.png)
Rejoice, puck is officially back across the NHL globe. All 32 squads are beginning to shred ice with their fresh blades as the first week of the new campaign is now in the books. Quite the dose of surprises to kickstart the action. The typical superstars have started slow, while non-household names make up the top of the scoring charts to start. The two squads in the Stanley Cup Final have started slow, while the newly (in terms of brand) formed Club, and Flames come out the gates fast and furious.
Great action and a good dose of surprise to get the stove lit. I have my hands in cuffs in terms of power rankings and such until each club puts in solid work to their resumes. All I can do right now is enjoy the daily action; banter the small headlines; and watch the roots begin to form. My slate will follow just that as I hop in the Sin-Bin for the first time this season. I shall start with talkin' some unexpected starts; then I am sending a barrage of hits. Lets rock and roll.
The first week is in the books, and we have the Devils atop the standings as the first club to hit 8 points; Utah off to a 3-1 start; and the bottom-5 of the standings being currently made up of all squads who made the playoffs last season, with the Stanley Cup runner-up Oilers being near the bottom. Strong dose of unexpected indeed.
How about Sheldon Keefe's start with the Devils? New Jersey dominated the Sabres in the Global Series, takin' both games in Prague to kickstart the campaign. Toronto gave 'em a right hook, but the Devs sparked up the Capitals, and took Utah's zero in shutout style. Jersey's production isn't coming from Jack Hughes and the top-line, nah; it's the 3rd-line that is doing the damage to lead the wins. Powered by new additions Paul Cotter and vet Stefan Noesen, the line has accounted for one-third of the team's assists; scored 6 of the team's 17 goals; and are each atop the team in plus/minus along with the top defensive pairing. Golden Knight draft pick, Paul Cotter, has been the most impressive.
Cotter arrives in Jersey for some new scenery- the cat is creating quite the opening impression in his new town. Cotter is playing some great puck to lift the back-end of the Devils' rotation through the team's opening five games. He could be in for a career year if the pace continues (quickly). That Dougie Hamilton led defense is looking solid early on as well for Jersey, leading a top PK unit early on. It's all across the board, as the stud 20-year old rooks Seamus Casey & Šimon Nemec are already getting their respected feet in the sand to create a spark, both on the man advantage, and in the back-end of the defensive rotation. Casey has 3 goals already, two on the man advantage, including this beautiful snipe against Utah:
video via @NHL//X
That defense is looking solid, and we still await Luke Hughes to return from the shelf. Devils have a lot of positives rolling early, as does the Club. What a start for Utah in its' inaugural season! The home-opener was a thrill-ride from the start to finish. Shaboozey performed; we saw several-several chug offs; and the players lit the lamp more times than the opposition. A perfect opening night. Utah then built off that to win the first two games of the 4-GM road trip, before losing its zero in New Jersey.
Utah is getting great production from the top-two lines, as well as from line three. Clayton Keller is off to a bang in his first season as the Club's first captain. Keller has the top-line cookin' while the 2nd-line has been powered by Dylan Guenther and youngster Logan Cooley, who looks poised to take things up a notch in YR-2. Utah ranks 2nd in the league in points (A/G); is tied-1st in assists; and has the 4th best current power-play percentage among 11 squads. The best win for Utah is at MSG against the Rangers in OT; lets see what they have against the likes of Colorado, LA, and Boston coming up on the schedj.
Utah and New Jersey may be unexpected winners early on, but we also have several unexpected losers out of the gates; none more unexpecting than the Oilers. The Rig struggled in the first three games of the new campaign before finally getting in the win column last night. Stuart Skinner struggling in the net being the biggest reason for the losing. Oilers look a bit divided for a team that was one win away from hoisting Lord Stanley. This start is nothing crazy, don't think I'm writing them off or anything (long season), but I do remember that nasty 2-9-1 start, last season. Oilers don't want to repeat that here in the new campaign.
Thinking with an open-mind, two of the three Oilers losses are to the Flames and Jets- who each remain undefeated. Flames are off to an excellent start and should have their own paragraph under this branch. The problem is the differential. Edmonton got 6-nil'd in the home-opener by Winnipeg, and have the worst current point differential in Chel to open up. They need to click things into a better gear to avoid another devastatingly bad start. Coming back from behind last night and grabbing an OT dub was a good first motive. Time to build off it.
Another 18-year old Stud Ready for the lights:
Last year we had the Connor Bedard show; this season we hopefully can continue to get the Macklin Celebrini show. NHL has another 18-year old Canadian phenom that is making a splash in the league right off the get-go. Everything seemed to be replicating off the thrills we had to start last season: Top prospect; top pick; raved around the hockey world; debuts in the season opener... the only difference? Celebrini scored his first goal; in his 1st-game, whereas Bedard scored his first goal in his 2nd-game. The goal in motion:
video via @ESPN//X
The puck may have gone off a defender to light the lamp, but the spin-a-roonie pass was too nice, and could have led to a filthy early assist of the year candidate if all went well. I bet Macklin was just fine taking the goal instead. Unfortunately, the rookie phenom's presence was a one game thing for the time being, as the Sharks had to place him on IR due to a lower body injury he sustained in training camp, which then got worse throughout the debut regular-season game. Celebrini is listed as week-to-week. Hopefully, he can be ready to rock and roll for tomorrow's Sharks/Blackhawks matchup that would be centered around Bedard vs Celebrini.
Cole Caufield Sets His 30-Goal Pace:
Habs winger Cole Caufield is off to a real solid scoring pace to spark the new campaign. Caufield already has two game-winning goals; tied with Paul Cotter (NJD) for the most after the opening week, to go with his grand total of 4-netters. Cole had this level of pace in October last year, but is doing things in faster order here this season. With his pace, the Canadiens have one of the more underrated top-lines in hockey.
Can Caufield keep up the pace is the question. He can be a streaky scorer; keeping the pace will make him a sure bet to hit 30+ goals for the first time in his 5-year career. Every season the total goes up: from 23, to 26, to 28 last season; I think he only goes higher this season. The 1st-line for Montréal has real potential to be sneaky good. Juraj Slafkovský will only get better; like Caufield. Suzuki will be the one that leads the potential. Watch those three blossom this season.
Has Huberdeau Returned From The Dead?:
Has Jonathan Huberdeau returned from the dead!? The Flames/Huberdeau chapter has gone as bad as it could go after the first two seasons of the 8/YR bid, but maybe, just maybe, the third year is here to change the misfortune. Huberdeau has already logged in the best stretch of his career as a Flame in the opening four games. His multi-goal scoring night against the Flyers was his first game with 2+ goals as a member of the Flames.
Calgary has started the season 4-0-0 and are getting good production from Huberdeau. You can't ask for a better start in their regard. Will this truly be a switch? Can the Huberdeau of the Panthers come out of hiding... is there anything left of that old player still down deep? I sure as hell hope so for the sake of the Flames and that contract. Time for him to deliver some valuable production; it's been a good start in YR-3.
Bruins 4th-Line Holding Down The Fort:
First and foremost, the Bruins outta hate the Panthers. Florida gives them the boot in consecutive playoffs, and now have handed them two losses in Boston's four games played. Bruins have pure anguish for those Cats. There is some positive going on throughout the 2-2 start, with most of the positive stemming off the Bruins' 4th-line. The final line is totally holding down the fort.
The trio of Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic and Cole Koepke have combined for 13 points and 12 shots on goal through the first four games of the season. The trio is atop the team in plus/minus as well. Dropping down Beecher and flipping Koepke has created quite the diamond in the rough for Jim Montgomery. The trio is lifting the team, and the team has acknowledged their production.
Just some quick hits here to get the lights turned on, the Zamboni powered up, and the ice ready for shreddin'. After another week or so of action, I should be able to roll out some power rankings; both team and individual rankings. In the meantime, it's time to sit back and watch the figures of Chel start to build a mold to the new season. Which squad will be the last standing in hanging on to its zero: Lightning; Flames; Stars; or Jets? Time to find out! Puck is officially back folks. Rejoice!
Follow our Socials and my personal Twitter:
Twitter: @SpittinCap & @djp_spittincap
IG: @spittin_cap
Make sure to click the heart and leave a like... share for others to read!
Opinion. Fact. Or Straight Up Cap.
Comments