Looking Ahead – Week 8

A tough decision can be made easier with these charts showing you the best five and worst five schedules for upcoming seven-day periods. Some of you used them last year but for the benefit of new readers here is a refresher. The number next to the team indicates the ‘multiplier’ to use on a player’s point-per-game pace to give you an idea how many points to expect for that week.

I pointed out last week that the Rangers seven game winning streak, while impressive, probably wasn't as good as it looks because of their weak competition, and would be coming to an end very soon with their tough schedule ahead. That indeed happened as they've now lost their last two to Montreal and the surprising Panthers, and finish off the month against Washington, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

If the beginning of the Bruins' season could be compared in terms of their supposed "hangover", it would be the part where you finally open your eyes and have zero recollection of how you got into bed, no idea where you are, an extremely dry feeling in your mouth and absolutely no intention of ever drinking again for the rest of your life. They started the season with seven losses in their first 10 games, scoring only nine goals in those defeats. So if that was the "awful, I'm never going to move all day part of the hangover", their current ten game winning streak is the part where you think you're cured and are able to stuff your face more than usual and maybe even get some activity in(at least that's how my hangovers go). Over their past ten games, they've scored 47 goals. So, now what? Will Friday's matinee with Detroit cure them completely and push this thing to 11 games? Or will they hit that point where they realize they were actually still intoxicated earlier and have all of that progress they've made (or food they've ate) end up in the toilet.

One could argue that now that Crosby is back, the Penguins stats thus far can go out the window; but it is worth noting that Pittsburgh is only 5-5-2 away from home. After Friday's game against Ottawa, they play six of their next seven on the road.

Here's another interesting home vs away stat; the Avs have played an even split of home and away games this year at 11 a piece. Away from home, they've scored a very respectable 35 goals; at the Pepsi Center, they've only scored 18 goals. Saturday will be the fourth game of an eight game homestand.

The Vancouver Canucks are tied for the league high in road goals for with 36. What two teams are they tied with? None other than the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The latter two are technically ahead of Vancouver because they've both played one less game than the reigning Western Conference Champs.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans on Dobber; hope everyone got to enjoy the football yesterday and a ton of hockey today.