theScore's new series "The Noise" will be published every Monday, and kick off each week with a quick look at teams or players making headlines, good or bad.
Time to flip the calendar.
The first month of the NHL's regular season has come and gone in the blink of an eye, and what an entertaining October it was. You may recognize it's not actually November yet, but in a clear effort to ruin all your Halloween plans, there's no games on the docket tonight, so just play along here.
Anyway, as all 30 teams take the day off, here's a look at three clubs that have made some noticeable noise over the past week:
New York Rangers
Chosen by many to regress this season, the Rangers have jumped to a 6-3 record out of the gate. The Blueshirts seem refreshed, and perhaps a longer offseason has helped the strong start. New York's played as much hockey as anyone over the past few seasons due to multiple deep playoff runs.
The Rangers have beaten strong opponents in Washington, Boston, and Tampa Bay for their past three wins, and are producing 31.8 shots per game (third in the NHL), while allowing only 26 - the league's fourth best mark.
Henrik Lundqvist is Henrik Lundqvist, and backup Antti Raanta has been strong in two starts. What's most impressive about the Rangers, though, has been the offensive balance, as 10 skaters already have at least six points.
Oh, and it turns out that Jimmy Vesey kid is pretty good, too. The Harvard product has five goals and one assist.
Minnesota Wild
Another team that apparently pays attention to their supposed expectations.
The Wild's biggest offseason acquisition is paying early dividends. The new guy behind the bench, Bruce Boudreau, has led the team to a Central Division-leading 6-2-1 record.
Devan Dubnyk has been the Wild's best player, riding a remarkable three game shutout streak. But the success isn't just coming from the crease, as Minnesota has notched nine goals over the three blank sheets, and rank third in the NHL with 32 tallies. These aren't your dad's North Stars.
Minnesota is allowing more shots than they're producing, which will need to be rectified, but all Boudreau does is win division titles - eight in nine years, in fact.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is the outlier here, as no one expected them to struggle this season, but the reigning Stanley Cup champions have won three in a row. Coincidentally, Sidney Crosby came back three games ago.
Crosby already has five points, while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel have 10 and nine, respectively.
Goaltending has been the Pens' main question mark, with Marc-Andre Fleury failing to take advantage of his opportunity as the early-season starter. But with Kris Letang on the mend, and Matt Murray possibly stepping back between the pipes, there isn't much to worry about in Steel Town.
Honorable Mention: Craig Anderson
This couldn't go unmentioned.
Only one day after the Ottawa Senators announced Anderson's wife, Nicholle, was diagnosed with cancer, the 35-year-old joined the club in Edmonton and earned the first star with a 37-save shutout versus the Oilers.
A truly moving moment.
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