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  • 2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs Preview

    TOR

     

    Last Season: 49-26-7 105 pts (3rd in Atlantic Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 1st Round)

     

    Key Additions: F John Tavares, F Tyler Ennis, F Adam Cracknell, and Gm Kyle Dubas

     

    Key Departures: D Roman Polak, F Matt Martin, F Tyler Bozak, F James van Riemsdyk, F Leo Komarov, F Tomas Plekanec, and GM Lou Lamoriello

     

    Top Questions Facing the Maple Leafs:

    1. Can the Toronto Maple Leafs shore up their defensive woes?

    Last season Toronto allowed the fourth most shots on goal per game, however, the goaltending of Frederik Andersen and Curtis McElhinney kept the Leafs in games. The Leafs have some solid defensemen in Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, and Ron Hainsey, plus Travia Dermott and Nikita Zaitsev are developing very well. If the Leafs can shore up their left side and pick up a top four defenseman, then they can become Stanley Cup contenders.

     

    2. What impact will Johm Tavares bring to the Leafs?

    Possibly one of the more shocking moves to happen over the offseason was the signing of John Tavares by the Maple Leafs. With the signing brings a top line center and veteran leadership. One has to wonder if this move will be good overall in the long term and in the short term. Everyone knows that Auston Matthews is the face of this franchise, and the incumbent future captain, but what happens if Tavares gets named captain instead? It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out early into this season.

  • 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning Preview

    TB

     

    Last Season: 54-23-5 113 pts (1st in Atlantic Division; Lost in Eastern Conference Final)

     

    Key Additions: D Cameron Gaunce

     

    Key Departures: D Andrej Sustr, F Erik Condra, F Chris Kunitz, G Peter Budaj, and GM Steve Yzerman

     

    Top Questions Facing the Lightning:

    1. How will Steve Yzerman’s departure affect the team?

    This past week Steve Yzerman shockingly stepped down as General Manager citing family reasons. Having this happen so suddenly, especially with a highly respected hockey mind like Yzerman’s, and during the week that training camp starts. One does have to wonder though is this could also put Jon Cooper on the hot seat.

     

    2. Can the Tampa Bay Lightning rise above?

    After three Conference Finals appearances in the last 4 seasons, and with Cooper having a new coaching staff under him for a third consecutive season, one has to ask if this team can rise above and finally get themselves back to the Stanley Cup Finals, or if this is their breaking point. With Salary Cap restraints creeping up on them, this could be a Cup or bust season for the Lightning.

  • NHL and NWHL News and Notes: September 18th, 2018

     

    Here are your news and notes covering the NHL and the NWHL for September 18th.

    In preseason action for September 17th:

    • The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New Jersey Devils, 3-1 at Bell Centre.
      Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the third pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, scored in his Montreal Canadiens debut in the third goal in 1:32 at the 4:40 mark of the third period. Victor Mete tied the game at 1-1 at the 3:08 mark and at the 4:11 mark, Charles Hudon gave Montreal the 2-1 lead. Antti Niemi started for the Canadiens and in 30:56 of ice time, recorded eight saves.
    • The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils in overtime on Neal Pinok’s goal.  Pinok scored at 1:20 into the overtime period, which gave the Rangers a 4-3 victory over the Devils on Monday night at Prudential Center.  This win gave Rangers head coach David Quinn his first after he was hired on May 23 from Boston University.
    • Filip Forsberg scored three goals to give the Nashville Predators at 5-3 win in their second contest of the day against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center.  In the first contest, the Predators won 5-0.  Forsberg scored his third goal with an empty net goal with 14 seconds left in the contest.  Kevin Fiala and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Predators.  Predators goalie Pekka Rinne registered 12 saves on 13 shots in 29:35 of on ice time.

    In other preseason action last night:

    • Buffalo 4, Columbus 1
    • Philadelphia 3, New York Islanders 1
    • Nashville 5, New Jersey (split-squad doubleheader) 0
    • Nashville 5, Florida 3
    • New York Rangers 4, New Jersey (split-squad doubleheader) 3 (OT)
    • Winnipeg 2, Minnesota 1
    • Edmonton 7, Calgary 4

    In NWHL news:

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  • 2018-19 Pittsburgh Penguins Preview

    PIT

     

    Last Season: 47-29-6 100 pts (2nd in Metropolitan Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 2nd Round)

     

    Key Additions: D Jack Johnson, F Matt Cullen, and F Jimmy Hayes

     

    Key Departures: D Matt Hunwick, F Conor Sheary, F Carter Rowney, and F Tom Kuhnhackl

     

    Top Questions Facing the Penguins:

    1. Can Matt Murray rebound from a subpar season?

    Last season was Matt Murray’s first full season as a number one goalie and it was met with mixed results as he registered a 2.92 goals against average along with a .907 save percentage in 49 games played. Murray also dealt with injury issues as well. Murray will need to have a more complete season if he would like to bounce back from last season.

     

    2. Are the Pittsburgh Penguins regressing?

    We’ve seen it with both Chicago (3 Stanley Cups in 6 years) and Los Angeles (2 Cups in 4 years), but are the Penguins, at a much slower rate, regressing? With the Salary Cap it is hard to keep teams together, for example Chicago, but despite that the Penguins were able to win back to back Stanley Cups, but also as the main core gets older, they can slow down like in Los Angeles. The Penguins don’t have the same Cap issues that Chicago has had yet, but they do have pieces that are slowing down.

  • 2018-19 Philadelphia Flyers Preview

    PHI

     

    Last Season: 42-26-14 98 pts (3rd in Metropolitan Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 1st Round)

    Key Additions: D Christian Folin and F James van Riemsdyk

     

    Key Departures: D Brandon Manning, F Matt Read, F Valtteri Filppula, and G Petr Mrazek

     

    Top Questions Facing the Flyers:

    1.  How will the Flyers goaltending be this season?

    Last season both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth had injury plagued seasons, and with Carter Hart developing nicely for the Philadelphia Flyers, one has to wonder who will be the number one goalie come the end of the season, plus what happens if Elliott and Neuvirth aren’t having strong starts to the year or become injured again this season? Both Elliott and Neuvirth are coming back from offseason surgeries, and are in the last year of their respective contracts, so this will be one story to watch as the season unfolds.

     

    2. Can the Flyers continue their upward trend?

    General Manager Ron Hextall’s patient, build-from-within approach has been paying dividends as the Flyers rebounded and returned to the playoffs last season. The signing of James van Riemsdyk, and the development of their young core have the Flyers in a good spot to continue that upward trend. Especially if Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Vorachek can build off of last season’s rebirth of their respective games.

  • NHL News and Notes: September 17th, 2018

    Here are your news and notes from around the NHL for September 17th, 2018:

    On September 16th, 2018, Calgary Flames Co-Owner, Clay Riddell, passed away. Mr. Riddell joined the Calgary Flames ownership group during the 2003-04 season.

    On Monday, September 17th, the Florida Panthers named Aleksander Barkov as the tenth captain in Florida Panthers history.

    The Columbus Blue Jackets re-introduced their third jerseys today.

    The third jerseys will be worn for twelve games during the 2018-19 season.

    September 16th Preseason round-up

    Newly acquired Vegas Golden Knights LW Max Pacioretty scored during a 7-2 Vegas win over the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena in a preseason opener for both teams.

    Pacioretty gave the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal at 8:39 in the first period. Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals for the Golden Knights while William Karlsson, defensemen Erik Brannstrom, Nicolas Hague and Jake Bischoff all scored for Vegas, which got 25 saves from Dylan Ferguson.

    Defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Jordan Gross scored for the Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper allowed six goals on 27 shots during the first and second periods while Adin Hill allowed one on four shots in the third.

    The New York Islanders made former Washington Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz a winner in Trotz’s debut as the Islanders coach in a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at NYCB Live (formerly known as Nassau Coliseum).

    Trotz signed with the New York Islanders on June 21, three days after stepping down as the Washington Capitals Head Coach and two weeks after leading the Capitals to the franchises first Stanley Cup championship.

    Danton Heinen scored on the first attempt in the shootout to give a Boston Bruins split squad a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals at TD Garden in the opener of the domestic portion of their preseason schedule. The Bruins are participating in the O.R.G. China Games and will play the Calgary Flames on Wednesday in Beijing.

    The Capitals and Bruins will face off again on Tuesday at Capital One Arena

    Washington Post beat writer Isabelle Khurshudyan released about Braden Holtby and his playing could be like without Philipp Grubauer as his back-up goalie.

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  • 2018-19 Ottawa Senators Preview

    OTT

     

    Last Season: 28-43-11 67 pts (7th in Atlantic Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)
    Key Additions: D Dylan DeMelo, F Paul Carey, F Mikkel Boedker, and F Chris Tierney


    Key Departures: D Fredrik Claesson, D Erik Karlsson, F Mike Hoffman, and F Alexandre Burrows

     

    Top Questions Facing the Senators:

    1. Where do the Ottawa Senators go now?

    With all of the distractions going on in Ottawa right now which resulted in both Mike Hoffman (off ice issues with his girlfriend harassing Erik Karlsson’s wife) and Karlsson (in the last year of his contract with no signs of resigning) to be traded, and Craig Anderson requesting to be traded, this franchise is in disarray. How this teams band together will be the key to how the build towards the future.

     

    2. Will Brady Tkachuk crack the lineup?

    Tkachuk, 4th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is determined to make the Senators 2018-19 roster, and has left Boston University to chase his goal. However, being with all of the drama going on in Ottawa, maybe Tkachuk and his youthful enthusiasm is something this team needs right now.

  • 2018-19 New York Rangers Preview

    NYR

     

    Last Season: 34-39-9 77 pts (8th in Metropolitan Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: D Fredrik Claesson, G Dustin Tokarski, and Coach David Quinn

     

    Key Departures: F Paul Carey, F David Desharnais, Coah Alain Vigneault

     

    Top Questions Facing the New York Rangers:

     

    1. How will rookies impact the lineup?

    The Rangers go into the 2018-19 season in full rebuild mode. Rookies will be given prime opportunities to win jobs in camp and the team will be younger, faster but a lot more in experienced than in years past. Their two first rounders from 2017, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil are most likely going to be slotted into the 2nd and 3rd line center spots so a lot of this season is riding on how those two acclimate to full time NHL minutes.

     

    Free-agent rookie wingers Ville Meskanen and Michael Lindqvist, both signed from Sweden’s SHL, will look to crack the opening night roster as well and they very well could as both have shown in their time in the SHL that they have a nose for the net. Both scored at least 20 goals last season in the SHL. If Brett Howden, obtained from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Ryan McDonagh trade, surprises coach David Quinn, he could find himself on the opening night roster as well. That makes five possible offensive rookies on opening night.

     

    Finally, we shift to the defense where as many as two spots could be taken by rookies as well. Look for Libor Hajek, also acquired in the Ryan McDonagh trade, to make a case that he belongs on the opening night roster and maybe the Rangers like what they see in Ryan Lindgren… it’s going to be a very interesting training camp in New York with battles happening for positions on every line. Veterans cannot rest east this year as the youngsters are coming for their jobs. It’s time for the Rangers to begin the process of seeing who deserves to be apart of a future Stanley Cup contending core.

     

    2) Is this the beginning of the end for Henrik Lundqvist?

    The King is coming to the end of his reign. Lundqvist, the heart and soul of the New York Rangers since 2005, is in his late thirties and soon the time will come for one of the best goaltenders in NHL history to hang his skates up and take that last lap around the ice at Madison Square Garden. But man… he isn’t going down without a fight. Lundqvist will fight tooth and nail to give his Rangers one last shot at glory before he retires and it may not be this season or the next but soon the Rangers will have capable team to give the King one last shot. One last shot to give the city of New York a championship over 20 years in the making. He isn’t washed up by any means but he isn’t the Lundqvist of old. Igor Shestyorkin will be the Rangers goaltender of the future but Lundqvist is going to do all he can to stay as long as it can and get that elusive title.

     

    3) How will David Quinn adjust to being a full time NHL head coach?

    David Quinn will begin his first season as an NHL head coach at the start of training camp and all eyes will be on the former Boston University Head Coach. He’s a young guy and a guy that has some brilliant ideas for how to run a hockey club. The guy preaches puck possession and will give the Rangers a much more structured system that Alain Vigneault did.

     

    But remember… it takes awhile for a team to adjust to a new system, a new coach and a regime change. The Rangers were already not going to be good this season but having a new coach makes this whole thing a little bit tougher. Will Quinn sink or swim? Will he have the attention of his veterans and rookies alike? Will he make the smart decisions? If his attitude and pedigree are any indication, look for David Quinn to begin making his mark early and look for him to begin succeeding at the NHL level. The Rangers couldn’t have made a better choice to guide this team through the rebuilding process.

  • 2018-19 New York Islanders Preview

    NYI

     

    Last Season: 35-37-10 80 pts (7th in Metropolitan Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: F Matt Martin, F Tom Kuhnhackl, F Leo Komarov, F Valtteri Filppula, G Robin Lehner, Coach Barry Trotz, and GM Lou Lamoriello

     

    Key Departures: D Calvin de Haan, D Dennis Seidenberg, F John Tavares, F Alan Quine, G Jaroslav Halak, and GM Garth Snow

     

    Top Questions Facing the Islanders:

    1. How will the New York Islanders fare without John Tavares?

    With Tavares leaving money on the table to play for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders are now without the face of their franchise for the first time since drafting him, and the ramifications are going to be felt for a while. With Lou Lamoriello at the helm and Barry Trotz now behind the bench, they will be tasked with creating a new future for the Islanders.

     

    2. How much lower will the Islanders sink before they can rise again?

    Despite the great office pick ups, in terms of players there wasn’t a big upgrade anywhere. Plus most pickups were mostly depth players. The pick up of goalie Robin Lehner will be good, but the Islanders are going to be near the bottom for a while despite being competitive.

  • 2018-19 New Jersey Devils Preview

    NJ

     

    Last Season: 44-29-9 97 pts (5th in Metropolitan Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 1st Round)

     

    Key Additions: D Eric Gryba, and F Eric Tangradi

     

    Key Departures: D John Moore, F Jimmy Hayes, F Patrick Maroon, F Michael Grabner, and F Brian Gibbons

     

    Top Questions Facing the Devils:

    1. Can the New Jersey Devils get more offense?

    Last season Taylor Hall registered 93 points, but the next closest person to him was rookie Nico Hischier with 52 points. The Devils are going to need more contributions offensively from others if they hope to continue to prove. Marcus Johansson and Kyle Palmieri will both need to have strong years, and most importantly both need to stay healthy.

     

    2. How will the young talent continue to develop?

    With General Manager Ray Shero letting veterans John Moore, Michael Grabner, and a couple others go, he made his intentions clear that he is letting the younger guys get more opportunities to grow. Guys like Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher, and others need to step up and help round out this team, but at the same time they could need more time. This will be a deciding factor for the Devils to make the playoffs again.