which he will need to be all year if they want to contend for a Western Conference title in the spring. The Wings’ hot start is especially troubling for Blues fans, as the Blue Note has yet to find the consistency needed to play a full 60-minute game night in and night out. Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom (who is poised to play his 1,500th career NHL game on the road against the Washington Capitals) and Howard have anchored the Wings, while they have continued to get contributions from second and third-liners like Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler, who looks poised for a breakout season after last year’s disappointing return to the NHL. Detroit has set themselves apart atop the Western Conference, and the way they’ve been winning games, they don’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Jumping over the Eastern Conference, it’s a similar story with a recent perennial contender. The Washington Capitals join Detroit as the only other undefeated team in the NHL, with a 6-0 record. It’s exciting as a hockey fan when, after two weeks of play, there are still teams who have yet to be taken down, and even more exciting when those two teams meet with matching undefeated records on the line. The Capitals and Red Wings will face-off on Saturday night in Washington, and when the final horn buzzes, only one undefeated team will remain in the NHL. Far and away the game of the week, the Caps and Wings battle tonight is sure to draw attention from NHL pundits and fans across the country. This will be only the second time in NHL history that two undefeated teams, who have played at least five games, will meet on the ice. In what’s sure to be an epic battle in the nation’s capital, both teams are likely to leave it all out on the ice in order to earn the title of the league’s only undefeated team. Adding veteran net minder Tomas Voukon in the offseason has proven to be a successful move for the organization this early in the season, adding much needed depth after the departure of Semyon Varlamov. The Caps also added key veterans Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward and Roman Hamrlik this summer, which will not only strengthen the team’s D, but will also add scoring depth so superstars Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin don’t have to shoulder the load of putting in 35 goals apiece (although I’m sure Caps fans wouldn’t mind seeing that this season). All three lead the team’s forwards in points so far, but having veterans like Ward and Brouwer who can provide leadership for some of the team’s up-and-coming stars, while also pumping in goals on their checking lines is only going to make the Caps more dangerous as they look to capture a fifth straight Southeast division title this year. It’s going to be a great battle in Washington tonight, and hopefully I can continue to write about one of these two teams continued success if they stay undefeated over the next week.
Player of the Week
It was a toss-up last week, but there’s no way I can ignore Maple Leaf’s forward Phil Kessel’s amazingly hot start this week. He has earned my “player of the week” award (whatever that’s worth), but his success hasn’t gone unnoticed around the league. The American superstar playing north of the border has pumped in seven goals and five assists in only his first six games. Kessel is known for hot October starts, but he and Maple Leaf fans are hoping that he can sustain this early success all season long, not like last year where he significantly tapered off as the season dragged on. While it’s unlikely this will happen, Kessel is projected to net 96 goals and add 68 assists, for a 164-point season if he keeps up his torrid scoring pace. He hasn’t failed in any aspect of the game to date, scoring three power play points and 22 total shots on goal, adding four penalty minutes and is currently a +6. If the speedy Leafs winger can sustain his hot start, a 35-goal season is not unlikely, which Leafs fans would love to see after last season’s disappointment. Here’s to hoping one of America’s best can keep his team in the mix in the Northeast division.
Come back next week to see if I’m still writing about an undefeated team and see who I choose as this upcoming week’s player of the week.
