NHL Channel Surfing: October 9th Edition

Channel Surfing is Too Many Men On The Site’s quick guide to tonight’s NHL action, as well as any other interesting broadcasts in the world of hockey. Included is a list of the scheduled games, as well as game notes and stats.

You can think of last night as an appetizer for the 2014-15 NHL season. Tonight we have a full slate of games and some very interesting match-ups.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Buffalo Sabres 7:00 PM

New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 PM

Anaheim Ducks @ Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 PM

Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals 7:00 PM

Boston Bruins @ Detroit Red Wings 7:30 PM

Florida Panthers @ Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30 PM

New York Rangers @ St. Louis Blues 8:00 PM

Ottawa Senators @ Nashville Predators 8:00 PM

Chicago Blackhawks @ Dallas Stars 8:30 PM

Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild 9:00 PM

Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers 9:30 PM

Winnipeg Jets @ Arizona Coyotes 10:00 PM

• The Columbus Blue Jackets won two out of their three meetings with the Buffalo Sabres last season, with Brandon Dubinsky leading the way with two goals and one assist. The Blue Jackets will start the season without Dubinsky, as well as Nathan Horton, Boone Jenner, and Ryan Murray. Ryan Johansen is expected to make his debut after missing camp and the entire pre-season due to contract negotiations. The second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Sam Reinhart will be in the lineup for the Buffalo Sabres tonight. A depleted Columbus Blue Jackets lineup is the ideal start for a Sabres team that is not expected to be very good this season. [NHL.com]

• Marc-Andre Fleury dominated the Anaheim Ducks during their two game series last season, stopping 56 of 59 shots. The Anaheim Ducks will look for a little goalie domination of their own tonight, with Pittsburgh native John Gibson likely to get the starting nod. [NHL.com]

• The Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Florida Panthers in their four game series last season, outscoring them 22-10. The Panthers have improved in the off season and Roberto Luongo should make them a bit better in net, but the Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to remain the better of the two Florida teams. [NHL.com]

• The St. Louis Blues are riding a three game winning streak against the New York Rangers, including winning seven of the last eight meetings. The Blues are a familiar opponent to Rangers forward Rick Nash, who played against them in the Central Division, while with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nash has 21 goals and 40 points in 50 match ups against the Blues. [NHL.com]

• The games may have been one-sided, but the rivalry between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars grew last season. The Blackhawks are 7-1-0 against the Stars over the last two seasons, but Dallas did not go down without a fight (both figuratively and literally) in most of these games. The Stars are expected to be a dark-horse in the West, and the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the consensus picks for the Stanley Cup this season. [NHL.com]

• The newly-minted Arizona Coyotes make their 2014-15 seasons debut tonight, against the Winnipeg Jets. The old-Jets (Coyotes) won the first meeting between the two teams back in 2011, but since then, Winnipeg is on a four game winning streak against the Coyotes. Winnipeg swept the series in 2013-14. The Jets have yet to qualify for the playoffs, since the move from Atlanta, and another rough year is expected in Winnipeg. The Coyotes missed the playoffs last season, something that they cannot afford (literally) to do again this year. [NHL.com]