The Chicago Blackhawks just beat the Detroit Red Wings. This marks a big change for the NHL Western Conference, because up until recently, the Red Wings have been in full charge. But at the moment, it appears that Detroit is experiencing a Stanley Cup runner-up funk. They lost two in a row and have lost several in the last 10 games. Meanwhile, last night’s win was the 4th in a row for the Blackhawks, who are emerging as one of this year’s best teams and giving their city something to cheer about. The Red Wings have also been shut out several times recently and just don’t seem to have their ducks in order right now. They still have plenty of time to pull it out of the fire, however, since there are several months left in the season. But still, the Blackhawks ought to be happy with how they’ve played so far this season!

Pittsburgh might be headed towards a new championship this year. We have been watching them all season for signs that they are as good as ever and it would appear that they are still much the same team as they were last season. They are being challenged by upstart teams though, which is to be expected. After all, everyone aims to take down the defending champions when they get the chance. Last night they had a game against the Philly Flyers which lasted all the way to a shootout. But the Pens held on to win, which is their third win in a row. It will be great to see Pittsburgh throughout the rest of the season since they are going to have some great games ahead.

We mentioned the Ducks a few days ago and we hope that there won’t be much more controversy. It’s been a complicated year for them, but this might be one of the more afflicting bits of information. Their owner Henry Samueli was suspended awhile back because he pleaded guilty to lying to investigators during a federal probe. Last week, the conviction was vacated when the judge found no evidence of wrongdoing. But when he was convicted, the NHL commissioner decided to suspend him from the league for awhile. But last month, before it was vacated, his suspension was lifted. The commissioner Gary Bettman has announced that it was an unfortunate incident but the league has rules about these things.

No, we’re not talking about Bing Crosby. Sidney Crosby is coming back to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup this week after having missed a game with a groin injury. He just needed to rest a little bit before he got back on the ice. Hopefully, he’ll be able to help the Penguins get back into the driver’s seat of the Atlantic Division. We’ve been hoping to see them really compete, but surprisingly the Devils are at the top of the division, playing outstanding hockey this year. When Crosby gets back to the ice, he will definitely be a big help to the team, as he always is. He’s not only a leading scorer and playmaker, but also a big team leader. It’s like having a second coach to buck up the team. Hopefully we can see him right back in the action!

Alex Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s biggest stars, but he’s also one of the toughest players in the league too. A few days ago, he leveled a dirty hit on Tim Gleason of the Carolina Hurricanes. They smashed knees together and both went down injured. Ovechkin was suspended for two games as a result of that hit. But that’s the kind of hit that’s designed to cause injury to the person and this is a fairly minor penalty for that kind of hit. But this is the league where people get 2 minutes off the ice for inciting acts that outside the stadium would be aggravated assault. Ovechkin is back, but since he hurt himself on the attack, my guess is that he learned his own lesson to an extent. Hopefully the PR doesn’t hurt him.

With the Anaheim Ducks, it’s often feast or famine. They were a great team in previous years, having almost reached the Stanley Cup in recent seasons. They even won one just a few years ago. But this year, they just lost their seventh road game in a row. The Dallas Stars weren’t able to take advantage of many of the openings they were given. They even were behind by one after two periods. But in the third period, they switched their engines on. To a certain extent, it was luck that gave them their three goals, but they also have the talent that will get them in. Selanne, of the Ducks, broke a bone in his hand during the game and, obviously, sat out the rest. The team is generally talking about their frustration at this time, due to the problems they are having at the moment and they’re not exactly sure how they will be able to get back into the winning column.

If you are surprised that the San Jose Sharks are at the top of their division, then you haven’t been watching the NHL very much recently. At the moment, the team is 18-6-4, an impressive record for this time of the season. They haven’t needed any work to get into a rhythm this year. Last night, they fended off the Canucks in overtime, keeping them at the top and letting their roll continue. The big question as we move forward will be whether they will be able to keep playing so well when the postseason comes around. They haven’t been able to get further than a round or two into the playoffs in recent years, but this year might be different, because they will probably put more emphasis on it than on simply winning during the season.

After a long time in the desert, the Ottawa Senators are finally living up to a high potential that people haven’t seen from them in many years. They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday, on some outstanding play from their goalie and a clutch goal with about 6 minutes remaining. This brings the Senators all the way ahead of the Boston Bruins in the Northeast Division. The excitement this brings to the Canadian capital is only matched by the fact that they are ahead of Boston, a regular rival. It’s going to be a big year for them and hopefully we will be talking about an exciting battle for both teams as time pushed forwards. This team is much better than expected and hopefully this isn’t just an early season fluke, but a real challenge for the division and conference.

The Chicago Blackhawks are on a roll! While Chicago remains focused on their flailing and failing sports teams, the Blackhawks are going unnoticed as they try to get up to 8, 10 or 12 wins in a row going forward. This is a team that is dominating almost everyone else in the league. The Hawks came close to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, but lost to the Detroit Red Wings. This year, the Red Wings appear to have fallen off, at least for the early part of the season, leaving Chicago in sole possession of the divisional lead. Meanwhile, Hossa, who hasn’t yet played this year, is getting ready to suit up in the middle of the week. What does that mean? This team can only get better, because the man touted as their best player hasn’t even started skating yet! This team might be the biggest thing in the league this year, so keep an eye on them!

When you want to know whether Pittsburgh might be able to repeat their championship, just look at their roster. They have a surprising amount of depth, even in the position where there is a major star in the starting role. It will be interesting to see how far they are able to get this year. They are doing decently in the early goings of this year. We only have a few games under the belt so far, but the team is not sinking, which is a good sign. There are a couple of teams that are surprising in that division at this point. The Devils, for example, lead the division with 14 wins already. There wasn’t much expectation that they are going to be amazing this year, so perhaps it’s the early-season luck that some teams have? We’ll have to wait and see, but it’s going to be very cool.