NHL Quarter Mark Shockers: Which Teams Are Surpassing Expectations—and Which Are Crashing Hard?
Ottawa Senators: B+
Earlier this week, the Senators were the only Canadian team in a playoff position. That already has and will continue to change with how fickle the Eastern Conference has been. But the Senators have kept their heads above water despite early-season issues with goaltending, special teams and not having their captain, Brady Tkachuk, due to injury. This grade will go up if they continue playing well as their issues improve. — Julian McKenzie
Philadelphia Flyers: B
The Flyers are trying to improve this season, and in many respects, it appears that they have. Offseason additions such as Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar have been invaluable, and the Flyers have been a generally responsible team defensively, with players such as Travis Sanheim and Cam York shouldering a heavy workload on the blue line. But their offensive attack is wildly inconsistent. It remains to be seen whether they have the talent level or the hockey IQ to execute what new coach Rick Tocchet wants them to do when they have the puck. — Kevin Kurz
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