5 takeaways from Week 1 of the 2019-20 NHL season
The first few days of the 2019-20 NHL season have been wild. It’s far too early to make sweeping generalizations, but what can fans take away from the first week of the season?
It’s early in the 2019-20 NHL season, but there’s already been a ton of surprises and action. There’s still a lot of hockey left to be played, but games in October count as much as games in March and April.
What can fans take away from the first week of the season? Let’s take a look at some of the interesting takeaways and storylines.
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Which Coaches Could Be On The Hot Seat?
In recent years, two teams have won the Stanley Cup after firing their head coach during the season – the Pittsburgh Penguins won in 2016 and the St. Louis Blues followed in their tracks last season. This could motivate certain teams to have an itchy trigger finger if things aren’t going their way.
Obviously, a few games into a season is a bit too early to start thinking about firing a coach. But American Thanksgiving is usually a good measuring stick. If you aren’t in the playoffs on Thanksgiving, or at least within striking distance, your chances of making the postseason aren’t that great.
There are a few names to keep an eye on. One of them is Peter DeBoer of the San Jose Sharks. To say the Sharks have had a dreadful start to the 2019-20 season is an understatement. They’ve lost each of their first three games and they’ve gotten outscored 12-3 in the process. The Sharks, much like the Blues last season, are an all-in team that wants to win now. If they don’t start winning soon, DeBoer could be the first head coach fired this season.
Speaking of teams under pressure to win now, the New Jersey Devils didn’t have a good start to their 2019-20 campaign. They lost to the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener despite having a 4-0 lead at one point. The next night, the Devils lost to the Buffalo Sabres (more on them later) 7-2.
A lot of the blame is pointed at head coach John Hynes, and deservedly so. His decision to shake up the lines on Friday after the Jets scored a sort of fluky goal towards the end of the second period was the turning point in the game. And not in a good way. The Devils still had a 4-1 lead. While the players deserve blame for blowing the lead, their coach didn’t put them in a position to succeed.
Keep an eye on Paul Maurice of the Jets as well. He’d be more of a sacrificial lamb at this point, but something’s got to give. It would be ironic if Maurice got fired the one time he probably didn’t deserve it. I’m not sure if any coach could have success with the Jets blueline in complete shambles.
Bruce Boudreau of the Minnesota Wild could be in trouble as well. Keep in mind, Bill Guerin is a new general manager. He didn’t hire him. Considering how late Guerin was hired, it’s not surprising he decided to keep Boudreau. But if things keep going downhill, he might want to hire his own guy.
The Metropolitan Division Is Going To Be Fun
The Metropolitan Division should be a ton of fun this season. Sadly, the Columbus Blue Jackets are probably going to be left out of it, although their early struggles aren’t nearly as bad as they might seem. With two huge question marks in goal, the Blue Jackets are the Metro team I feel least confident about. Plus, losing Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky has left them without a true star.
Also, even though it’s early, the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes are clearly the class of the division. They entered the season as the top two contenders to win the division and nothing I’ve seen suggests they’re anything short of Stanley Cup contenders. These two teams might not have a rivalry yet, but tensions between the two teams are quickly heating up.
However, the rest of the division is hard to predict, which is why it’s so darn fun. The Philadelphia Flyers might be a wild card team or they might challenge the Blue Jackets for the worst record in the division. It all depends on Carter Hart exorcising the Flyers’ well-documented goaltending demons.
The New York Rangers probably aren’t going to continue scoring at the rate they are. Mika Zibanejad leads the league in scoring with eight points in his first two games. The Rangers have scored 10 goals in two games. It’s pretty clear they’re going to be a team that hopes to outscore their defensive issues. I look forward to watching them try.
On the other end of the spectrum, the New York Islanders are going to try to win every game 2-1. While they won 4-1 against the Winnipeg Jets, I wouldn’t put too much stock in that game considering how bad the Jets defense is right now. Barry Trotz has a track record of winning, so it’s hard to bet against the Islanders.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have the longest playoff streak in the NHL, having made it in each of the past 11 seasons. However, that streak is in severe jeopardy thanks to Malkin’s injury which head coach Mike Sullivan described as “long-term”. Still, I utterly refuse to count out a team that has Sidney Crosby on its roster.
Here’s how I think things will wind up after 82 games.
- Capitals
- Hurricanes
- Islanders
- Devils
- Penguins
- Flyers
- Rangers
- Blue Jackets
But honestly, you could put together any combination from 3 to 7 and I’d likely believe it. Buckle up, this is going to be a fun ride.
Which Surprise Teams Could Be For Real?
Making judgments after just two or three games is silly. But that’s what I’m here for. Which of the early surprise teams could surprise us all by making it to the playoffs?
Edmonton Oilers
If the Sharks don’t turn things around, there’s going to be a wide-open spot for another Pacific Team to grab a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers have a decent shot of doing so after getting out to a 2-0-0 start.
However, I’m not buying into them yet. If the Oilers can generate a respectable amount of offense from guys other than Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, that’s a different story.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are off to a 2-0-0 start. However, their success is being driven by three guys – Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Those three guys have scored eight of their nine goals so far this season. As I wrote in my season preview, I think the Red Wings have a bonafide top line with those three guys. My issue with them is I don’t see too much else.
Buffalo Sabres
It’s early, but I’ve been very impressed with the Buffalo Sabres so far. Head coach Ralph Kreuger has them playing outstanding hockey. They’ve been lethal with the puck and relentless when pursuing it.
The Sabres are finally generating scoring chances as they should. If they keep playing a strong game, I think they’ll still be a little bit short of the playoffs, but Kreuger appears to have the Sabres playing an exciting brand of hockey.
Anaheim Ducks
Much like the Oilers, the Sharks’ struggles could open a door for the Anaheim Ducks. Goaltender John Gibson has been phenomenal through two games. They haven’t really played anyone yet and their underlying stats don’t stand out, but if their elite goaltender stays healthy, they might not need to be a great team to make the postseason.
Which Slow Starters Should Be Worried?
Entering Tuesday, seven teams do not have a point. Which of those teams should take a deep breath and which ones should be pushing the panic button? I won’t count the Los Angeles Kings or Chicago Blackhawks, who have only played one game
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have been prone to bad starts in recent years. Though they have scored just one goal in two games, it is worth noting those games were against the Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks. The former is a Stanley Cup contender while the latter has a healthy John Gibson. For what it’s worth, the Coyotes have the seventh-highest xGF% at five-on-five so far. So don’t push the panic button yet.
Vancouver Canucks
They’ve had a rough start to their season. The Vancouver Canucks outplayed the Edmonton Oilers for most of their first game before Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid took over. Next, they lost to the reigning Pacific Division champions, the Calgary Flames. This is a talented team, so I wouldn’t push the panic button yet. I still think they could be a playoff team, especially if the San Jose Sharks struggles continue. Speaking of which…
San Jose Sharks
Yup, they should be pushing the panic button. No, I’m not endorsing a fire sale, but the San Jose Sharks have to do something about their goaltending. Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have been abysmal. They were abysmal last year. Why should the Sharks expect them to be any better this season? Their offense hasn’t shown up yet, but those guys deserve some time to figure stuff out. The same cannot be said for their goalies.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars were expected to be better offensively this season after signing Joe Pavelski. So far, this hasn’t been the case. Their defense has been as good as advertised, aside from letting Anthony Mantha single-handedly outscore them on Sunday. Roope Hintz has looked great, but the Stars need more scoring to be taken seriously as Stanley Cup contenders.
Minnesota Wild
They should be pushing the panic button, because, frankly, I don’t know who the Minnesota Wild are. Are they contenders? Or are they rebuilding? It appears the Wild are trying to camp out between those two tiers, which rarely ends well. The last thing Minnesota needs is yet another mediocre season.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have looked atrocious so far, though at least their first game of the year against the Toronto Maple Leafs was entertaining. That said, this team was designed to be bad. The Senators are giving their young players chances, which is a heck of a lot more than I can say about last season. So while they’re not a good team, at least they’re being a smart bad team.
Award Predictions
I forgot to put these in my season preview, so I’ll put them out in the open here. As always, feel free to screenshot these and laugh at them when I’m wrong.
Calder Trophy
The obvious choice is Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. He’s off to a rough start, but even when he’s playing bad, you can see what could make him potentially so great – his speed. Kaapo Kakko has been impressive. A promotion to the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin would help boost his chances.
But I don’t like “safe” picks. I like being bold. So give me Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Defensemen rarely win the Calder, but Makar is in a perfect position to win the award. When a defenseman wins, it’s usually because there wasn’t a clear favorite at forward. Makar will win it because he’ll be the best rookie in a very stacked class.
Norris Trophy
Brent Burns is annually in the discussion thanks to his outstanding production. Victor Hedman has been a fixture in Norris discussions recently and has won one. He fully deserves to be in the discussion, as he’s one of the best in the world.
But, as I said, I hate safe picks. So I’m going with Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s fair to question if he’ll stand out enough on a stacked blue line, but his combination of offense and defense makes him a viable candidate.
Vezina Trophy
John Gibson is the best goalie in the world. Despite this, he’s never even been a Vezina Trophy finalist. That changes this season.
Hart Trophy
I know I said I hate safe picks, but Nathan MacKinnon is the slam dunk choice. He’s a terrific player on what should be a great team. If the Edmonton Oilers make the playoffs, Connor McDavid should win it because it’ll likely be because of him. Even if they don’t, he should be in the discussion anyway.
dark. Next. NHL Power Rankings
Off the board picks: You know what we haven’t had in a few years? A goaltender as the MVP. I’m all aboard the John Gibson for Hart bandwagon. It won’t happen, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t root for it. Maybe this is the season everyone realizes how terrific Mark Stone is.