Montreal
v Toronto
Stretch
your minds back to
January when these two teams opened up in
Montreal, The Leafs skated off with a great
opening night victory while the Habs got booed off their own ice. How
things changed after that game though, as the Habs ended up
overtaking the Bruins to win the Northeast Division, and the Leafs
joined them in the post-season and came within minutes of eliminating
eventual Eastern Conference Champs Boston in Round 1!
This
season, with the Divisional re-alignment, every game is going to be
crucial. In what was already a tight
group of teams last season, with four of
the five making the playoffs (only Buffalo missed out), you now add
to the mix 3 new teams. While both Floridian
sides are not expected to make much of an impact, this season at
least, the name of the Detroit Red Wings, is certainly
a new challenge to overcome.
Few
things in life are certain, but the Wings making the Playoffs is one
of them, despite coming oh-so close to
missing them for the first time in over 20 years last season, they
are fully expected to be
favorites to win the new
Atlantic Division.
With
Boston also favorites to join the Michigan-Based team, that leaves
Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Buffalo fighting over the remaining
playoff spots. That could range between 1-3 places depending on how
the other Eastern Conference Division fairs, but seeing as the new
Metropolitan Division has been the most competitive in the NHL over
the last few years, you would have to expect at least four teams
making the playoffs from there. That then heaps
extra pressure on the match-up we have tonight in
what is the league’s
oldest rivalry.
Washington
v Chicago
This
is another interesting match-up, you have the defending Stanley Cup
champions, wanting to start the new season like they
did the last, and that was like an express train,
as the Blackhawks tore up everyone that stood in their way in
impressive style, and setting all kinds of unbeaten records along the
way. Chicago have
to contend with losing their third line from last season’s
successful team but, should
still start overwhelming
favorites, Washington however
are a strange team.
In
Alex Ovechkin they have one of the best players in the league, but
can he lead this Caps team to a first ever Stanley Cup? A good
measure to see how far they have come and how far they have left to
go to achieve that dream will be judged on tonight’s
performance against the Champions. Last season I
was highly critical of the Capitals, saying if Ovechkin wants to
realise his dream of raising Lord Stanley’s Cup he has to move to a
contender. I still believe that is true, although
I can’t actually see him moving. The Caps will find it extra tough
this season in a division
that contains Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New
Jersey and NY Rangers. Not to mention a much improved Islanders team
who made the post-season for the first time in years. Washington also
have to contend with their biggest rivals from their
old division in
Carolina. The only team to consistently challenge them
for division titles over the last decade.
This is an important game for both teams tonight,
Chicago to show their intent on defending their title, and Washington
putting down a marker in the most competitive division in hockey.
For
me the Central Division is the most intriguing of all of the four new
divisions. It has a lot of teams I personally like, but more than
that it is the one division that has made the most changes. In the
East, the Southeast division pretty much split the teams over the
other 2 divisions, while in the West the Northwest merged with the
Pacific. The Central has three of their teams remaining (Hawks, Blues
& Predators), while having a team from the Pacific (Dallas), two
from the Northwest (Colorado & Minnesota) & Winnipeg who
moved West from the now defunct-Southeast Division. All that means a
lot of teams have been thrown into the melting pot to form new
rivalries and battles.
Edmonton
v Winnipeg
A
true, Canadian classic. I still feel
excited at having the Jets back even after
two years, and now they are in their rightful division, it’s
even more exciting. Winnipeg have come close to
making the post season in each of their first two seasons back, but
on both occasions narrowly missed out. This season
they start on a much more even footing, as apart from the Blackhawks,
who else is guaranteed a playoff berth from the new Central Division?
St Louis are perennial play-off attendees, Dallas
have made massive changes and will be expecting a place too. Colorado
are some way behind and I can’t imagine them being competitive just
yet, along with Nashville who disappointed last year. That means the
Jets will find themselves in a great
position to make the post-season. Along with Minnesota they have an
exciting line-up and the four-way fight we will see between the
Blues, Stars, Jets and Wild for play-off spots will be great.
Edmonton
have an exciting young team, who are just not ready to challenge yet,
but give them time and they will. How many times have we heard that
quoted over the last few years? The Oilers do have some great young
players, but already before
a puck has even been dropped in the regular season, they have
problems. Losing their top two centers to injury is a huge blow and
one that puts them onto the back foot
straight away. We saw what happens to an injury-ravaged side when
Philadelphia missed the play-offs last season, and in a
division that Edmonton were expected to struggle in when
at full-strength, things have just got that
much tougher. If the Oilers struggle for
victories before they can get their star players back again, it means
the best they will be left to look forward to this season will be for
local pride against their Alberta rivals, Calgary.
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