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The Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to win the Atlantic Division by exactly no one before the 2014-2015 season, and in that respect, prognosticators have been correct through the first couple weeks of the season.

Still, the standings are looking particularly unforgiving for the Leafs heading into their game against Columbus, with five of the top seven teams in the Eastern Conference residing in the division. With under ten games played, the NHL odds found here have the Leafs at +1,500 to win the Atlantic Division.

With that in mind, we’ve broken down a few of the stories that have defined the division so far this season.

Bruised but not forgotten

There are five teams ahead of the Leafs in the division, but perhaps the least surprising amongst them is the Boston Bruins. What perhaps is surprising is that Boston is struggling off the blocks. While normally we’d write this sort of inconsistent start off as a statistical aberration, the loss of both Zdeno Chara and (to a much less significant degree) Toney Krug means the Bruins will be working with a patchwork backend for weeks to come. And with the second-least cap space in the league available for them to plug the gaps with free agents, it could be a long autumn for the Bostonians.

Montreal rising

After turning heads with their run to the Conference Finals last season, the Habs looked ready to contend again this year before the season started, but few were expecting them to be tied for the league lead through 10 games. Montreal has had major contributions from stars and role players alike, but perhaps the most significant has been the play of Carey Price, who after a rocky start (14 goals allowed in first four games) has been ridiculous since (five goals allowed in last four).

Motor city winners

The Red Wings look determined to avoid requiring a late-season desperation run to make the playoffs this year, as they have opened up strong. Again a key story here has been goaltending, as Jimmy Howard has provided an above average save percentage of .928, good for 10th in the league and a dramatic improvement from the .910 he had in 51 games last year.

In all three cases, there is some cause for optimism. The Bruins may not be able to solve a heavily injured defense, Montreal has won 80% of their games despite having just a +1 goal differential, and Detroit will almost certainly lose a couple of their star veterans for significant stretches this year, which will hurt them. Nonetheless, it’s going to be a tough climb for the Leafs in what looks to be an especially tough Atlantic Division in 2014-2015.

 

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