While it’s easy for us to point out what’s wrong in the NHL, I’d like to assure you there are good things going on in the league today.

We media types, especially those of us who keep an eye on the National Hockey League, have a tendency to sometimes dwell on the negatives.

When you see head hunters running wild, a claw-back of information on player injuries that defies comprehension, and a never-ending stream of reports about increasing attendance despite buildings exhibiting more empty seats than an imploded arena, it's not all that difficult.

Still there are good things going on in the NHL today and at the risk of being part of Mike Milbury's "pansyfication," here are a few that have caught our inquiring eye. There may be a quiz at the end, but we promise not to go into the stands and beat you with a shoe.

Goal Scoring on the Rise:

There might be a few too many power-play goals in this pile to suit us, but according to the NHL the 149 games played in October averaged 5.9 goals per game, a slight increase from the 5.7 of October 2007. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that power-play goals, which has fueled a lot of the scoring after the lockout, is virtually the same -- 265 in October 2008 vs. 264 in October 2007. The most promising note: the 588 even-strength goals over the past month were up about six per cent from the 555 in October last year.

Personally, I'd like to see the per-game average around 7-7.5, but any increase is better than a decline and the numbers indicate the game is finding a balance.

The Games are Reasonably Close:

In my younger years I used to enjoy when the Buffalo Sabres beat up on the expansion Washington Capitals by scores of 14-2, but as Bob Dylan sang: "I was so much older then, but I'm younger than that now."

Now I like a game where the outcome is in doubt to the end and so far this season that is the norm. The number of overtime games have almost doubled from a year ago. Of the 149 played, 40 (or 27 per cent) required overtime or a shootout to find a resolution. The number was 21 in October of 2007.

There's reason for some concern in that 21 games were decided in the shootout, up 91 per cent from the 11 shootout games in October 2007. That might be an indication that coaches are directing their charges to play for the secured point and possibly two in the shootout, rather than going all out in regulation time or the overtime period. But there is a small gem in some other numbers that indicates lead changes, the lack of which were a regular lament of some general managers last season, are back in vogue.

Of October's 149 games, the league maintains 70 featured lead changes and that's up 25 per cent from the 56 lead changes last October. There were 14 third-period comebacks during the October schedule, up 75 per cent from the eight in 2007.

I can't stress the importance of this. While it is sometimes fun to witness and even cheer a blowout, the true enjoyment of any sporting event is believing that your team has a chance to win even after falling behind. Remember all those years of first-goal wins in the NHL? That's a death sentence in terms of fan enjoyment. But seeing a team down by two or even three mount a comeback is entertainment.

The New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators combined for an October record of 22-14-7 after opening the season in Europe. The Rangers were 10-2-1 and led the league with 21 points.

I'm not sure that means anything, but it would at least indicate that sending teams from the East Coast to open the season in Europe might be wiser than sending a West Coast club. The thinking there is that the Anaheim Ducks struggled after a season of winning the Cup and then opening in Europe (on the other hand, the Ducks stayed home this year and still struggled to start the season).

A better idea? How about opening in Europe with East Coast teams and tempting China, Japan or other parts of southeast Asia with a few West Coast clubs? The winners come home and play a neutral site showdown series in Winnipeg and Chicago and then we all get back to normal, eh?

The Leafs Don't Totally Suck:

Legions of Leaf haters probably don't want to read that, but it's true and it says a lot for the value of lowered expectations. Look at it this way: when then-coach Paul Maurice said last season's team would contend for the Stanley Cup and then missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year, he was dismissed in part because of a media backlash associated with those high expectations.

In contrast, today's Leafs are playing reasonably well because they feel relatively little pressure. Which leads me to ask a simple question: if the Leafs do make the playoffs in a year when management said they don't have a top-six forward and the coach said winning doesn't matter, should Cliff Fletcher and Ron Wilson be fired for not living down to their pronouncements?

Around the Boards:

-- I have no idea whether or not Ottawa did the right thing in extending the contract of Daniel Alfredsson. Seems to me that commissioner Gary Bettman has this one right when he says shorter term deals would be a more prudent way to go, but it's a done deal and the really good thing you can say is that Alfredsson is the face of the Ottawa franchise. The fans love him, he loves the market and he's the kind of player you never have to worry about in terms of making a day-to-day commitment despite having contract security. It's not always wrong to give the people what they want.

-- It's possible that Teemu Selanne can break a mark I thought was relatively secure. Selanne's hat trick on October 29 was the 21st of his remarkable career and brings him within two of Jari Kurri's 23, long the record for Euro-born players. Selanne has played with a great many great set-up men in his time, but never with Wayne Gretzky and that makes Selanne's total all the more remarkable.

-- The Columbus Blue Jackets didn't move Rick Nash to centre to accommodate a shortage there; they did it because they thought a shake-up move would get him going. Nash has been among the biggest of some big-star disappointments so far this season. The move won't last, but coach Ken Hitchcock can't be blamed for trying. Attendance is dismal in Columbus and Nash is being counted on to be a difference maker.

-- How many of you had Nashville defenceman Shea Weber on your list of possible Norris Trophy candidates. Well, ahem, I did and he hasn't disappointed. Through Monday night, Weber (12 points) was second only to Montreal's Andrei Markov (13) in points scored by defencemen, was first in goals (five), was a solid plus-5, had two power-play goals and a game winner and still hits like a truck. He also averages 26.5 shifts per game, is second on his team in scoring behind winger J.P. Dumont and has a team many thought would be an also-ran contending for a playoff spot. What's not to like?

-- I can't speak for the New York Rangers, but Brendan Shanahan can play on my team at 39-40 or until he says he just can't do it anymore. He's too great a player to be having someone else make the decision for him.