While the overall picture remains virtually the same, some new teams have emerged in the NHL this past week.
The Boston Bruins have made headlines for the first time this year, as, until Tuesday night, they had gone unbeaten in eight straight games and moved to No. 10 in the ESPN power rankings.
Led by Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov, the hometown Bruins have finally started playing up to their potential. The team was 4-0-4 in the past two weeks until a spectacular overtime loss Tuesday night to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Both Thornton and Samsonov have six-game point streaks going, each adding a goal in Tuesday's loss. Thornton, one of the league's best centermen, has been brilliant recently, leading the team in points (26) and helping emerging star Samsonov to a 19-point start.
In addition to the tag team of Thornton and Samsonov, the team's success can be largely attributed to overcoming injuries. Thornton returned from a three-game absence earlier in the year due to back spasms. Andrew Raycroft, the team's starting goalie, has been hurt for several weeks with a hamstring, and the Bruins recently lost star veteran defenseman Brian Leetch for over a month. But the resiliency of the team, inspired by the return of the superstar Thornton, has sparked much of the Bruins' remarkable success.
Another team that has emerged as a powerhouse is the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were an expansion team for the 2000-2001 season and have built their young team quickly.
This year, the Wild added veteran Brian Rolston of Bruins fame, who leads the team in goals with eight. Twenty-one-year-old Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been a bright spot, as Bouchard leads the team in points (14) and adds himself to the long list of talented young players this year in the NHL.
The star of the team, however, is goalie Manny Fernandez. A true Canadian, though his name hides it well, Fernandez leads the league in save percentage (.939) and is third in average goals allowed (1.82). In the new age of high-scoring hockey, any goalie who posts these kinds of numbers deserves props.
The new rules in the NHL were designed to increase the pace, goals scored and excitement of the game. These rules have allowed many talented young players to shine in this faster, more intense game.
Bouchard is only 21 years old and is a leader of his team. Simon Gagne, of the Philadelphia Flyers, is 25 and currently leads the league in goals scored. Phenom Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is barely legal at 18. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is just 20 years old and is third in the league in goals scored.
The Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal is tied for second in points this week with 26, a standing he can now legally celebrate, having turned 21 just last week. The Ottawa Senators have two young stars in Jason Spezza, 22, and Dany Heatley, 24. Spezza is tied for third in points (25) and Heatley, who has 24 points, is on his way to becoming one of the top players in the NHL.
Size is no longer as big of a factor either, as speed and agility become more valuable than sheer presence on the ice with the new rules. For example, Pierre-Marc Bouchard is 5'10" and 162 lbs., which would have been miniscule in the old NHL. But the new rules have encouraged the development and breakout play of these smaller youngsters, and so far, it has been a treat to watch.
The plethora of young talent is overwhelming the NHL. The new rules have allowed speed to be the dominating factor in any game. These young studs are flying by big defenders, finding open ice in the offensive zone, and are no longer hindered by the grabbing and hooking that plagued the league in years past.
