GAME WEEK RECAP: SILVER LININGS EDITION

No hockey yet?!? Won't anyone think of the children?!?

Sorry for the fact that this blog has been silent for the last week- it's mostly been due to the recent developments in the CBA talks. That brings us to the big announcement.

Sadly, there's not going to be any hockey until at least November, which really, really sucks. But there is a silver lining- we are still going to bring you your hockey fix! It's no substitution for the real thing, but our virtual hockey players aren't as greedy as the real ones. So let's take a look at what's been going on after the first week of play!

• While it's too early to form any clear thoughts about the overall standings, some trends have become clear, and there are some surprises in store.
• Unpredictably, league leaders as of now are the Pens and Canucks, both sitting with ten points. The Canucks are ahead of the Pens, as Pittsburgh has a game in hand, one of which being a loss, while Vancouver is 5-0 so far. Conclusion: Teams featuring arctic animals do well.
• A semi-surprise here, the Parise/Suter signings seem to be paying off for Minnesota, as they are 4-0, and sit in second in the west. An impressive feat, considering that there are only two teams to be lossless so far: Vancouver and New York (Islanders). Just kidding. It's the Rangers.
• Does this mean that Minnesota is a Western contender? Possibly, but also remember that they led the West by December of last season, only to taper off more dramatically than the leafs.
• Speaking of the Leafs, they sit in a playoff spot currently, with a decent 3-1 record! 
• There have only been two over time games so far, one of which being a Blues/Avs tilt, in which the Blues lost within seconds of overtime starting. Detroit also felled Chicago in a shootout, thanks to some made Datsyukian dekes.
• There are currently only two teams sitting without a win. Unsurprisingly, one of the teams being Columbus. They currently have an awful 0-4 record, which kind of hurts to see. We were all kinda hoping that they'd have more luck in a videogame, but nope- Scott Howson!
• Slightly surprisingly, the other team without a single point is Buffalo. They aren't anywhere near an elite team, but Ryan Miller is still one of the better goalies in the league. Then again, they have only played three games, so that pointless record won't stick.
• On the goalie front, Ottawa's Craig Anderson registered the season's first shutout against the New Jersey Devils.

That's all we have for this week, keep checking in for updates, or swing by our broadcasts, which usually start at 8 eastern / 5 pacific. Full standings can be viewed on this blog!

Does anything here surprise you? Upset you? Leave a comment below!