Paying attention solely to the commotion of distraught fans and critics claiming the sky is falling in the nation's capital, a bystander would come to the conclusion that the Ottawa Senators must be somewhere near the bottom of the league a month and a half into the season.
They're not, though. Quite the opposite.
The Senators currently hold one of the eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. And they're actually second in the Atlantic Division.
Three games above .500 halfway through November, their record would have you think everything's going as planned. But the skeptics are right.