From the Press Box: Quarter-Pole Surprises, Good and Bad

Quarter-season highlights and lowlights

The Ducks and Flames are the most disappointing teams by far in the early going this year.

Anaheim was a top Stanley Cup contender in many preseason polls, so it's a big surprise to see the Ducks floundering to an 8-11-4 mark that has them currently residing fifth in the Pacific Division. History tells us that it's very difficult for teams that start slowly to make up ground in the playoff chase, so the Ducks need to not only right this listing ship, but also to go on a long, positive run.

Oddly, the Ducks; biggest problem has been their inability to score, as they rank near the bottom of the league with 1.95 goals per game. For perspective, that's a full goal per game less than they averaged last season.

Among the lowlights in Anaheim so far:

- Ryan Getzlaf: only one goal in 18 games, though he also has 14 assists
- Ryan Kesler: three goals in 23 games
- Sami Vatanen: leads the normally high-scoring Ducks defensemen with only 13 points
- Corey Perry: the only forward with more than five goals (he has seven in 23 games)
- The winger trio of Carl Hagelin, Patrick Maroon and Jakob Silfverberg: four goals, total

However, it's unlikely that this group will continue to go goal-hungry – there's just too much quality here, too many guys underachieving. At least they can point to their defensive play being in order, as they're only giving up a shade over 2.5 goals per game.

Of note is that the Ducks just called up John Gibson from the minors in the wake of an illness to Frederik Andersen. Gibson made his first appearance of the season in relief of Anton Khudobin against Calgary on Tuesday, and the kid turned aside 19 of 20 shots to earn the victory, though he landed back in the loss column Wednesday. He may get the chance to stick around and challenge Andersen for starts in the near term.

Don't bail on the Ducks – there's too much talent here, and it's still early in the season. This group has the ability to make up ground in a hurry.

Meanwhile, the Flames have struggled for the opposite reason – bad defense. Last season, young stars Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau sparkled and led the offense for a club that became a Cinderella story in the league. They were ably supported by a high-scoring trio of defensemen and steady, if unspectacular goaltending.

This year, Monahan has 15 points and Gaudreau a team-leading 20 in 22 games, which is on par with last season's rate of production. But that trio of defensemen – Marc Giordano, Dennis Wideman and T.J. Brodie – has been well short of last season's offensive pace, as they produced 145 points between them and started most of the Flames' scoring forays. They were expected to meet or exceed that level of productivity with the addition of Dougie Hamilton, yet the quartet only has a total of 26 points. That's the biggest drop-off here.

Another area of concern is the goaltending – all of Jonas Hiller, Joni Ortio and Karri Ramo have been very ordinary, if not worse than they were last season. An injury to the consensus No. 1, Hiller, has given Ramo a reprieve from the minors; he's rebounded a bit, but his rate stats still look bad on almost any fantasy roster.

Unlike the Ducks, I think the Flames' lack of scoring from the blue line, in combination with their ordinary goaltending, may be too much to overcome for a team that doesn't have a lot of secondary offense among the forwards. The narrative of goaltending and defensive struggles may define them all season long.

Early overachievers

On the other hand, the Sharks and Senators are writing surprisingly positive stories so far.

The Sharks were coming off a season in which veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau continued losing the leadership roles that they've held for years, to the point where Thornton's arguments with GM Doug Wilson made the news.

Not only did San Jose make a coaching change, bringing in Pete De Boer, but the Sharks made a major change in goal by bringing in Martin Jones while reshaping their on-ice leadership. Credit Jumbo Joe (14 points) and Marleau (15 points) for letting Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture take more leadership responsibilities without sacrificing their productivity. The club has weathered much of the storm caused by Couture's broken foot because so many other scorers are chipping in.

Jones, acquired in a preseason trade with the Kings, has been a revelation in goal, immediately stepping up to shoulder the load and start 17 of the Sharks' 21 games this far. A 2.02 GAA, .929 save percentage and three shutouts are the defining stats of his outstanding debut as a full-time starter.

It's also worth highlighting the effort of Brent Burns, who is has 17 points and a plus-6 rating while playing more than 26 minutes per game. He's underrated as one of the league's best all-around blueliners and should be in the Norris Trophy discussion.

A couple of extra bonuses for the Sharks: the impressive West Coast transition by Joel Ward, who's raced out of the gate with 17 points so far, and the solid two-way play of veteran blueliners Marc-Edouard Vlasic (nine points), Paul Martin (seven points) and Justin Braun (six points). They each have a plus-6 rating through 21 games.

The Senators are off and running with a 12-5-5 record, good for second place in the Atlantic Division, well higher than most pundits expected. The formula for their success has been a return to form by locker-room leader Craig Anderson in goal. The veteran has started 17 of their 22 games and has an impressive 10-4-3 record to show for his efforts, including 40 saves Wednesday night in Colorado.

Offensively, the Sens are led by captain Erik Karlsson, whose 24 points have him tied with the Stars' John Klingberg for the most points from the blue line.

Up front, Bobby Ryan is playing his best hockey since arriving in Ottawa four years ago, leading the team's forwards with 20 points. Right behind him are Mark Stone, Kyle Turris and Mike Hoffman, all with 19 points and all entering their primes.

Rookies making noise around the league

The productivity and immediate impact of Connor McDavid looked like it would leave little room for others in the Calder Trophy conversation. His collarbone injury has changed all that, leaving us to focus on three other rookies who are lighting it up offensively.

Dylan Larkin has impressed Detroit's management to the point that this 19-year-old has bucked the Wings' trend of sending their top prospects to AHL Grand Rapids; instead, he's carved out a top-six role following an outstanding training camp, showing maturity and an all-around game. He's responded to the franchise's show of faith with a team-leading eight goals, 15 points and a plus-11 rating in 22 games. Larkin is currently playing right wing with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader on the top line.

In Chicago, Artemi Panarin signed on as a free agent after a three-year stint in the KHL, coming over at 24 years old with the advantage of pro hockey experience. He hasn't skipped a beat in his transition to the NHL, forming an immediate chemistry with veterans Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov on one of the Hawks' top scoring units. As a result, Panarin is a little above a point-per-game scoring pace, racking up seven goals and 16 assists in his 22 games.

Meanwhile, McDavid's injury created an opportunity for Leon Draisaitl to make the most of a recall from AHL Bakersfield. To say he's capitalized on his playing time in Edmonton is an understatement, as the young German has exploded for seven goals, 17 points and a plus-10 rating in 12 games.

For all this great news from the rookie crop, don't sleep the less-sexy players who are over 30 years of age. The leading scorers during the month of November include the Sedin twins, who have compiled 16 points each.

What these early returns all show is that a birth certificate doesn't define a hockey player. Age really is just a number after all.