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The first month of the NHL season produced plenty of surprises – both pleasant and unpleasant – in the nets across North America.

The most jarring start, good or bad, was produced by new Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson. After backing up in Chicago and Florida, he went to Colorado with a clear shot at starting.

He is 10-3-2 with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage for a team widely expected to miss the playoffs. His 10 victories in October tied the NHL record for most victories in that month and he was named the league’s “first star” for the month.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault called Anderson “the best player in the NHL right now” during that streak. Anderson just lost back-to-back starts for the Avalanche, but he still stopped 60 of 66 shots in the process.

His sturdy work at Florida (where he posted .924 and .935 save percentages in two seasons) suggests that he will remain a solid performer as the Western Conference catches up with Colorado. He offers a massive upgrade over Petr Budaj, who coincidentally was felled by the swine flu last month.

Here are five more pleasant goaltending surprises during the season’s first month:

Ryan Miller, Sabres: He suffered his first regulation time loss in his last appearance, snapping an 8-0-1 run that started his season. His 1.69 GAA and .941 save percentage are appreciably better than his career norms. Is this the season he finally puts it all together? Current back-up Patrick Lalime is shaky, so Miller will continue in his traditional workhorse role.

“He's the stability back there. He's the guy,” Sabres defenseman Craig Rivet said. “Every guy on this team has said the same thing 50 times already this year: When he's on his game, we're going to be a really hard team to beat. He gives us our confidence, and he's playing fantastic hockey for us right now.”

Ilya Brzyzgalov, Coyotes: Many of wrote off this team for this season, due to its ownership uncertainty. But new coach Dave Tippett has convinced this team to embraces its underdog persona. Phoenix is playing great in front of the veteran Brzyzgalov, who has generally been a high save percentage goaltender. He has a 1.88 GAA and a .927 save percentage so far this season. He was named the NHL’s “third star” for October.

Marty Turco, Stars: He plunged toward the end of many fantasy drafts after he (and the entire Dallas team) took a drive last season. His .898 save percentage and 2.81 GAA more than offset his 33 victories. But this year his GAA is down to 2.33 and his save percentage is up to .913. The Stars have embraced the philosophies of new coach Marc Crawford and now the team is finally getting healthier. Turco has shaken the flu bug himself.

Jonathan Quick, Kings: He was a solid in the second half of last season, giving him a chance to edge Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier for the job this season. Most experts picked LA to miss the playoffs this season, but the Kings are tearing up the Western Conference. That has helped Quick post an early 9-3-2 record with a 2.62 GAA.

Ondrej Pavelec, Thrashers: With Kari Lehtonen shut down for still more surgical repairs on his back, Pavelec took charge in Atlanta. After playing in just 19 games during his first two NHL seasons, he played 10 times early on this season – posting a 5-3-1 record with a 2.75 GAA.

And here are five unpleasant surprises in the nets for October:

Cam Ward, Hurricanes: Carolina has been horrible. How much of that is Ward’s fault? Some, for sure, but he is also a victim of bad circumstances as the Canes struggled overall. He fell into an eight-game losing streak, raising his GAA to 2.99 and lowering his save percentage to .899. Last season he had a 2.44 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

Carey Price, Canadiens: Was GM Bob Gainey’s fair-haired boy on the trade block this season? The club shot down that speculation, but Price played his way into a back-up role last month. His 3.63 GAA is the worst among goaltenders with at least nine appearances this season. His .883 save percentage ranked near the bottom as well.

Steve Mason, Blue Jackets: He finished remarkably well last season. He was 33-20-7 overall, with a 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage. Those numbers, plus coach Ken Hitchcock’s sturdy defensive system, made him a good bet for this season. But his 3.38 GAA and .889 save percentage rank near the bottom among NHL starters.

Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames: A lot of figured Mike Keenan’s dismissal would solve his problems, since Iron Mike’s willy-nilly defensive system left Miikka on his own too much. Sure Brent Sutter would restore order, right? Well, maybe . . . but Kiprusoff’s 3.00 GAA and .900 save percentage are less than ordinary.

Roberto Luongo, Canucks: This season was not the first time he started poorly. But then he suffered a rib injury, tried to play through it and aggravated it. So despite playing for a powerhouse team, he is 6-6 with a 2.79 GAA and a .902 save percentage. For a supposed top five goaltender, that’s not good enough. While he has been out, back-up Andrew Raycroft has posted scary numbers (1.52 GAA, .937 save percentage).

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