Which Teams Improved in November, Which Didn’t, and Which Stayed the Same?

Which Teams Improved in November, Which Didn’t, and Which Stayed the Same?

Welcome back. All right, so with the NHL’s November calendar completed, I thought now would be a good time to look at how teams are trending, looking at October and November’s numbers, and see who’s trending in the right direction, who’s trending in the wrong direction, and which teams have seen the biggest swing in terms of their numbers. So, what I’ve got on the board is everybody’s record in the month of October first in purple, and the month of November in red, their goals scored, their goals against. I thought we’ll just keep this simple. We’ll not get into all the minutiae of it. Um I’ll save that for later in the season. So, and if if this goes well, maybe at the end of December, we can do this again and we can have the discussion. So, I’ve got these arranged in terms of the standings from Colorado, who are of course first, and we’ll talk about how ridiculous their numbers are, all the way down to Nashville, who are at the bottom of the board, and we’ll talk about how their numbers are as well, but we’ll start with Colorado. So, the month of October was pretty good for them. 12 games, 71-4 record. But November, whole other ball game, 110 and2 in 13 games. Not a regulation loss to be found. Their goal scoring in October, 3.75 goals per game. That’s good. In the month of November, 4.46 goals per game. That’s ridiculous. Their goals against went from 2 and a half goals against in the month of October to 1.69 in the month of November. 1.69 69 goals against per game in 13 games is ridiculous. And that’s not a small sample size either. So, one of the most impressive months I’ve seen for sure. Dallas had an excellent month as well. Now, their first month wasn’t fantastic. 63 and two is okay, but scoring 2.64 goals per game and allowing 2.91 goals per game. I was surprised they weren’t scoring more. Now, they’re scoring just fine. Uh in the month of November they go 112 and2 one of the best records in the NHL. 4.13 goals scored per game and allowing 2 and 1/2 goals against almost uh coming in at 2.47 goals against per game. So their goal scoring goes up by a goal and a half and their goals against goes down by about a half a goal. Um which is almost as impressive I guess as Colorado going up by pretty near a goal per game in terms of goal scoring and almost a goal against less. So yeah, Colorado and Dallas both in the same division. That’s going to be one heck of a second round series if they play each other then. Um you got you can’t rule out there’s going to be an upset of course, but just saying if they play each other in the second round, that could be insane. Tampa 11 games in the month of October, 54-2 record, scoring 2.82 goals per game, allowing 2.82 goals against per game. Very mediocre month of October, but by the end of the month, you were starting to see what the Tampa Bay Lightning could be. And this month they went 11 and3 scoring 3.79 goals per game. So almost a goal more per game than in the previous month and allowing 2.43 goals against per game. So about4 goals less per game being allowed. And yeah Tampa is back. They look like a contender again. And they stand number three in the overall standings. Carolina 10 games, a record of 7 and three in the month of October. this month. Not as impressive as the month before, but still 94 and two in 15 games isn’t bad. Uh, their scoring dropped. They went from 3.9 goals per game in October to 3.07 goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against also did drop. They went from three goals per game against in the month of October to 2.6 goals against per game in the month of November. So, overall, their goal differential wasn’t as impressive as it was in October, but it’s still a positive. And um Carolina, I expect them to be consistent throughout the season. New Jersey, New Jersey has had a bit more of a downturn with the injury to Jack Hughes. We’ll see if uh they’re able to to have a really decent December out of this. Uh their month of October was very good. They went 8-3. Uh in the month of November, uh 85-1, which is still a good record, but not as good as 8-3. Uh in the month of October, they scored 3.73 goals per game. This month, 2.64 64 goals goals per game. So they scored more than a goal less per game than they did the previous month. Their goals against did drop. They go from 3.18 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.79 goals against per game in the month of November. So the numbers are still not bad when it comes to the New Jersey Devils, but it is something to keep an eye on as the Metro Division looks pretty darn tough. Minnesota. No team has turned around like Minnesota and and caused the havoc they have with the power rankings. So the month of October, they were putrid 36 and three, scoring 2.58 goals per game and allowing 3.92 goals against per game. Uh five on five they couldn’t score and they were having a really hard time keeping the puck out of their net. But in the month of November, wow, 11-2 record, 3.07 07 goals per game, which is an improvement over the 2.58. But their goals against, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen this, although that being said, I’ve never done a video where I’ve compared month-to-month I can remember. Uh 1.71 goals against per game. So, their goals against per game, more than two, less goals per game allowed by Minnesota in November than in October. So, they figured it out and we’ll see how their December looks cuz those numbers are insane. Uh Washington’s another team that looked kind of lost at times in October. They ended up six and five. Uh in the month of November, a much better record of 94 and two. They started scoring again. They went from 2.55 goals per game in October to an even four goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against went from 2.27 goals against per game in October, which is very good. It comes up to 2.8. That’s just part and parcel of playing a a game that is more up upbeat, a little more in terms of skill. You’re going to allow more goals if you’re you’re getting more goals is generally a rule in the National Hockey League unless you’re like the two teams at the top that just I they don’t seem to obey the laws of physics. But for Washington, the 2.8 goals against per game still isn’t bad. It’s not bad at all. Uh Philadelphia, Philadelphia has been an interesting one. Uh in the month of October, 63-1 record, 2.8 goals scored per game, 2.4 goals against per game. Uh a lot of close games with Philadelphia, some shootout results and whatnot. Uh in the month of November, 84-2 record, but they’ve allowed more goals than they’ve scored. They’ve scored 2.86 goals per game. They’ve allowed 3.07 goals per game. So playoff team, they may very well be a playoff team. I’ll be curious to see how things go for them in December. Uh usually teams that are allowing more goals than they score don’t end up above the playoff line or don’t stay there. But Philadelphia at this point is still there. Uh Anaheim Anaheim has been consistent in the month of October 63 and one in the month of November 9 and six. Now those numbers are similar in that there are three games above 500 each each month but they scored 3.6 goals per game in October and then they did it again in November. Their goals against were 3.3 in the month of October, 3.33 in the month of November to the point where when I was writing this all on the board, I did a bit of a double take like wait, did I is this the wrong did I already what? But uh that’s that’s consistency for you right there. Now for Anaheim, it’s going to be tough if Morazzic’s going to be out for any period of time. They already know they’re going to be without Dustall for a couple to three weeks. So things could get tough for Anaheim, but still above 500 both months. And they’re scoring goals, something that Anaheim could not do over the last three seasons. And now they’re making it look easy. The LA Kings, the LA Kings went from a record of 53 and four in 12 games in the month of October to 73 and three in the month of November. Uh their goal scoring drops, but their goals against dropped off, too. Uh they go from 2.92 goals scored per game in the month of October to 2.46 46 goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against goes from 3.08 goals against to 2.15. So, we’ve got back into that defensive structure for the LA Kings, and that 2.15 goals against is just absolutely ridiculous. So, there’s a lot of talk about scoring and offense and everything, but you can see there are some teams that figured this out in November. I expect to see some of those other teams start figuring out in December, and that could lead to goal scoring coming down a bit. Uh Vegas, Vegas has been interesting. So in the month of October, 62 and three was their record. Uh the month of November, 54 and five. So they only lost four in regulation out of 14, but they only won five out of 14 as well. So depends on how you look at it. Their goal scoring has dropped from 3.55 goals per game in October to 2.64 goals per game in November. The Markstone injury played a large role there, I think. Uh their goals against has gone up, gone from 2.82 82 goals against in the month of October to 3.07 goals against per game in the month of November. They’ve got to turn those numbers around. The Pacific division is the weakest of the four divisions, but they still need to turn that around because there are some teams in the Pacific that could start getting some wins and could make life a little more difficult for the Vegas Golden Knights than it is currently. Uh the Boston Bruins, baffling, absolutely baffling to me. Uh six and seven in the month of October. This month they went 9 and5. So, they got better in the month of November, but their goal scoring dropped off a bit. They went from 3.31 goals per game in the month of October to 2.71 goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against also dropped though. They went from 3.62 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.79 goals against per game in the month of November. The interesting thing is they allowed more goals than they scored both in October and November. one of the many reasons why I look at Boston and think I don’t know if they can hang in this race for that long, but it’s interesting to watch for as long as they’re in it. Uh Pittsburgh had a bit of a rough month of November. Uh their month of October 82 and two very strong numbers their month of November 4 and three. So they’re still in the race. They’re still second wild card in the East. But uh there are some alarming numbers here. They go from 3.67 goals per game in the month of October to 2 and a half goals per game in the month of November. So, dropping by more than a goal per game. And their goals against has ballooned. It’s gone from 2.42 goals against per game to 3.17 goals against per game. Those numbers are not sustainable for a team to stay above the playoff line. So, look for Pittsburgh to figure out a way to turn this around or we’re going to be talking about them at the end of December as a team that is sitting probably four or five points out of a playoff spot. Uh the Montreal Canadians also had a bit of a drop after a really strong October. Uh they were 8-3 in the month of October. They end up five five and three in the month of November. Uh their goal scoring did drop. It goes from 3.64 goals per game to 3.23 goals per game. That’s not an awful drop off though. It’s the goals against. They go from an even three goals against per game in the month of October to an even four goals against per game in the month of November. Well, if you’re allowing a goal more per game, uh that’s that’s a problem. And so that’s something that Marty San Louie and the Montreal Canadiens are going to have to figure out if they’re going to stay above that playoff line is keeping that puck out of the net, which can be a challenge in today’s National Hockey League. The New York Islanders, fascinating story of the New York Islanders, 55-1 in the month of October, 3.36 goals scored per game, 3.55 goals against per game. So the Islanders playing some pretty high tempmpo, high-scoring games comparatively speaking with their normal game. But both numbers dropped a lot this month. Uh they ended up 85 and two, but they scored 2.53 goals per game, almost a goal less than they scored per game in October. And they allowed 2.33, more than a goal less allowed in the month of November than in October. So the Islanders get back into more of a Islander friendly style of game where they score about two and a half per game. They allow about two and a half per game. That seems to be the sweet spot for them. Uh the Seattle Kraken 52 and three in the month of October, uh 65 and three in the month of November. The overall numbers not bad, but they’re all differential. Uh they went from 2.8 goals scored per game in the month of October down to 2.21 goals scored per game in the month of November. As I mentioned with Vegas, it is the Pacific division. I understand there’s weakness there, but you got to score more than 2.2 goals per game. Uh on the goals against side, it did drop. It went from 2.8 8 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.5 goals against per game in the month of November. So allowing more than they scored. Not an optimal situation for Seattle, but they still find themselves above the playoff line. Ottawa Ottawa’s had themselves a time uh 65-1 in the month of October, 64-3 in the month of November. And the overall scoring, well, they went from 3.58 goals per game in October. They dropped to 2.54 goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against dropped as well, but they’re still allowing more than their scoring. They went from 3.92 goals against per per game in the month of October to 2.85 goals against per game in the month of November. Certainly, that score tonight against Dallas would would shift those numbers a little bit against Ottawa beyond what they were coming into tonight, but everybody’s numbers are incorporating all of November. So, yeah, for for the Ottawa Senators, they’ve just they’ve got to score more than they allow. It sounds so simple. Um I know every time that a game starts up and they’re like here’s the keys to the game. Uh the joke my wife and I always make is just score more than the other team. That’s the key to the game. Good night everybody. Um Detroit Detroit’s been quite the adventure. They went 8-4 in the month of October. They did not go 8-4 in the month of November. They went 57 and two. Very familiar story and picture for Detroit fans that they’re not happy about. They go from 3.33 goals scored per game in the month of October to 2 and a half goals per game in the month of November. So quite the drop off. Their goals against goes up, which is bad when your goals four is dropped. Uh they go from three and a quarter goals against per game. So 3.25. They go up to 3 and 1/2 goals against per game in the month of November. Not numbers that you want to see, especially since that means they scored 2 and 1/2 goals per game in in November and they allowed three and a half goals against per game. Not pretty numbers. Uh the New York Rangers uh they went 55 and two in the month of October. They went 8-7 in the month of November. And if we were looking at home records and road records, we’d see a very different picture between those two numbers. Uh their goal scoring actually went up this month. They went from 2.33 goals per game in October to 2.87 in the month of November. Their goals against also went up though. They went from 2.42 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.8 goals against per game in the month of November. So, the Rangers just mediocre numbers, but they’re in the hunt. They’re in the hunt. Who knows? Maybe they can go on a run in December. We shall see. Uh Chicago has been kind of consistent. They have. And they’re just they’re hanging around. So, October they were 54 and two, so they won five out of 11. And then in November, 65 and three, so they went 6 out of 14. They’re not quite winning half their games, but they’re still getting points and they’re still on the hunt. Their goal scoring drops off a little bit. They go from 3.27 27 goals per game in the month of October to 3.14 goals per game in the month of November. Uh their goals against did come up a little bit. They go from 2.82 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.93 goals against per game in the month of November. So the overall picture for Chicago not quite as rosy in November as it was in October, but they’re still on the hunt. Columbus they they’ve had some problems. Uh Columbus in the month of October, six and four encouraging start uh this month less encouraging at five five and five. So fives uh 15 games and five wins, five regulation losses and five losses in extra time. And their goal scoring has dropped by exactly a goal going from 3.4 in October to 2.4 in November. Their goals against going up from 3.1 goals against per game in October to 3.33 in the month of November. So, it is another sign that Columbus is fading. Uh, again, with all of the extra points that are being handed out, all of these games that go to overtime, it does keep Columbus in the hunt, it does mean they haven’t fallen out of the chase as of yet. So, we go to the third column and Utah. I did not expect Utah to be here with the October they had. They went 8-3 in the month of October, but the month of November kind of a bloodbath. 48-3 record for them in November in 15 games played. and their goal scoring just dropped. Absolute huge drop from 3.64 goals per game in October to 2.47 goals per game in the month of November. And their goals against went up. So if your goals for go down, as long as your goals against go down, that’s fine. But it did not. They go from 2.73 goals against per game in the month of October to 3.13 goals against per game in the month of November. And it it does kind of have an Arizona feel to it that Arizona the last couple years before the move to Utah, they would have really good runs and then they’d fritter it away. Another good run, they’d fritter it away. Utah cannot afford to do that or they’re going to find themselves on the outside looking in again in the spring. A turnaround by San Jose. Uh they were 36 and2 in the month of October in November. 95-1. I can’t remember the last time San Jose won nine games in a month. It’s been a while. Uh, I say that with confidence because they only had 20 wins last year and I think they had 20 wins the year before. Near 20 wins anyways. So, a nine- win month, I don’t think. So, um, their goal scoring actually dropped. They went from 2.91 goals per game in the month of October to 2.4 goals per game in the month of November. However, their goals against, huge drop. They go from 4.27 27 goals against per game in the month of October to 2.33 goals against per game in the month of November. St. San Jose is one of those teams that figured out the defense. They figured out how to keep the puck out of their net, how to cut down on the chances against and this is a trend in the National Hockey League. We’re seeing teams figuring out the defensive side of things. Keeps the games closer. You get a lot more overtime games and it gives teams that are towards the bottom of the ranks a chance to at least get a point against some of those top teams, right? Um, so yeah, San Jose is going to be one to keep an eye on and see if they can maintain these ridiculous numbers defensively. The Edmonton Oilers had a very mediocre November and that’s after a mediocre October. So they were 54 and three in October. They end up 66 and2 in the month of November. Uh, scoring about the same. They go from 3.17 goals per game in October to 3.07 goals per game in November. Their goals against goes up a lot. They go from 3.17 goals against per game in October to 3.93 goals against per game in the month of November. That is very troubling. We’ve discussed this. It’s been discussed to death about the Edmonton Oilers. I don’t need to get into the wise and everything because we’ve discussed it a few times lately, but they do have to turn that around if that trend continues. The Oilers are in a playoff team this year. Which brings us to Winnipeg. I didn’t expect Winnipeg to be here. Uh they were 8-3, same record as Utah in the month of October. and uh 5-8 in the month of November. So much like Utah, they’ve just kind of crashed out. Uh their goal scoring has dropped off a lot. They’ve gone from 3.64 goals per game, which is the same as what Utah had in October, uh that has dropped to 2.69 goals per game in the month of November. Their goals against has gone from 2.55 goals per game, and the pride of the Jets when they’ve been playing well is keeping the puck out of their net. Uh this past month, now in November, 3.23 goals against per game. That’s just too high for Winnipeg. Uh this is a Winnipeg team that definitely has its pride in its defensive side of the game and the goalending and they’re going to have to get that goals against well below three goals per game or we might be talking about the Jets not making the playoffs uh once we reach April. Uh the Florida Panthers uh the Florida Panthers have figured out how to score over the last month. Uh their record similar so in October 55 and one in the month of November 7 and six and they’re just they’re getting the wins. They’re getting enough points and I feel like they’re getting ready for when Matthew Kachchuck’s ready to come back and see if they can just turn it on again. Now, their goal scoring in the month of October was 2.45 goals per game. That’s a Stanley Cup hangover. Uh this month, their goal scoring, not bad. 3.62 goals per game, but their goals against not as great. Uh they went from 2.5 or 2.73, I should say, goals against per game in October. This month, 3.54. So, Florida’s having trouble keeping it out of their own net. They’re not having a problem scoring, but they’ve they’ve got to figure out how to get those goals against down. Babroski is not having the kind of season this year that he had last year. And Terasov’s a decent backup. But it is it is one of those things where Florida may just be biting their time. They’ll probably go on a run right after the Olympics and third Stanley Cup, all that. Uh Toronto, uh Toronto’s been consistent, which in most cases is good. In this case, it’s not. uh in October 55 and one and in November 66 and two. So a 500 record. 500 teams don’t make the playoffs. That’s the tricky part. Their goal scoring has dropped a little bit. They’ve gone from 3.45 goals per game in October to 3.36 goals per game in November. Uh their goals against actually dropped a lot. They went from 3.82 goals against per game in the month of October to 3.36 goals against per game in the month of November. So, they scored and allowed the same amount of goals in November, which would be great if they were above the playoff line, but they’re not. So, Toronto’s got to figure this out. Uh, St. Louis, St. Louis goes from a 36 and2 record in the month of October to a 64 and5 record in the month of November. So, 15 games in November. They only won six of them, but they only lost four of them in regulation. So, this is another team that’s getting those games to overtime and making sure they get those points uh that otherwise might find themselves further back of a playoff spot. Their goal scoring actually dropped this month. They went from 2.91 goals per game in the month of October to 2.4 goals per game in the month of November. But their goals against dropped quite a bit. They went from 4.27 goals against per game in the month of October where Hoffer and Bennington were struggling and so was the defense in front of them. Uh this month, 2.8 8 goals per game against for the St. Louis Blues. So, even though they’re still allowing more goals than they score, their defense is down. Now, it’s just a matter of they just need a few more goals from their forwards and maybe St. Louis can take a run at it. Uh Buffalo, Buffalo 44 and three in the month of October, 67-1 in the month of November. It’s just it’s standard Buffalo stuff. Their goal scoring right about the same. They go from three goals even in the month of October to 2.93 goals per game in the month of November. But their goals against has gone up. They’ve gone from 3.18 goals against per game in October to 3.64 goals against per game in the month of November. And that is not a formula for success. So while 67 and one isn’t an awful record, they’re still technically in the hunt. Uh the overall numbers tell you it’s it’s kind of ugly in Buffalo again this year. Vancouver Vancouver had a gutsy October where they ended up six and six. Um the effort is there, the effort gets them points, but the talent uh this month 47 and three was the record for the Vancouver Conucks. Interestingly enough, their goal scoring actually went up. They had 2.58 goals per game in the month of October. This month 3.29 goals per game. So that goes up, but the goals against ballooned. They went from an even three goals against per game in the month of October to 4.21 21-1 goals against per game in the month of November. And I’m just doing a quick scan of the board. Yeah, that’s that’s the worst defensive numbers in October. Uh the the next closest is Montreal at that even four there. So that’s something the Canucks have to figure out. And that’s combination of goalending, it’s defense, and it’s just the Conucks are are mediocre this year. And it just it just shows when you look at the goals against uh the Calgary Flames, they’re staying in the hunt this month, but October really sunk them. October they were 28-2. Uh in the month of November, 76 and three. So not or 76 and2 I should say. Not an awful record in November to be completely honest. Uh their goal scoring actually went up in November. They went from 2.17 goals per game in October to 2.47 goals per game in November. Their goals against came down a lot. They went from 3 and a half goals against per game in October to 2.53 goals against per game in November. So Calgary’s keeping the games close. They’re keeping the puck out of their net and a lot of that is Devin Kulie. So, uh Devin Kulie is definitely looking like a goalender that Calgary might want to consider holding on to. Um and and give him as many starts as needed today. Uh he he only allowed one against Carolina and that was in overtime. So, yeah, Koulies earned the right to some more starts, which brings us to Nashville. We round things out with Nashville. Uh they were 46-2 in the month of October, 47-2 in the month of November. So consistency and their goal scoring actually went up. They go from 2.33 goals per game in October to 2.69 goals per game in November, but their goals against went up as well. It goes from 3.42 goals per game in October to 3.92 goals per game in the month of November. So I wanted to just do this and and look at trends and how teams did this month compared to last month. And I think it paints an interesting picture. One of the most fascinating things to me about hockey and sports in general, it’s not just hockey, but watching the NHL, is how that calendar month changes. So, tomorrow I’ll be changing that calendar. You guys make sure I change that calendar uh to the mascot for December. And then you get into a new month and records change and and teams that look bad in November look great in December, and teams that look great in November bad in December. It’s it’s just it it’s one of the things I love about the sport. It’s one of the things I love about following the game. And so I wanted to share this tonight and just look at the numbers and just see which ones have been consistently good, consistently mediocre, which ones turned it around, hello Minnesota in the positive, and which ones turned it around in the negative, uh, Utah and Winnipeg stand out there. But let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Which team that had a subpar month of November do you think is going to have a really good month of December? And vice versa, which team had a really good November that you think December h they might have a bit of a tougher time of it. Let me know your thoughts. Hit like and subscribe in the event you may not have done so already. Thank you guys so much for all your support. It’s greatly appreciated. I will talk to you again soon.

Hey all and with the month of November finished, I wanted to compare the records over the first two months of the season.

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