The NHL at (approximately) the quarter mark: Western Conference edition

November 17, 2:05 PMNHL ExaminerChris Morgan

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Kopitar has led the Kings to a nice start. (AP Photo)

Right now, the NHL is around a fourth of the way through the season. Yes, some teams have played 22 games and others 17, but more or less teams have played about 20 games. As such, I think it is time to finally take a look at how teams are playing with some value in the numbers we are assessing. Since no teams in the Western Conference has played less than 18 games, and seven have played at least 20, I'll start things off by looking at how teams in the Western Conference have done thus far.

Central Division: Chicago has the lead with 26 points in 19 games. Not too much of a surprise, even without Marian Hossa. What's more impressive is that they've done this while having to sort out goaltending issues as well, though those seem to have quelled recently. However, one must also point out that they've only played six road games thus far. They also have the second best penalty kill in the NHL.

Columbus is in second with 24 points in 19 games, which is surprising since Steve Mason has been so terrible. They've let up nine more goals than they've scored, which doesn't bode well for them unless they fix things on the defensive end. At least they still have Rick Nash and they've actually done pretty well on the power play so far.

Detroit is in third with 23 points, but they've got a game in hand on Columbus and Chicago. Considering all the injuries, this is not a bad start. The team finally is playing better, with Henrik Zetterberg being particularly hot at the moment. The goaltending has also played well recently, but I still wouldn't put too much faith in Chris Osgood or particularly in Jimmy Howard.

Nashville is fourth with 19 points in 18 games. Hey, at least they've gotten their power play efficiency over 10%. It is now at a sterling 11.6%. Not a lot of offense in Nashville, as 39 goals can attest to. I don't see that turning around simply based on their roster. They'll need a lot of help from their goaltending, which has been spotty to start the season.

Last year, the St. Louis Blues came out of nowhere to make the playoffs. At full health, people expected brighter things this season. Well, it is too early to give up on them but 16 points in 18 games isn't good. David Backes (three points) has completely disappeared, as have T.J. Oshie and Patrick Berglund. At least Erik Johnson is back healthy and playing well and the goaltending has been solid. This team isn't as bad as its record I believe.

Northwest Division: The early surprise of the NHL has been the Colorado Avalanche, who lead this division with 27 points in 20 games. However, it must be noted they are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. Honestly, I still don't see the talent for this team to make the playoffs. It's a nice start, but there is a lot of season left and I put more stock in past performance of these players than their current rate of play. That said, Ryan O'Reilly and Craig Anderson have both been excellent. This team will be better than most expected, but let's wait and see just how much better.

Calgary is in second, but has two games in hand on the Avs and are only one point behind them. Their defense has been good to nobody's surprise, but it is the 59 goals in 18 games that stands out. All that with Olli Jokinen playing poorly. This team is really talented. I'd be surprised if they don't win this division, and I picked the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.

Speaking of Vancouver, they are in third with 22 points in 21 games. To be fair, they lost both Daniel Sedin and Roberto Luongo for extended periods of time. Their best goal scorer and their star goalie being out? That's going to hurt any team. The Canucks have been poor on the road thus far (4-8-0) so they'll have to fix that if they want to contend for the division.

Edmonton is next with 19 points in 21 games. The issue has been defense and goaltending, as they've let up 66 goals. So far, Nikolai Khabibulin hasn't played as well in Alberta as he did in Manitoba. At least Dustin Penner is playing well, much to my utter shock. Their offense has done enough to keep them in the playoff hunt, but they'll need better goaltending if they want to actually make the postseason.

Bringing up the rear, it's the Minnesota Wild with 16 points in 20 games. Well, after that horrible start they got off to, that's actually not that bad. The Wild are transitioning from Jacques Lemaire's trap to a open style of hockey, and they just don't have the players for it. Also, Marty Havlat has been bad. However, they've got Nicklas Backstrom, which will probably keep them from being the worst team in the league.

Pacific Division: If you are looking for the best team in the league early on, it may just be the San Jose Sharks. Through 22 games, they have 32 points. They are scoring at will, they've converted 25% of their power plays, they have the best penalty kill in the league, and they haven't lost a regulation game at home. Obviously, with all the talent the Sharks have, including Dany Heatley who is doing just fine in San Jose, this team is going to make the playoffs and contend for the league's best record. It's been the next part that's caused the Sharks troubles all these years. That's a story for another day, however.

In second, we've got the upstart Los Angeles Kings. They've got 28 points in 22 games. I figured this team would be better this season, but I'm not going to buy too much into this start. Let's see this young team keep it going for a while longer. Obviously, the big star for this team has been Anze Kopitar, who leads the league in points. Let's wait on him as well. Kings fans have reason to be excited, but don't get too caught up just yet.

Next up is Dallas, who has 22 points in 19 games. Well, when you are (reasonably) healthy it sure does help. Also, Marty Turco is playing much better. Last season will probably end up looking like a fluke. Kind of amazingly, the Stars have lost six games in overtime this season. Had they converted just half of those, this team is looking even better. You've got to make the most of your opportunities, Dallas.

In fourth, is the Phoenix Coyotes. Like the Avs, this team got off to a hot start. Unlike the Avs, they've already come back down to Earth. They've got 22 points in 20 games. They owe it mostly it Ilya Bryzgalov, which should come as no surprise. I never thought this would be the worst team in the league, but I also didn't think they were a playoff team. I figure I'll probably end up being right.

In fifth, getting off to another horrible start, is the Anaheim Ducks. 15 points in 19 games. Stunning, quite frankly. Maybe the Ducks are the bizarro Sharks. The goaltending has been lousy, although as with last season J.S. Giguere has been the worse goalie. This team has a lot of offensive talent, so I have a hard time believing they won't make the playoffs. However, they'll need to step it up big time.

OK, that covers the West. Tomorrow, the East.