Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Biggest surprises so far this season

Parise: "Hey Adam, could you slow down a little so it looks like I'm still the best player on the team?"

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/11/08/henrique-show-continues-scores-winner-as-devils-take-3rd-straight/

By this point in a season, players who have gotten off to hot starts have cooled off a bit and players who started slow have found their rhythm again.  However, there are some surprises as well this season, and some of them might not go away as many had predicted.  Well, here's what I mean.


Adam Henrique - He has brought a unique dynamic to the Devils' lineup, as apparently he's the only player in on the team who enjoys scoring goals.

Nikolai Khabibulin - His resurgence has brought hope to the Edmonton faithful.  Now fans are simply hoping he doesn't get himself into legal trouble, such as getting arrested for a DUI.

Ilya Bryzgalov - Has surprised many in his first year with the Flyers as Roberto Luongo's biggest challenger as to who can keep a save percentage under .900 the longest.

Eric Lindros - He surprised Flyers management after saying he actually wants to be associated with the organization again by playing in the Alumni Game and knocking out John Leclair...okay, so he didn't exactly say that...

Dany Heatley - He continues to surprise everyone every time he enters the defensive zone.

Jeff Carter - Being traded from a team you've signed long-term with can be devastating, especially to Columbus, but Carter is actually quite happy right now, but only because he isn't playing for the team.

Tampa Bay Lighting - Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin St. Louis are both averaging at least a point per game, which has many General Managers calling Steve Yzerman and asking how he cloned St. Louis.

Dallas Stars - They've surprised many people by being so good early on, but also by their selfishness of making hockey fans memorize a player's name other than Loui Eriksson.

Rick DiPietro - Has surprised almost all Islander fans by playing his fourth game of the season before April 1st, granted he didn't actually play a single minute of regulation or overtime in one of those games...

Dustin Penner - He surprised many people last night following a multi-point game, and also saying "well, it's not like I'm Ville Leino."

29 NHL teams - Have surprised many by not sending dozens of scouts to Nashville Predators games to watch Ryan Suter and Shea Weber.

Phil Kessel - He surprised the entire hockey world by stealing Tyler Seguin's jersey Saturday and wearing it for the entire game while his team lost, 7-0.

Brian Burke - It's November 9th and he hasn't made an Earth-shattering trade yet.

Darryl Sutter - It's November 9th and he hasn't made a stupid trade yet.

Flyers and Leafs' 2012 First Round Draft Picks - Have surprised many by existing without any trades.

Lou Lamoriello - Surprised many by saying he will not re-acquire Jason Arnott again to fill the team's hole at the center position.

Carolina Hurricanes - Have surprised many by seeming disinterested in playing hockey this season, outside of Jeff Skinner.

Ty Conklin - He's been a surprise since he's only two points behind Todd Bertuzzi this season.

Jaroslav Halak - He's been a big surprise, but only because he's allowed double the amount of goals that Brian Elliott has, while making almost the same number of saves as Elliott.