Nathan MacKinnon shoots Jonathan Quick. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.
Hockey is a numbers game, right? So with that in mind, keep that in mind: starting tonight, the NHL will have at least one game a day for the next 116 consecutive days. Twenty-seven of these days and nights will feature a number of double-digit games. Twice there will be 15 games and 13 games, three times there will be 14, five times there will be 12, eight times there will be 11 and seven times there will be 10. Of these 116 days, 100 d ‘they will have a docket of five games or more.
Just over three months after the NHL ended one season like no other, another season begins like no other. It will be chaotic. It will be unpredictable. But most of all, it will be wonderful. Highly paid athletes who play a game may not even be on the verge of eradicating everything that has been lost by the COVID-19 epidemic, but for at least a couple of hours for each of the next ones. 116 and beyond, can provide for those who love. this game with a fun of real world events and a reason to cheer up. We haven’t had many in the last ten months, so let’s take them when we can get them.
Will there be positive evidence? Of couse. Will the NHL’s best-laid plans get to a couple of potholes along the way? Certainly. Is there a good chance there are virus outbreaks among NHL teams? Absolutely. But Major League Baseball and the National Football League have been able to play their seasons to the end, so there’s no reason to believe the NHL won’t do the same.
So what will we see about ice? Well, we’ll see far fewer goals ruled out for offside infractions with the rule change allowing a player’s skate to be along the blueline’s plane, so that’s really good. We’ll see an absolutely shocking pace for each team and we’ll probably see a bit of unpleasantness, as the teams will play each of their opponents at least eight times during the regular season. And beyond placing the Ottawa senators in seventh place – and that’s not even a sure thing – good luck ranking this northern division. In the east, at least one of the capitals, flyers, bruins, penguins and islanders will miss the playoffs. The Central has the defending champion of the Stanley Cup and the legitimate candidates for the Hurricanes and the Blue Jackets and in the West the champion awaiting the avalanche, with the most deadly and impressive group of young talents in the league, the former Misfits of Las Vegas and the Blues. , who have a year to win the Cup themselves.
Reduced rivalries, reduced travel and intradivisional play until the semi-finals will make a series of seven games between opponents look like a walk in the park. When 16 teams that survive this hurdle race reach the postseason in mid-May, they will have already played 56 playoff games to get to that point. Think about how important every regular season game in the NHL is in a normal 82-game season. You just can’t take a night off against anyone. Always. Well, with the schedule reduced to 56 games, you’ve basically increased the importance of each of those games by 30 percent. One GM said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was only a ten-point difference between first and sixth place in his division.
And talent. Ah, the talent. The skill level and speed of the game is the highest it has ever been. Of the top ten NHL scorers last season, six were under 25. Connor McDavid is up to his powers, as is Auston Matthews, who will face eight times this season. Jack Eichel of Buffalo Sabers and Brayden Point of Tampa Bay Lightning, two of the league’s rising stars, will also be seen a lot. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, two of the most dynamic young defenders the league has seen in years, will no doubt build on their rookie seasons and improve even more. And speaking of rookies, from Alexis Lafreniere to Kirill Kaprizov to K’Andre Miller to Tim Stutzle, they will be making an exciting new race for the Calder Trophy.
So if players can’t take any free nights, neither can we. It’s usually good advice to keep up, but not this season. Don’t look away for a second because you’re sure to miss something really, really good. It will be a wild journey, so shut up.
– Ken Campbell
Power Rankings by Ryan Kennedy
1. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar lead an overloaded team with a Stanley Cup in sight. The heavier division will allow them to enjoy smaller enemies as well.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: Joining the Avs in the west, Vegas added a blueliner star to Alex Pietrangelo, while already having one of the best lineups in the league. Watch out for Shea Theodore as well.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: What will the champions do without the injured Nikita Kucherov? A return from Steven Stamkos may be the tonic. The screws are loaded in all positions.
4. Carolina Hurricanes: Goalkeepers can be striped, but the canes have a powerful attack led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, in addition to an enviable bluesy body that sinks deep.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart is the real business on the net, while the Flyers bring exciting players to all positions in front of him. Look for the continued growth of Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny.
6. St. Louis Blues: Yes, they received a few body blows during the offseason, but Ryan O’Reilly, Torey Krug and newly added Mike Hoffman make this team a legitimate threat.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews ’roof continues to widen and Toronto will have no trouble scoring goals. But can goalkeeper Frederik Andersen get off to a good start?
8. Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov is ready to be The Guy in net and will have a fantastic skill up front. The funny story: What’s left for Zdeno Chara in the tank?
9. Vancouver Canucks: If Thatcher Demko is the real business on the net (and probably is), the Canucks will be a force. Look for great things from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
10. Boston Bruins: Early injury absences from David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will hurt the Bs outside the gate, but they expect a significant charge on their return. Great year for Charlie McAvoy.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre-Luc Dubois is part of the team – for now – and the Jackets are a pretty fat machine right now. Liam Foudy will be a fun rookie to watch.
12. Nashville Predators: Led by Roman Josi, Nashville’s defense will be excellent as always. But can they get the goal and offense to stay in the center?
13. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the most explosive offensive weapons in the world, but can this team also keep the record out of their own net?
14. Calgary Flames: The rebound years of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are crucial, but at least Matthew Tkachuk continues his rise. Jacob Markstrom consolidates the goalkeeper’s position.
15. New York Islanders: Closing Matt Barzal was obviously crucial as he stirred the drink on Long Island. They’re scarier in the playoffs than the regular season, but they’ll have to get there first.
16. Dallas Stars: Last year’s bubble runners-up have some hard-to-overcome injuries, most notably Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop. They will need Miro Heiskanen to have the Norris caliber in the beginning.
17. Montreal Canadiens: Possibly the largest X-Factor team in the league; if the Habs kids are really ready for the first hour, they will be hard to beat. If not, it’s back to the Carey Price Show.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins: Feathers are tending in the wrong direction, even though you’re never out hunting when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are nearby. Is Tristan Jarry ready for his foreground?
19. Buffer Sabers: Hope is very high here and the Sabers finally have a crew to raise Jack Eichel. Taylor Hall has a lot of motivation, while Eric Staal could be a playoff whisperer.
20. New York Rangers: They will be fun and participate in many goals, in both networks. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere? Yes, it is approved by Broadway.
21. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck is the backbone and hopefully this year he will get more help. Josh Morrissey needs a rebound year and the pressure is on Patrik Laine.
22. Minnesota Wild: It’s finally Kirill Kaprizov’s turn! But now the savages need some of the first six centers. At the very least, the defense will be solid thanks to Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.
23. Florida Panthers: There’s a lot to like about the Cats, starting with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. But can Sergei Bobrovsky return to the net? It’s a long contract.
24. Arizona Coyotes: At the very least, the Yotes will have very good targets and some interesting offensive weapons. But new GM Bill Armstrong has cut back on his job.
25. Ottawa Senators: Like the Rangers (but without a Panarin), the Sens will be a lot of fun to watch thanks to a bunch of talented kids. Matt Murray is also trying to restart his career.
26. Los Angeles Kings: Winning the Battle of California is not what it used to be, but the kings have some fantastic kids and Anze Kopitar provides stability up front.
27. New Jersey Devils: They won’t be great, but at least they’ll be better. A PK Subban rebound is crucial and maybe newcomer Ryan Murray will help in that effort.
28. Detroit Red Wings: Like the devils, the wings will be less tragic than before, but they almost have to be. Dylan Larkin will lead the charge, while Thomas Greiss will help the network.
29. San Jose Sharks: The defense is getting old, the goal is tough and the next wave has yet to make any dock. Heck, sharks aren’t even playing in their own state.
30. Anaheim Ducks: While the future looks promising (hello, Trevor Zegras), it’s not here yet, which means another long season for goalkeeper John Gibson and veteran Ryan Getzlaf.
31. Chicago Blackhawks: No Jonathan Toews, No Kirby Dach and No Real Headlines on the Net. This could be a very long season for Chicago fans; kind of back.