lafountain Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 So what teams or players have surprised you as to how well or how poorly they have played this early in the year. I know we are only a few weeks into the season but there are always early surprises. Surprise teams: Chicago, I didn't expect them to be able to fo 4-2 to start the year. Ottawa is a negative surprise, I expected them to be better than they have shown. Surprise players: Kari Lehtonen, I did expect him to be good, but not as good as he has been to start the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 So what teams or players have surprised you as to how well or how poorly they have played this early in the year. I know we are only a few weeks into the season but there are always early surprises.Surprise teams: Chicago, I didn't expect them to be able to fo 4-2 to start the year. Ottawa is a negative surprise, I expected them to be better than they have shown. Surprise players: Kari Lehtonen, I did expect him to be good, but not as good as he has been to start the season. Chicago surprised me with their start too, and as much as I expect Havlat to be good, I didn't expect him to be this good. Carolina was obviously a surprise at first - I expected a stronger defense of the cup. Buffalo is also a surprise as I didn't expect this much success, and the same goes for Minnesota. Ovechkin has been surprisingly quiet and Brendan Shannahan has been surprisingly good with the rangers. Dallas is also doing surprisingly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finny Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 The surprise is the Hawks with some offense, complete shock. Minnesota impresses me out of the gates. The downers are Boston as I thought they would be better. Ottawa cannot find the net right now even with the dangerous 1st line reunited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 The surprise is the Hawks with some offense, complete shock. Minnesota impresses me out of the gates. The downers are Boston as I thought they would be better. Ottawa cannot find the net right now even with the dangerous 1st line reunited. And Ottawa is kicking themselves watching Havlat light it up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 How about Anze Kopitar? Kings were surprising in the 4-0 win tonight and this kid continues to shine. He truly impresses me and he went totally under my radar up until a couple of games ago. He's got great, long reach, strong skating, good speed and good size. I say he'll contend for the Calder this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseysKing Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 For the positive surprises of the season so far, I would say it's the Hawks & Havlat, Stars, Wild and the Habs. Watching Abby play well for the Habs might dismiss some thoughts of trading him this season. As for the negative surprises, the biggest ones have to be the Sens & Bruins. People expected the Sens to drop a little bit after losing Chara and Havlat, but not this much! But it's still early in the season so we'll have to see if their top line can turn things around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 On the plus side, I too am surprised by Chicago (currently #1 in Central, for what it's worth this early in the eason), and on the flip side, disappointed in the Red Wings. It's almost like the Wings and Hawks swapped places, with Chicago playing disciplined hockey while the Wings are getting nailed by penalties (and suffering the consequences). I'm happy to see Shanahan thriving in New York. I'm surprised to see Lindros is doing well in Dallas. I'm not surprised to hear that Forsberg is hurt again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finny Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Yep Forsberg down again although I heard it's a sprain or contusion, not a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Yep Forsberg down again although I heard it's a sprain or contusion, not a break. He's out for a week. ::sigh:: I just want to see one more season like 2003 before he retires. Don't think I'm gonna get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafountain Posted November 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 Kinda disappointed in Boston, after making the moves they did in the offseason I expected them to be better than they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 Kinda disappointed in Boston, after making the moves they did in the offseason I expected them to be better than they are. Oh yeah, Boston has not been living up to the expectations that Chara and Savard (along with Kessel) brought into that city. Chicago is now dissapointing me to know end, as they were originally surprisingly good. It's tough to believe that Havlat, as much as I like him, was really the only guy on that team making a difference. I know Khabi is out, but they started losing before his injury I believe, as soon as they lost Havlat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafountain Posted November 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 1 month into the season now. Time to get a little bit better gauge on some surprises. As I said, I am surprised Boston has played so poorly as well as Calgary. Phoenix is a bit of a disappointment for me since I was predicting them to be a surprise team that comes out and plays well. Pittsburgh being 7-3 is a major surprise to me. I just didn't expect them to play this well as a team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach_9 Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 The Islanders are 6-4-2. Not great, but when you look at the game by game, they lost their first three, and have lost only once in regulation (Buffalo) since. That's impressive. I wonder if Ted Nolan is really getting through to those guys... I think their season will depend on DiPietro, almost exclusively. With the contract he just signed, what's to keep him from just taking a night off? If he wants to win, they'll have a chance almost every night they play. If DP would rather count his money and go have fun at night than they're going to see some rough times. I personally think the Isles are crazy with these long deals that guarantee superstar pay, regardless of performance. There's no incentive to work hard, stay in shape, etc. They're going to pay him for 15 years. I'm sure he's satisfied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveNJ Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 I can't believe it took that long to mention the Icelanders. They haven't been pretty, but they've been winning. They've had a fairly easy schedule and been able to be under the radar for awhile though. Wait 'till the Rangers come in and they start playing in front of sellouts at the Mausoleum once more. Then will see if this somewhat young Isle team can hack it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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