It’s been a season of misery thus far for the Islanders. Two of their best players remain sidelined due to preseason shoulder injuries. A coaching change failed to snap them out of a lengthy winless skid. They’re the lowest scoring team in the league and among the worst defensively. Mired in the basement of the Eastern Conference only a miracle can save the Isles season, but it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen.
 

The once-dominant Devils find themselves near the bottom of the NHL standings with seemingly no end in sight to their struggles. Injuries to Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner have taken a toll. High-priced superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (pictured) had only 10 points in his first 20 games while age appeared to be catching up with veterans Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott. Salary cap constraints brought about by the Kovalchuk signing prevented the club at times from icing a full roster and management seems at a loss to figure out how to stop the bleeding.
 

They struggled early with only four victories in October but by late-November the Panthers were playing .500 hockey. By late-November they’d given up the third fewest goals in the conference thanks in large part to the goaltending of Tomas Vokoun (pictured) but had scored the fourth-fewest while their power-play was the worst in the league. If they don’t address their scoring woes soon it could prove their undoing.
 

After a poor start threatened to scuttle their season, the Sabres slowly recovered in November. They’ve been among the lowest scoring teams while giving up the second-most goals in the Conference, the latter a shocking statistic for a club renowned for its defensive game with a Vezina winner in Ryan Miller (pictured) between the pipes. The recent improvement of Thomas Vanek and return from injury of Jason Pominville should improve the offense but a better overall effort is needed to improve the defensive stats.
 

The good news is the Leafs significantly improved their defensive game this season. The bad news is only the Devils and Islanders have scored fewer goals. After winning five of their first six games this season they went into a significant month-long slump. GM Brian Burke has the cap space to acquire more scoring but so far hasn’t found the right deal. If he can’t find more offensive depth soon the Leafs playoff hopes could be in jeopardy.

They’re off to a much better start than last season but consistency remains an issue. Offensively they’re among the best clubs in the league (fifth overall in goals-per game) led by Eric Staal and rookie surprise Jeff Skinner (pictured). Defensively however they’ve given up the second-most goals in the conference and the sixth-most shots-against per game in the league. Management has made recent moves to address the issue but it remains to be seen if it pays off.
 

 For this rebuilding team a .500 record is a very good start but heading into this week they had only four wins in 10 games. The Thrashers are playing well offensively (seventh overall in goals-per-game) largely due to off-season additions and leading scorers Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien (pictured). Their defensive game and goaltending needs improvement as they’re giving up far too many shots and goals. Failure to improve in those categories could once again doom the Thrashers’ playoff hopes.
 

The Senators appeared in trouble early when they lurched to a 5-6-2 start in October but have played better than .500 in November thanks to the improved play of center Jason Spezza (pictured) and new defenseman Sergei Gonchar. The Senators' lack of offensive depth (currently sixth-lowest in goals-for per game) and experienced blueline skill remain areas of concern which must be addressed if they hope to move up in the standings.
 

The outstanding goaltending of Tim Thomas (pictured, 10-1-1,1.49 GAA, .950 SP, 4 shutouts) and timely offense from Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi and Nathan Horton have kept the Bruins in the thick of the Eastern playoff race. They’ve been hampered by the absence of skilled forwards like Marc Savard, David Krejci and Marco Sturm to injury, and struggled defensively, giving up the fifth-most shots per game in the league. The return of their injured players in the coming weeks will help, but they must also improve in their own end to reduce Thomas’ heavy workload.
 

Despite losing key players like Marian Gaborik, Vaclav Prospal and Chris Drury to early season injuries the Rangers have exceeded expectations. Young forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan (pictured) along with blueliner Dan Girardi have been key factors in overcoming their roster shortfalls. Martin Biron has also proven a valuable addition as backup goalie to Henrik Lundqvist. The return of their injured stars could push the Rangers significantly higher in the Conference standings in the coming weeks.
 

The Penguins overcame a slow start to move up in the Conference standings, led of course by team captain Sidney Crosby (pictured), who was tied for the scoring lead heading into late November. Blueliner Kris Letang has emerged as a skilled puck-moving defenseman. Starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has rebounded from his poor start, winning six of his last seven games. The Pens still lack offensive depth, a problem exacerbated by the absence of center Jordan Staal to injury.
 

Thanks in large part to the offensive exploits of the league’s leading scorer, Steven Stamkos (pictured), and linemate Martin St. Louis, the Lightning are off to their best start in years. Credit also goes to first-year head coach Guy Boucher’s strong forechecking system. Their defensive game needs improvement, especially their goaltending, which by late November ranked amongst the league’s worst. Both areas need improvement if the Lighting intend to remain serious playoff contenders.
 

Credit an improved defensive game for the Canadiens' surprisingly strong start this season. They’re the league’s top penalty-killing team and goaltender Carey Price (pictured) has silenced his critics so far (13-7-1, 2.00 GAA, .933 SP, 4 shutouts). Rookie blueliner P.K. Subban has garnered attention with his skills and attitude. The Canadiens' offense, however, has struggled this season, especially on the power-play, and they must continue to adapt without injured star defenseman Andrei Markov.
 

Despite a recent three-game winless skid the Capitals remain amongst the very best in the Eastern Conference. Their defensive game has shown improvement this season, particularly on the penalty kill and in shots-against per game, ranking 12th overall in both. Their play on the road however must get better, and superstar captain Alexander Ovechkin hasn’t been scoring at his usual high pace. Given the Capitals depth in talent, however, those issues should be rectified soon.
 

Last spring’s Stanley Cup finalist has shown few signs of a Cup Finals hangover, jockeying with Washington for first overall. Much of their success thus far has been due to their impressive offensive depth. Led by Mike Richards and Claude Giroux, the Flyers are currently the NHL’s highest-scoring team. Another factor has been the impressive debut of Russian netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s provided the Flyers with solid goaltending in the absence of Michael Leighton to injury.