FAQ About the 2021-22 Season So Far

It has been a pretty interesting season so far. There have been many surprises and games that have been worth watching. So, of course you are going to have questions about the first couple weeks. So I am here to answer those questions.

What do you think of the Sabres so far?

I honestly think that the Sabres haven’t had the strongest of the schedules so far this season. The Sabres have had the 4th easiest Strength of Schedule so far this season, they then have the hardest strength of schedule remaining. They opened up the season against a struggling Canadiens. They then went on to play the Coyotes, and only beat them in overtime. After that they played the Canucks and ended up beating them. After that they got a wakeup call against the Boston Bruins. They would then go on to lose to the Devils as well. So do I think that they have surprised everyone so far? Yeah, I do. But do I think it will last all season? No, I do not. The last 2 times the Sabres were in the playoffs a quarter of the way through the season, they dropped out of the playoffs. Especially with no Eichel, the Sabres could have a tough time the rest of the season.

What team has surprised you the most?

I don’t have 1 team that has surprised me the most, but 2 teams. Those 2 teams are the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights, the two teams that were projected to do the best in the Western Conference.

First let’s start off by talking about the Avalanche. The main thing that is happening to this team is goaltending. Darcy Kuemper has not been playing as well as we all thought he would. Now, granted, he is on a new and better team, but we all thought he was capable of being up to potential and doing well for this Avalanche team. Other than that really, their offense has been getting points. They just got to hope that people like J.T. Compher and Cale Makar keep doing what they have been doing.

Now let’s talk about Vegas. Vegas, like Colorado, is having goalie troubles. Lehner is now becoming the full-time starter and hasn’t looked like he is comfortable quite yet. They ended up losing 2-5 to the Kings in a game that should have been won. They are missing players like Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty so that is not helping them at all. I do believe that Vegas can step it up and make the playoffs this year. They just have to hope that they score some goals and get wins in those crucial games.

Who will stay undefeated the longest? Florida or Carolina?

Carolina has had an easier schedule than Florida in the games so far. Florida has continued to beat and beat teams as they have beat teams like Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philly. They also barely survived an OT scare against the Detroit Red Wings. Florida is beating teams by about 2.38 goals every game. Carolina on the other hand is beating teams by 3.33 goals every game. Carolina has only won a game by 1 once this season and has been destroying teams in those other games. On November 6th, these 2 teams play each other, and it should be a good game to watch. But my answer for who will be undefeated the longest is the Florida Panthers. They just have a lot of good players, and two great goalies with Sergei Bobrovsky (who has really surprised me) and Spencer Knight.

What player has surprised you the most?

The easy answer for me would be Andrew Mangiapane. Mangiapane has scored 7 goals in 7 games this season and has really helped my fantasy. But seriously, this guy can be an excellent player for the Flames this season. I think this guy has been underrated going into this season. If he keeps this up, the Flames could be a good contender for the playoffs this season.

Another player that has surprised me is Sergei Bobrovsky. Me, and many other people, did not expect him to go into this season and be this good. Bob is 6-0-0 with a 1.81 GAA and a .944 SV%. Honestly, if he keeps this up, he will be a really good shot for Vezina and help the Panthers win the cup.

Early award predictions?

Hart: Connor McDavid

Maurice Richard: Alex Ovechkin

Vezina: Sergei Bobrovsky

Calder: Lucas Raymond

Art Ross: Connor McDavid

Jack Adams: Craig Berube

Will Ovechkin catch Gretzky?

Ovechkin is now 36 years old and is getting older. So, let’s say he plays 4 more seasons. Ovi has averaged 41 goals every season the past 3 seasons. Just looking at his stats this year (9 goals in 8 games) let’s say he scores 50 goals this year. But let’s say he scores 41 goals those next 3 seasons. That is a total of 173 goals in 4 seasons. If he does just that, he will catch Gretzky. Gretzky is at 894 goals right now and Ovi is at 739. If he goes at this pace, Ovi will score 903 goals in his career. So, yes, I do think he will catch him.

Stats from: hockey-reference.com, powerrankingsguru.com