After One Month

NEW YORK (November 1, 2009)—The first month of the 2009-10 NHL regular season ended Saturday with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins serving notice they will be tough to dethrone, the upstart Colorado Avalanche at the top of the Western Conference standings, reigning MVP Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals on pace for a career year and a talented rookie class making their mark. The Penguins shrugged off any suggestion of a ‘Stanley Cup hangover’ by tying the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers and 1992-93 Penguins for the most points after 10 games by a defending champion (18, 9-1-0) and finishing the month with the Eastern Conference’s top record (11-3-0). Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury went 9-2-0 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, while captain Sidney Crosby led the club with nine goals and 16 points.