NHL Quarter Mark Shockers: Which Teams Are Surpassing Expectations—and Which Are Crashing Hard?
Utah Mammoth: B
The Mammoth have cooled off after a dream start to the season, but they still own a playoff spot in the West by points percentage. Utah is stingy defensively and controls play well, but its power play is among the worst in the NHL, and the Mammoth have been sunk to some degree by poor goaltending, as their team save percentage at five-on-five is near the bottom of the league. Overall, they’ve looked like a playoff-caliber team, which is encouraging. — Harman Dayal
Vancouver Canucks: F
Vancouver entered this season expected to be a fringe playoff team, and instead has performed at the level of a tanking NHL team. By the eye test, goals against or whatever underlying metric you want, Vancouver is the worst defensive team in hockey and is also inept on the penalty kill. The Canucks still have Quinn Hughes and a dynamic first power-play unit, and injuries — especially at center — have significantly submarined Vancouver’s ability to hang with its opponents at five-on-five, but this has still been nothing short of a nightmare run out for the Canucks. — Thomas Drance
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