Nathan MacKinnon shoots Jonathan Quick. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.
Isn’t hockey a game of numbers? So, with that in mind, consider this: Starting tonight, the NHL will have at least one game a day for the next 116 consecutive days. Twenty-seven of those days and nights will contain double digit numbers. Twice each 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 those 116 days, 100 will be a roll of five games or more.
Just over three months after the NHL has finished a season like no other, it starts another season like no other. It’s getting chaotic. It will be unpredictable. But most of all, it will be great. Highly paid athletes playing a game can’t even get close to wiping out everything lost in the COVID-19 epidemic, but for at least a few hours before every night of the next 116 and beyond. lovers of this game with a distraction from the real events and a reason to cheer. We haven’t had many of them in the last 10 months so let’s get them when we can get them.
Will there be positive tests? Of course. Will the NHL’s best-conceived plans run into some bumps along the way? No doubt. Are there any chances of outbreaks of the virus occurring 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 are we going to see on the ice? Well, we’re going to see far fewer goals called backs from offside violations with the rule change that causes a player’s skate to run down the plane of the blueline, so that’s really good. We will see an absolutely blistering pace for each team and we will likely see quite a bit of misery as teams will play each of their opponents at least eight times during the regular season. And aside from placing the Ottawa Senators in seventh place – which isn’t even certain – good luck picking out that North Division. 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 legitimate contenders in the Hurricanes and 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 are a year away from winning the cup itself.
Increasing rivalry, less travel and intra-division play all the way to the semi-finals will make a run of seven matches between opponents seem like a walk in the park. By the time 16 teams surviving this obstacle course reach the postseason in mid-May, they have already played 56 playoff games to reach that point. Think about how important each regular season game is in the NHL in a regular 82-game season. You just can’t take a night off against anyone. Ever. Now that the scheme has been reduced to 56 games, you’ve basically increased the importance of each of those games by 30 percent. A GM said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was only a 10-point difference between first and sixth place in his division.
And the talent. Oh, the talent. The level of skill and speed in the game is the highest it has ever been. Of the top 10 scorers in the NHL last season, six were under 25. Connor McDavid is at the height of his strength, as is Auston Matthews, who will face each other eight times this season. Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabers and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, two of the competition’s rising stars, will also see a lot of each other. 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 get even better. Speaking of rookies from Alexis Lafreniere to Kirill Kaprizov to K’Andre Miller to Tim Stutzle, they’ll be another thrilling race for the Calder Trophy.
So if the players can’t take the nights off, neither can we. It’s usually good advice to keep up with yourself, but not this season. Don’t look away for a second, because you’re bound to miss out on something very, very good. It’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up.
– Ken Campbell
Power Rankings by Ryan Kennedy
1. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar lead a super-charged squad with a Stanley Cup up their sleeve. The top-heavy division also allows them to feast on smaller enemies.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: Vegas joined the Avs atop the West and added a star blueliner in Alex Pietrangelo, while already having one of the best lineups in the league. Also watch out for Shea Theodore.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: What will the champions do without the injured Nikita Kucherov? A comeback from Steven Stamkos could be the tonic. The bolts are loaded at any position.
4. Carolina Hurricanes: Goaltending may be streaky, but the Canes have a powerful attack led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, plus an enviable BlueLine corps that rolls deep.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart is the real deal in net, while the Flyers put exciting players in every position in front of him. Look for continued growth from Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny.
6. St. Louis Blues: Yes, they took some blows off-season, but Ryan O’Reilly, Torey Krug and the recently added Mike Hoffman make this team a legitimate threat.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The ceiling for Auston Matthews continues to expand and Toronto will have no problems 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 he will have a fantastic skill ahead of him. The fun storyline: what’s Zdeno Chara left in the tank?
9. Vancouver Canucks: If Thatcher Demko is the real deal in the net (and he probably is) then the Canucks will be a force. Look for great things from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
10. Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand’s premature absence of injuries will hurt the B’s outside the gate, but expect significant charges on their return. Great year for Charlie McAvoy.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre-Luc Dubois is on the team – for now – and the Jackets are a pretty well-oiled machine right now. Liam Foudy will be a fun rookie to watch.
12. Nashville Predators: Led by Roman Josi, the Nashville defense will be excellent as always. But can they keep the goalkeepers and the offense in the Central stand?
13. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the most explosive assault weapons in the world, but can this team keep the puck 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 climb. Jacob Markstrom strengthens the goalkeeper position.
15. New York Islanders: Locking up Matt Bar was crucial, of course, when he stirs the drink on Long Island. They are scarier in the playoffs than in the regular season, but they will have to get there first.
16. Dallas Stars: Last year’s bubble runners-up have some serious injuries to overcome, most notably Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop. They need Miro Heiskanen early on to be of Norris caliber.
17. Montreal Canadiens: possibly the largest X-factor team in the league; if the Habs’ kids are really ready for primetime, they’ll be hard to beat. If not, it’s the Carey Price Show again.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins: The pens are going the wrong way, although you are never out of the chase when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are around. Is Tristan Jarry ready for his close-up?
19. Buffalo Sabers: Hope abounds here and the Sabers finally have a crew to join Jack Eichel. Taylor Hall has a lot of motivation, while Eric Staal could be a playoff whisperer.
20. New York Rangers: They are going to be fun and they will be involved in many goals – in both nets. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere? Yes, that is Broadway approved.
21. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck is the backbone and hopefully he gets a little more help this year. Josh Morrissey needs a year of recovery and the pressure is on Patrik Laine.
22. Minnesota Wild: It’s finally time for Kirill Kaprizov! But now the Wild needs some top six centers. In any case, the defense will be solid thanks to Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.
23. Florida Panthers: There are a lot of cool things about the Cats, starting with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. But can Sergei Bobrovsky bounce back into the net? That’s a long contract.
24. Arizona Coyotes: In any case, the Yotes will have very good keepers and some interesting assault weapons. But the new GM Bill Armstrong has his job for him.
25. Ottawa Senators: Like the Rangers (but without Panarin), the Sens will be a lot of fun to watch thanks to a bunch of talented kids. Matt Murray is also trying to reboot his career.
26. Los Angeles Kings: Winning the Battle of California is not what it used to be, but the Kings have some great kids on their way and Anze Kopitar provides stability up front.
27. New Jersey Devils: They won’t be great, but at least they will be better. A PK Subban bounceback is crucial and maybe newcomer Ryan Murray will help with that.
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 attack, while Thomas Greiss will help in the net.
29. San Jose Sharks: The defense is getting old, the goaltending is rough and the next wave hasn’t made a dent yet. Heck, the Sharks aren’t even playing in their own state right now.
30. Anaheim Ducks: While the future looks bright (Hello, Trevor Zegras), it’s not there 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 starters in the net. This could be a very long season for Chicago fans; kind of a turn-back-the-clock thing.