NHL November 2022 Review

This November was quite amazing during the 2022-23 season. As I watched during the past 30 days, I was planning on what teams to feature in this review for the month of November, and the reason for that is simple. As I stated in my October review, the monthly review will contain a story from each of the NHL's four divisions: Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific, and each story centers on a team who I believe made the most noise from each of the divisions, either positively or negatively. The teams are as follows:

Boston Baked Dominance

You know, I actually had the Boston Bruins missing the playoffs this season. After all, they are the definition of a one-line team, and the best member of that line, Brad Marchand, would be sidelined for nearly two months. Yeah, about that. Boston won games without Marchand, who managed to return earlier than advertised and helped the Bruins get even more wins. And regarding home ice? Forget it! The Bruins have played 13 home games at this point, and they won all of them.

The Bruins went 11-2-0 in the month of November, and overall, they are 19-3-0 with 38 points, entering the month of December with the best record in the entire NHL. This is only my second review, and regarding the Bruins, I'm already eating enough crow to cover the entire New England region. Now will they keep this up? That's up to them. However, in spite of their hot start, they are barely ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have rebounded from their shaky October.

Powerless Rangers?

Something screwy is going on with the New York Rangers, and this hockey fan is absolutely stunned. This was a team who was one of the final four teams standing last year; a vast improvement from years past. Expectations have the Rangers possibly finishing first in the Metropolitan, and possibly returning to the Final Four or better. However, if the season ended right now, and I mean right now, the Rangers wouldn't even be in the playoffs. A .500 record in November is a factor in this. The Rangers went 6-6-2 in November, which is 22nd overall in the NHL. The biggest indignity so far: they are the only team (to date) who lost in regulation to the Anaheim Ducks this season.

Regarding stats, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin ended November tied for the team lead in points with 25, though Panarin has the lowest Plus/Minus on the team (-9). Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are tied for the team lead in goals with 11, but the main concern is Igor Shesterkin. The reigning Vezina winner has looked human in some games, and so far, he has a 10-4-3 record, with a 2.58 GAA, a .913 SV%, and a shutout. The GAA is a bit high for him, as he finished with a 2.07 GAA last season. Now, it's early. I don't see the Rangers remaining in this funk. But things definitely have to improve. If December is a repeat of November, they could be in serious trouble.

A Dallas (Super)Star

The only thing I hate about Jason Robertson is that I don't have him on fantasy this year. This kid is tearing it up this season! All he does is score goals. I found that out last season, but it seems like this season, he's scoring goals at will. He had a three game stretch where he scored two goals each, and in the month of November, Robertson scored 15 goals. Absolutely monstrous. Beast mode. It sucks that no one's really talking about him. The guy's basically in Connor McDavid mode. Hell, he has more goals than McDavid. In fact, he has more than everyone; his 19 goals lead the entire league this season, and his 36 points only trail the aforementioned McDavid.

Robertson's Dallas Stars have been a bit of a surprise; they ended November in first place in the Central, though they remain in a tight race with the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche. Dallas finished as one of the Western Conference's two Wild Cards last season, so this start is quite the improvement. Whether they stay up there or not; that's the main thing.

Release the Kraken

I am very, very happy with how the Seattle Kraken are doing this season. One of the things I was excited for last year was the NHL having a team in Seattle, and I liked a lot of things about the Kraken; the name, the jerseys, and yes, the logo. Now Year One didn't go so well, but Year Two? Oh man! The Kraken are a force to be dealt with, not just in the Pacific Division, but in the entire Western Conference. Their .875 points percentage (10-1-1) in November leads the entire Western Conference, with only the New Jersey Devils (13-1-0; .929 Pts%) having a higher percentage. That record includes winning six straight games, including a wild and crazy 9-8 overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Kings, and they are right behind the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific.

So who is leading the Kraken during this sophomore season. None other than two-time Stanley Cup Champion Andre Burakovsky. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, Burakovsky signed a five-year deal with the Kraken, which is worth $26.5 million, and he's earning it. Burakovsky leads the Kraken with 23 points (9 G/14 A) this season, and his nine goals only trails Jared McCann (10 goals) on the team. The Kraken are on a huge roll, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. I truly hope the Kraken reach the playoffs this season, especially as a Pacific Top 3 team.

So now the NHL season enters the heart of the year, as December is quite important. While it's still a bit too early to make playoff plans, it is important to have a prosperous December, because January is the last big test that separates the contenders from the pretenders.

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