The 2023/24 NHL standings at the Christmas break. Who has surprised you the most, positive and/or negative?

40 comments

  2. For me (besides Vancouver)
    * Positive: Jets. I did not expect them to bounce back this well after last year.
    * Negative: Sabers. I didn’t have my expectations very high, but I’m still disappointed for our expansion brothers.

  3. Canucks 20-0-0 when leading after two periods is more surprising to me than their first place. They were sooooo bad in the third period last year. I wanna say we choked the lead in almost every game of that 0-7-1 start last year

    biggest negative surprise for me is a tie between Calgary and Ottawa. I really expected a number of Calgary’s players to rebound this year, especially after they fired Sutter, and it really hasn’t happened.

  4. I’m not surprised we’re still bad, but I’m shocked at *how* bad we are. Without Bedard, I’m not sure we win anything.

  5. I thought the Oilers had climbed more in the standings because of how much more they’ve been winning lately but they’re still pretty far down. I still think they make a WC spot.

  6. With the Isles being incredibly streaky and seemingly taking a huge step back on defense, I’m really surprised we’re in the top 10.

  7. I can’t believe I’m watching competitive hockey, so I’m gonna take the homer answer and say that the Flyers are the team that surprised me the most.

  9. Surprised isn’t a strong enough word for Canucks fans right now. Even the most optimistic among us wouldn’t have thought it being like this.

    I’m frankly shocked, and I have no complaints. If anything, I’m curious to see how the D core might improve with Soucy coming back from injury

  11. Ottawa and Edmonton are much lower than I expected and Philly is performing a lot better than was expected.

  12. As a Canucks fan of course I am going to say the Canucks. Coming into the season, I thought that, at best, Vancouver was a fringe playoff team that would be run out of the first round. To see them in first place all by themselves at the Christmas break is really surprising and it’s a pleasant surprise.

    Another positive has to be Philadelphia. John Tortorella has done a fantastic job with that team. They were supposed to be a bottom feeder. Instead, they are top three in the Metro division and right in the thick of things.

    I think for negative, it has to be Buffalo and Ottawa.

    Both teams were expected to be much better than what they have been. Ottawa wasn’t expected to be a last place team and hopefully with the win today they can still use some of those games in hand and jump back into the race because they have dug themselves quite the hole.

    Same for Buffalo. This was the year that the drought of not making the playoffs would finally end and while they showed some good thing in their final two games getting 3 out of possible 4 points against 2 very good opponents they like Ottawa have dug themselves a hole and unlike Ottawa don’t have games in hand to dig themselves out of it. They have already played 35 games.

  14. Expected more from Edmonton, they’ve always been my second team, hoping McDavid was just giving the league a headstart

  15. Honestly surprised my Rangers lead the league in point percentage with only 1 points from an OT loss.

  16. Considering our massive injury list for the 3rd year in a row, I’m pretty surprised the habs are above some star studded teams

  22. Probably the Metro division. Islanders, Flyers, and Capitals all being both above Devils and Canes

  23. Expected the Rangers to be high up, but Quick starting 12 games and being a big reason they’ve won half their games is a massive surprise given he looked cooked last season. Happy to see he might even get the american record this season.

    Negative surprise goes to Ottawa/Buffalo, how is the light at the end of the rebuild tunnel still so far away.

  25. TBL, NJD, MIN, EDM are all lower than I expected

    MTL, VAN, NYI, PHI are all higher than I expected

    Stick taps to the Yotes, I had them making playoffs and they don’t disappoint this season. Absolute wagon of a team.

    And a big sigh of relief from Vancouver and NYI fans. Your top lines have really made it stick and are looking primed for a deep playoff push

  26. I’m surprised the Senators/Sabres aren’t in playoff positions after everyone said that they were improved and have young, fast talent all summer.

  30. Definitely surprised at how well the Rangers are playing. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and after every loss I think welp here comes the slide.

    The entire Metro isn’t really shaping up to be how most seemed to have predicted, really. The Canes aren’t in 1st, the Devils aren’t in 2nd and the Rangers aren’t in 3rd!

    People seemed to be on the fence with how good the Pens would be, but I think it’s safe to say no one thought they’d be as bad as they’ve been so far. Not to mention that goaltending would be the least of their problems.

    Just goes to show how seriously people should take opinions on reddit lol

  32. Minnesota has had a pretty good turnaround after changing the coach. With Dean Evason they were 5/10/4 good for 30th in the league above only Chicago and San José in that span. Since changing the coach they’re 10/3/0 good for first in the league tied with Vancouver in this span. All with a chunk of games missing their best two defensemen (Spurgeon and Brodin) and two key forwards (Hartman and Zuccarello). The really good news is rookie Brock Faber who has stepped up as a solid reliable stay at home defenseman and is leading the league in toicin the absence of Spurgeon and Brodin. Too bad he isn’t a high scoring player to get some serious Calder considerations.

  33. Vancouver of course but mostly Ottawa. I really did think this was the year they’d break through and seeing them continue to struggle even worse than last year is really tough.

  35. The Senators, Sabres, and Kraken had decent expectations heading into the season but are at the bottom of the league

  39. Okay, so here’s my predictions from Aug. 30, I had some pretty bold predictions like Buffalo winning the Atlantic and Columbus being in wild card contention that I whiffed on hard. Here’s where I had them, in brackets I have how much lower or higher they are currently:

    Pacific:

    1. Los Angeles (-2)

    2. Edmonton (-4)

    3. Calgary (-1)

    4. Vancouver (+3)

    5. Vegas (+3)

    6. Seattle (0)

    7. Anaheim (0)

    8. San Jose (0)

    Central:

    1. Dallas (0)

    2. Colorado (0)

    3. Winnipeg (0)

    4. Nashville (0)

    5. St. Louis (-1)

    6. Minnesota (-1)

    7. Arizona (+2)

    8. Chicago (0)

    Atlantic:

    1. Buffalo (-6) 💀

    2. Tampa (-2)

    3. Toronto (+1)

    4. Boston (+3)

    5. Ottawa (-3)

    6. Florida (+3)

    7. Montreal (-1)

    8. Detroit (+3)

    Metro:

    1. New Jersey (-5)

    2. Carolina (-3)

    3. Pittsburgh (-4)

    4. Columbus (-4)

    5. NY Rangers (+4)

    6. NY Islanders (+4)

    7. Washington (+5)

    8. Philadelphia (+5)

    Can you tell I’m a westerner?

  40. Arizona in a WC spot? Oilers fighting to make the cut? The Canucks LEADING THE LEAGUE??

    What kinda black magic fuckery is afoot right now?

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