Nathan MacKinnon shoots Jonathan Quick. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.
Hockey is a numbers game, isn’t it? So with that in mind, keep this in mind: 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 have a double-digit number of games. Twice each 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 of them will have a file of five or more games.
Just over three months after the NHL finished a season like no other, another season begins like no other. It will be chaotic. It will be unpredictable. But above all, it will be wonderful. Highly paid athletes who play a game can’t even get to eradicate everything that was lost from the COVID-19 epidemic, but for at least a few hours for each night of the next 116 and beyond, it can offer those who love this game with a diversion from real world events and a reason to cheer up. We haven’t had many of these in the last 10 months, so let’s take them when we can get them.
Will there be positive tests? Of course. Will the NHL’s best-established plans hit a few bumps along the way? Without doubts. Is there a high chance of virus outbreaks among NHL teams? Absolute. But Major League Baseball and the National Football League have managed to play their seasons to completion, so there’s no reason to believe the NHL won’t do the same.
So what will we see on the ice? Well, we will see far fewer goals returned from offside offenses with the rule change that allows a player’s skate to be along the blueline plane, so that’s fine. We will see an absolutely overwhelming pace for each team and we will probably see a bit of a bad one, considering that the teams will play each opponent at least eight times in the regular season. And beyond placing Ottawa’s senators in seventh place – and that’s not even a sure thing – good luck sorting out that Northern Division. In the East, at least one of the Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Penguins and Islanders will lose the playoffs. Central has the defending Stanley Cup champion and legitimate contenders in the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets, and West has the pending champion Avalanche, with the deadliest and most impressive group of young talent in the league, the former Vegas Misfits and Blues, who are one year old. from winning the Cup herself.
High rivalries, reduced travel and intra-divisional play to the semifinals will make a series of seven games between opponents look like a walk in the park. By the time 16 teams that survive this obstacle course reach the postseason in mid-May, 56 playoff games will have been played to reach that point. Think about how important every game in the regular season in the NHL is in a normal 82-game season. You just can’t take a night off against anyone. Ever. Well, with the program reduced to 56 games, you have practically increased the importance of each of these games by 30%. A GM said he would not be surprised if there is only a 10-point difference between first and sixth place in his division.
And talent. Oh, the talent. The level of skill and speed in the game is the highest he has ever had. Of the top 10 NHL scorers last season, six were under 25. Connor McDavid is at the top of his game, 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 emerging stars, will also see a lot. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, two of the most dynamic young defenders the league has seen in years, will no doubt rely on their rookie seasons and become even better. And speaking of beginners, from Alexis Lafreniere to Kirill Kaprizov to K’Andre Miller to Tim Stutzle, they will make another interesting race for the Calder Trophy.
So if the players can’t take free nights, neither can we. It’s usually good advice to pace yourself, but not this season. Don’t look away for a second because you have to miss something really good. It will be a wild walk, so tense up.
– Ken Campbell
Power Rankings by Ryan Kennedy
1. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar lead an overloaded team with a Stanley Cup on fire. The extremely heavy division will also allow them to feast on smaller enemies.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: Joining Avs in the top of the West, Vegas has added a star blueliner to Alex Pietrangelo, while already boasting one of the best teams in the league. Watch out for Shea Theodore, too.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: What will the champions do without the injured Nikita Kucherov? A comeback from Steven Stamkos can be the tonic. The screws are loaded in each position.
4. Carolina Hurricanes: The goalkeeper may be shrill, but Canes has a strong attack led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, plus an enviable bluelin body that rolls deep.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart is the real deal on the net, while Flyers bring in interesting players in every position in front of him. Look for continuous growth from Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny.
6. St. Louis Blues: Yes, they had a few body shots in the offseason, but Ryan O’Reilly, Torey Krug and recently added Mike Hoffman make this team a legitimate threat.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs: The ceiling for Auston Matthews continues to expand and Toronto will have no problem scoring goals. But can goalkeeper Frederik Andersen start at the beginning?
8. Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov is ready to be The Guy on the net and will have a fantastic ability in front of him. The fun story: What else does Zdeno Chara have in the tank?
9. Vancouver Canucks: If Thatcher Demko is (and probably is) the real deal on the net, then Canucks will be a force to be reckoned with. Look for great things from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
10. Boston Bruins: The early absences of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will hurt the Bs in the goal, but expect a significant fee when they return. Great year for Charlie McAvoy.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre-Luc Dubois is in the team – for now – and Jackets are a pretty well-oiled car at the moment. Liam Foudy will be a fun newcomer to watch.
12. Nashville Predators: Led by Roman Josi, Nashville’s defense will be excellent as always. But can I get the attack and offense to keep up with Central?
13. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the most explosive offensive weapons in the world, but can this team keep the puck in its own network?
14. The Flames of Calgary: The comeback years of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are crucial, but at least Matthew Tkachuk continues his ascent. Jacob Markstrom consolidates the goalkeeper’s position.
15. New York Islands: Matt Barzal’s closure was obviously crucial as he stirred his 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 balloon finalists have a few injuries to overcome, especially Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop. They will need Miro Heiskanen to be a Norris caliber from the start.
17. Montreal Canadiens: possibly the biggest X-factor team in the league; if the Habs kids are really ready for primetime, they will be hard to beat. If not, it’s Carey Price Show again.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins: Pens are in the wrong direction, although you’re never out of the hunt when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are around. Is Tristan Jarry ready for his first plan?
19. Buffalo Sabers: There is a lot of hope here and Sabers finally has a crew to raise Jack Eichel. Taylor Hall has a lot of motivation, while Eric Staal could be a whisper in the playoffs.
20. New York Rangers: They will be funny and will be involved in many goals – in both nets. Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere? Yes, it is approved by Broadway.
21. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck is the backbone and we hope he gets more help this year. Josh Morrissey needs a year to return, and the pressure is on Patrik Laine.
22. Minnesota Wild: It’s finally Kirill Kaprizov’s time! But now the savage needs some of the six most important centers. At least the defense will be solid thanks to Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.
23. Florida Panthers: There are many things to appreciate about cats, starting with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. But can Sergei Bobrovsky return to the net? This is a long contract.
24. Arizona Coyotes: At least the Yotes will have a very good goalkeeper and some interesting offensive weapons. But new GM Bill Armstrong has a work cut out for him.
25. Ottawa Senators: Like the Rangers (but without a Panarin), Sens will be a lot of fun to watch thanks to a group of talented kids. Matt Murray is also trying to resume his career.
26. Los Angeles Kings: Winning the Battle of California is not what it used to be, but the Kings have some wonderful children coming and Anze Kopitar offers stability up front.
27. New Jersey Devils: They won’t be great, but at least they’ll be better. A rebound from PK Subban is crucial and maybe newcomer Ryan Murray will help in this effort.
28. Detroit Red Wings: Like the Devils, the Wings will be less tragic than before, but they almost have to be. Dylan Larkin leads the charge, while Thomas Greiss will help in the net.
29. San Jose Sharks: The defense is aging, the goalkeeper is tough and the next wave has not yet made wind. Heck, sharks aren’t even playing in their own state right now.
30. Anaheim Ducks: Although 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 starters on the net. This could be a very long season for Chicago fans; kind of like going back to the clock.