The Pacific Division conquered all on Sunday. (Well, except for San Jose.)
Does nobody want Connor McDavid?
Because it really seems like the teams most expected to tank for him are doing ... pretty well. Well, relatively speaking: nobody will claim the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders or Florida Panthers are contenders. But, they've done a decent job in the first two weeks of looking like competent hockey teams.
Just take a look at the NHL's standings after one week. You'll see familiar teams at the top. The Los Angeles Kings remained competitive in the Pacific with a huge win against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The San Jose Sharks are keeping pace with L.A. despite a disappointing shutout loss to the New York Rangers. And the Anaheim Ducks lead both of them atop the Pacific thanks to a dominant 3-0 win against the St. Louis Blues.
And then there's Calgary. Another win means they've matched the Californians so far. That's something to hang your hat on, Flames. Now please come back to the McDavid race. It's not as fun without you, Calgary.
All the NHL Scores
Los Angeles Kings 2, Minnesota Wild 1
New York Rangers 4, San Jose Sharks 0
Calgary Flames 4, Winnipeg Jets 1
Anaheim Ducks 3, St. Louis Blues 0
Three Things We Learned
1. Jonathan Quick had one of those ridiculous games usually reserved for the Western Conference Finals. For the past couple of seasons, the Kings' netminder has shown flashes of inconsistency during the regular season before throwing out unbelievable performances in the playoffs. On Sunday, Quick was at his playoff best. The Wild poured 40 shots on net and only managed one goal as the Kings stole a 2-1 win.
2. That Ducks goalie battle might already be over. With John Gibson getting some starting minutes in the AHL, Frederik Andersen put together another shutout against the Blues on Sunday. It was Andersen's 25th win in his 30th game, making him only the second NHL goalie to ever achieve that feat. We doubted him when he began that run last season, but it doesn't seem to be letting up at all. No one should be surprised if Andersen runs away with the Ducks' starting job the rest of the year.
3. Whatever "McTanking" is supposed to look like, the Flames are not participating. Through seven games, Calgary is keeping pace with the California teams and looking pretty competent while doing it. Everything came together in a big win in Winnipeg on Sunday: Johnny Gaudreau scored his first of the year, Jonas Hiller made some terrific saves and T.J. Brodie continued his excellent run of form. Sure, Calgary probably won't keep this up all year. But for now, this stretch has to give their fans plenty of hope for where the franchise is heading.
Impact Moment
Henrik Lundqvist pitched his 51st career shutout in a 4-0 win over San Jose. As impressive as that mark is, it wouldn't have happened without this awesome last-second save by Matt Hunwick in the first period.
Stat of the Night
It won't happen, but wouldn't it be amazing if the Edmonton Oilers kept up this pace?
The #Flames are on pace for 94 points. The #Oilers are on pace for 16 points. pic.twitter.com/zmeXNUSM7B
— Darren Haynes (@DarrenWHaynes) October 20, 2014Also, the Flames have forgotten how to McDavid. Shame on you, #Flams.
Post to Post
- Speaking of the #Flams: Calgary signed T.J. Brodie to a five-year deal. Good for Brodie, who is quickly becoming a valuable asset on the blueline.
- Lindy Ruff called out his team for playing "garbage hockey" on Saturday. Hard to argue with him.
- More bad news for St. Louis: Paul Stastny is week-to-week with a shoulder injury.
- Finally, keep an eye on whether Dan Girardi's injury will affect him long-term.