As the first half of the season comes upon us, I am going to reflect back and look at a few of the surprises and disappointments around the NHL. I will split them into conferences and also split between surprises and disappointments.
Apr 13, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing
Alex Ovechkin(8) celebrates with Capitals center
Nicklas Backstrom(19) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Today, I look at the Surprises (in a good way) in the Eastern Conference. All in all, it hasn’t been a great season for many Eastern Conference clubs and players. The dominance of the Western Conference has made headlines and it shows up in the standings and among the league’s leaders statistically. For that reason, this will be a relatively short list as I look for some positive surprises in the East. It will be a much longer list when I look at the disappointments.