After a two-month hiatus, it seems that not much has changed in the National Hockey League.
When I last wrote, I entertained the question of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals being played by the Anaheim Ducks and the Buffalo Sabres.
Obviously, that was back in November, when the season had barely begun and most teams had played about a dozen games. Buffalo and Anaheim had gotten off to quick starts, and both were tops in their respective divisions.
Fast forward two months later, to Jan. 5. Oddly enough, as we take a look at the top two teams in both the Eastern and the Western Conferences, the Ducks and Sabres are still standing above the rest.
What is (are) the reason(s)? Well, for Buffalo, scoring a ton of goals makes life easy. The Sabres are the top-scoring team in the league right now, as their 158 goals scored puts them ahead of the second-best team -- you guessed it -- the Anaheim Ducks -- by more than a dozen goals -- 14 to be exact.
Second-year star Thomas Vanek is 10th in goals in the NHL with 22; veteran Chris Drury has 20 and is on a pace to smash his season-high best in goals scored; Maxim Afinogenov continues to be one of the league's top scorers with 19; and Jason Pominville has 19. On top of that, Daniel Briere leads the club with 46 points.
But although they're scoring goals, the Buffalo Sabres are getting the converse -- excellent work on defense as well as between the pipes.
Goalie Ryan Miller is having a tremendous season, posting a 2.66 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Combine that with a league-leading 3.80 goals per game, the Sabres score about 1/2 a goal per game more than the next best team -- again, you guessed it -- the Anaheim Ducks.
Offensively, the Duck are operating on all cylinders as well, and they're led by Teemu Selanne.
Selanne ranks fifth in the NHL with 23 goals, eighth with 50 points, and is ranked 21st with 27 assists.
Defensman Chris Pronger, revived after going to Anaheim from Edmonton, is off to one of the best starts in his career, and his 33 assists is good for sixth in the league. Scott Niedermayer's 29 assists is tied for 12th, and Andy McDonald had helped with 26 assists.
Defensively, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, one of the most underrated goaltenders in the league, is off to another tremendeous start. Giguere's 23 wins has him tied for first with Martin Brodeur, he ranks third with a miniscule 2.17 goals against, fourth with a .924 save percentage, and third with four shutouts.
After seeing stats like that, it's no wonder that these two clubs rank as the best in the league.
If they can continue to avoid the injury bug, like they both have, my prediction of two months ago may not seem like such like a bold statement after all.
When I last wrote, I entertained the question of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals being played by the Anaheim Ducks and the Buffalo Sabres.
Obviously, that was back in November, when the season had barely begun and most teams had played about a dozen games. Buffalo and Anaheim had gotten off to quick starts, and both were tops in their respective divisions.
Fast forward two months later, to Jan. 5. Oddly enough, as we take a look at the top two teams in both the Eastern and the Western Conferences, the Ducks and Sabres are still standing above the rest.
What is (are) the reason(s)? Well, for Buffalo, scoring a ton of goals makes life easy. The Sabres are the top-scoring team in the league right now, as their 158 goals scored puts them ahead of the second-best team -- you guessed it -- the Anaheim Ducks -- by more than a dozen goals -- 14 to be exact.
Second-year star Thomas Vanek is 10th in goals in the NHL with 22; veteran Chris Drury has 20 and is on a pace to smash his season-high best in goals scored; Maxim Afinogenov continues to be one of the league's top scorers with 19; and Jason Pominville has 19. On top of that, Daniel Briere leads the club with 46 points.
But although they're scoring goals, the Buffalo Sabres are getting the converse -- excellent work on defense as well as between the pipes.
Goalie Ryan Miller is having a tremendous season, posting a 2.66 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Combine that with a league-leading 3.80 goals per game, the Sabres score about 1/2 a goal per game more than the next best team -- again, you guessed it -- the Anaheim Ducks.
Offensively, the Duck are operating on all cylinders as well, and they're led by Teemu Selanne.
Selanne ranks fifth in the NHL with 23 goals, eighth with 50 points, and is ranked 21st with 27 assists.
Defensman Chris Pronger, revived after going to Anaheim from Edmonton, is off to one of the best starts in his career, and his 33 assists is good for sixth in the league. Scott Niedermayer's 29 assists is tied for 12th, and Andy McDonald had helped with 26 assists.
Defensively, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, one of the most underrated goaltenders in the league, is off to another tremendeous start. Giguere's 23 wins has him tied for first with Martin Brodeur, he ranks third with a miniscule 2.17 goals against, fourth with a .924 save percentage, and third with four shutouts.
After seeing stats like that, it's no wonder that these two clubs rank as the best in the league.
If they can continue to avoid the injury bug, like they both have, my prediction of two months ago may not seem like such like a bold statement after all.
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