Lundqvist, Rangers' panicky start among five early-season questions in the NHL
Also, are the Penguins in better shape or more trouble after axing their No. 2 goalie?
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4 min read
As the 2017-18 NHL season approaches its second month, here's a look at five pressing questions around the league:
Are Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers broken?
They look like it. OK, so that's not entirely true, considering "The King" came up big in the Rangers' victory over the Nashville Predators over the weekend, but at what point do we stop kidding ourselves and acknowledge this team is a mess?
The scoring problems are as pressing as the defensive disorganization that plagued the Rangers in their first eight matchups, but seeing Lundqvist out of position during a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday was like seeing an encapsulation of all New York has been so far in an underwhelming 2017-18. In a tough Metropolitan Division, the Rangers need to get it together fast.
Are the Vegas Golden Knights actually for real?
Yes. Their ultimate test came Tuesday when they played the Chicago Blackhawks after already losing Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban in net ... and won by two goals. If that doesn't do it for you, then perhaps the rest of their early track record will -- Vegas is a historic 7-1 to start its first NHL season, and the Golden Knights' plus-eight goal differential is second behind only the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference. Outside of James Neal, they don't have any monster scorers right now, but that has actually worked to their advantage in a balanced attack. Just see their 4-2 win over Chicago, during which four different players netted a goal.
What is wrong with the Pittsburgh Penguins?
Before anyone in Pittsburgh gets upset, we need to make sure we acknowledge that the Penguins are still, well, the Penguins. Their 6-3-1 mark at this week's midway point isn't bad, and we all know they'll be competitive down the road. But when you're 10 games into the season and two of your three losses are by a combined 15 goals, something needs to be talked about.
And while we can't blame it all on Antti Niemi, we certainly can blame a lot of it on Antti Niemi. Or at least that's what Pens fans are hoping now that the ex-Dallas Stars veteran has been jettisoned via waivers. In the three starts he got in relief of Matt Murray, Niemi coughed up 16 goals -- that's more than five goals per game, if you're following along. Remember, too, that he was pulled just over nine minutes into that infamous 10-1 beatdown at the hands of the Blackhawks.
Of course, that game showed Niemi wasn't the only problem, as Murray also got walloped for six scores, perhaps in part due to the transition of depth players on Pittsburgh's bench. Now, the pressure on Murray to perform is even greater, and while the No. 1 netminder had a nice showing in a 2-1 victory over Connor McDavid and the struggling Oilers on Tuesday night, it's still up to Sidney Crosby and Co. to help lighten his load.
Which team is the best in the league?
It's certainly not the Oilers, although some of us might prefer that for the sake of our 2017-18 predictions. In all seriousness, how can we not default to , where the Tampa Bay Lightning are seeded atop the NHL? Entering Tuesday's bout with the Carolina Hurricanes, they were fresh off a 7-1 drubbing of the Penguins, which provided more evidence that both Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov are playing lights-out hockey. Plus, plain and simple, their 8-1-1 record is tops in a conference where young teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils have been on fire. Speaking of Toronto, it is still giving up too many goals to get that No. 1 spot, while the Blackhawks and Kings (and maybe even the Golden Knights?) are good alternatives.
Which team is the worst in the league?
Again, we're going to default to the power rankings on this one -- kind of. The Arizona Coyotes might well end up being the worst in the standings because, well, they're on track to be just that. And it's probably safe to say they hold that title right now after a 5-2 loss to John Tavares -- er, the New York Islanders -- gave them the worst goal differential in the NHL. But the Montreal Canadiens, what with Carey Price's struggles and a frustrating inability to light the lamp outside of Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, have statistically been just as bad.
It's a stunner in some senses, perhaps because it's not often we see the Habs in the cellar like this. But 2017-18 was also set to be somewhat of a make-or-break season after some big offseason changes. Right now, things are breaking, and they're breaking rather dramatically. Unless, of course, beating up on a Panthers team led by a rookie coach marks the start of a serious turnaround.
