Scoring is up across the league to begin the year, but that doesn't mean goaltenders haven't been posting monster numbers. Here are the early front-runners for the Vezina Trophy after the first month of the 2018-19 NHL season.

5. Jaroslav Halak, Boston Bruins

He's not the Bruins goalie you might expect to make this list, but through six games this season Jaroslav Halak is playing incredibly well.

The veteran netminder was brought in to be Tuukka Rask's backup, and now he's stolen starts while going 4-0-2 with a .947 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average, putting him second and first in those categories, respectively, among goalies who have appeared in at least five games this season.

If he can maintain that level of play, which has also included two shutouts, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy will face a very difficult decision.

4. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been nearly perfect to begin the season, posting a 6-1-1 record through eight games.

Following a 2017-18 campaign that ended with Vasilevskiy receiving his first career Vezina Trophy nomination, it appears the 24-year-old could once again contend for the award. He's posted a 1.98 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage, marks that rank third and sixth league-wide.

The Lightning's offense is beginning to hit its stride, which will make Vasilevskiy's job easier. He could hit the 40-win plateau for the second straight year.

3. Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild

The Wild sit just two points outside of the top spot in the Central Division, even though the club is averaging the ninth-fewest goals per game.

Devan Dubnyk has been a rock between the pipes and is driving the team's success. The 32-year-old has recorded a goals-against average of 2.19 and a .937 save percentage. He's given up two or fewer goals in six of his nine games played. Even more impressively, Dubnyk has also faced the third-most shots in the league.

If he keeps this up, Minnesota should earn its seventh straight postseason berth.

2. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

No goalie has faced more rubber than John Gibson, with an average of 38.4 shots per game directed his way. He appears to be the sole reason for the Ducks still being within reach of the Pacific Division lead.

Opposing teams are outshooting Anaheim by roughly 14 shots per game this season, but the Ducks are still just three points back of the division-leading San Jose Sharks. Gibson's 9.38 goals saved above average leads the league, and he's also produced a league-leading 84 high-danger saves, which is 26 more than the next-closest goalie.

Few players have been more valuable to their team than Gibson. He could be in the running for the Hart Trophy if he can drag the Ducks into the playoffs.

1. Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche

Semyon Varlamov has faced 262 shots over his first eight games of the season, and just 13 pucks have gone past him.

He's the league's save-percentage leader with a mark of .950, and Varlamov ranks fifth in 5-on-5 high-danger save percentage. His stellar play is helping the Avalanche challenge for the top spot in the crowded Central Division.

Colorado brought in former Washington Capitals backup Philipp Grubauer this offseason, with the hope he would challenge for the starting role. But after Varlamov's scorching start, it appears the net is his until further notice.

(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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Roberto Luongo is back on the Florida Panthers' active roster, but he's still unlikely to suit up until the team returns from Europe.

The Panthers activated Luongo off injured reserve Thursday. Head coach Bob Boughner reiterated his sentiments from Wednesday that the ideal plan is for the club's No. 1 netminder to play next week rather than in one of the two Finland contests Thursday and Friday.

"Officially, if (Luongo) is ready, he could play, but we're going to make that decision (Friday)," Boughner told NHL.com's Brian Compton on Thursday. "I could see him more playing when we get back home, (but) he's close. He's real close."

The Panthers' bench boss further explained that he wants to play it safe with the 39-year-old goaltender, and that Thursday's roster move is at least partially motivated by the need for depth in the crease.

"We want to make sure (Luongo) is 110 percent before he gets back in there and make sure that we're doing the right thing by him," Boughner said. "We need three goalies in case something (happens)."

Luongo was injured in Florida's season opener when teammate Frank Vatrano fell on his knee. He hasn't played since.

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Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, the team announced Wednesday.

Quick had already missed five games this season with a separate lower-body injury he sustained during the first game of the season, returning from the ailment on Oct. 18. Then, on Saturday, the netminder was ruled out again and required a new evaluation.

He's started four games in 2018-19, going 0-3-1 with a .845 save percentage. Quick's latest surgery marks his second significant absence in three seasons, as he appeared in just 17 contests in 2016-17 because of a groin injury.

The Kings are not expected to explore the trade market while Quick is out, according to Fox Sports West's Jon Rosen, meaning they'll likely roll with Jack Campbell and Peter Budaj between the pipes in the meantime.

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The Carolina Hurricanes and burgeoning superstar Sebastian Aho appear to be on the same page when it comes to his future with the franchise.

Aho's currently playing out the final year of his entry-level contract and is in line for a major raise. Negotiations on a long-term pact began in the offseason, and Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell is optimistic a deal will be signed before the end of this season.

"We've had lots of discussions and everything has been positive," Waddell told Chip Alexander of The News & Observer on Monday. "We both have the same goal, and that is we want to sign him to a long-term deal and he wants to be here long term. That's always the starting point, which is always good."

Waddell added that the two sides aren't too far apart when it comes to finances.

"The amount of money we're talking, there's not a crazy difference," he said.

Last month, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon called Aho's next contract one of the organization's top priorities, and for good reason. Since being drafted 35th overall in 2015, the forward's managed 131 points in 172 contests.

So far this season, his game looks to have reached another level. In 12 contests, Aho's already notched 17 points and matched an NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman by recording an assist in 12 consecutive games to start a season.

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Roberto Luongo isn't quite ready to play just yet, but he doesn't appear to be far off.

Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner provided an update on the veteran goaltender's timetable from Helsinki on Wednesday.

"I think the plan is for him to … unless there's a complete surprise that I haven't heard yet, the plan is for him to probably try and play next week when we get home," Boughner told NHL.com's Brian Compton. "This is more of a rehab week."

Luongo hurt his knee when teammate Frank Vatrano fell on it in the Panthers' season opener. Florida's No. 1 netminder hasn't played since. He was expected to miss two-to-four weeks, so an early-November return would keep him on schedule.

"He does look good," Boughner said. "I know his knee feels good. So hopefully we'll hear something in the next few days what his plans are."

The Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets are in Finland for games on Thursday and Friday.

Florida's first game back from the trip will be a home date against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 8. That contest is the first of a three-game homestand that also includes a matchup with the New York Islanders on Nov. 10 and a clash with the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 11.

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The Ottawa Senators have placed goaltender Mike Condon on waivers, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Condon has started just two games for the team this season, allowing eight goals. On Tuesday versus the Arizona Coyotes, Condon was pulled after giving up three goals on eleven shots, including one from the blue line at the other end of the ice.

He's been with the Senators since the 2016-17 season, managing a .906 save percentage over 73 games.

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With some of the league's top defensemen off to slow starts, the Norris Trophy race is wide open to begin the season.

ATOI = Average time on ice
SCF% = Percentage of scoring chances generated while player was on the ice at 5-on-5
HDCF% = Percentage of high-danger scoring chances generated while player was on the ice at 5-on-5

5. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski is showing he wasn't just riding the coattails of Seth Jones for the last two years. With Jones missing the first seven games of the season, Werenski is proving he can anchor his pairing. The 21-year-old has made huge strides at both ends of the ice while continuing to develop into one of the league's best blue-liners.

4. John Carlson, Washington Capitals

John Carlson still isn't a shutdown defenseman, but there's no arguing he's the league's best power-play quarterback. Eight of his 14 points this year have come with the man advantage, and while having Alex Ovechkin to his left certainly helps, Carlson's production isn't merely a by-product of sharing the ice with The Great Eight.

3. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators

P.K. Subban has arguably been the best defenseman on the league's best back end, and on the NHL's best team. In the early going of the season, he's driving offense at a better rate than his entire career, playing shutdown defense, and cutting down on turnovers.

2. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

While Erik Karlsson has taken some time settling into his new surroundings, Brent Burns has not only been the Sharks' most effective defenseman, but also the team's best player overall. The 2017 Norris Trophy winner is riding a nine-game point streak after being held off the scoresheet in the team's first three contests.

1. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

It's quite astounding that throughout Kris Letang's storied career he's only been a Norris Trophy finalist once. But he may be playing his best hockey early in the 2018-19 season and proving to be a force at both ends of the ice. Letang's importance to the Penguins was on full display Tuesday night, as the club fell 6-3 to the Islanders at home without its top defenseman in the lineup due to a lower-body injury.

Honorable mentions: John Klingberg, Morgan Rielly, Ryan Suter, Drew Doughty, Thomas Chabot

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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The Nashville Predators have activated goaltender Pekka Rinne off injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner missed five games with an undisclosed ailment after exiting late in the Predators' 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 19.

The veteran netminder who turns 36 years old on Saturday was 3-1-0 with a .929 save percentage, a 2.11 goals-against average, and one shutout in five contests before suffering the injury.

The Predators' heir apparent in goal, Juuse Saros, went 3-2-0 with a .917 save percentage across five starts while Rinne was out.

In a corresponding move on Wednesday, Nashville reassigned netminder Troy Grosenick to its AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

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