The NHL season is a quarter of the way through, and some teams are surprising everyone.
Winnipeg Jets have shocked many by becoming the top team in hockey. They started off with an incredible 15-1-0 record, making history as the best 16-game start ever. Connor Hellebuyck has been a key player, boasting a .929 save percentage and three shutouts. He’s not just in talks for another Vezina Trophy but might even be considered for MVP.
Minnesota Wild faced tough times due to salary cap issues from buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. This year is their last dealing with over $14M in dead cap space, which hurt them last season. But now they’re back strong at 13-4-4! Kirill Kaprizov is having a stellar offensive season with 34 points in just 20 games . Their goalies, Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury, are doing great too.
Fans might think these unexpected performances make this season exciting! Calgary Flames were expected to rebuild after trading away big names like Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm for future prospects. Despite this transition phase, they hold a solid 12-7-3 record thanks to their strong defense and rookie goalie Dustin Wolf’s impressive .921 save percentage.
Surprising Teams: Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals had a rough playoff appearance last year with poor stats across the board. Determined to change that narrative, they revamped their roster by adding players like Logan Thompson and Pierre-Luc Dubois among others. Now they boast one of the league’s best points percentages at .690! The Capitals look ready not just for playoffs but potentially making waves once there.
What do you think about these surprising teams?
