The NHL season is fast approaching, with the season-opening doubleheader airing Tuesday night on ESPN. The New York Rangers will host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 ET, while the Los Angeles Kings will host the Vegas Golden Knights at 10 ET.
For those who love analytics, all 32 previews, starting Monday, have you covered, down to the very in-depth. myself? We flew in for seasonal 30,000 foot views. These five stick in my mind.
Will the Islanders make the playoffs?
The 2021-22 season has been a difficult season for the island. Qualifying for his second Conference Finals in Game 7 in 2021, losing to eventual Cup winners by one goal behind him, his third straight season after finishing his season in the playoffs. , the Isles staged a rough campaign that looked from the outside. Starting with a very long road trip before the new barn opened, the COVID outbreak and injuries plagued the team.
However, the Isles ended the season with an 18-11-3 record. The team finished 23rd in the league last season and has scoring concerns to deal with, but has one of the best goalkeepers in his duo: Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. Sorokin’s save percentage was . 925, making him the second goaltender to appear in 10 or more games in the regular season (Vezina he is behind trophy winner Igor He Shesterkin). Very impressive for a goalkeeper for a team that didn’t make it to the playoffs. 911 in his 31 games. No team can go anywhere without strong goaltending. The islanders have a great tandem.
On the scoring side, he hopes to secure some stability with an eight-year, $73.2 million extension to franchise center Matthew Bazal, and hope the club will spark under new bench boss Lane Lambert. I’m here.
Besides, if Fisherman’s sweaters are actually back in reverse retro form this season, how could they possibly lose?
Will this be the year a Canadian team finally wins the Stanley Cup?
When was the last Canadian team to win? In 1993, Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens beat Wayne Gretzky and the Kings. have reached the Stanley Cup finals, but no team has lifted the most beautiful trophy in sport.
Last season, the Edmonton Oilers advanced to the quarter-finals after winning in Alberta in the second round, while the Toronto Maple Leafs lost by one goal in Game 7 to the Lightning in the first round.
Heading into this season, despite goaltending being a question mark, Toronto’s teams are still in “cup or bust” mode (insert “first round” joke here). The Ottawa Senators have had one of his biggest offseason grow-ups, at least on paper, adding a key piece. Alex Devlincat, Claude Giroud and Tim Statzl could be his one of the best lines in the NHL this season. The Calgary Flames have had one of his wildest summers in NHL history, losing two of his superstars Jonny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk but being joined by Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weeger. rice field.
Speaking of the Oilers, they added Jack Campbell to their goalie. Jack Campbell could benefit from a change of circumstances, and Dynamite he still has his core.
The season is off to a good start for the Canadian team and certainly Canadian hockey fans are asking:
Are the Rangers frontrunners for the Stanley Cup?
A few questions for the blueshirts after arriving as a legitimate playoff force last season:
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Will they be able to keep this momentum going into the long playoffs and into this season?
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Are the surprise elements gone?
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Will the team figure out a way to shut down Chris Crider with a power play and resolve Shestakin?
The addition of Vincent Trocek is a good one, and based on preseason play, he seems like a good fit. Questions remain about the growth of Alexis Lafrenière and Capo Kakko, but each postseason has been impressive. I’m not sure if it’s a playoff team. Of course, it always starts between the pipes, with the extant Vezina his trophy winner as their backbone.
goal, goal, goal
The NHL saw a significant increase in scoring in 2021-22 with 6.3 goals per game (the highest in 26 years).Regular season ends Highest scoring weekend in NHL historyand that momentum continued in the playoffs (including a 9–6 game at the Battle of Alberta, which marked the fourth-most goals total in a playoff game in league history).
League MVP Ouston Matthews marked the first 60-goal season (and first by an American-born player) since the 2011-12 season, and many are betting he will do it again. Last season felt like it cemented the high-scoring era of hockey that many fans absolutely loved, and there’s no reason to think it’ll slow down in 2022-23.
History is being made again this season. After scoring 50 goals last season, Alex his Ovechkin remains at 780 all-time in his career, knocking on the door of the great Gordy his Howe (801). Ovechkin could catch him by December at current rates. In another 50-goal campaign, he made 830, 64 off Gretzky’s record.
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Greg Wyshynski takes fans through the chaos of the NHL offseason, from blockbuster trades to record overtime.
Venue in February
I chose February in particular for three reasons. With All-Star Weekend being in South Florida, NHL Chief His Contents Officer Steve His Mayer talked about his skills on the beach contest, and also mentioned that alligators were involved. Regardless, the All-Star Game is one of the events where fans showcase their most creative ideas in the league.
The same is true for the Stadium Series game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals at Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. Fans can enter the field this time around, making the visuals even more impressive. Think of it as a college football tailgate crossed with the Preakness Stakes.
Finally, the biggest reason I say February venue is because I want to see how you as a hockey fan feel about the Arizona Coyotes and Mallet Arena at this point in the season. Including the club’s home opener against the Jets in Winnipeg on ESPN+ (October 28 at 10:30 p.m. ET), his honeymoon phase has been spectacular, and the excitement will continue for some time afterward. But how will fans react to these games once the new-car smell is gone? Will they still find it a fun novelty and experience? Do they care? How will players feel about playing in his ASU by then?That’s something I’m looking forward to seeing.
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