The world of sports often elicits a wide range of emotions. The New York Rangers forward, Mika Zibanejad, for example, was torn between laughter and tears after his team was unable to score in their first three home games of the season, something unprecedented in NHL history. In general, the Rangers have a 2-3-0 record under the new coach, Mike Sullivan; however, the two victories were against the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins, so it remains to be seen whether the Rangers can be a scoring threat or if they cannot convert against tougher competition, especially on their own turf. New York is an early season enigma. And they are not the only ones provoking all kinds of reactions in the hockey world.
It’s our sporting tradition, to build and tear down teams after just a few outings in a season that lasts for months. The 2025-26 NHL campaign is only in its second week, and there are things to discuss, such as which clubs are exceeding expectations early on. Which ones are worthy of shame from the start. And, of course, what’s happening in the intermediate group?
It’s a short useful life for the observations of a small sample. Here’s a quick tour of the league to highlight some teams in each category, starting with those who are happy.Positive Surprises
Boston Bruins
Record: 3-1-0 Boston started with a 3-0-0 record, matching the current Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, with the best statistical start of the season. Not bad for a Bruins team that finished with 76 points last season, didn’t qualify for the playoffs, and generally didn’t have high expectations heading into this new season. Boston is taking its “underdog” status with pride. Last season was… strange in Boston. Jeremy Swayman performed far below expectations after a combative contract negotiation that extended into the preseason. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm suffered injuries that hurt the prospects of Boston’s blue line, and in March general manager Don Sweeney couldn’t do much more than send players elsewhere, including Brad Marchand to the aforementioned Panthers.Somehow, the lower expectations heading into 2025-26 have been liberating. Boston has benefited from an easy schedule so far, outplaying the Chicago Blackhawks and Sabres early on, but hey, you play against those on the schedule. The Bruins are fifth in goals against, with only 2.25 per game, and that’s with Lindholm injured again.
David Pastrnak averages more than a point per game, an excellent sign for Boston’s offense. And Swayman has a 2-0 record, with a .966 save percentage. Although the Bruins fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday in their first loss of the season, it wasn’t an entirely bad effort. Just an indication that if Boston wants to stay on track, they will have to not be too satisfied with what they have achieved. It would be easy to dismiss the B’s after their defeat to the Lightning as incapable of facing tougher rivals. That may be the case, especially when their starts are so lethargic. The best scenario for the Bruins from now on is to stay in the playoff race and work with as many prospects as they can to gain experience when there is less at stake than there has been in some time for a perennial contender. They still haven’t resigned themselves to falling for the best draft prospect, Gavin McKenna.Seattle Kraken
Record: 2-0-1 Seattle went from occupying the last place in the Pacific Division last season to climbing the rankings with a strong push in this new campaign. This has already included surpassing a key divisional rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, and doing so without a superstar in the mix. Intriguing! The Kraken have reduced their defense. Seattle is tied for sixth in goals against per game (2.33) and averages less than 30 shots on goal per game. Even when the Kraken make mistakes, it’s in very entertaining games like their exciting overtime in Montreal that ended with Seattle’s first loss of the season. The Kraken have had solid goaltending from Joey Daccord (.918 SV%), but what’s impressive about Seattle is that they don’t have a roster of high-level skaters. The team seems to excel with the committee approach. Jared McCann and Vince Dunn lead the team with four points each, and the Kraken already have seven different goalscorers. Seattle wasn’t meant to be a flashy team this season, but their slow and steady approach could generate more positive dividends. The Kraken’s lack of elite talent may eventually catch up with them as other teams get their defensive games in order. Seattle has an uphill battle given who’s in their division, hello, Edmonton!, and the Kraken will have to keep proving themselves against tougher competition. The same could be said of other teams, however. Consider the Kraken an “underdog” who will at least contemplate making additions rather than subtractions before the trade deadline.Nashville Predators
Record: 2-1-1 Nashville was not a good surprise last season. That could change this season. The Predators faltered in 2024-25 despite the arrival of Steven Stamkos, in what, it must be admitted, was a disappointing individual campaign for him. Nashville committed to regrouping under now-coach in his second year, Andrew Brunette, and the Predators have seemed (for the most part) true to their word with a 2-1-1 record, a sensational goalie, and stars ready to keep shining.Don’t let that third period against Toronto define your opinion of the Predators. They were tied 2-2 with the Maple Leafs entering the third period in the second half of a back-to-back with the number 2 goalie, Justus Annunen, making his first appearance of the season. Nashville showed resilience by coming back from a 2-0 deficit and fought to the finish line.
What has worked for the Predators is the distribution of offensive wealth. Ryan O’Reilly is a dominant first-line center (with two goals in four games), while Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault (both with a couple of goals) are clicking on their third unit. The real revelation, however, is goaltender Juuse Saros. He has a 2-0-1 start with a .947 SV%. Saros has been Nashville’s savior in previous years, and they have been hurt by relying too much on his contributions. If Nashville can complement their goaltending with a solid defense, led by the often impeccable Roman Josi, and even more offensive firepower, Stamkos and Filip Forsberg are still on the way, then the Predators can stay on the right side of the surprise this time. Nashville can’t afford to be one-dimensional. Saros can’t carry them to the point of winning games by one goal every time. And at some point, the power play will have to roll (5.9% isn’t going to cut it). What Nashville is showing so far is character. The Predators have some dynamism. How far does it take them? Possibly to a wild card spot in the playoffs, the Central Division is a beast, after all, and that’s more likely to happen if the Preds dedicate themselves as strongly to the defensive side as they do offensively. Honorable mention: Anaheim Ducks This team is having a lot of fun (and not just because they handed out some incredible Wild Wing-inspired masks to fans this week). Anaheim seems to have found a new life under first-year coach Joel Quenneville. And also veteran forward Chris Kreider, who joined Anaheim in a trade in the offseason from the Rangers, and has four goals in three games. He has been helped by rising star Leo Carlsson, one of those draft picks (second overall in 2023) who seemed destined to always be considered “underestimated” by those less involved with the Western Conference, and Cutter Gauthier, who has found the fresh start he was looking for outside of Philadelphia. The Ducks have the fourth-best offense in the league (averaging four goals per game) and the second-best power play, at 36.4%. To throw a little water on the party, Anaheim is also allowing the sixth-most goals per game, and it’s still not exactly a defensive powerhouse, despite some experienced veterans like Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on the blue line. The team’s 2-1-0 record to open the season is something to note, as the Ducks may begin to run towards the light at the end of their rebuild.Amazing Fighters
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 1-3-0 The Sabres weren’t necessarily among the elite Stanley Cup contenders at the start of this season. But it only took Buffalo fans three games to start chanting “Fire Adams!” and wearing paper bag headgear. So, apart from an out-of-place outburst on Wednesday night, nothing good is happening right now. Injuries have played a significant role in Buffalo’s clumsy start. Josh Norris, who arrived with health issues when the Sabres acquired him in a trade last season for forward Dylan Cozens, is out for at least eight weeks with an upper-body injury. Zach Benson was unavailable for the first three games, defensemen Michael Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson are out, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is unavailable, and Jordan Greenway is still recovering from a summer surgery. It’s quite a hospital ward. Despite this, Buffalo still has most of its best players available, and they are not doing enough. The Sabres were outscored 10-2 in their initial 0-3-0 run (to average the league’s worst mark of 0.67 goals per game). Their power play was 0 for 11 in that span. Alex Lyon has stepped up in goal with Luukkonen out, but he can’t make up for the Sabres’ lack of offense. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch each have a goal; Jason Zucker is the real standout, with three (!). and Rasmus Dahlin has provided a trio of assists. However, most of that performance came in Wednesday’s game against Ottawa, where Buffalo showed signs of life against a team depleted by the loss of captain Brady Tkachuk.Can that inertia be transferred against other clubs? We’ll see. The Sabres haven’t shown they have the depth needed to account for their injured players, and it’s an accusation against Adams’ management (hence those jerseys flying over the ice). Buffalo doesn’t have the defensive details to keep their opponents at bay without more goal-scoring support. And that has left them behind from the start.
The Sabres don’t suffer from a lack of talent; they are hungry for execution. Benson returned for Wednesday’s game and that was a boost Buffalo needed. A bad week (or two) won’t define a season for Thompson, Tuch, or Dahlin. It’s really whether the Sabres can send confidence through their struggles that could determine success from here on out.It’s been 14 years since Buffalo played the playoffs. It’s not a benchmark that players want to hear every day, but that’s what comes up when your start is so unstable. However, negativity can galvanize a group. If the Sabres can come together and reject their critics, they can stop their fall before it turns into an avalanche. Unfortunately, history is not exactly on their side.
