Puck drops tomorrow on 4 fronts
Montreal at Toronto, Calgary at Vancouver, Anaheim at San Jose and Washington raises the banner against Boston.
Will they repeat? Will Vegas show last year wasn’t a fluke?
Off the Ice, NHL Executive committee give the recommendation to Seattle as the 32nd franchise. Full board excepted to vote December 3 and 4
The NHL should have scheduled the Penguins for Washington’s home opener since Pittsburgh had knocked the Capitals out of the playoffs previously on multiple occasions.
And here we go again with goons, er idiots to be more precise, like Tom Wilson. No wonder parents are reluctant to put their kids in minor hockey:
NHL actually got it right this time. 20 game suspension, which according to reports is equal to about 1.3 million in lost wages.
I know that would make me change my ways, but who knows.
NHL got it right, fine, but Wilson is still an idiot.
No argument here
Leafs get off on the right foot topping the Habs 3-2 in OT. Matthews with a pair including the winner. Tavares gets his first regular season Leaf goal too.
Capitals with no apparent Stanley Cup hangover after dismantling the Bruins 7-0.
Habs are 2nd in the division after tonight lol…the only time they’ll likely hold a playoff spot all season:)
The Oilers squeaked by a team in Cologne Germany .
The Pros no matter where are just one step above the rest .
Love that the NHL ( Canadian mentality maybe ) is willing to show the world like Soccer that there is a small line really between them .
That small line can get you lot’s of gravy if your on the right side of it ; at the right time and the right place whatever sport you play .
Wish people would understand that when it comes to the CFL and NFL .
Took the young gun Leafs OT to get the extra point ?
Leafs 1 and 1 after dropping a 5-3 decision to the Sens.
Matthews gets his third. In Chicago tonight.
Young guns struggle for an OT win against the Habs and then a loss to the Sens to start the season.
Not a good way to start the season.
First batch of NHL reg. season games are essentially glorified exhibitions. When one teams goes all-out and the other plays soft to protect against injuries, strains, etc. then talk will happen and slight changes will be made.
Winnipeg is crazy-town. On many nights the Jets look like the flying frenchmen habs of the mid 1970s, or their predecessors the Hull-Hedberg-Nilson Jets of the WHA - then other nights they appear sleepy, poorly coached and multi-excused
Leafs will be Top 8, perhaps top 4 when the dust clears at end of season. Just too much horsepower and way above average coaching to falter like typical Leaf squads of yore.
Oilers are the big question mark. Such great talents - loaded up and rarin’ to go, professional NHL coaching, slightly above average goal-tending but something always appears missing. Perhaps its Gretzky?
Senators & Habs will be scrap heapers to be sure. Won’t drop to 10 or 12 wins - thats almost impossible given the NHL schedule and # of games certain opponents take off to re-charge batteries. But 25 to 32 wins is not out of the question for either or both of these mope teams.
Canucks might be the big treat in 2019, tons of promising youngsters coming out of their shells. No Sedins. Average goal-tending might prevent them from entering Top 16.
Flames might be slight favourites to capture a playoff spot - prolly 1st round ejectees!
Jets are exciting and well-run. Paul Maurice is an average NHL coach with little upside or downside. Some of his coaching techniques appear questionable - especially the constant line-juggling! Don’t think there’s much of a chance Jets roll to 115 pts - but 96 to 102 isn’t out of the question. Neither is 90 to 95 if they hit a run of injuries or Hellybuyck suddenly morphs into a hobo.
Time will tell on your analysis of said teams.
Sens and Habs may be sleepers and not “mopes? as you have them pegged.
Tavares with his first hat trick as a Leaf and Reily with the OT winner is the Leafs down the Blackhawks in a wild one 7-6.
Looked like vintage 80s era hockey out there especially in the thrid.
Still concerned of our D and goaltending depth. Losing both Mcilheny and Pickard on waiver will bite us down the road IMO.
D and goaltending?
Did either team play with either one of those facets?!
That Leafs - Hawks game was a really fun one to watch - my first game this season having been away on a ‘Seminar at Sea’ last week. There was very little hockey on the TV stations we could get on the ship, just the odd brief highlight package and rundown of the scores. It was all NFL, soccer and baseball. I did see one CFL ad on ESPN2 Caribbean though but never did come across any CFL coverage or CFL scores at all.
Matthews off to a red hot start for the Buds with 5 goals and 8 points in just 3 games - and that is without his usual sidekick Nylander - who is still holding out. Hopefully they’ll get him back in the lineup soon.
I’m guessing Leafs are going to be involved in alot of shootouts like last night this year - because their defence still looks pretty shakey and too passive at times.
TSN’s Chris Cuthbert was able to use some football terminology he’s been used to using over the summer on CFL telecasts as he did the play-by-play of the Leafs game last night. More than once he said ‘touchdown’ as the Leafs racked up another seven goal game last night in Dallas.
Matthews and Tavares are just just lighting it up with two goals each last night and a combined 13 goals through the first four games of the season. Crazy!
Don’t think there’s any doubt Auston Matthews will supercede Patrik Laine in the goals-scored department. Matthews already a far better set-up (assists) and possession guy than the moody Jets winger.
Laine has a great shot - and he has a unique ability to find position to get his ultra-fast shots away - - - BUT - and its a BIG BUT - his motivation during an 82 game wearing NHL season comes into question. Laine had 43 goals locked up but shoulda had 47/48 had he not gone into shutdown mode the last few games of 2017/18 season.
He was also fairly quiet in the playoffs - although not quite as brutally quiet as his game buddy Nikolai Ehlers - who was silent during the playoffs.
Combine Laine’s lack of sustained motivation plus NHL defenders learning how to lock him down - I don’t see Laine even close to Matthews (barring injuries) in the goals or pints dept. - based on each dude playing 80 games I project Matthews to 45 goals & 49 helpers for 94 pts.
As for Laine - he’ll be fortunate to pot 35 w/ 27/28 assists for 63 pts.
Based on this comparison alone - Leafs will make final 4 this season, playoff-wise.
Jets will be fortunate to make playoffs by 1 to 4 pts - and may easily be 1st round playoff fodder!
Nice.
Now, when he starts calling each single goal in hockey a ‘rouge’ I’ll be really impressed. 
I’m waiting for him to use the term “Goal Line Stand” - never heard that one in hockey. Still hope - Rod Black might get conscripted to do some NHL - if there’s a flu epidemic!