13 storylines to watch out for on a busy, busy night in the NHL
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.
Next. 3 Takeaways from Senators - Canucks. dark
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.