The long offseason is over and the NHL is finally back. The teams and players are looking better than ever and are excited for the new season to begin.
The season kicked off with three games on Oct. 8. The St. Louis Blues defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-2. The game started with the Kraken scoring the first two goals in the second period. The Blues ignited a comeback shortly after, led by Jordan Kyrou who had two goals, with assists by Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk, and Alexandre Texier. The Blues are currently undefeated as they face the 0-0-1 San Jose Sharks next.
The second game of opening night was between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins, which the Panthers won 6-4. The Panthers dominated right away with a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period. Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett scored two goals while the Bruins were led by defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who finished the game with a goal and an assist.
“I think the Panthers will do very well this season and I won’t be surprised if they make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals,” said freshman Spencer Gordon.
The last game of opening night was between the Chicago Blackhawks and the newest NHL team, the Utah Hockey Club. Utah got its first ever victory that night, winning 5-2. Twenty-one year old Dylan Guenter led the way with two goals, along with Barrett Hayton, who finished the night with one goal and one assist.
So far, Utah has started out with two wins, zero ties, and no losses. They beat the New York Islanders on Oct. 10, mainly thanks to Guenther’s two goals.
The Rangers are currently 1-1-0, led by star goalie Igor Shesterkin. Veteran Chris Kreider is leading the team with two goals and defenseman Jacob Trouba is leading the team in assists with two. Coming up, the Rangers will face the undefeated Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 12, as they look for their second win of the season.
“The Rangers are a good team and I think they are looking good this year,” said freshman Luke Garfin.
The Islanders haven’t been as good as the Rangers, starting out 0-0-1, losing to the Utah Hockey Club 5-4. So far, free agency addition Anthony Duclair is leading the Islanders with two points alongside Noah Dobson, who has two assists.
“I think they will do pretty well this season and probably make it to at least the second round of the playoffs. I am very excited about getting two new forwards who both scored in the opening game. I also think Sorokin will bounce back after his surgery. The Islanders have very good depth and they are strong both offensively and defensively. Their goaltending is also very strong too,” said freshman Zach Dreyfuss.
The Florida Panthers are predicted to be one of the best teams, led by forward Sam Reinhart. The Edmonton Oilers are another team with high expectations, as they acquired forward Adam Henrique from the Anaheim Ducks and left winger Jeff Skinner from the Buffalo Sabres.
The Oilers are led by superstar center Connor McDavid, who has yet to score a single point this season. McDavid will surely bounce back, as he did last year after a slow start.
Projected to be in third place is the Dallas Stars with forwards Logan Stankoven and Mason Marchment leading the team thus far. Other teams projected to do well are the Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, and the Carolina Hurricanes. The teams that are predicted to do poorly this season include the San Jose Sharks, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Players such as McDavid, Shesterkin, and Sidney Crosby are expected to put up their usual superstar statistics, as the veterans return for another season. However, some new players that rose to the top are Mikko Rantanen, Quinn Hughes, and Jake Oettinger. On the other hand, players like Alex Ovechkin, Mathew Barzal, Blake Coleman, Bryan Rust, Josh Doan, and Noah Dobson aren’t projected to do as well as in previous years.
Offseason trades included the Rangers receiving Reilly Smith and sending two draft picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blues acquired Alexandre Texier from Columbus in return for a fourth round pick. Lastly, the Tampa Bay Lightning received Ryan McDonagh and sent two draft picks to the Nashville Predators.
Also, there were many major free agency signings. The Oilers signed both Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique. The Predators had a terrific free agency, signing the top forwards on the market in Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
“I am super excited to watch the upcoming NHL season and there are so many players I am ready to watch. This season is shaping up to be my favorite yet,” said junior Everett Katz.