From the Press Box: Problems in Pittsburgh

Don't look now, but the Oilers are last in the league again ... Structure in Toronto, Babcock style ... Penguins in turmoil despite winning record ... Devils getting the most out of their offense.

Could Edmonton win the draft lottery once again?

After the early team success and the great debut of Connor McDavid, it seemed that the Oilers were finally going to take a big step forward and possibly contend for a playoff spot.

All of that changed, apparently, when the wunderkind slid awkwardly into the boards and came out of the pile with a broken clavicle. That injury not only sidelined him for at least two to three months, but it has apparently taken that early season confidence out of the Oiler dressing room.

Where we were curious to see the sudden chemistry with Nail Yakupov, the development of two promising, young defensemen and two untested, young goalies, now we are looking at a team with the league's worst record as we near the quarter pole in this NHL regular season. Does this mean that the Oilers will contend for the top draft pick next June once again?

Well, for starters, they are 1-4 since McDavid went down and have scored only 11 goals, while giving up 17, so the troubles that have persisted in recent years, are still apparent. Their offensive output is not able to keep up with a suspect defense.

Do fantasy owners put a big "X" through this roster and look elsewhere for upgrades?

Not necessarily, particularly if you play in keeper leagues that allow for stashing prospects.

Don't forget what was noted at the outset of this piece. The Oilers were showing that upward trajectory. Their coach, Todd McLellan, came in with a reputation of getting offensive-minded players to pa attention to defensive responsibilities in San Jose and was getting the same out of these Oilers.

Then, we look at the fact that the Oilers have seen Leon Draisaitl step into that top line center slot and produce to the tune of five goals and 13 points in only eight games played. He has clicked with Taylor Hall, who now has 20 points in 18 games, and Teddy Purcell's veteran presence rounds out this effective trio. A second solid scoring line should soon take flight as Jordan Eberle is just back from an injury and should round into form soon alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has 14 points in 17 games. Benoit Pouliot has filled out that unit.

Unfortunately, the other casualty of the McDavid injury is the fact that Yakupov is in a funk, with only one assist and a -2 rating in his last five games, while seeing his ice time reduced to 14 minutes per game in a third line role.

Those two young defensemen, Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse, are both holding their own with top four minutes on the blue line. In goal, Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson are in a 60/40 split that should continue and ensure that neither of them gets burnt out.

All in all, these Oilers have a lot of high-end prospects on the roster and they will "get it" soon. They will also get McDavid back. I would invest in this club's future and see lots of valuable pieces on this roster.

Can you imagine that they might compete for another top draft pick to add to this mix? It may happen.

Coach Babcock's influence is showing up in Toronto

When the Leafs stumbled out of the gate with a 1-7-2 record, no one was really surprised. The management team preached patience and was committed to a complete rebuild, where young prospects would not yet be exposed.

Even with that, Babcock did suggest that he could work with this unheralded mix of veterans and cold get more out of them, if they were committed to giving it their all. In nine games since then, the fruits of his labor have become plainly visible, as the club has rebounded with a 5-2-2 mark in November.

He has achieved stability among the forwards, by splitting up the top players who had toiled together in recent seasons. On the top line, James van Riemsdyk has a club-leading seven goals, alongside playmaking pivot Nazem Kadri and rugged right winger Leo Komarov, whose physical approach has opened up space for his linemates. A second line features P a Parenteau has four power play goals in his last eight games, while his center, Tyler Bozak, has points in eight of his last nine games. The Leafs third line features Joffrey Lupul, who has six points in those nine November dates, and Peter Holland who has recently escaped Babcock's doghouse to score six points in his last five outings. In goal, James Reimer has certainly done his part in the recent Leafs resurgence, posting a 5-102 record, while allowing only 14 goals along the way, to take control of the net over a struggling Jonathan Bernier.

Penguins winning with unusual recipe ... and some concerns

Pittsburgh is 11-7 and has only allowed 40 goals, largely on the strength of a terrific effort by Marc-Andre Fleury (2.08 g.a.a., and .924 sv. pct. in 15 appearances). That's the good news.

The cause for concern lies in the club's low scoring, which has been limited to 40 total goals, despite all of the offensive potential.

Topping the list of underperformers is Sidney Crosby, who has been limited to two goals, seven assists and an unusually poor (-8) rating. The season-opening experiment to pair him with Phil Kessel simply did not work and, instead, he is working with the familiar presence of Pascal Dupuis and Patric Hornqvist. Dupuis is now 36 and coming off a long-term injury that threatened to end his career, so his slow start (only two goals) is explainable. Hornqvist, on the other hand has only four goals and three helpers, which also far shirt of expectations for this five-time 20-plus-goal scorer.

Evgeni Malkin tried to articulate the club's scoring woes after a recent closed-door meeting, but the fact of the matter is that the Pens have a small concentration of high-end players who must lead the scoring parade. Malkin and Kessel lead the team with only six goals each through 18 games played. That's just not good enough. The Pens' options are limited in terms of changing things. Nick Bonino and Beau Bennett have three goals each and aren't likely to turn into 30-goal scorers any time soon.

It doesn't help the cause that young blueliner Olli Maatta will be sidelined after being hurled into the visitor's bench door in a recent game. He's expected to miss at least a month, leaving the Pens with only one credible offensive blueliner in Kris Letang. That lack of depth is the price they pay for having such a high percentage of their salary cap tied up in the aforementioned underachieving forwards. If change is going to happen, that core group is going top have to deliver.

New Jersey thriving

Unlike, the Pittsburgh story, the Devils were expected to be offensively challenged this season. They sport a 10-7-1 record, trailing the Pens by a point, largely on the strength of a core group that is producing better than expected scoring totals.

Mike Cammalleri is producing at a point per game pace (6 g, 12a), but has been ably and, in some cases, surprisingly, aided by Lee Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac. This quintet has 30 of the Devils' 44 goals. Unlike, the Pens, this group does not have a track record for scoring at this pace, so the question of sustainability hangs in the balance. If we look at these names, without considering the fact that they have little competition for top-six roles on offense, Stempniak and Palmieri are the most unlikely to keep producing. The others have done it before.

Another key aspect to this recipe for success is the outstanding work of Cory Schneider, who has started 15 games and is among the league leaders in wins (nine), g.a.a (2.05) and save pct. (.926). He has arrived as a part of the top-10 goalie discussion, particularly in a defensively focused system as the one employed in New Jersey, a team that ranks third in the NHL, allowing only 27.6 shots per game and ninth on the penalty kill (83.3 percent).