NHL Quarter Mark Shockers: Which Teams Are Surpassing Expectations—and Which Are Crashing Hard?
Minnesota Wild: B
A month ago, when the Wild won three of their first 12 games, nobody could have imagined such a grade. But we grade on a curve, and what an exceptional month of November it has been for the Wild (11-1-1). Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson have combined for five shutouts, and Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon were exceptional. — Michael Russo
Montreal Canadiens: B-
The Canadiens got off to a hot start and followed that with a cold stretch. This is exactly what they hoped to avoid this season. But ultimately, a 13-7-3 record after 23 games is something they would have taken had it been offered to them before the season began. The goaltending is a problem, the power play is a problem, but this team has far fewer problems overall than it did a year ago, and the talent is really starting to pop. In the context of a team trying to emerge from a rebuild, the first quarter has been more than fine. — Arpon Basu
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