Surprising Starts in the NHL That Will and Won’t Last

Let’s take a look at the surprising starts in the NHL that will and won’t last.

The NHL season is just over two weeks old, and this is the point where the standings begin to take shape, yet still look a little odd. Inevitably, some of the teams that we expected to be at the top or bottom of the standings have already assumed their positions.

It’s the other teams, though, the ones that have us scratching our heads, that are fun to keep an eye on at this time. Some teams will continue to produce unexpected results, while others will eventually move to where they are generally expected to be in the standings.

So, which teams are actually proving people wrong, and which ones are simply deceiving us in the early stages of the 2021 campaign? Two weeks of play in the 2020-21 NHL season have produced some surprising results. Which ones will prove to be a fluke, and which ones will we have to get used to seeing?

Surprising starts in the 2020-21 NHL season that will and won’t last

Montreal Canadiens: Surprise Will Last

When I picked the Canadiens to make the playoffs, and eventually win the Scotia North Division, I did so because I thought I’d take a chance on an upset in an unpredictable division. I didn’t realize that the Habs would give the league something to be nervous about all season.

The goaltending tandem of Carey Price and Jake Allen, I believed, would be the driving force for Montreal, especially in a division with high-powered offenses. As it turns out, though, the Canadiens’ offense is potent, and as a result, this team boasts a 5-0-2 record.

Led by Tyler Toffoli, the Canadiens scoring attack has put up at least three goals in every game this season. While it may not continue to light up its opposition, the fact that this team can be counted on to score goals and still features elite goaltending means that this team is for real.