Can you believe it? We're already 36 games (as of Tuesday morning) into the new season. Just think, there are only another 1,194 regular-season tilts to go before the playoffs start.

So, what have we've seen? Actually, more than you'd think. Here are some first impressions, observations and random thoughts after the first six days of the 2002-03 season. And, because I hate to leave anyone out, I'll include all 30 teams.

Eastern Conference

	Kovalchuk

Atlanta Thrashers: Would someone please get Ilya Kovalchuk a new (legal) hockey stick. The super soph got nailed (again!) for having an illegal stick in the final seconds of overtime against Florida on Saturday. The penalty nullified a Thrashers' power-play opportunity and allowed the Panthers to score the winning goal with just 25 seconds left on the clock. Sorry, Ilya, even players as good as you must obey some rules. And the Thrashers -- with very suspect goaltending and defense -- can't afford to give even an extra OT point to any Eastern rival.

Boston Bruins: After a blowout on opening night in Minny, coach Robbie Ftorek figured his team needed to see a real defense. So, he took them on a field trip to a NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) base some 90 minutes outside of Denver. The result? A much better effort in their second game -- a surprising 2-1 win over the Avs. Still, there are many, many questions surrounding this bunch. A playoff berth doesn't figure in the post-Guerin/Dafoe/McLaren era.

Buffalo Sabres: Hey, hockey's not dead in Buffalo, yet. The Sabres surprised everyone with impressive wins over the Isles and Habs, outscoring those two playoff teams, 11-2. Maybe I should listen to NHL 2Night research guru Jon Kramer more often. Kramer likes the Sabres as a sleeper in the East. Me? I'm still not sold. Of course, at some point, the Sabres will be.

Carolina Hurricanes: Did you say Stanley Cup finals hangover? Well, they wrapped blowout losses to the Rangers and Lightning around a comeback win over the Thrashers. So far, Arturs Irbe and his new pads (which he broke in by running them over with a truck) have been awful.

	Jokinen

Florida Panthers: Say what you want about Mike Keenan, but anyone who can get Olli Jokinen to wake up (even for just a few games) deserves coach of the year consideration. Jokinen and fellow underachieving linemate Viktor Kozlov have combined for 10 points (3-7-10) in just two games.

Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens group of small, but skilled, forwards will victimize teams with suspect defensive units. Exhibit A: Canadiens 4, Rangers 1. Of course, teams that can play well in their own end, should be in a better position to deal with Les Habitants. Exhibit B: Sabres 6, Canadiens 1.

New Jersey Devils: Look for Scott Gomez to have a good season. The 2000 Rookie of the Year took this advice from ex-coach Larry Robinson: "Keep your legs moving." When Gomez does that, he's a dangerous offensive player -- he's hard to knock off the puck and he's an excellent passer with superb vision. He might end up seeing a lot of time with goal-scoring teammate Patrik Elias.

	Aucoin

New York Islanders: Defenseman Adrian Aucoin, who bounced around until he found a home on Long Island, might be the most underrated player in the league. He played a ridiculous 40:51 of their 2-1 loss vs. Washington on Saturday. I'm ready to predict that no one will top that number this season (in a regulation 60 minute game). No one, except Aucoin.

New York Rangers: All right, come down from that ledge. They're only three games into the Trottier Era. Things have to get better, right? Well, it is hard to believe they were outscored, 10-1, in consecutive losses to the Habs and Pens. And I don't see Brian Leetch and Tom Poti being a successful defensive pair. I mean, doesn't someone have to stay back besides the goalie?

Ottawa Senators: A 2-1 loss to the Devils. A 2-1 win over the Leafs. Same old, same old. I've got a feeling new GM John Muckler will make a deal or two to make this team more playoff friendly (read: tougher). Also, expect top prospect Jason Spezza -- demoted after a strong training camp -- will make his NHL debut before Thanksgiving.

Philadelphia Flyers: You have to love their forwards -- Jeremy Roenick, Simon Gagne, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Keith Primeau (and I didn't even mention Justin Williams or Michal Handzus). Their defense? Not good. That means more pressure on goalie Roman Cechmanek -- and that's not good, either. Flyers fans, get ready for a lot of games like the 5-4 win in Calgary last Saturday.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens top line of Mario Lemieux, Alexei Kovalev and Aleksey Morozov might be the most dangerous in the league. The trio combined for eight goals and 19 points in back-to-back wins over the Rangers and Leafs. After that, though, goals are much tougher to come by. At least, they will be until Martin Straka returns from his offseason back injury. Until then, cross your fingers and hope the boss stays healthy.

	Lecavalier

Tampa Bay Lightning: If the season ended today, the unbeaten Lightning would be in the playoffs. Vincent Lecavalier is off to a good start, with four points in two games. More important, he's a plus-3. If Lecavalier finally arrives and Nikolai Khabibulin continues to do his thing, maybe the Lightning will qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season, too.

Toronto Maple Leafs: After 6-0 blowout win on opening night in Pittsburgh, the Leafs have dropped a defensive struggle to the Sens and a shootout to the Pens. Goalie Ed Belfour, out since the first game of the season with an odd injury to his right thumb, better get well soon. Also, the club had better hope that stud defenseman Bryan McCabe doesn't have a more serious injury to his left hand after blocking shot against the Penguins on Monday. He'll miss Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

Washington Capitals: What, two games and no major injuries? Usually, the Caps' IR is loaded by now. We should know a lot more about Jaromir Jagr & Co. by the time they finish their eight-game road trip at the end of October.

Western Conference
Anaheim Mighty Ducks: Keep your eye on rookie forward Stanislav Chistov, who totaled a goal and three assists in his NHL debut (a 4-3 win in St. Louis). At 5-10, 180 pounds, Chistov isn't going to run over opponents, but, believe me, this guy has game. If Chistov, along with fellow rookie Russian Alexei Smirnov and Andy McDonald, can produce some consist second-line scoring, the Ducks will have a lot more quack this season.

	Drury

Calgary Flames: Last year, they started fast, then faded, badly. This time, expect the Flames to come off the pace. Why? Well, it will take some time for the new faces to come together. But, if ex-Av Chris Drury can anchor a strong second line (no, not join Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy on the top line), the Flames will have a chance to break their six-year playoff drought. They'll also need Roman Turek to be better than just good. Probably, much better than good.

Chicago Blackhawks: Tony Amonte leaves… Eric Daze gets hurt… Theo Fleury steps out of line. I guess we'll see just how good a coach Brian Sutter can be. Last season, he should've won the Jack Adams for taking this team to the playoffs with inconsistent goaltending. If he does it again, he damn well better get that trophy.

Colorado Avalanche: Two games, one even strength goal. Hmmm. They had trouble scoring last season, but that was without Peter Forsberg. It couldn't happen again, could it? Nah.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Top pick Rick Nash, just 18, makes the Jackets fun to watch. But, it wasn't fun for GM Doug MacLean to watch Nash slam into the boards after missing a check on vet defenseman Phil Housley in his very first game. One can only imagine the thoughts that ran through MacLean's mind when Nash struggled to get to the bench. Luckily, for all concerned, it was just a cramp. By the way, Nash scored a goal on just his second NHL shot.

	Guerin

Dallas Stars: The bright side of Jason Arnott's high ankle sprain? The injury, which he suffered in their opener at Colorado, allowed Bill Guerin to slide onto Mike Modano's line, which is exactly where he should be. Personally, I don't think Arnott -- who doesn't play well on the wing -- fits well in Dallas. The club would be wise to deal him for a talented winger. That said, the Stars looked great in winning both ends of a back-to-backer against the Ducks and Coyotes.

Detroit Red Wings: The Wings look a little weird without Scotty Bowman and Steve Yzerman. Not bad weird. Just weird. By playoff time, Yzerman will be back and we'll be accustomed to Dave Lewis. Oh yeah, that Henrik Zetterberg kid looks like a keeper. (You already knew that, didn't you?)

Edmonton Oilers: I wish this fast, talented, young team was in the East for two reasons: First, I could see them a whole lot more; second, they'd have a much better chance of not only making the playoffs, but getting to the finals.

Los Angeles Kings: Someday, we're all going to realize just how good a player Jason Allison has become. Like most big forwards, he needed some time to develop. He was good in Boston, but he's really found his way in L.A. With a few breaks, Allison's team could win the Cup.

	Ronning

Minnesota Wild: Break up the Wild! After an unbeaten preseason, Minny opened with a blowout win over Boston and a tie in St. Louis. With crafty veteran center Cliff Ronning wheeling and dealing, super-skilled left winger Marian Gaborik might be ready to join the 40-goal club. One other thing, Jacques Lemaire is the best coach in this league.

Nashville Predators: At this point, I have no feeling about the Predators except sympathy for the Peter Bondra goal (you saw the highlight -- off the glass, off Mike Dunham's back, nothing but net). But, they make three stops in the New York area this week. So, check with me next week. OK?

Phoenix Coyotes: They didn't look good in losing to their first two games to Pacific Division rivals L.A. and Dallas. I know it's early, but those are points they can't afford to give away so easily. I'm wondering if they can be as good as they were last year. Hey, I'm just wondering…

St. Louis Blues: (Shaking my head) This team has problems. Their best player, Chris Pronger, is out until January, maybe longer. Their top goalie, Brent Johnson, hasn't donned pads since injuring his ankle in early September. And their No. 2 stopper, Fred Brathwaite, suffered a groin strain on Saturday. Enter … Austrian legend Reinhard Divis? Yeah, ol' Reinhard will be the starter until Johnson or Brathwaite return to action. Luckily, the Blues were able to call up the one and only Curtis Sanford (???) to back up Mr. Divis. Well, at least the Rams finally won a game.

San Jose Sharks: Just one thing… sign No. 1 goalie Evgeni Nabokov and defenseman Brad Stuart -- right now!!! Heck, I picked the Sharks to the win the Cup. But, not without Nabokov and Stuart.

Vancouver Canucks: Fedor Fedorov? No, I'm not kidding. Sergei's younger brother, Fedor, earned a spot on the Canucks. He's big and he's pretty good. And, he looks just like Sergei.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.