Grades for all 32 NHL teams at the quarter mark of 2023-24

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Ryan S. Clark

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Ryan S. Clark

NHL reporterRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

Kristen Shilton

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Kristen Shilton

ESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Nov 28, 2023, 07:00 AM ET

There is no official “quarter mark” of the NHL season because of the quirks of the schedule. While most teams have now passed the 20-game threshold, the Ottawa Senators have played only 17 games and the Washington Capitals 18.

Nevertheless, it’s time to grade all 32 teams based on their performance to this point. There have been some pleasant surprises — the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks — and some unpleasant ones too — like the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers. Who gets a passing grade, compared to their preseason expectations? Who is falling behind? Read on for the report cards for every club.

Note: Teams are arrayed alphabetically by letter grade. Ryan S. Clark graded the Pacific and Central Division teams, while Kristen Shilton graded the Metropolitan and Atlantic Division teams. Stats are through the games of Nov. 26. Preseason over/unders are courtesy of ESPN BET.

Jump to:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF
CGY | CAR | CHI | COL
CBJ | DAL | DET | EDM
FLA | LA | MIN | MTL
NSH | NJ | NYI | NYR
OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ
SEA | STL | TB | TOR
VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG

A grades

Preseason over/under: 99.5
Current points pace: 127

What’s gone right: Boston picked up this regular season where it left off the last — among the NHL’s best teams. That’s right, the Bruins have silenced their critics (the ones who predicted they’d be old/slow/beaten down, etc.) with a dominant start in all phases of the game. Boston is fourth in goals against (allowing just 2.50 per game) with a terrific tandem in net in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins’ offensive attack — led by a white-hot David Pastrnak — is balanced and productive, and they boast the third-ranked penalty kill (88.2%).

What’s gone wrong: Bruins coach Jim Montgomery recently lamented a lack of poise from his group…

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Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/38991292/nhl-grades-32-teams-2023-24-season-quarter-mark-bruins-kings

Author : Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton

Publish date : 2023-11-28 11:49:43

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