Nathan MacKinnon shoots at Jonathan Quick. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez USA TODAY Sports.
Hockey is a game of numbers, right? So keep that in mind: As of tonight, the NHL will have at least one game a day for the next 116 consecutive days. Twenty-seven of those days and nights contain double-digit games. Twice each there will be 15 matches and 13 matches, three times it will be 14, five times it will be 12, eight times there will be 11 and seven times there will be 10. Of the 116 days, 100 of them will be a dossier of five games or more.
A little over three months after the NHL was a season like no other, it’s starting another season like no other. It will be chaotic. It will be unpredictable. But most of all, it will be great. Many well-paid athletes who play a match may not even get around to eradicating everything lost through the COVID-19 epidemic, but for at least a few hours for each night of the next 116 and beyond , it can offer lovers this game with a distraction from the actual events and a reason to rejoice. We haven’t had much of it in the last ten months, so let’s take it if we can get it.
Will there be positive tests? Natural. Will the NHL’s best plans hit some bumps along the way? Without a doubt. Is there a good chance the virus will break out among NHL teams? Absolutely. But Major League Baseball and the National Football League have been able to play their seasons to date, so there is no reason to believe the NHL will not do the same.
What are we going to see on the ice then? Well, we’ll see far fewer goals due to offensive fouls, with the rule change causing a player’s skate to run along the level of the blueline, so that’s really good. We will see a dazzling pace for each team, and we will probably see a bit nasty as the teams will play at least eight times during the regular season against their opponents. And besides putting the Ottawa Senators in seventh place – and that’s not even a sure thing – congratulations on clearing the North Division. Over in the East, at least one of the Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Penguins and Islanders will miss the playoffs. The Central has the defending Stanley Cup champion and legal contenders in the Hurricanes and the Blue Jackets, and the West has the champion-in-waiting avalanche, with the league’s most deadly and impressive group of young talent, the former Misfits in Vegas and the Blues. , who was removed one year to win the Cup himself.
Set-up rivalries, reduced travel and intradivisional play until the semi-finals will make a series of seven matches between opponents look like a walk in the park. By the time 16 teams surviving this obstacle course reach the season by mid-May, they will have already played 56 playoffs to get to that point. Think about how important every game in the regular season in the NHL is in a normal 82-game season. You simply can not take a night off on someone. Ever. Well, with the schedule reduced to 56 games, you basically increased the importance of each of the games by 30 percent. One GM said he would not be surprised if there is only a ten point difference between first and sixth place in his division.
And the talent. Oh, the talent. The skill and speed in the game is the highest it has ever been. Of the top ten scorers in the NHL last season, six of them were under 25 years old. Connor McDavid is at the peak of his powers, as is Auston Matthews, who will face eight times this season. Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabers and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, two of the league’s rising stars, will also see an awful lot of each other. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, two of the most dynamic young defenders the league has seen in years, will undoubtedly build on their rookie season and get even better. Speaking of rookies, from Alexis Lafreniere to Kirill Kaprizov to K’Andre Miller to Tim Stutzle, they’ll make another exciting race for the Calder Trophy.
So, if the players can take no nights off, neither can we. It’s usually good advice to make yourself comfortable, but not this season. Do not look away for a moment, because you are really going to miss very much. It’s going to be a wild ride, so fast.
– Ken Campbell
Power Rankings by Ryan Kennedy
Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar lead a super-laden group with a Stanley Cup in their weight. Top-heavy divisions will also make them feast on fewer enemies.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: Vegas has joined the Avs at the top of the West, and Vegas has added a stellar blueliner in Alex Pietrangelo, while already boasting one of the best in the leagues. See also Shea Theodore.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: What would the champions do without the injured Nikita Kucherov? A return of Steven Stamkos is perhaps the tonic. The bolts are loaded at each position.
4. Carolina Hurricanes: Goals may be syrupy, but the Canes led a powerful attack by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, plus an enviable blueline corps that rolls deep.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart is a real thing in the net, while the Flyers bring exciting players in every position ahead of him. Look for continued growth of Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny.
6. St. Louis Blues: Yes, they did hit some body blows in the off-season, but Ryan O’Reilly, Torey Krug and the recently added Mike Hoffman make this team a legal threat.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs: the ceiling for Auston Matthews continues to expand and Toronto will have no trouble scoring goals. But can goalkeeper Frederik Andersen start well?
8. Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov is ready to be The Guy in the net and he will have fantastic skills ahead of him. The fun storyline: What does Zdeno Chara have left in the tank?
9. Vancouver Canucks: If Thatcher Demko is the right deal in net (and he probably is), then the Canucks are a force. Looking for great stuff from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
10. Boston Bruins: Absence of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand from early injuries will hurt the Bs outside the gate, but they will expect a substantial charge after their return. Big year for Charlie McAvoy.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre-Luc Dubois is in the team for the time being and the Jackets are a pretty well oiled machine at this point. 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 the offense to keep up in the Central?
13. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the most explosive attacking weapons in the world, but can this team also keep the bag out of their own net?
14. Calgary Flames: Rebound years of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are crucial, but at least Matthew Tkachuk continues. Jacob Markstrom strengthens the goalkeeper position.
15. New York Islanders locked up: Matt Barzal locked up was extremely necessary because he was stirring the liquor on Long Island. They are more afraid of the play-offs than the regular season – but they will have to get there first.
16. Dallas Stars: The runners-up of last year’s bubble have some rough injuries to overcome, especially Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop. They will need Miro Heiskanen to be early in Norris caliber.
17. Montreal Canadiens: possibly the biggest X-factor team in the league; if the kids of the Habs are really ready for the first time, it will be hard to beat. If not, this is the Carey Price Show again.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins: The Belly pulls in the wrong direction, though you’ll never be out hunting if Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are there. Is Tristan Jarry ready for his close-up?
19. Buffalo Sabers: Hope is very much available here and the Sabers finally have a crew to expand Jack Eichel. Taylor Hall has a lot of motivation, while Eric Staal can be a play-off whisperer.
20. New York Rangers: they are going to be nice and involved in a lot of goals – in both nets. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere? Yep, that’s approved by Broadway.
21. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck is the backbone and hopefully he gets more help this year. Josh Morrissey needs a rebound year and the pressure is on Patrik Laine.
22. Minnesota Wild: it’s finally Kirill Kaprizov time! But now the Wild needs some top-six centers. The defense will at least 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 Alexander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. But can Sergei Bobrovsky jump back into the net? It’s a long contract.
24. Arizona Coyotes: At least the Yotes will have very good goals and interesting offensive weapons. But the new GM Bill Armstrong’s work is being cut out for him.
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 start his career again.
26. Los Angeles Kings: Winning the Battle of California is not what it used to be, but the Kings have some amazing kids coming up, and Anze Kopitar offers stability up front.
27. New Jersey Devils: They will not be great, but at least they will be better. A bounce back from PK Subban is crucial, and perhaps newcomer Ryan Murray will help.
28. Detroit Red Wings: Just like the Devils, the Wings will be less tragic than before, but it almost has to be. Dylan Larkin leads the charge, while Thomas Greiss will assist in the net.
29. San Jose Sharks: The defense is getting old, the goalkeeping is rough and the next wave has not yet made a dive. Heck, the Sharks don’t even play 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 beginners in the net. It could be a very long season for Chicago fans; kind of a turn-the-clock thing.