The Central Division might not be the dominant force in the playoffs

SB Nation’s NHL division asked, and you guys answered. The season’s less than a month old, and some interesting trends are shaping up a little surprisingly in a few spots. The Buffalo Sabres are at the top of the Atlantic, and the Lightning are outside of the playoff picture. The re-tooled New Jersey Devils have only won two games. The Edmonton Oilers are best in the West while the Minnesota Wild are... exactly where most people expected them to be.

If NHL fans have ESP (and as we fans of the Blues know, we do not have ESP), this year might be a very good year for the Sabres.

Then again, NHL fans seem to have a lot of hope for the Flyers, so maybe we should take this with a grain of salt.

No Stars? Did adding Pavelski slow them down? No Jets is more believable - their defensive corps are at AHL level and they’re 2-4-0 at home. If they don’t pick up the pace they may find themselves looking in from the outside.

Would the Blues be better off in the playoffs without the possibility of two of their biggest Divisional rivals? It depends on how you define “better off.” It could make for duller series, but it could make their path through the playoffs, perhaps, a little simpler.

Next week’s questions will be out on Wednesday. Do you want to add your two cents? Sign up for SB Nation’s NHL Fanpulse.