E.1 Nov 14

Welcome to the 1st weekly edition of What's Hot/What's Not.  We'll be talking about teams, players, trades and anything related to the DCHL.  Feel free to send any suggestions or complaints my way.  Without further ado, lets get crackin'.

What's hot:   The perfect 9-0 Pittsburgh Penguins

The penguins shot out of the gate firing on all cylinders getting contribution from everyone as all 20 skaters have points.   Stelar performances from both goaltenders and a top 5 Pp and Pk really made it impossible for any team to have any success against them so far this year.   They will play their last game of an 8 game homestand against the wild, (the islanders might be jealous, more on this later)   Minnesota has a good start to the season but if pittsburgh's play stay the same, a 10-0 start is a real possibility.   Will the success last? that's a tough one, they're not the most talented team but team chemistry is key here in pittsburgh.

What's Hot:   Edmonton Oilers

Although starting the year against mostly lower tier teams who have a combined record of 30 wins and 67 losses.  Their success should not be overlooked.   Counting the preseason, they are not undefeated in 18 straight game with 17 win and 1 overtime loss. Leading the charge is league leader Zbad with 16 pts.  Theyre also getting a large amount of help from the defensive 6 who combined for 39 pts.  Expect this team to compete for the cup, theyre that good!

What's Not:  The Islanders Schedule 

With their new home under construction, the isles start the year with 13 games on the road. This could be seen 2 ways, it could put them in a hole early that they'll need to climb out of all year, or they could be facing teams still rusty from the offseason and steal some road wins.   So far, they've split their first 8 games which should be considered a success.  If they can get out of that 13 games stint with a .500 or better record,  it'll be that much easier to challenge for the top of the east for the remainder of the season with more home games than anyone else.   

Tune in next week for another instalment of what's hot/what's not.
You stay classy, DCHL