The National Hockey League season is now two weeks old, and it has been full of excitement. A few teams are on fire, and a few teams are ice cold. Lets talk about the dark side first. What teams are yet to win? The Buffalo Sabers and the New Jersey Devils are the only two remaining teams to not win a game in regulation. The New Jersey Devils have played six games, and have posted a 0-3-3 record. The Devils have managed to get points by pushing teams to overtime, but the problem is they are yet to notch a regulation win. That will change quickly, as I see them beating a struggling Ottawa team this Thursday night. Still not how the Devils planned out the start, but this one is not the end of the world. As of Tuesday morning the Sabers have played a total of seven games with a record of 0-6-1. This week is a busy week for Buffalo. On Tuesday they play the Islanders, on Thursday the Canucks and Saturday they play the red hot Colorado Avalanche. Here is the sad part, I do not think that Buffalo will get its first regulation win until the 25th of October, in a game versus the Boston Bruins. This will make the Sabers the longest team to win a game in regulation. Not a good way to start the year.
As for the winners. There are four NHL teams that are yet to lose a game in regulation. Two that are expected, and two are teams that know one would have bet on. The first team in the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have played five games, and have posted a perfect 5-0-0 record. This week they take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. The Blues are also undefeated, and this will end the Sharks perfect record. The next team to fall will be the Calgary Flames. The Flames have shockingly started out 3-0-2 in the first five games. On Wednesday night they face the hot Anaheim Ducks and this will end the Flames run. It was a great run, and hopefully the Flames will be able to bounce back with a win, and not fall back to reality. Now what team will hold on the longest? The two teams that will tie, as they will both lose on Thursday night, are the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have shocked the world by posting a perfect 5-0-0 record in the first five games. They will carry on the winning ways by knocking off the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, but will drop their first game on Thursday night as they will fall to the Detroit Red Wings. The St. Louis Blues were expected to be a force this season, and that is just what they have been. They are 4-0-0 to start the year. The Blues will beat the Sharks on Tuesday, but the streak will end on Thursday as the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks will revenge a last week loss with a bounce back win.
Its always fun to see what teams start off hot and slow, but it is even more fun to speculate how long these streaks will last. Good or Bad!
Brad Burud the owner/editor of the Inside Edge Hockey News. I am a huge fan of hockey, from youth hockey, to junior hockey, and of course professional hockey. I have played, coached, worked as statistician, and watched hockey all of my life. Hockey is not just a game, it is a lifestyle and family. The game of hockey is great! It can bring you nights of great enjoyment. It also brings nights where you feel like your team will never win. I am proud to be a journalist for the greatest game in the world. I have a degree in Business Administration, Psychology from Minot State University. I also have a Hockey General Manager and Scouting, and Sports Communications/Journalism degree from Sports Management Worldwide. I am also a member of the Sports Executives Association. Most of all I am a fan. Hockey is a huge part of my life and my families life.