Around the NHL

Eastern Conference

Sidney Crosby’s impressive return to the ice heightened talk across the NHL about a possible title for the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.

In Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champions have strung together a ten game winning streak. If it were not for their rough start to the season, the Bruins would sit atop the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile in Florida, the Panthers have quietly gathered 27 points bringing them to within one victory of a conference lead. 

Farther down the standings, the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers have not met preseason expectations.

Struggles between Capitals’ coach Bruce Boudreau and former league MVP Alex Ovechkin have cast a dark shadow on the team once believed to be the best in the league.

The addition of Brad Richards to the Rangers’ roster has been nullified by the injury to All-Star defenseman Marc Staal. New York shares the eighth spot of the conference standings with two other teams.

Western Conference

Minnesota, an expansion team in the 2000-2001 season, has worked its way to the top of the Western Conference standings with the help of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi. Both players were acquired in the offseason in a trade with San Jose than sent away former Wild players Brent Burns and Martin Havlat.

The Sharks have also benefited from the swap, as they are second in the conference with two-less games played than Minnesota.

After a strong start, Dallas has been bumped down to the fourth spot, directly above Detroit.

St. Louis has overcome an abysmal start with the help of recently hired coach Ken Hitchcock. The Blues sneak in the eighth spot in the Western Conference along with the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators who also have 24 points.