13 storylines to watch out for on a busy, busy night in the NHL
We have 13 storylines for all 13 games in the NHL tonight.
It is the busiest night of the 2020-21 NHL season tonight with no less than 13 games taking place, and we’re all set for an absolute mouthwatering feast of wall-to-wall hockey with all 26 teams involved set to be on the ice simultaneously once the puck drops on the four 9 p.m. ET showdowns.
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Therefore, there’s going to be a lot of action and a lot to keep an eye on with so many compelling matchups taking place around the NHL throughout the league. From the continued Alexis Lafreniere watch as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft bids to record his first NHL point to Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo taking on his former team in the St. Louis Blues to the New York Islanders looking to keep their recent good run against the Washington Capitals going and a couple of heavyweight showdowns, there is so much to get excited about tonight.
With many of tonight’s games set to be repeated on Thursday in a 14-game schedule, this is the first time since 2005-06 that the NHL has featured two nights with at least 13 games in a 72-hour period by the way, it just adds more spice to what is going to a blockbuster night of hockey tonight.
We haven’t had a night like this in the National Hockey League so far this season, so it is absolutely sensational that we are now going to be treated to a plethora of intriguing games that will run back-to-back-to-back, and we at Puck Prose have you covered with 13 storylines ahead of tonight’s slate of games getting underway, with one talking point for each game. So, without further ado, let’s delve right in…
13 talking points for 13 games on a busy night in the NHL
13. Anaheim Ducks @ Arizona Coyotes
This is a matchup between two teams who both need a win after a less than average start to the 2020-21 season, with the Arizona Coyotes bottom of the West Division with a 2-3-1 record while the Anaheim Ducks are 2-2-2 on the year. It is maybe surprising to some that the Coyotes prop up the division given that they were thought to have the best chance of making the postseason outside of the big four, and the story of this game will be whether the Ducks can get their offense going after scoring just 11 goals so far this season, ranked 30th in the NHL (1.83), although they will have a tough task against Darcy Kuemper who has a 2.79 Goals Against Average and a .906 Save Percentage this season.
12. LA Kings @ Minnesota Wild
Can the immovable object take down the unstoppable force? And, just so we are clear, we are referring to the Minnesota Wild as the unstoppable force here. Yes, the Wild lost 5-3 to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday but they have enjoyed an impressive start to the 2020-21 season, spearheaded by rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov who has six points (1 G, 5 A) in six games this year.
However, the Wild will be coming up against a proven veteran who refuses to go away in Anze Kopitar, with the LA Kings center currently leading the entire National Hockey League in points with 10 (1 G, 9 A) in six games. Kopitar has been a playmaking machine through the first couple of weeks of the season and if he can keep his hot start going tonight, then that could be key to the Kings beating the Wild later.
11. Florida Panthers @ Columbus Blue Jackets
Can the Florida Panthers make history tonight? Well, if the Panthers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets then they will start a season 3-0-0 for the first time in franchise history. And, while a very small sample size, Florida has looked mighty impressive to start the year and they rank second in the NHL in Goals For Per Game (5.00).
Obviously that current clip isn’t sustainable but it has been an encouraging start for the Panthers who were retooled during the offseason by new General Manager Bill Zito, and their offense has been spread out so far with offseason addition Patric Hornqvist leading the way with three goals and one assist for four points in two games. However, they will be coming up against a Blue Jackets team who looked like they had a weight lifted off their shoulders in their 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday in the wake of trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine. Also, veteran center Mikko Koivu is set to make his Columbus Blue Jackets debut tonight after signing a one-year, $1,750,000 contract in the offseason.
10. Detroit Red Wings @ Dallas Stars
It was well worth the wait for Dallas Stars fans. After having to wait nearly two weeks before seeing their team open up the 2020-21 season following a COVID-19 outbreak, Stars fans have been treated to two superb performances from their franchise. Dallas heads into tonight 2-0-0 and ranked 1st in Goals For Per Game (5.00) having blown the doors off the Nashville Predators before edging the rematch. Oh, and they’ve also scored eight power play goals in two games which is just ridiculous.
Veteran forward Joe Pavelski has led the way for the Stars with seven points (3 G, 4 A) in two games, and the Stars will be looking to keep this hot start going tonight as they bid to continue to make up for lost time. However, the Detroit Red Wings won’t go down without a fight and, despite being 2-4-0 to start the year, they have showed signs of being more competitive and their efforts have been helped by offseason addition Bobby Ryan, who is second on the team in points with five (4 G, 1 A) in five games.
9. San Jose Sharks @ Colorado Avalanche
Could we see a slice of history tonight? It is possible given that San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns is two points away from recording 700 career points in the NHL after scoring an insane game-winner against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Burns is currently tied with Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger (157-541-698) in seventh place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list among defensemen. Burns currently sits on 698 points heading into tonight (212-486).
On the flip side, the Colorado Avalanche are 3-3-0 to start the year and, while it is still very early, it isn’t the start the Avs would have hoped given that they entered 2020-21 as one of the main favorites for the Stanley Cup alongside the Vegas Golden Knights, and they will be looking to the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to come up big tonight in order to spark their season into life.
8. Chicago Blackhawks @ Nashville Predators
Can Pius Suter do it again? The rookie truly announced his arrival in the NHL on Sunday by not only scoring his first career NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings, but going on to complete his first career NHL hat trick too. It was a stunning performance from the center and the Blackhawks will be leaning on their younger players more and more as the season progresses, although Patrick Kane still has it with seven points (3 G, 4 A) in six games.
It hasn’t been the most vintage of starts for the Nashville Predators who are 2-3-0 on the year after losing consecutive games to the Dallas Stars, including an ugly 7-0 blowout on Friday. As usual, the Preds are struggling to light the lamp and are currently ranked 27th in Goals For Per Game (2.40), and they are going to need their offense to come alive tonight and take advantage of a less than average Blackhawks backend.
7. New York Islanders @ Washington Capitals
This is the ultimate revenge game. Why? Well, for starters, the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals in five games in the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It wasn’t the first time that the Isles have had the better of the Caps since former Washington Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz took over on the Island, and they are yet to lose in D.C. under Trotz, which is pretty incredible.
So, for the Capitals, who are aiming to begin a season with a point streak of at least seven games for the second time in franchise history (7-0-0, 2011-12), they will be hungry to get one over their former Head Coach and his Islanders team, who are beginning to become somewhat of a pest. And tonight’s game should be a real intriguing battle of offense against defense with the Islanders ranked second in Goals Against Per Game (1.60), while the Capitals rank sixth in Goals Against Per Game (3.50). Oh, and for good measure, the Isles are currently averaging just 1.80 goals per game, the worst mark in the NHL, so they will need their defense and their goaltending to be red hot tonight in order to get what would be a huge win. However, the Washington Capitals will again be without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov who are on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.
6. Philadelphia Flyers @ New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 season so far, starting the year 3-1-1 and a lot of their hot start is down to the impressive play of forward Jack Hughes and rookie defenseman Ty Smith. Hughes has come out swinging this year and is proving that his rough rookie year was a one off and he currently has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in seven games. Smith, on the other hand, is enjoying a dream start to his rookie season and he currently leads all NHL rookie defensemen in points with six (1 G, 5 A) in five games and that dynamic duo will be key to the Devils taking down a Philadelphia Flyers team looking for a response after being drubbed 6-1 by the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
5. Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets
Can we have more of the same please? We are of course talking about Sunday night when the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets combined for an absolute classic. Three goals were scored in a six-minute span in the Third Period before Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner for the Oilers with literally one second left in regulation. It was a thrilling finale to what was a highly-entertaining showdown, and if we can get something similar tonight then it will make the late finish for those on the East Coast truly worth it.
4. New York Rangers @ Buffalo Sabres
Is tonight the night that New York Rangers rookie Alexis Lafreniere finally records his first point in the National Hockey League? The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has endured a rough start to life in the NHL so far, being held pointless in five games with a -2 rating. Granted, he has shown flashes of his undoubted talent but he will need to step up after it was revealed today that Filip Chytil will be out 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury, which is a huge blow for the Rangers.
On the flip side, the Buffalo Sabres are 2-3-1 on the year and tonight could be a real opportunity to beat up on the Rangers and use that as a spark to start making some real noise because, in what is a shortened season coupled with an incredibly competitive East Division, the Sabres will have little room for error this year when it comes to mounting a push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs @ Calgary Flames
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome and they will be hoping for more of the same tonight. Toronto is currently second in the North Division behind the Montreal Canadiens but locked on the same amount of points with 10, so tonight will be a real opportunity to reclaim control of the North and they will need Mitch Marner, who has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in seven games, to continue to provide a scoring punch in order to take down the Flames who are 2-1-1 on the year.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins
This is a big time showdown in what is an incredibly loaded East Division. This is a division that four or five teams could win, and both the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be among the teams expected to be in that race. After failing to score a single even-strength goal in their first three games, the Bruins are starting to hot up after dismantling the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 on Saturday and, with superstar forward David Pastrnak set for a return this week, the B’s will be taking to the ice full of confidence tonight against a Penguins team who are starting to find their stride and they currently sit second in the East with a 4-2-0 record, spearheaded as usual by franchise icon Sidney Crosby who has three goals and four assists for seven points in six games.
1. St. Louis Blues @ Vegas Golden Knights
This is going to be an absolute classic. Not only is this a meeting between two of the three heavyweights in the West Division between the St. Louis Blues and the Vegas Golden Knights, but tonight will also see elite defenseman Alex Pietrangelo take on some old faces. Yes, after signing a blockbuster seven-year, $61,600,000 contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in Free Agency, tonight will be the first time that the former St. Louis Blues Captain will go up against his former team. It will be a special night for Pietrangelo who played 12 seasons with the Blues, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018-19 and recording 450 points (109 G, 341 A) in 758 career regular-season games for St. Louis.
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Pietrangelo is off to a pretty solid start with the Golden Knights with three points (1 G, 2 A) in six games, and Vegas are currently top of the West Division with a 5-1-0 record with only one loss on their resume, and they will be looking to make a rather big statement tonight by beating the 3-2-1 Blues in what should be a tantalizing showdown.