O Canada: Scheifele emerging as NHL superstar

Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."

Calgary Flames

Plus: Backup goaltender Chad Johnson, who appeared in four straight games and grabbed a trio of wins in the process. The journeyman netminder has been a revelation in Calgary, already with a 9-5-3 record on the season.

Minus: Conversely, the Flames' intended starter, Brian Elliott, is still finding his way in Cowtown and fighting to find consistency. Elliott had the league's top save percentage last season at .930, but that's dipped to .882 this year.

The Take: The Flames have a burning desire to figure out their goaltending, and making wins more difficult to come by will be the absence of leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau, who is out six weeks with a broken finger. The Flames have struggled mightily under new coach Glen Gulutzan, with just eight wins in 21 outings.

Edmonton Oilers

Plus: Hats off to Connor McDavid, who, after 10 games without a tally, silenced his critics with his first career hat trick in a 5-2 beating of the Dallas Stars. McDavid leads the NHL scoring race with 24 points in 20 games.

Minus: The Oilers surprised many in 2014 when they signed winger Benoit Pouliot to a five-year, $20-million contract. Eleven games without a point recently earned Pouliot back-to-back scratches by coach Todd McLellan.

The Take: After dropping five in a row, the Oilers enjoyed a nice bounce back with a win over the Stars and a 5-0 shellacking of the Chicago Blackhawks. Aside from McDavid, the Oilers' key contributors - namely Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, and goalie Cam Talbot - are delivering as the team sits first in the Pacific with 23 points.

Montreal Canadiens

Plus: Following a full-time shift to center, Alex Galchenyuk is finally realizing his potential. The third overall pick in 2012 is scoring at a point-per-game pace, with 19 points on the season.

Minus: How valuable is Alexander Radulov? The Russian winger missed two games, and without him in the lineup, the Canadiens dropped back-to-back games to the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.

The Take: With 30 points in 19 games, the Canadiens leave little room for criticism as the NHL's top team. One curiosity is the usage of Sven Andrighetto, who's already been demoted to St. John's (AHL) twice. Andrighetto has delivered in the AHL - grabbing Player of the Week honors in October - but has zero points in four games with the Habs this year.

Ottawa Senators

Plus: Ever heard of Ryan Dzingel? Didn't think so. A seventh-round pick from 2011, Dzingel has surprised as the Sens' third-leading scorer, with 10 points in 18 games.

Minus: The negative spotlight shines on goaltender Andrew Hammond who, after missing significant time due to a groin injury, refused an AHL conditioning stint. The Senators subsequently waived him and assigned him to the minors.

The Take: The Senators continue to fly under the radar, with a 10-7-1 showing through 18 games. But despite their winning record, Ottawa sits just shy of a playoff position. For a team already short on offense, the Senators will have their work cut out for them as they deal with a pair of minor injuries to two of their top forwards, Bobby Ryan and Mike Hoffman.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Plus: It's easy to look at Toronto and talk about the young guns, but veteran winger James van Riemsdyk also deserves some love. With 17 points in 18 games, the lanky forward is on pace for a career year.

Minus: Sorry, Auston Matthews. After teasing us with a four-goal debut, the scrutiny will only increase as his goal drought continues. Matthews has six goals on the year but has not tallied in nearly a month, last scoring Oct. 25.

The Take: The Maple Leafs have made positive steps in the early stages of their rebuilding, and hold down a winning record of 8-7-3 through 18 games. The challenge will be how the team's young talent responds through the difficult middle portion of the season. Rookie Mitch Marner sits second in NHL freshman scoring with 16 points.

Vancouver Canucks

Plus: Don't get down on the Sedins. The twins can still play, and have combined for 25 points on the season. Both players are closing in on career milestones, with Daniel 45 points away from 1,000 and Henrik only 18 off.

Minus: After a strong start to the season, the play of goalie Ryan Miller has dropped off, with his save percentage under .900 and his goals-against average approaching three-plus.

The Take: After a slow start to November, the Canucks have grabbed points in three of their last four, including two overtime wins over the Stars and the Arizona Coyotes. General manager Jim Benning wants to add a 20-goal man, and that notion has linked the team to Buffalo Sabres winger and Vancouver native Evander Kane.

Winnipeg Jets

Plus: Mark Scheifele's name doesn't normally come up when discussing the league's best pivots, but he's making a name for himself this year with 23 points on the season already. Scheifele has arrived.

Minus: Defenseman Jacob Trouba is back in the lineup after a failed trade demand and appears to be taking his time to find the scoresheet, with no points through six games.

The Take: Coach Paul Maurice is juggling a host of young talent this season - not only Scheifele, but Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, and the NHL's leading rookie scorer, Patrik Laine, among others. That's led to a bevy of highlight-reel plays, but also some predictable growing pains, like the Jets' embarrassing 12-shot showing versus the Boston Bruins.

Canucks World