For my New York hockey fans out there, here’s a little look at the three New York teams and how they’re doing so far. Oh, and just to clarify, Buffalo is the third New York team ‘ I don’t mean from the tri-state area. Sorry, Jersey.

New York Islanders

I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but right now the Islanders are the best team in New York. The Islanders are 9-5-0 and offseason acquisition Mike Comrie is leading the team in points, while veteran Bill Guerin is doing a great job as captain. The Islanders do not get enough recognition due to a lack of star players. The Rangers have Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Henrik Lundqvist, while the Islanders really don’t have any household names.

Goalie Rick DiPietro is about as big as it gets on this team, and although he isn’t having his best season (with a 2.49 goals against average and a .904 save percentage) he is still getting the job done. That seems to be a consistent trait about the Islanders: they’re not flashy, they just get the job done. Also, the Islanders have played an NHL-low 14 games and they’ve still racked up 18 points.

I’ve got to hand it to them, they have definitely improved in the offseason. Right now they’re shaping up to be a serious contender out of the Eastern Conference, and if Mike Comrie can keep his numbers up and DiPietro can pick up his goaltending a little bit, then the Islanders could win their division.

New York Rangers

Go figure, at 10-7-1 their high-paid offense isn’t producing up to par, and yet their subpar defense is carrying the team along with goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who is on pace to be a strong contender for the Vezina trophy, regardless of his record. Lundqvist is 8-7-1 with a mere 1.62 GAA and a .940 save percentage, with four shutouts to go along with that. His 8-7-1 record comes from a lack of offense.

The Rangers have scored a measly 38 goals in 18 games. Ouch! But have no fear, Ranger fans, the boys in blue have won seven of eight and have scored 11 goals in their last three games. Their offensive powerhouses Jagr, Drury and Gomez have combined for nine points in the those three games. It was just a matter of time before they came out of their shell.

Also, tough guy Sean Avery has five points in seven games, which is baffling to me because all I thought he could do was run his mouth and then skate away. Overall, as long as the Rangers keep their offense rolling, they will be fine and will be a contender for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Buffalo Sabres

Since there aren’t enough positives, I’ll go straight into listing the negatives.

1) The Sabres are currently one of the worst teams in the conference at 6-9-1. 2) One of their point leaders is a defenseman, Brian Campbell, with only 12 points. 3) Goalie Ryan Miller has a whopping 2.77 GAA and has let in too many soft goals at big moments. 4) Head coach Lindy Ruff still hasn’t decided on a captain, rather, he is going to be naming a new one each month.

This is a horrible idea because it shows that there is not enough confidence in one player to be captain. Instead of giving the ‘C’ to inadequate players such as Jochen Hecht or Toni Lydman, it should have been given to Campbell at the beginning of the season. ‘Soupy’ is coming into his prime and would have made a great young leader this season.

5) Only ONE PLAYER is positive in terms of +/-. 6) Their defense has potential, but is entirely too inconsistent. Guys like Lydman and Dimitri Kalinin are weak skaters and turn the puck over too much. 7) The big names have not stepped up yet and don’t seem motivated.

‘The 10 Million Dollar Man,’ Thomas Vanek, is -6 after leading the NHL is +/- last year, showing how he is not playing both sides of the puck as he did last season. Ruff needs to send some players, like Vanek, down to the AHL to get a message across to the team. Right now it looks as if the Sabres are in for a long season.